Oxford
free museums under the spires
The dreaming spires plus two of the best free museums in the country. Wander the colleges, the covered market and the meadows for nothing.
Free to visit · Oxford · Oxfordshire · Paddington / Marylebone → Oxford · OX1 2PH
Oxford gives you the dreaming spires for the price of a train and two world-class museums for nothing. The Ashmolean is Britain's oldest public museum, free to roam, and the Pitt Rivers next door is a gloriously cluttered cabinet of curiosities crammed with shrunken heads and totem poles.
Beyond the museums the city is yours to wander free. Stroll past the colleges, browse the covered market and walk down to Christ Church Meadow and the river. A few colleges charge for entry but the streets, the views and the two great museums are all free.
Getting there from London: Paddington or Marylebone to Oxford, around 1h, advance singles from £15 each way. The Ashmolean and the Pitt Rivers are free. Some colleges charge to go in, the streets and meadows do not.
Getting there: Oxford station is a ten minute walk into the centre. The Ashmolean, the covered market and the colleges are all close together on foot.
Best time to go: Out of term and midweek the city breathes a little easier. The meadows are a fine spot for lunch on a dry day.
Official site: https://www.experienceoxfordshire.org
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