Oxford Historic College and Architecture Tour

Our guides, Oxford alumni or students, blend personal experiences with a passion for the city's history and architecture. The tour is conducted in English and takes place outdoors. Indoor access isn’t included unless booked in advance. For entry to specific colleges, such as New College, request this option ahead of time.
Our 90-minute tour covers highlights like Balliol College, Trinity College, Sheldonian Theatre, Bridge of Sighs, Old Bodleian Library, Radcliffe Square, All Souls College, St Mary’s Church, Merton College, Christ Church College Meadows and South Wall.

Take a fascinating walk through Oxford, where history comes alive. Visit the meadows where Lewis Carroll first imagined Alice in Wonderland and admire stunning Gothic and Baroque architectures.

Meeting Point

11-12 Broad St

11-12 Broad St, Oxford OX1 3AP, UK

Meet at the red post box at 11-12 Broad street (very near the Oxford Campus Stores). Your guide will be wearing an item of royal blue clothing, a jacket, cap, beanie, or polo shirt.

What's included:

• Receive an insight into the Oxbridge Application Process
• Exceptional access to interiors (when accessible)
• Receive insights into student life from an Oxford University Alumni
• Oxford University Student or Graduate Guide
• Enter New College (when you book this tour option)

Not included:

• Entrance fees to colleges not listed on the itinerary
• Gratuities

What to expect:

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes

University of Oxford

Wellington Square, , Oxford, OX1 2JD

Starting as early as 1096 with some form of teaching, Oxford is the oldest English-speaking university in the world.

1 hour, 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Merton College

Merton Street, Oxford, OX1 4JD

Founded in 1264 AD, Merton is one of the oldest colleges in Oxford. It is home to the oldest academic library in continuous use anywhere in Europe, which was built between 1373 and 1378. The buildings around the College span many time periods and illustrate several different architectural styles. The oldest buildings still standing date to the 1280s. The current student body comprises c. 700 students (equally divided between undergraduates and graduates).

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Bodleian Library

Broad St, Oxford OX1 3BG, UK

The world-famous Bodleian Libraries is a must-see cultural destination in the heart of Oxford. The Bodleian Library was founded by Sir Thomas Bodley and officially opened in 1602. Since then the Bodleian libraries has grown to be the largest academic library system in the UK. In its reading rooms, generations of famous scholars have studied through the ages, amongst them monarchs, Nobel Prize winners, British Prime Ministers and writers including Oscar Wilde, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. At the site, you can explore historic spaces that you might recognise from popular films and TV series such as Harry Potter and A Discovery of Witches. We also offer free, inspiring exhibitions featuring the libraries’ rich collections, two unique gift shops and a lovely café.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

University Church of St. Mary the Virgin

The High Street, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 4BJ

Considered one of the oldest university buildings in the world, this is a superb example of Church Architecture from the 13th century. Standing in the very centre of Oxford, the University Church is the spiritual heart of the oldest university in Britain.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

All Souls College

High Street, Oxford, OX1 4AL

Founded by Henry VI and Henry Chichele in 1438, the college today serves primarily as an academic research institution at the University of Oxford.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Hertford College

Catte Street, Oxford, OX1 3BW

Founded in 1282 by Elias de Hertford, this Oxford College has educated many leading figures in British life over the centuries including John Donne, the 17th-century poet, Thomas Hobbs, political philosopher, and Jonathan Swift, famous satirist.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Oriel College

Oriel Square, Oxford, OX1 4EW

Founded in 1326 by King Edward II, this is the fifth oldest college at Oxford University.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Radcliffe Camera

Radcliffe Square, , Oxford, OX1 3BG

This distinctive circular building is a beautiful piece of classical architecture and one of Oxford’s most iconic sights. Built independently of the Bodleian, it’s named after the royal physician, John Radcliffe who had left money in his will to purchase land, build a library, purchase books, and pay a full-time librarian. The camera, simply meaning ‘room’, was built 1737 – 1749 and designed by the leading architect James Gibbs. With its growing collections, the Bodleian took over the Radcliffe Camera in 1860 to expand its book storage facilities.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Exeter College

Turl Street, Oxford, OX1 3DP

Exeter College

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Jesus College

Turl Street, Oxford, OX1 3DW

Jesus College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The Divinity School

The Divinity School, Oxford OX1 3AZ, UK

The Divinity School is a medieval building and room in the Perpendicular style characterised by its rich ornamentation and tracery. The building, which belongs to the University of Oxford, is attached to the Bodleian Library (the main research library of the University of Oxford,), and is opposite the Sheldonian Theatre where students matriculate and graduate. At the far end from the Bodleian Library entrance, a door leads to Convocation House (the lower floor of the Bodleian Library and Divinity School).
Designed between 1423 and 1488 specifically for lectures, oral exams and discussions on theology, was almost ‘certainly the building that popularised Tudor arches’.

10 minutes