Travel Information

Safety and Security

Safe city

Although all travel involves risk, Oxford is a safe place relative to other potential study abroad destinations. In general, the UK has a low crime rate, and it certainly has much less violent crime than the USA. Oxford, and particularly north Oxford where the UGA Centre is located, is an affluent area and considered safe by locals.

Secure facility

The UGA at Oxford Centre has modern security systems, with computer-controlled electronic key access and motion-sensor alarms. It is staffed every day by the Centre Manager and every night by Resident Advisors. Trinity College has its own 24-hour security personnel, closed-circuit cameras, and university surveillance.

Modern healthcare

Oxford is served by several hospitals, including the large world-class facilities at the John Radcliffe Hospital, which also has its own ER and is 10 minutes from the UGA Centre. Primary healthcare doctors are available at nearby medical rooms only a short walk from the Centre. All program participants are covered by comprehensive medical insurance, which is accepted at all facilities.

Government travel advice

Department of State

For current government advice on travel to the UK, please see: US State Department Travel to the UK

For current government advice on the safety of travel outside the USA, please see: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings/worldwide-caution.html

Essentials for Travel
Passport Before you can travel to Oxford, you will need to obtain a passport or ensure that your current passport is not about to expire. Passports should have a minimum of six months validity remaining before undertaking any travel. For information on how to obtain a passport, please click here.
Visa? If you hold a US passport, you will not need a visa to travel to the UK for the purposes of the program. However, if you are not a US citizen, you may need a visa, and you should check any requirements which apply to nationals of your home country.
Flights With the required travel documentation in hand, you can then make arrangements for travel to the UK. The easiest way is simply to fly to London. The largest airport is London Heathrow, but London Gatwick or London Stansted are also options.
Group flight Participants are always free to make their own way to and from the UGA Centre in Oxford. However, for the Fall Program and the Franklin/Terry/Grady Summer Program, participants have the option to join a group flight from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson to London Heathrow organized by the program, accompanied by staff, and available at a group rate negotiated with our travel agent. This group flight will be met at Heathrow by pre-arranged coaches for direct travel to the participants' accommodation in Oxford, and back to Heathrow at the end of the program for the return flight. Whether or not students choose to take the group flights, they are welcome to meet the group coaches at the appointed times for free travel to and from the airport.
Flight costs The cost of flights is not included in the program fee. If booked a few months ahead, a direct return flight will cost around $900-1100. At shorter notice, direct flights can costs considerably more, but indirect flights can usually be found for less.
Airline Options

Daily flights to London operate from all major US airports, including Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson. Non-stop flights from Atlanta are offered by Delta, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, but budget-friendly non-direct options are also available from all major airlines. The main airports are London Heathrow, London Gatwick and London Stansted. All of these offer direct coach services to and from Oxford.

Getting to Oxford

From London Heathrow A coach service called "The Airline", operated by Oxford Bus Company, runs every hour from Terminal 5 and from the Central Bus Station at Terminal 3. The journey is 80-90 minutes, and costs £29 return. For more information, see http://airline.oxfordbus.co.uk
From London Gatwick The same coach company, "The Airline", also serves Gatwick, at both the North and South terminals. The journey time is 120-150 minutes, and costs £37 return. For information, see http://airline.oxfordbus.co.uk
From London Stansted A coach service called National Express runs 8 direct trips to and from Oxford; the journey takes about 3 hours and costs £29.50 return. For more information, see http://www.nationalexpress.com
From London by coach If you arrive in London by some other means, or are spending time in London before the program, you can travel to Oxford from central London on a direct coach service departing from just outside London Victoria Coach Station; there are two services, one called The Oxford Tube, the other X90; both operate almost 24hrs a day, with services every 20 minutes during the day or every hour at night. They both cost around £20 return, with a journey time of 90 minutes. For more information see http://x90.oxfordbus.co.uk or http://www.oxfordtube.com
Getting to the UGA at Oxford Centre
Location The Centre is located at 104 Banbury Rd, Oxford, OX2 6JU. For google maps, click here . If arriving in Oxford by bus, you will want to alight at the final stop, Gloucester Green Bus Station, and then proceed by one of the following means:
By taxi There is a taxi rank located next to Gloucester Green Bus Station; go out into the square behind the bus station, and cross to the far side, where the taxis will be waiting. The journey is about 5 minutes and will cost about £6 or £7.
By local bus From Gloucester Green, walk east on George St; turn left onto Magdalen St, where you will see a number of local bus stops; you can either catch bus 2A or 2C from stop C1; or bus 25 or S4 from stop C4; ask to get off at the Linton Rd stop, which is on Banbury Rd very near the Centre.
By foot It will take about 20 minutes to walk from Gloucester Green Bus Station. Begin by heading east along George St; turn left onto Magdalen St; this will widen into a large road called St Giles; at the fork, take the right-hand street called Banbury Rd, and continue to 104, which will be on the right.
From the train station If arriving by train, you can take bus 14 from stop R4, which runs once every 30 minutes; or you can walk 10 minutes to Gloucester Green bus station via Hythe Bridge St, and proceed as above; alternatively, you will find the taxi rank directly out front, which will cost about £10 or £11.

Explore Oxford

Things to Do in Oxford

Oxford is a great college town as well as an international tourist attraction.
Below are just a few of the things UGA at Oxford participants can do when the books are put away:

  • Attend a play: Whether it's professional, amateur, or student, classical, popular, or avant-garde, there's always a production in progress. Shakespeare adaptations are a favorite.
  • Listen up: Punk, folk, classical, religious, alternative - it's all playing. If you're truly adventurous, sidle up to the karaoke machine at a pub and make your own contribution to the local scene.
  • Attend a service: Oxford has many Church of England (Anglican) congregations; a list of other local denominations, synagogues, and mosques is available from program staff.
  • Check out a museum: The Ashmolean and the Pitt Rivers are local landmarks, featuring paintings, sculpture, local and natural history, and antique scientific equipment. Museum web sites: http://www.museums.co.uk
  • Catch a movie: Two local theatres and occasional festivals showcase British, American, and foreign films.
  • Shop: Oxford is a paradise of bookstores, both new and used. To visit one of the largest and most celebrated, click here: http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/stores/oxford-bookshop/ Thrift and vintage clothing are well-represented, too, as are CD and vinyl shops and fairs. Warning: Past experience indicates that this is a dangerous pastime for students' wallets and carry-on luggage allowances!
  • Go punting: What could be more romantic, more scholarly, more Oxford than boating on the Thames? Tip: Pick a (relatively) warm day. People have been known to fall in.
  • Rent a bike: The Oxfordshire countryside is an attraction in itself. Example: Blenheim Palace, about eight miles away, is England's largest private residence (home of the Ninth Duke of Marlborough), as well as the birthplace of Winston Churchill.
  • Go to London: A round-trip bus ticket is about six pounds; the trip takes an hour and a half each way and can be made at almost any hour of the day or night.

If you can't wait until you get to Oxford, here are a few ways to get to know the city before you go.

Visit the homepage for your college:
Keble College (for the Spring and Fall Programs); Trinity College (for the Summer Program)

Read a book:

  • The novels included within the "Inspector Morse" mystery series by Oxford native Colin Dexter are all set around town (locals), with a healthy dose of gown (faculty types) thrown in. Start with the novel in which Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis first appear on the scene, Last Bus to Woodstock.
  • Philip Pullman's celebrated trilogy, His Dark Materials, introduces readers to both a realistic and fantastic Oxford that promises to enrich any visitor to the city's imagination.
  • Novelist, biographer, and royal relative Lady Antonia Fraser is the author of Oxford Blood; I haven't read it, but I assume it's a mystery.
  • American Peter Feiler spent a year at Cambridge, dated a Canadian Rhodes Scholar studying at Oxford, and tells us all about it in Looking for Class: My Search for Wisdom and Romance at Oxford and Cambridge. This book is both informative and hilarious.
  • The Children of Men by P.D. James differs from most books set in Oxford, which tend to relate a story in the present that's saturated with atmosphere from the city's past. This instead is a very futuristic thriller in which a divorced Oxford faculty member saves the human race (but is he late for tutorial?)

See a movie:

  • The Saint, starring Val Kilmer as international thief Simon Templar, has a lot of footage set in Oxford. In fact, the Radcliffe Square of the Bodleian Library probably vies with Red Square in Moscow for the most on-screen time.
  • Shadowlands is the weepie of this list. Anthony Hopkins stars as Oxford professor and Christian fantasy author (hint: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) C.S. Lewis. Debra Winger is the American poet who steals his heart.
  • Then there's the pop classic Oxford Blues: Rob Lowe is an American who rows crew and generally gets into trouble. Ally Sheedy co-stars.
  • The Inspector Morse mystery series (see above) has also spawned a series of television movies, usually available on public broadcasting or A&E.
  • Finally, although no scenes in The Madness of King George are depicted as taking place in Oxford, several were shot there in the summer of 1994.

Culture and Entertainment in England:

  • http://www.museums.co.uk offers a comprehensive listing of museum websites and information for England.
  • The Royal Shakespeare Company main site. Information and online booking for the world's leading Shakespeare company.
  • Shakespeare's Globe main site. A recently-opened reconstruction of William Shakespeare's Globe theater featuring performances, tours, and educational programs.

 General Information on Britain and Study Abroad:

More things to do in Oxford (other than studying):

Dining Out

Summertown – North Oxford (hang a right outside of the house and walk about 6-8 blocks north on Banbury Road; approx. 2 miles from the City Centre)

  • Mamma Mia, South Parade, Summertown - Very good Italian café – great pizzas and pastas. The gnocchi with ham and cream is fab! Decent house wines by the carafe. Great pizza. Their pastas are pretty good too. Their ‘Med-Bread’ appetizer (flat bread with olives and sun-dried tomatoes) is amazing and almost a meal in itself. About £10-15 per head without wine.
  • Greek Taverna, Banbury Road, Summertown - Delicious, homey little Greek restaurant among the Summertown shops. Nice to sit outside when the weather is clement. Good, cheap house wines. Delicious food, especially the Moussaka and the grilled halloumi! £12-15 including house wine.
  • LB’s, Banbury Road - Cheap and cheery Lebanese take-away place. Lamb and lentil stew is unbelievable! £5-7 for a sandwich and a drink, or an entré and a salad.
  • The Bakehouse, Banbury Road - Good place for hearty, cheap breakfasts, salads, sandwiches, and creamy, gooey pastries! c. £5-7 per person.

Jericho – Northwest Oxford (hang a left outside the House, walk south on Banbury Road up until Bevington Road, then take Bevington Road across to Woodstock Road, another little left for ½ a block until Observatory Road, and take Observatory Road to Walton St. This will put you right in the heart of Jericho – a funky, artisty, kinda edgy/kinda yuppie neighbourhood with a fantastic Arthouse Cinema – The Phoenix – and great pubs, shops, cafés, and bookshops!)

  • Al Shami, 25 Walton Crescent, Jericho - Really good Lebanese food. £15-20 per person. A bit full of themselves. They have an off-shoot on Park End street with equally good food and less officious service. Also Tarbouch on George St is a good, cheap Lebanese café to have lunch at.
  • Le Petit Blanc, Walton St, Jericho - Affordable (by British Standards) fine dining. Oxford city’s only establishment from the stable of award winning Michelin starred restaurateur Raymond Blanc. His signature restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons is in Great Milton just outside of Oxford in a wonderful historic manor house. Expect to spend close to £30 at lunch at the Petit Blanc and about £80 at dinner. Prices at the Manoir, £120 for lunch and upwards of £300 at dinner.
  • Branca, Jericho - Italian Tapas bar. Urban chic – cold and angular décor (sort of like Mia Madonna in Athens) – lovely food. Great value. You’d be well-advised to book ThursSunday nights. £25-40.

South of the House, but not quite City Centre (sort of around the Little Clarendon St, St Giles area, where Banbury and Woodstock meet)

  • Gee’s Brasserie, Banbury Road (mid-way between House & city centre) - Fabulous, expensive food. Oxford’s answer to 5 & 10. Innovative nouvelle anglaise cuisine in a fab atmosphere, good wine list, and great service. Can’t recommend what to eat because their menu changes seasonally. All I can say is if they have the clams with samphire, you must eat them! £50 or so per person.
  • Brown’s Restaurant, southern end of Woodstock Road - Stuck in the mid-90s, large and busy restaurant, with good, if unimaginative food. Go there for the chicken pot pie, or the livers and bacon in onion gravy. Cramped, but efficient and friendly bar with potent martinis! £15-20.

City Centre

  • Ask/Zizzi, George Street, City Centre - Slightly more expensive at dinner than at lunch. In my opinion, these two informal Italian eateries, owned by the same people, used to be brilliant, but have deteriorated somewhat of late. If I’m having pizza, I’d rather just go to Pizza Express in the city centre – much better pizza and fab ambience (more below). If you’re up at the Residential Center, I wouldn’t make a trip in when you could just go to Mamma Mia (see above)! That said, they’re both good value for money, and despite crap service, the food is pretty good. Zizzi is overall a couple of ££ more expensive than Ask. Zizzi’s pizza is a little bit thinner and crisper and they have a better choice of pastas than Ask. At Ask, get the Tuna pasta, the spaghetti with meatballs, the Genovese pizza (courgettes, pesto, aubergines, olives), or the diavolo (pepperoni, hot peppers), or the Emilia. Ask at Lunch would be £6-10 (depending on water/wine, etc.) and £10-15 at dinner. Zizzi, £ 8-12 at lunch and £15-18 at dinner.
  • Pizza Express, Golden Cross, Cornmarket Street - Great Pizza and salad place. Very nice ambience in a medieval building that used to be an inn. Shakespeare might well have stayed there. Right above the Covered Market – great for stopping off to lunch between shopping. Really nice bar downstairs too where you can wait for people or a table if you have to. Good tomato juice. I love the pizza Soho (roquette, fresh garlic, and shaved parmesan) or the Veneziana (capers, raisins, pine-nuts).
  • Chiang Mai Kitchen, High Street(city centre) - Totally fabulous Thai food – named Thai restaurant of Europe several years now. Impossible to get in without reservation no matter what day of week unless you go at 6 p.m. Good for lunch too and probably easier without booking. Great vegetarian menu. Fabulous curries. Try the whole fried fish in sweet chilli sauce…unbelievable!!
  • Prêt à manger, High Street(city centre) - Great sandwich shop for lunch. Their Pret salad (humus and vegetables) is amazing, as is their chocolate fudge cake. The crayfish and roquette sandwich is good too. £4-6.
  • Fasta Pasta, Covered Market - Fab Italian delicatessen with gorgeous expensive antipasti that will leave you begging for more. Their sandwiches, however, are very cheap (£2.50-3.50) – this is my favourite sandwich shop in Oxford. Try the mozzarella, grilled aubergines, and harisa on tomato ciabatta (bring a breath-mint!).

East Oxford (Cowley Road - best take a taxi – or a bus into city centre and then another one out onto the Cowley Road, or it will take you about 45 minutes to walk there!)

  • Aziz, Cowley Road, East Oxford - Best Indian food in Oxford. Middle of the road – dinner with wine should be about £22-25. Absolutely must try the fish there. Also cream and black pepper chicken is divine. Lamb boti is out of the world – must have with Dal Tarka. Lamb with pumpkin is really fantastic too! Really good vegetarian dishes – the Sarso Baigan (aubergines with mustard seed) is fabulous.
  • Pizzeria Trattoria Mario, Cowley Road near the Bingo - I know – cheesy name, but some of the best pizza and pasta you will eat outside of Italy, and really cheap too! The food never tastes the same twice in a row – just depends on which grandma or aunt is in the kitchen, but it’s wonderful each time! £10 or so. E. Castle Area - The newly re-developed area around Oxford’s medieval castle and Victorian prison towards the Western edge of the City Centre has a number of new restaurants and bars.
  • Krispy Kreme - Oxford’s only Donut shop should you feel like you need a taste of home!
  • The Living Room - A very trendy new “piano” bar full of beautiful people wearing black. They do food too, but I’ve never been able to last long enough there to actually eat something. Good cocktails, although the bar staff can be over-twirly!
  • Pizza Express - A less atmospheric version of the same restaurant to be found on Cornmarket St. Same menu and quality of food as the original Pizza Express discussed above.
English Pubs

The Kings Arms, Broad Street, Oxford

  • One of the most traditional pubs in Oxford.
  • Complete cross section of Oxford people, all still crossing the welcome mat first put out by Thomas Franklin in 1607 when it opened.
  • Back bar was reputed to possess more brains per square inch than any other bar in the world. Until it became a mixed bar in the mid-sixties!!
  • Despite competition from no fewer than 20 inns in Broad St during the first 100 years of its existence, the KA soon became Oxford’s premier public house.
  • Spot the picture of the Queen Mum with handbag in one hand and a pint of Young’s Best Bitter in the other!

The Turf Tavern, Bath Place, Oxford

  • One of Oxford’s best known pubs, and the hardest to find, The Turf Tavern is built beneath the walls of New College and against the last remaining section of the old city wall.
  • The pub dates back to the 13th century making it one of Oxford’s oldest pubs, and it serves a huge range of traditional real ales.
  • The pub is well known for its role in the "Inspector Morse" television series.

The White Horse, 52 Broad St, Oxford

  • An early Tudor building
  • You step down into a long, narrow and dimly lit pub where photographs of Oxford events line the walls (can you spot Sam?).
  • Well known for attracting some of the University’s more eccentric characters – including Bevis.

The Eagle and Child, 49 St Giles St, Oxford

  • Known to locals as the ‘Bird and Baby’, this famous pub is one of Oxford’s oldest (350 years old)
  • It acted as the lodgings of the Chancellor of the Exchequer during the English Civil War (1642 - 49), when Oxford was the Royalist capital.
  • More recently, it was the celebrated meeting place of famous authors. The writers C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and C. Williams formed their own literary group called the Inklings. This infamous drinking club used to meet in the back room (the "Rabbit Room") every Tuesday morning from 1939-1962 for lively debates on philosophy, literature, art and theology (and…latest pulls, footy results and..).
  • See if you can spot photos of the Inklings on a plaque next to bar and their signatures on a framed note over the fireplace!
  • Apparently C.S.Lewis used to keep his slippers behind the bar as he felt so at home there.
  • Nowadays you are most likely to find Chris and Bevis propping up the bar.

The Lamb and Flag

  • There has been a tavern called the Lamb in St Giles since medieval times. The Lamb moved to its present location in 1617 and became the Lamb and Flag, although parts of the building are older. The name the ‘Lamb and Flag’ comes from the symbol of St. John the Baptist, to whom St John’s College, next to the pub, is dedicated. 
  • The Lamb and Flag, formerly a coaching inn dating back to the 15th century, is over 500 years old and has the tiny rooms and oak beamed ceilings to prove it.
  • It is surrounded by and owned by St John’s College.
Lodging

Between UGA Residence and City Centre:

Summertown area:

In Town:

North of Summertown:

General Sources:

www.booking.com

www.laterooms.com

www.oxfordcity.co.uk

www.dailyinfo.co.uk

Oxford Churches

Just about any flavour of ecclesiastical experience can be found in Oxford. The guide here should help you find the most appropriate or comfortable one for your needs.

Roman Catholic Churches

  • The Oratory of St Aloysius, Woodstock Road. Elaborate Latin ritual in the grandeur of a sumptuously decorated 19th century building. Approachable and majestic at the same time, the Oratory should provide a happy home for those seeking a more formal type of worship.
  • Blackfriars, St Giles. This is the Oxford Hall of the Dominican order. Austere, calm, and reflective services following the Dominican liturgy take place in the sparse chapel. Blackfriars is to be recommended for those who would take an highly intellectual approach to their religion.
  • St Benet’s Hall, St Giles. This is the Oxford House of the Benedictine monastic order. Services follow the monastic breviary.
  • Catholic Chaplaincy, St Aldates. Modern informal worship in a modern institutional type atmosphere.

Orthodox Churches

  • Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity and the Annunciation, Canterbury Road. Also serves the Russian Orthodox congregation.

The Church of England

  • Christ Church Cathedral. The Mother-Church of Anglican churches in the Diocese of Oxford. Standard Anglican Prayer Book worship. Decent choir.
  • New College. Middle of the road Anglican chapel services during Oxford’s term time only. Best choir in Oxford. Choral Evensong on weekdays is a wonderful treat.
  • Magdalen College. Fairly high (smells and bells) college chapel worship. Good choir. Beautiful Compline service on Sunday nights in a solemn and inspiring atmosphere. Term time only.
  • Pusey House, St Giles. The centre of Anglo-Catholicism in Oxford, Pusey House has its roots in the late-nineteenth century Oxford Movement, which sought to restore a more catholic liturgy and theology into the Church of England. Very high church, although quite friendly and accessible. World-renowned theological library.
  • St Mary Magdalen, Magdalen St. A parish church of the Anglo-Catholic persuasion, and in some respects higher even than Pusey House above. All services in traditional Book of Common Prayer language with a notable music tradition.
  • University Church of St Mary the Virgin, High St. Middle of the road, liberal Anglican church which is also the University’s Official Church and as such used for all ceremonies like the weekly University sermons and the once-a-term Latin sermons. Fun to go see the Vice-Chancellor, Proctors, etc. decked out in all their finery! Also serves the German Lutheran congregation on the first Sunday of every month. Spanish service on second Sunday.
  • St Ebbes Church. Evangelical, bible-based low church. Quite student-y, but also anchored in the community. Guitars, free-dress, etc. 
  • St Aldate’s Church. Like St Ebbes above – low and evangelical, although more fundamentalist.

Other Protestant Churches

  • New Road Baptist Church, Bonn Square.
  • Wesley Memorial Church, New in Hall St. Methodist Church. John Wesley started the Methodist movement in Oxford.
Shops and Services

Caveat Emptor: This guide is meant to help you survive your first couple days in Oxford, not to list all the possible businesses. Use it in conjunction with your map of Oxford. If you find stores you think should be added (or places that have closed) please e-mail that information to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. using the subject line “Retail Guide Changes.” Thanks!

Oxford City Centre

This is the home of the big bookstores, the old colleges, and the fast food restaurants. And the nightclubs, and lots of sit-down restaurants, and....

Bookstores - The big bookstores are on Broad Street (which is only one block long—to the east it’s Holywell and to the west it’s George). Blackwells, which is just down from Trinity College, is spread across a number of buildings, with the music and art departments on the opposite side of the street from the main bookstore. Waterstone’s (a big chain store) is at the corner of Broad and Cornmarket. There are other, smaller, bookstores as well.

Food - There are a number of fast food restaurants (KFC, McDonald’s, Burger King, Pret a Manger) along Cornmarket, as well as a number of stores selling mobile phones. At the end of Cornmarket opposite Broad Street are High Street (to your left) and Queen Street (to your right). There are many restaurants on both George and High Street, and you should walk through the Covered Market (just off Cornmarket) at least once during your stay in Oxford! There’s also a large Sainsbury’s grocery store in Westgate Shopping Centre, which is on Queen Street, and a small Sainsbury’s and a Tesco by the bus stands on Magdalen.

ATMs- There are ATM machines for a number of banks on or near Cornmarket.

General Supply Stores - If you need to buy towels, you’ll probably want to start at Boswell’s, which is next to Waterstone’s, or Debenhams, a large department store on the opposite corner. The big Boots is on Cornmarket, as is W. H. Smith, one of the three large stationers (i.e., office supplies stores). The second is Rymans, which is on the High Street. Finally, there’s a Staples in the block between Park End Street and Hythe Bridge Road.

Post Office - The main Post Office is on St. Aldates, which is what Cornmarket becomes after the intersection with High and Queen. You can buy stamps many other places, as well.

For Alice in Wonderland Fans - The Alice Shop is located along St. Aldates. The Alice Shop is housed in the building that is immortalized in Alice in Wonderland as the Old Sheep Shop.

Summertown

Grocery Stores – North of the UGA at Oxford Centre on Banbury Road is an area called Summertown. This is your best bet for close by grocery stores if you’re at the Centre — Marks & Spencers and the Co-op (just to name the big chain stores) are on Banbury Road on the same side of the street as the Centre. There is also a shop with fresh produce. Please note: most of these stores are closed by 6 p.m. on Sunday! (Luckily for us, there is a Tesco Express opposite the Marks & Spencers which is open longer.)

ATMs - There are ATM machines for at least Barclays, Lloyds, and Nat-West on Banbury Road. (Note: The Barclays machine is easiest to spot, and, in common with all British Banks, Barclays doesn’t charge a transaction fee to use their machines.)

Pharmacy – Summertown also has a small Boots, which is across Banbury Road from the grocery stores.

Food - Restaurants include an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, a Lebanese deli, an Indian and French restaurant, a fabulous Greek restaurant, and numerous Italian cafés. For details see the attached ‘Oxford – Eating Out’ handout. 

Jericho

A final retail area within fairly close walking distance is Jericho, the main street of which is Walton Street, the second main north-south road west of Banbury. (Like most roads in Oxford, its name changes depending on where you are. North of Jericho it’s Kingston Road.) Here are more restaurants and many small shops, mostly of the “arty” or boutique kind. It is also home to a very good second-hand bookshop and The Oxford University Press.

Oxford – Sites to See and Things to Do

Museums – There are a number of museums in Oxford catering to different tastes.

The Ashmolean(www.ashmolean.org) on Beaumont Street near City Centre is the oldest public museum in the world. (It was founded in 1683). Its collections include antiquities, western and eastern art, and coins. The old Ashmolean Building on Broad Street now houses the Museum of the History of Science (www.mhs.ox.ac.uk).

Christ Church Picture Gallery (www.chch.ox.ac.uk/gallery) is in Christ Church. Christ Church is unique among the Oxford and Cambridge colleges in possessing an important collection of Old Master paintings and drawings, housed in a purpose-built Gallery of considerable architectural interest in itself.

The Modern Art Oxford (www.modernartoxford.org.uk) is located at 30 Pembroke Street focuses on twentieth century art.

The Bate Collection of Musical Instruments (www.bate.ox.ac.uk) is housed in the Oxford University Faculty of Music buildings on St. Aldates next to Christ Church College. The collection includes many historical instruments.

The Oxford Museum of Natural History, aka, The Pitt Rivers Museum, (www.oum.ox.ac.uk) on Parks Road (near Keble College and University Parks) boasts a number of scientific exhibits, but it’s worth a look just for the building!

The Museum of Oxford (www.oxford.gov.uk/museumofoxford) is located on St. Aldates near High Street. This museum focuses on the history of the city rather than the university. It is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm, and admission is £1.50.

Jogging- If you like to jog, two good places to do it are University Parks (www.parks.ox.ac.uk) across from Keble College (for a more pleasant trip to and from the park, use a map to figure out the “back” way rather than using Banbury Road) and Port Meadow. To reach Port Meadow, take Rawlinson Road (across Banbury Road from the Center and a bit south) to Polsted Road to Aristotle Lane. (Basically, there are a number of ¼ block jogs; you can usually see the road you are headed for.) Once you reach Port Meadow, turn left onto the paved path. You can either stay on this path to the car park and then around the end of Port Meadow, or you can take the unpaved footpath across Port Meadow. When you reach the gated bridge, you are at the Thames. Cross the bridge, go down the ramp, and then you can either continue north or you can make a U-turn and go south along the Thames Path. Port Meadow is the old Oxford Commons, and there are still livestock pastured there, so watch your step.

The Perch and The Trout - If you’d like to go for a long walk and experience an old pub, there are two options off Port Meadow. (See the directions to Port Meadow and the Thames Path in “Jogging.”) Stay on the Thames Path north after crossing the gated bridge. You’ll pass the town of Binsey on your left. Shortly afterwards you will see a sign to the back entrance of The Perch, an old thatchroofed pub. If you want a longer walk, continue on the path north. You’ll pass the Godstow Lock and the ruins of Godstow Abbey. Just past the abbey, you’ll find a gate to the road. (You’ll be able to see the outdoor dining area of The Trout from here.) Take the road over the Thames (beware cars!) and then turn right into The Trout, one of the famous river pubs.

Tolkien Sites - This is another long walk, but if you want to make a Tolkien pilgrimage, here are some places you can see. Leave the Center and turn left. Then take the next two lefts (Linton and Northmoor). The Tolkiens lived at 20 and 22 Northmoor, and one of the houses is noted by a round blue sign on the upper story. Then continue on to the cross street and turn left again. Turn right when you reach Banbury Road. (At some point, you’ll need to cross to the other side of Banbury; Summertown is probably the best place to do it.) Eventually, you’ll reach the Ring Road. You’ll be able to see the pedestrian crossing to your left. Cross the road and continue north. Shortly afterwards, you’ll see the sign to Wolvercote Cemetary. Follow the signs inside to Tolkien’s grave. If you’re up for a longer walk, you can continue on past the Center on your return until you reach St. Giles and the Eagle and Child pub, where Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and others met regularly.

Key Places

The City of Oxford

Covered Market

Covered Market

First opened in 1774, the Covered Market in Oxford has long been a favourite place for local shopping. Its Victorian strut-work and quaint market booths provide a charming and historic setting for its local retailers. In an age of mega supermarkets and mass importation, Oxford is renowned for retaining its centrally-located market for artisan goods and local farm produce.
Port Meadow

Port Meadow

Port Meadow is a special piece of ground which has never been ploughed or built upon. In return for their aid against Danish invaders in the 800s, Alfred the Great granted the land to the people of Oxford for grazing their livestock free of charge. This right was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086, and continues to today. Its preservation free of farming, building or private ownership is seen as a symbol of English liberty. It is also a great place for a country walk and lunch at its riverside pub, The Trout.
Punts on the Cherwell

Punts on the Cherwell

Oxford is on the River Thames, which flows to London, and situated just where its tributary, the Cherwell, joins it. One of the favourite Oxford pastimes is river-boating in flat-bottomed boats called ‘punts,’ propelled and directed with a long pole like a Venetian gondola. A picnic while punting up the Cherwell is a great way to spend a spring or summer day.
Martyrs' Memorial

Martyrs' Memorial

In 1555, Oxford was the site of one of the key moments in the Protestant Reformation in England, when Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, and two fellow bishops were tried and burnt at the stake for refusing to accept Queen Mary I’s reconversion of England to Roman Catholicism. The bishops were hailed as martyrs by many and inspired a wave of popular Protestant resistance.
Carfax Tower

Carfax Tower

Built in the 1100s, St Martin’s Church was the official meeting place of the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Oxford, from the appointment of the first mayor in 1205 until its demolition in 1896. The remaining tower marks the centre of the city and all Oxford students must reside within exactly six miles of Carfax.
Oxford Castle

Oxford Castle

Oxford Castle was built in 1071, almost a thousand years ago, for William the Conqueror. While much was destroyed during the English Civil War in the 1600s, the restored structure was used as a prison until its conversion into a hotel and arts venue in 1996. As the remaining part of the original structure, St George’s Tower is one of the oldest buildings in Oxford.

Oxford Colleges

Christ Church

Christ Church

Founded in 1546, Christ Church is among the largest of Oxford’s colleges. With the instantly recognizable Tom Tower and Christ Church Meadow surrounding the college, it is a popular spot for students, scholars, and tourists alike. In addition to being an academic institution, Christ Church also houses the Cathedral of the Oxford diocese. It counts among its alumni Lewis Carroll, W. H. Auden, John Locke, William Penn and W.E. Gladstone.
Exeter College

Exeter College

Located in central Oxford only a few steps from the Bodleian Library, University Church, and Broad Street, Exeter College was founded in 1314 and is the fourth oldest college at the University of Oxford. Among its notable alumni are J R R Tolkien, Sir Philip Pullman, Charles Lyell, and Imogen Stubbs.
University College

University College

University College, known to locals and students simply as Univ, is one of the oldest colleges in Oxford, even accounting for the fact that the college’s two founding years are more than four centuries apart. Among its famous 'Univites' are C S Lewis, Stephen Hawking, President Bill Clinton, and Percy Bysshe Shelley.
New College

New College

Founded in 1379, New College was established by William of Wykeham as the college of St Mary of Winchester in Oxford. New College originally consisted of a Warden and 70 Fellows. Senior Fellows taught the College’s undergraduate students (or the junior fellows), thus setting the precedent of the formal tutorial system in Oxford.
The Queen's College

The Queen's College

The Queen’s College was founded in 1341 in honor of Queen Philippa, wife of Edward III. Students from Cumberland and Westmorland were given preference for admission in the decades after its founding. The Front Quad of Queen’s College has been referred to as 'the grandest piece of classical architecture in Oxford.'
Magdalen College

Magdalen College

Located on Oxford’s High Street where the Holywell Mill Stream meets the River Cherwell, Magdalen College was founded in 1458 with the largest foundation in Oxford at the time. The College was then comprised of 40 Fellows, 30 scholars, and a large choir. Among its famous alumni and fellows are Oscar Wilde, graduated in 1878, C S Lewis, elected Fellow in 1925, and Seamus Heaney, elected Professor of Poetry and Fellow in 1989.
Jesus College

Jesus College

Founded by a group of Welshmen in 1571, Jesus College maintained its Welsh roots for nearly two hundred years, with some scholarships and fellowships open only to Welsh students. Jesus College was one of the first Oxford colleges to admit female students in 1974.
Brasenose College

Brasenose College

Brasenose College, whose site was previously occupied by Brasenose Hall, a lodging house, does not have an official founding date as a place of learning, but Brasenose itself marks the year of its founding as 1509. Among its notable students is Elias Ashmole, founder of the Ashmolean Museum.
Oriel College

Oriel College

Founded in 1326 as the College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the name Oriel originated from a property called La Oriole, formerly located on the site of the Front Quad. The Oxford Movement, an early nineteenth century religious movement, had its roots in Oriel College.

UGA at Oxford Centre

The UGA Centre

The UGA Centre

The UGA at Oxford Centre is a restored late-Victorian mansion located in North Oxford. The Centre has all of the amenities of a dormitory to make it feel like home, while also being conveniently located to make the city of Oxford accessible to program participants.
Front Hall

Front Hall

Residents enter through the iconic red door of the UGA at Oxford Centre and find themselves in the beautiful front hall. From here, they can pop over to the library, the seminar room, the living room, the kitchen, or out back to the garden.
The Library

The Library

Program participants will have access to our convenient and well-stocked library; it will soon become your go-to place for quick reference and longer study. Materials that are frequently used on the Program or have been recommended by tutors can be found on these shelves and are available for lending.
Gardens and Lawns

Gardens and Lawns

Participants can find a quiet place to study, practice some yoga or meditation, or even kick around the football in the Centre’s garden, which is tended by professional gardeners.
Seminar Room

Seminar Room

Students take courses as both seminars and tutorials while on the program. Seminars are meant for a larger group of students, and this room is a perfect space for discussion and learning. When seminars are not meeting, students are more than welcome to meet with their fellow participants and discuss their coursework.
Period Features

Period Features

The UGA at Oxford Centre was originally built in the late 1800s as a single-family residence. The professional restoration of this historically-listed building carefully preserves many of its Victorian features: spacious rooms, detailed furnishings, and large windows that offer stunning views of the beautiful gardens.
Outdoor Patio

Outdoor Patio

For a change of scenery, students often venture to the patio to study, read, or socialize with fellow participants. This is also a popular location for program events on at the UGA at Oxford Centre.
Living Room

Living Room

Students can relax in the Centre’s comfortable living room, take in a football club match, or even a Dawgs football game. Students on the program have also been known to organize movie and game nights in the living room.
Modern Kitchen

Modern Kitchen

Among the amenities at the UGA at Oxford Centre are our full kitchen on the ground floor and the kitchenette located on the first floor. Residents can make a quick snack between class meetings or prepare a meal with fellow participants.

University Buildings

The Old Bodleian Library

The Old Bodleian Library

The Bodleian is the central library of the University of Oxford. The original building, known as the Old Bodleian, is now only one amongst a series of forty separate libraries, but it remains the centre of this vast network. The core of the present building was built in 1488, and its great quadrangle was completed in 1619.
The Radcliffe Camera

The Radcliffe Camera

A part of the Bodleian Library, consisting of lower and upper reading rooms ("camera" is Latin for "room"), this building provides an incredibly inspiring place to study and write, especially the upper floor beneath the soaring space of its domed ceiling.
The Clarendon Building

The Clarendon Building

Built in 1715 from the proceeds of the Earl of Clarendon's history of the English civil war (the world's first English-language "best-seller"), this building was originally the headquarters of Oxford University Press, and now houses the central administration for the Bodleian Libraries.
The New Bodleian Library

The New Bodleian Library

Originally built in 1937, the New Bodleian has recently been transformed into the Weston Library and now houses the library's Special Collections and a fantastic new exhibition space showcasing highlights from its extensive holdings, which include the world's oldest complete text of the Gospels, 4 copies of Magna Carta, a Gutenberg Bible and a Shakespeare First Folio.
The Ashmolean Museum

The Ashmolean Museum

One of the oldest public museums in the English-speaking the world, and the world's first university museum, the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology was founded upon the collection of Elias Ashmole, which he donated to the university in 1677. The present building was built in 1845 to house the university's expanding collections.
The Sheldonian Theatre

The Sheldonian Theatre

One of the first buildings in Oxford to be built in the Renaissance style, the Sheldonian was designed in 1669 by Sir Christopher Wren, architect of the famous St Paul's Cathedral in London. The theatre is the venue for all the university's graduation ceremonies and other formal occasions.
Oxford University Press

Oxford University Press

By 1820, Oxford University Press had outgrown its original headquarters in the Clarendon Building, and moved instead to a larger and even more imposing home, with this front gate leading to a monumental quadrangle. OUP is the world's largest university press, and home to many of the world's most famous works, including the Oxford English Dictionary.
St Mary's Church

St Mary's Church

The oldest of all the buildings owned by the University (as opposed to individual colleges), St Mary's is the official church of the university and was the venue for all formal ceremonies for many centuries, until the building of the Sheldonian. The University's council, called Congregation, is first recorded as meeting here in 1252.
The Museum of Natural History

The Museum of Natural History

Founded in 1860 as the centre for scientific study at Oxford, the Museum is housed in a stunning example of neo-Gothic architecture and holds the university’s internationally significant collection of geological and zoological specimens, including full dinosaur skeletons and preserved examples of the dodo.
The Oxford Union

The Oxford Union

The university's debating society is housed in a beautiful set of buildings complete with stunning library, hall and dining rooms. Founded in 1823, it is famous as having been the training-ground for dozens of British prime ministers and other world leaders, as well as regular host to famous individuals, from Nixon, Carter and Reagan, to Michael Jackson and Shakira.
Botanic Garden

Botanic Garden

The oldest botanic garden in the English-speaking world, it was first begun as a place for botanical research in 1621. With over 5000 different plant species across 2 hectares and 7 glasshouses, it is one of the most biodiverse areas of land on the planet.
The Examination Schools

The Examination Schools

Since 1882, these buildings have been the venue for the University's examinations as well as any lectures offered by university departments to supplement the tutorial teaching of individual colleges.

Office Information

Location: Athens, GA

Office Hours: 8:00am - 5:00pm

Telephone: 706-542-2244

Email: oxford@uga.edu