The best things to do in Oxford: how to have the ultimate day trip in 2026

What is it? Britain’s oldest public museum, home to a collection that spans continents and cultures.

Why go? A redevelopment turned this magnificent, neo-classical but once-stuffy museum into a modern, light-filled space packed with treasures – medieval musical instruments, European art, Michelangelo – you name it, Ashmoleon’s got it. This summer, flora is given the spotlight in temporary exhibition ‘In Bloom: How Plants Changed Our World’ which features more than 100 drawings, paintings, rare prints, and ceramics and is running until August 2026. Then later in the year, ‘The Making of a Goddess’ presents the world of Aphrodite and her global legacy across art and literature. 

Time Out tip: Getting hitched? The Ashmolean is actually one of the many ludicrously sophisticated wedding venues in Oxford. It’s never too early to get it booked in for 2030. 

Address: Beaumont Street, Oxford, OX1 2PH 

Opening hours: Open every day, 10am-5pm 

Price: Special exhibition tickets are £16.20 (£15.20 concession, £8.10 for kids). General admission to the Ashmoleon is free. 

What is it? The UK’s oldest botanic garden and its 130 acres of woodland, which between them, house species from across the globe.

Why go? Established 400 years ago to grow plants for medicinal research, Oxford’s botanic gardens and giant glasshouses contain more than 6,000 types of plant including specimens used to treat cancer and heart complaints as well as carnivorous plants and tropical wonders.

Time Out tip: The Harcourt Arboretum, a ten-minute drive away, to see spring magnolias, rhododendrons and bluebells in full glory, or the autumnal glow of acers and redwoods.

Address: Rose Lane, Oxford, OX1 4AZ 

Opening hours: 10am-5pm (till 4pm in winter)

Price: Adults £9, concessions £7.20, under-16s free with an adult, Oxford staff and students free with ID

What is it? A local brewery with a penchant for social justice, employing prisoners and prison-leavers, with a trendy taproom in Botley just outside of central Oxford.

Why go? Located a 30-minute walk or short bus ride from the station, in the Botley area of Oxford, Tap Social is a great chance to get away from the bustle of Oxford's busier parts and get the local experience. There’s great beer on tap, both from Tap Social itself and other small breweries. You can grab top-notch pizza on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and make sure you check for its weekly events, from movie nights to  comedy and live music. 

Time Out tip: On June 6 2026, the taproom is hosting its fifth annual Change is Brewing indie beer festival. Twelve indie breweries from across the UK will be there pouring pints, soundtracked by a lineup of live bands. 

Address: 27 Curtis Industrial Estate, North Hinksey Lane, Botley, Oxford, OX2 0LX 

Opening hours: Thursday 4-11pm, Friday 4pm-midnight, Saturday 2pm-midnight (closed all other days of the week)

Price: Craft beers, cocktails and wines vary

What is it? A three-day festival (August 26-31) of food and music, taking over Oxford’s iconic South Park.

Why go? In late August, when summer is packing away its things and nonchalantly leaving behind the best weather of the year, an extravaganza of goodness rolls into Oxford. The Foodies Festival is 72 hours of culinary bliss, featuring cooking tutorials, great food, chilli-eating competitions, and free samples galore. This year, Boyzlife, Gareth Gates and B*Witched will be singing for their supper. It’s a no-brainer – easily one of the most enjoyable days out in the Oxford calendar. 

Time Out tip: Because you can’t park on the beautiful green grass, look nearby for residents who have rentable spots available in their driveways – often cheaper and more convenient than the municipal ones in the area.

Address: South Parks, Headington Road, Oxford, OX3 0EB

Opening hours: 11am-9pm throughout the weekend

Price: Full-price advance day tickets £25, full weekend tickets £49. Discounted kids tickets and VIP tickets available

What is it? One of the UK’s leading contemporary art galleries showing a range of bold, temporary exhibitions by international heavyweights.

Why go? Small enough for a quick visit but ambitious enough to pull in big names in the art world such as Anish Kapoor and Tracey Emin, MAO rarely disappoints. Its progressive programming and extensive range of workshops and participatory or educational events brings great art to the public in the most accessible ways. This summer, catch Kira Freije's Turner Prize nominated solo exhibition ‘Unspeak the Chorus’ and Olivia Plender’s ‘Little Fennel’s Complaint’ exploring the  hidden history of women’s bodies, medicine and resistance. 

Time Out tip: The gallery runs a series of workshops alongside its shows, many aimed at children and families. Check out their events guide to see how you can get involved.

Address: 30 Pembroke Street, Oxford, OX1 1BP

Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 11am-6pm, Thursday 11am-9pm, Sunday 11am-4pm. Closed Mondays

Price: Free entry (suggested donation £5), temporary exhibitions range from £6-£12

What is it? A behind-the-scenes tour of the university’s colleges, quads and libraries, often led by those who know it best – its students and alumni.

Why go? Didn’t make the cut for the UK’s most prestigious university? Don’t worry, you can still see its hallowed halls, hushed quads and candle-lit chapels on this walking tour that explores its history, ceremonies and weird traditions as well as offering a personal account of what it’s like to study here.

Time Out tip: Not a lot of people know that there are roe deer behind Christ Church college – and you can get right up close.

Address: University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JD

Opening hours: Varies by college and department 

Price: Tours typically cost around £25 per person

What is it? A river trip past Oxford’s boathouses and meadows into bucolic English countryside. The same scenery, as it happens, that inspired ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

Why go? Like its academic rival Cambridge, Oxford is encircled by pastoral scenery. You could strap on your walking boots, or you could kick back and relax on board a boat that plies the same river Lewis Carroll and Alice Liddell once floated down while befriending white rabbits, red queens and sleepy dormice.

Time Out tip: Arrive early to grab drinks from the Folly Restaurant to take on your trip (check your tour allows them first!)

Address: Most tours meet at The Folly Restaurant at 1 Folly Bridge, Oxford, OX1 4JU

Opening hours: Generally you can book tours all day – evening cruises run until about 8.30pm 

Price: Generally ranges from £13 for a basic cruise all the way up to £90 for a cruise with a three-course dinner

What is it? Said to be Oxford’s oldest monument, this huge meadow is edged by the Thames and a popular outdoor haunt.

Why go? Need some big sky views? Head for Port Meadow, an ancient grassland grazed by ponies and cattle and loved by walkers, picnickers, birders and photographers. Pick up a picnic in Jericho along the way, bring a blanket and sit back and relax.

Time Out tip: It’s all good and well getting some fresh air here but you’ll need to freshen up with a drink in The Perch, an ancient thatched inn by the river with a gorgeous garden.

Address: Port Meadow, Walton Well Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX2 6ED

Opening hours: 24 hours 

Price: Free (public park)

What is it? An Oxford institution, these three independent cafés serve the city’s best ice cream, bagels and brownies.

Why go? Proudly independent, locally based and making all deliveries by bike, G&D’s has the feel-good factor as well as scrumptious handmade bakes and ice creams that have earned it generations of loyal followers. Along with sweet treats, you’ll need to be game for cow-themed competitions and hopefully, in time, a return to late-night openings to rival any kebab van.

Address: Branches can be found on Little Clarendon Street, St Aldates and Cowley Road

Opening hours: 9am-11pm

Price: Scoops vary by flavour

What is it? A small-group tour of the spellbinding Oxford locations used in the shooting of the Harry Potter films. 

Why go? Know right where the sorting hat would put you? Run into the wall at King’s Cross station? Need to know more? Tour Oxford’s streets and colleges to see the inspiration behind Hogwarts’s Great Hall and Knockturn Alley and visit the real life Divinity School which was used as a backdrop for the Hogwarts infirmary and classroom scenes. Geek out with a Potter-mania quiz along the way and learn how life in Hogwarts compares to university life today.

Time Out tip: Check extra costs before you book – for some tours, you’ll have to pay entry for one or two sites along the way. 

Address: Most tours meet outside Weston Library, Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BG

Price: Typically range from £25-80 per person