From Home At First’s lodgings in the Cotswolds and London, getting to Oxford is both quick and easy:

• FROM LONDON BY TRAIN: The twice-an-hour rail service from London’s Paddington
  Station northwest to Oxford takes about an hour to cover the 65 miles.

• FROM THE COTSWOLDS BY TRAIN: From our northern and southern Cotswolds
   locations, it is also possible to take the train to Oxford:

• NORTHERN COTSWOLDS: From Moreton-on-Marsh (8 miles from Chipping Campden; all-day parking for a fee), trains operate hourly in each direction with the last return train departing Oxford after 10PM; journey time about 30 minutes; round-trip fares from under £9/adult.

• SOUTHERN COTSWOLDS: From Kemble station (7 miles from Tetbury; all-day parking £2), trains operate approximately hourly, and require a connection at Didcot Parkway, arriving at Oxford in about 80 minutes; round-trip fares from £17/adult.

• FROM THE COTSWOLDS BY CAR: Driving to Oxford also takes about an hour or less.

  It’s 33 miles from Chipping Campden in the north; 43 miles from Tetbury in the south.
  But, because parking is virtually impossible to find and extremely expensive within
  Oxford, we recommend those coming by car to park their cars outside of town at a
  Park & Ride facility and take the bus in and out of central Oxford. Parking costs
  60p/day and the round-trip bus ride into Oxford costs £2. Buses operate every 8-10
  minutes during commutation hours, and every 30 minutes evenings from 7:30 until
  11:30PM (Sunday service ceases at 7PM). Journey time is 10-15 minutes into central
  Oxford from either Park & Ride lot.

• NORTHERN COTSWOLDS: Coming from the Northern Cotswolds on the A44, park at the Pear Tree Park & Ride lot near the junction with the A40.
 

• SOUTHERN COTSWOLDS: Coming from the Southern Cotswolds on the A420, park at the Seacourt Park & Ride near the junction with the A34.

        Once in Oxford there are numerous bus tour and walking tours to choose from, if

you like:

• BY OPEN-TOP SIGHTSEEING BUS: The open-topped double-decker buses of CitySightseeing (formerly Good Friday) offers frequent (at least twice hourly during daylight hours) hop-on-and-off (20 bus stops) guided (live commentary of a professional guide) tours throughout Oxford for about £10/adult, £9/seniors-and-students, £5/kids-under-16, and £25/family. The CitySightseeing bus is a fine way of getting your bearings with interesting background information. And, because you may hop-on and hop-off as often as you wish, it’s a very flexible way to focus on your specific interests and just skimming the rest.

• AN INDOORS MULTI-MEDIA PRESENTATION: The Oxford Story is a 25-minute-long multi-media indoor ride in the dark through the history of Oxford. Disneyesque? Perhaps. But not simplistic, as this mini theme park explores the richness of Oxford: culture and education. Located near the Oxford Tourist Information Office on the south side of Broad Street, 2 blocks north and ½ block east of Carfax. Admission: approx. £8/adult, £6/seniors/students/children. Open daily except Christmas.

• GUIDED WALKS are especially valid ways of exploring Oxford. The city is small, compact, and includes a warren of medieval alleys that cannot be negotiated by sightseeing buses. The architecture is fabulous, even fanciful, and invites questions. So many famous persons and moments are tied to the 900 years of Oxford history that the anecdotes provided by guided commentary add importance to what you see. Importantly, it is almost impossible to get inside Oxford’s colleges except as part of an officially guided tour. Oxford’s Guild of Guides offers numerous tours—most about 2-hours long—which provide overviews or address specific interests. Most provide access to one or more Oxford colleges. Prices run from £5-£7.50/adult, £3-£3.50/kids-under-16. Tours operate several times during the day, and at least two, the “Ghost Tour” and “Romance at Oxford”, operate during the evening. Guided walks are for a maximum of 19 persons. Specialized literary tour themes include Alice in Wonderland’s Oxford, and JRR Tolkein and CS Lewis. Tours begin at Oxford’s Tourist Information Centre on the south side of Broad Street, 2 blocks north and ½ half block east of Carfax, or 15 minutes due east of the railway station.