Turf Tavern

Immerse yourself in the enchanting university town of Oxford, the city of dreaming spires on this half-day private tour that includes a fully guided tour of one of the 37 colleges, an in-depth city stroll and a welcome drink on us at one of the well-known taverns. 

On your private tour, you will:

• Enjoy the personal attention and expertise of your private Blue Badge Guide;
• Experience the enchanting myriad of Oxford’s spellbinding streets and uncover the city’s fascinating history;
• Visit one of the world’s best-known universities in the world and explore the array of colleges and inner courtyards and quads;
• Enjoy a full guided tour of one of the colleges – opening times vary, and your guide can recommend one on the day of your visit,
• See the famous ‘Bridge of Sighs’, Radcliffe Camera, Sheldonian Theatre and Bodleian Library;
• Hear about university life and the history of the town/gown riots at the Covered Market;
• Learn about some of the greatest minds of the world, who were educated at the University, like Dr Johnson inventor of the dictionary, and Stephen Hawking, and including more than half of England's prime ministers, as you walk by the iconic colleges like Magdalene, Oriel, Exeter, Pembroke, Brasenose, Trinity and Jesus;
• Soak up the quintessential English atmosphere of Oxford as you stroll through Christchurch Meadow, admire the views of Christ Church and Merton colleges, and the Botanical Garden;
• Walk along the river and maybe see people out punting;
• End your tour at the Turf Tavern.

One of the oldest and best-known universities in the world, and also one of the most beautiful, Oxford is a place like no other. A perfect place to soak up the quintessentially English atmosphere, the city and university are indistinguishable. Oxford is full of romantic cobble-stone alleyways, glorious gothic medieval spires and of course, 37 colleges all made of beautiful honey-coloured stone. Enjoy wonderful views across the meadows and hear the history of Oxford and the many stories of its famous alumni from Oscar Wilde to Stephen Hawking. Over half of Britain’s Prime Ministers studied at Oxford, including Sir Robert Peel – who created the Metropolitan Police Force.

Your guide will meet you at Martyrs Memorial on St Giles, and take you on a fully guided stroll through the city streets, the covered market, past the most beautiful colleges, hidden courtyards and quadrangles, libraries, and Oxford’s ‘Bridge of Sighs’ – a distinctive landmark and perfect photo opportunity, along with the Radcliffe Camera. You’ll see how Oxford inspired the Inklings to create their magical worlds of Narnia, Wonderland and Middle Earth, and why it is such a popular filming location for favourite TV series like Brideshead Revisited and Lewis and feature films like Harry Potter.

Finally enjoy a drink with us at one of Oxford’s many famous pubs, like the Turf Tavern where Bill Clinton did not inhale…

Experience the magical university city of Oxford, and see how it inspired the beloved fantasy worlds of Narnia, Middle Earth, and Wonderland and where Hogwarts was brought to life. 

On your private tour, you will: 

• Enjoy the personal attention of your private guide and enjoy a private tour of one of Oxford’s many colleges.
• Experience the myriad of Oxford’s enchanting streets and uncover the city’s fascinating history.
• 'Speak Friend and Enter' Tolkien's world, as you explore the streets which he called home around his two colleges.
• Journey around the classic sights - the Bridge of Sighs, Radcliffe Camera, the Sheldonian Theatre, and see the Divinity School, which showed up throughout the Harry Potter films.
• Wander past the Botanical Gardens, and learn about how Tolkien and Lewis both passed many hours in the gardens.
• Stroll through Christchurch Meadow, enjoying views of Merton College where Tolkien taught, and Christ Church where young Alice Liddle inspired Lewis Carroll to write Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
• See Pembroke College, where Tolkien was a fellow and peer into the quadrangle where the ‘flying lessons’ in Harry Potter took place. 
• See the Ashmolean Museum where Tolkien worked for two years on the Oxford English Dictionary.
• Browse Blackwell’s, the student bookshop and where Tolkien’s first book was published. 
• End your tour in Blackwell’s with a delicious coffee, or if you are up for a longer walk, head to the famous Eagle & Child where the Inklings met to discuss their fantasy worlds over a pipe and a pint! 

Your tour of Oxford is for the young and the young at heart - for those who daydream of other worlds, of "golden afternoons" amongst the flowers and gardens, of snowy fields and Turkish delights, fantastically larger-than-life battles, of magical lions, and ethereal elves.

To step into an Oxford college is to enter another world. It's no wonder some of the English world's most famous fantasy stories were written and filmed here. It's the city in which the land of Narnia was invented, where Lewis Carroll wrote Wonderland, where Tolkien penned Middle Earth, and where Rowling's Hogwarts came to life. 

Wander the cobblestone streets and learn about the wonderful, life-long friendship between CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien, who both penned their famous works out of a historic bet with one another. Hear about the world events that shaped Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and stumble upon the lamp post rumoured to be the entrance to Narnia. 

Enjoy a pint ('they come in pints?') or a light refreshment at the Eagle & Child pub, where the two authors and professors met each week to discuss their progress and the state of the world. No matter your age, perhaps you too will be swept away by this tour into the magic that inspired some of our most beloved tales.