Oxford: Merry Old England's Academic Side

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

Caroline joined Boston-based SmarterTravel in 2011 after living in Ireland, London, and Manhattan. She's traveled to all seven continents, jumped out of planes, and bungeed off bridges in the pursuit of a good story. She loves exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, anything outdoorsy, and all things adventure.

Her stories have also appeared online at USA Today, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Boston.com, TripAdvisor, Buzzfeed, Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog, and others.

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See England’s academic side with a visit to Oxford. Northwest of London, this city is famous for its university, so start off with a guided walking tour through the college. If you’re not tired out, go for the two-hour walking tour of the town run by the Oxford Tourist Information Centre, and don’t miss the chance to climb Carfax Tower for great views of the city.

The scene on the River Cherwell may remind you of Venice—here, people paddle “punts” (boats) with a long pole, similar to the gondolas. Try your hand at it by renting a punt for a spin on the river.

Fans of the popular Oxford-based book series and TV adaptation Inspector Morse can take a self-guided tour of the show’s famous sights.

Classy as Oxford is, it is still home to many students, and so you’ll be sure to find plenty of budget-friendly restaurants and pubs during a visit here.

Where is it? England. Fly to Heathrow International Airport (check prices). You can catch a train from London’s Paddington Station and arrive in Oxford in about an hour and a half.

Where to Stay? Stay somewhere out of the ordinary at the The Oxford Mal, a former prison that’s been converted into a luxury boutique hotel.

Who’s it For? History buff, academics, nerds.

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