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[Garret]

I'm planning a one-week trip to London next year, 'coz I have to do a couple of things and Spain and I just love getting the chance to speak in English :lol. Going to Oxford for a day or two. Well, I've been two times to London and once to Oxford (and two to Liverpool, I just love it there, but I don't think I'll be able to go there this time), so I think I've already covered all the usual places to visit, but I may as well be wrong (though I will be going to them again when I get there).

Recommend me places to visit, GAF!

 

[Salazar]

Blackwell's is the best bookstore in the world.
The Bear is the best pub in Oxford.

:lol

The most stunning college is (bias hangs on me like a cloak) Christ Church. Christ Church meadow, in any case, is a blissful place.

 

[Ultimatum]

what do you plan to do in London? Clubs?

Blackwell's is the best bookstore in the world.
The Bear is the best pub in Oxford.

:lol

The most stunning college is (bias hangs on me like a cloak) Christ Church. Christ Church meadow, in any case, is a blissful place.

Hmm you studied at Christ Church, Oxford? What you study?

 

[Salazar]

Hmm you studied at Christ Church, Oxford? What you study?

My uncle was (still is, emeritus) a fellow. I've not studied there as a student - just been there for conferences and stayed in the college for a while.

 

[Garret]

Don't think I'll be doing the clubbing thing this time, going with my mother. However, if you do have any tips on this, don't be afraid to give them out, I'll take them into account for future trips .

Thanks for the recommendations, guys! Please keep 'em coming.

 

[Bleepey]

Go from the London Eye and just walk towards Leicster Square. I swear London is a cgreat city to find yorself lost in.*















*damn i should write advertising slogans.

 

[BaronLundi]

Don't know much about London but for Oxford I would indeed advise to peruse Christ Church meadow. And the great hall of course is amazing.

Blackwell's a must-see as well. Just know you won't ever get out if you like books... It doesn't look like much from outside, but inside... god damn...

Do you know any alumni in Oxford ? They usually get good deals for renting college guest rooms. Don't know if they still do that. I remember the one in my college was gorgeous.

I don't know if it's still possible with increased security and all but try to get in colleges by walking through the gates naturally as if you were studying or teaching/working there. I did that when I went to Cambridge to see places usually closed for tourists...

Try and see Balliol, Merton, and or Corpus Christi and if you are there on a sunday evening, go to the Magdelene College chapel (6ish pm every sunday if I'm not mistaken) to listen to the choir. It's free and outstanding.

 

[ConfusedMan09]

Not to sure about London, but if you visit Oxford try to visit some of the older colleges (Christ, New College etc.). About to start my application to Oxford Uni for Law, hope I get in

 

[Lear]

Blackwell's is the best bookstore in the world.
The Bear is the best pub in Oxford.

:lol

The most stunning college is (bias hangs on me like a cloak) Christ Church. Christ Church meadow, in any case, is a blissful place.

Blackwell's is indeed amazing. All other bookshops pale in comparison after having Blackwell's literally five minutes from my door last year.

Christ Church is very pretty, I'll give you that, but Wadham is clearly the best college (not that I'm biased at all...). Wadham is very pretty though and we have some the nicest gardens in Oxford, just ignore the horrible 60s bit (which every college has and Wadham's isn't that bad in comparison to some). Other than those two, Merton, Madgalen (though it's really spooky in the dark. Saying that the only times I've been there at night I've been quite drunk, so that might be playing a part.), Balliol, Trinity and Worcester (I've never actually been there, but I hear it's nice and they have a lake) are all worth a look. You can get into most colleges if you just walk in looking vaguely like you know where you're going/not looking like a tourist (the amount of times I woke up last year to find a bunch of tourists outside my window was scary), though the porters at some colleges (Christ Church in particular) can be absolute twats about letting people in.

There are so many museums around Oxford too, which are worth a look if you're interested. The Ashmolean was recently renovated and the Natural History Museum and the Pitt Rivers are really awesome. The Bod is worth a look too, if you have the time.

 

[LabouredSubterfuge]

The Queen.

 

[BaronLundi]

You can get into most colleges if you just walk in looking vaguely like you know where you're going/not looking like a tourist

try to get in colleges by walking through the gates naturally as if you were studying or teaching/working there.

I see a pattern.

 

[Lear]

Not to sure about London, but if you visit Oxford try to visit some of the older colleges (Christ, New College etc.). About to start my application to Oxford Uni for Law, hope I get in

Heh, small world. I've just finished my first year of Law at Oxford. Which college are you thinking of?

I see a pattern.

It's true though. Most of the time the porters aren't actually bothered about who gets in. I heard about a girl who let homeless people use her room in college (presumably while she lived elsewhere. She was evidently crazy) but I don't think she was that crazy and nobody noticed until the rest of the people on her staircase complained.

 

[Lackmus]

Design Museum in London IS A MUST!

http://designmuseum.org/

It lays close to the London Tower Bridge.

 

[Empty]

I'm quite fond of the Greenwich observatory and its surrounding park area. Maybe check it out if you get a nice warm day in london and want to go somewhere less hectic. Outside of that most of the main tourist hotspots are good, well except Madam Tussauds, and as museums are free, just do some of the ones you haven't been to.

Never been to Oxford, but the super smart people who study there seem to have you covered.

 

[Kentpaul]

the nightlife in england is were its at

check out the clubs, pubs

 

[Salazar]

They were about to have a steampunk exhibition in the museum of the history of science in Oxford last time I was there. I was gutted to leave before it started.

 

[Cosmic Schwung]

In Oxford you have the Ashmolean which is generally regarded as 2nd best museum in the country, after the British museum. The Pitt-Rivers museum is pretty cool too, although I find the building itself more interesting than most of its exhibits. If you go there be sure to take a look at the ironwork holding up the glass roof as every single pillar and arch has been cast with a different piece of vegetation clinging to it. It also has a collection of shrunken heads , although I find them to be disturbing rather than interesting.

They were about to have a steampunk exhibition in the museum of the history of science in Oxford last time I was there. I was gutted to leave before it started.

That was a pretty cool exhibition, but unfortunately it's already come to an end.

 

[Salazar]

Also, read about the St. Scholastica's Day riot. It will give you a gruesome frisson as you walk around Carfax.

 

[phisheep]

London:

Sir John Soanes' Museum at Lincoln's Inn (bizarre architecture, creepy house, superb collection of Piranesis in odd crawl-into room)

The 'Leaky Cauldron' - the Brewmaster pub on Cranbourn Street just off Charing Cross Road - go out the back door and turn left into what I assume was the inspiration for Diagon Alley.

Soho.

Westminster Abbey.

Oxford:

Port Meadow early in the morning with the mist rising (less pretty but more awesome than Christ Church Meadow)

For colleges I'd suggest go from the Sheldonian Theatre under Hertford bridge and down the medieval lane to New College, once in, turn left for the Chapel and cloisters (less showy, but far less crowded than Christ Church) then follow the lane round to take in Queen's, Univ on way to the Botanical Gardens. Alternatively wander north past Wadham (pretty stonework) to the University Museum and Pitt Rivers (both awesome) and take in a game of cricket in the Parks.

Cherwell Boathouse and take a punt up the river.

For pubs, try the Turf Tavern (against the outside walls of New College cloisters down Hell Passage), Eagle & Child on St Giles.

(Not recommending my own college, as it is a bit small and tucked away and better to live in than to visit.)

 

[Chittagong]

Exchange all your cash into £20s and head to Secrets.

 

[Cosmic Schwung]

For pubs, try the Turf Tavern (against the outside walls of New College cloisters down Hell Passage), Eagle & Child on St Giles.

I'd really disagree with the Eagle & Child suggestion. Other than being the former drinking hole of C.S.Lewis and Tolkein it has absolutely nothing going for it. Lamb & Flag across the road is a bit nicer, and if you're willing to go 1/2km up the road from it, The Royal Oak has a fantastic selection of beers on. The Turf is probably the best suggestion though is it's far nearer the centre then any of those places and its only downside is that it's usually very busy.

If you're looking for food there's a small malaysian restaurant right in the centre, or St. Michaels Street to be more precise, called Makan La. Nice food and pretty cheap too, and I've never had to wait long for it to arrive. Alternatively, Jamie's has excellent food and it isn't nearly as expensive as I'd thought it would be for a celebrity chef's restaurant. I love the fact all the food in the window is real and you can see the chefs taking some of it to be prepared if you pass by early enough.

 

[Visualante]

Walk from Westminster Tube (you get to see big ben here) along South Bank to Tate Modern, visit then cross the Thames to St. Paul's. Just walking under the Eye is sickening, let along going on it.

There's a bunch of great museums right by each other but you could honestly spend a day in NHM, Science Museum, V&A et al.

 

[googoomuck22]

i just moved out of oxford, having studied there for like 3 years. it's alright i guess but a pretty boring town in terms of things to do but here are some places i liked which no else has mentioned...

Georginas - it's a small cafe inside the Covered Market (just off the high street) it's above another cafe called Brothers and is just a kind of cool and cheap place to get coffee and hang out.

Marios - this is a small Pizza place on the Cowley Road, you can eat in or get take out but they do pretty dope pizzas at a good price and one of the waitresses is mad hot

Reign - 2nd hand/vintage clothing shop on the Cowley road, they usually have a pretty good selection of clothes in and they play rad music, plus the stuff are pretty friendly

Uncle Sams - another vintage clothing shop in Jericho (just outside of the city centre) same sort of deal as Reign but they gnerally have a larger variety

The Star - a pub just off the cowley road, it's not the best pub in the world but they play good music and the bar stuff are real nice guys too

Oxfam - if you go to Blackwells there's an oxfam shop (like a charity shop) just opposite, go downstairs and it's pretty much a record store, at least the closest oxford has to a record shop, they have a fairly decent selection and even divide it up according to genre which is quite nice considering it's just a charity shop.

those were some of my favorite places at least, don't know if they're really the sort of thing you're looking for but yeah worth checking out in my opinion. also if you happen to be in oxford on a thursday there's a market in George Street (right next to the oxford playhouse) which sells like antique furniture and records.

have fun

 

[Garret]

Thanks for the recommendations you have been giving me, guys! Some of the places you've mentioned, I've already been (like the pub where Tolkien and Lewis used to get together), but some others I've never heard of. I just can't wait to get back to the UK.

 

[Ultimatum]

Not to sure about London, but if you visit Oxford try to visit some of the older colleges (Christ, New College etc.). About to start my application to Oxford Uni for Law, hope I get in

Good luck man. Although I'll be applying to Cambridge for Engineering, I'm about half way through my personal statement lol, feels weird knowing that we'll be spending so long on only 4000 characters.

 

[Natetan]

Great places to go in London: Have high tea at the Kensington Gardens Orangery

http://www.hrp.org.uk/kensingtonpalace/cafesandrestaurants.aspx

Then you can go walk around in hyde park afterwards. walk towards marble arch and down oxford street if that's your thing, or you can walk down towards chelsea to go to the V&A museum.

Primrose Hill also has a great view of the london skyline at the top of it. You'll want to bring some food with you though, as it is in a residential area and there aren't any shops, etc. nearby. You can walk there easily from Regent's park which is also very awesome.

If you want to have some good british food, try canteen. It's pretty decent and not too expensive.

You could also check out the british museum, and of course the tate modern/millenium bridge/ st. pauls trifecta.

 

[SmokyDave]

Go to Tower Hamlets and poke the poor people with a stick.