Things To Do

Oxford History Tours

Oxfam shop, next to, Meet guide by our red sign, OUTSIDE Oxford tourist info centre, 15 Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3AS, GB

Rating: 4.9 ★ (305 ratings)

Details

Your journey into Oxford's rich tapestry of history begins outside the city's Tourist Information Centre at 15 Broad Street, right next to the Oxfam shop where guides await by a distinctive red sign. These excursions, crafted by historians and accredited guides, are designed for those who truly love to delve into the past, promising more than just a surface-level glance at the famous 'city of dreaming spires'. You'll uncover the stories and intricate details that have shaped this iconic university town over centuries, gaining deeper insights and creating lasting memories. Tours can be tailored to your specific interests, whether that's literature, science, the Civil War, or gaining access to colleges rarely seen by the public.

Prepare to walk the same storied streets as renowned authors, influential scientists, and pivotal political figures, as expert guides bring Oxford's vibrant past to life. Many tours explore the historic university, its ancient colleges like Christchurch, Magdalen, and the Bodleian Library, including the Divinity School. Some guides are university alumni, offering unique perspectives on student life and traditions alongside historical facts. You might discover tales of famous graduates, the origins of "Alice in Wonderland," or even explore sites featured in popular films and television series, ensuring an engaging experience that goes beyond typical sightseeing.

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Location

Opening Hours

Monday: 9:30 AM – 9:30 PM; Tuesday: 9:30 AM – 9:30 PM; Wednesday: 9:30 AM – 9:30 PM; Thursday: 9:30 AM – 9:30 PM; Friday: 9:30 AM – 9:30 PM; Saturday: 9:30 AM – 9:30 PM; Sunday: 9:30 AM – 9:30 PM

Contact

+44 7955 482637

Comments

Dan Hogan
12 Mar 2026
5.0 ★
We had a fantastic walking tour of Oxford today with our guide, Will, who truly brought the city's rich history to life. Traveling with my wife, mother-in-law, and our infant daughter, we appreciated how Will tailored the experience to keep everyone engaged.

Will expertly navigated us through key landmarks, including the stunning Radcliffe Camera, the historic Bodleian Library, and many others sharing fascinating anecdotes about their significance along the way.

His enthusiasm for Oxford's history was infectious, and he made sure to include interesting facts about the university's traditions and notable alumni as well.

I highly recommend Will for anyone looking to explore Oxford's iconic sights!
Martha Bruce
11 Mar 2026
5.0 ★
We booked the Morse tour last minute and didn't really know what to expect! In the event the tour was wonderful thanks to our guide Tom who has an amazing knowledge of not only all the Morse, Endeavour and Lewis series but also fantastic in depth knowledge of all the Oxford colleges, their history and notable alumni with lots of interesting facts and anecdotes. The couple of hours we spent with Tom were thoroughly entertaining and was the highlight to our visit to Oxford.
Highly recommended!
V. T.
6 Mar 2026
5.0 ★
Thanks to the professionalism of our wonderful guide Ray, we had a memorable time. He asked us questions to fully adapt to our interests, which were particularly directed towards Tolkien, personalizing the tour with great skill, pointing out whenever he could interesting details that we would not have found on our own, with many explanations as surprising as they were fascinating. He has enormous knowledge that he knows how to synthesize and interpret intelligently, and undeniable teaching qualities. Dynamic, cheerful, friendly, he is a fascinating and passionate storyteller who knows how to create suspense throughout the tour and keep us interested. He gave us time to take the photos we wanted and took us to places we would not have found, always with funny anecdotes or interesting information. Thank you Ray for this wonderful time.
We also followed the Harry Potter tour with Sebastian, who was a great connoisseur of his subject. It was great fun to explore JK Rowling's inspirations around the city with a friendly, smiling guide.
I can only recommend I Love Oxford Tours.
Szymon Deptula
6 Feb 2026
5.0 ★
Had an amazing time at this Harry Potter themed tour. Detailed explanations of every single part of the tour where we visited. Flora was an absolute amazing guide. We had a smaller group than expected, therefore, had a better chance to experience and explore these places in more depth and detail as it took us longer than the approximate time of the tour. No problem that it took longer. It was really the opposite, I liked the fact that it could last longer to make sure we understood each part. I was so pleased to see the divinity school, and also, what shocked me was that I actually saw Harry’s head mark placed on the floor outside, near the divinity school. As this was a smaller group, it was great for me to pop in and buy something that I was looking for, for a very long time. Another thing I noticed (probably not used in the film), was the shaped part above the entrance to the divinity school hall, where this looks very much like the original version of the triwizard tournament trophy.

Amazing experience. Like mentioned above, Flora was great and had great knowledge to tell us more about the Harry Potter film scenes.

Thank you!

Highly recommended, 100%.
MIKE WALTER
3 Jan 2026
5.0 ★
Tom is so knowledgeable and so nice. We took the tour today and really enjoyed it. Tom shared a wealth of knowledge about Morse, Endeavor and Lewis. In addition we also got amazing stories about Tolkien, C.S Lewis & Lewis Carroll and learned so much about the history of Oxford. My wife has a vast knowledge about all three of the shows and Tom provided insights and showed up some of the key locations of the shows she is so familiar with. She was delighted. My daughter and I got the tour for her as a Christmas gift and after we left the tour she said this was her favorite gift this year. She wants to come back for another tour. Highly recommend.

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