Ashmolean Museum Attractions & Things to do

Discover the beautiful Oxford on an unlimited hop-on hop-off bus tour for 24 or 48 hours! At your own pace, see all of the history and architectural beauty this city has to offer, hopping on and off the double-decker bus whenever you please. From the open-top deck you'll experience panoramic views of Christ Church College, Brasenose College, The Plain, the Sheldonian Theatre, Trinity College and even The Eagle and Child pub where J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis would meet up for a beverage! The on-board audio tour commentary will be sure to keep you fascinated, providing intriguing facts on the way round. Also enjoy an expertly guided walking tour, for a closer look at the local culture.
Duration: 40 minutes.

Visiting Oxford on foot is the best way to see it, especially if you are a fan of Oxford’s most well known writers, the founder members of The Inklings.

Join this 2-hour CS Lewis and Tolkien Tour and learn more about these writers’ lives and work. Both Oxford University alumni Lewis and Tolkien are respectively known for the Narnia series and The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

During the tour you will be able to see Exeter College, where Tolkien studied and the University Church where Lewis preached in WW2 and hear about the colleges where they taught. Moreover, you’ll walk past the Eagle & Child pub, where The Inklings used to meet every Tuesday, to talk about their work. Discover more about their unique writing styles and their influence.

This is definitely a jump back in time and it will give you a glimpse of how Oxford used to be in the early 20th century, and of course earlier. Being the City of Dreaming Spires, the architecture is still stunning to this day!

Duration: 2 hours.

Discover the enchanting city of Oxford through this app-based self-guided walking tour. Crafted with insights from Oxford students, explore not just colleges, but other famous landmarks in the city.

This walk is perfect for those who are in Oxford for a day and want to discover popular spots and hidden gems at their own pace. You can pause the tour at any point where you wish to enter and explore more.
Duration: 90 to 120 minutes.

While Oxford is known for its universities, it’s also an iconic destination for historic pubs. On this guided tour, you’ll visit the oldest, most famous and the hidden gems, all while hearing about famous patrons including American presidents and writers.

Start by meeting your tour guide at the iconic Carfax Tower. From there, you'll hit the streets and visit The Turf Tavern, which dates back to the 14th century. Pass by The Bear Inn, and The Lamb and Flag, and hear about the famous regulars over the centuries, including J.R.R. Tolkien.

Afterwards, continue exploring the city with a sightseeing app which includes self-guided walking routes. Go at your own pace from the convenience of your smartphone.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes.

Lump in the throat that comes from Alma mater nostalgia? Surge of love-hate emotions tied up with classrooms and profs? Pretty much a given…on the cobbled streets of the oldest university of the English speaking world, with your enthusiastic historian-guide.
Cover the obligatory stops, including Bridge of Sighs at Hertford College, New College, University Library, Sheldonian Theatre, Christ Church Radcliffe Camera building. Get your head around the unique college-system of Oxford and Cambridge and the infamous ‘Town and Gown Wars’. Shiver at stories of Oxford martyrs burning at the stake.
Explore movie locations - Harry Potter, Bridshead Revisited, Inspector Morse. Literature buffs can celebrate, because Oxford has inspired many works of fiction from JRR Tolkein, CS Lewis, Lewis Carroll, and JK Rowling.
Lunch with a dreamy view of the River Isis to stir up more brainpower. If you’re up for it, climb up a 74′ bell tower for a drone-view of those dreamy spires. A day well spent.
Duration: 8 hours.

Our iconic open-top bus tour of the city with 20 stops along the route, as well as a 45-minute optional 'Stepping Through Oxford' walking tour.

Looking for an exciting way to see the city? Well look no further. Your ticket is valid for 24 hours and will allow you to see the various attractions and historical points of interest from the comfort of your seat. This City of Dreaming Spires has so much to offer and although entrance into attractions and landmarks is not included we do encourage you to visit our Visitor Information Point where a member of our team will happily advise you on any attraction charges.
Duration: 1 day.

Take a private guided tour of the picturesque university city of Oxford. Enjoy a private walking tour of the city and its colleges and museums. Your 3 hours tour begins when your guide meets you at the agreed pick-up point, for example Oxford train station. The tour introduces the most famous colleges and describes college life, student traditions, famous literary, scientific, and political figures, and English history in Oxford. Follow the informative guide around the city as you visit the famous sights and learn about the history of Oxford.
Duration: 3 hours.

What’s the next best thing to meeting Harry Potter and his silver screen squad? Walking to some of their most recognised movie site locations in Oxford. Experiencing the aura of Potter-magic virtually. Touching and feeling the larger-than-life, real-life sets, in person.
Relive your favourite moments from blockbusters like ‘Philosopher’s Stone’, ‘Chamber of Secrets’ and ‘Goblets of Fire’ with our Potter-specialist tour guide.
Cameras on the ready! Pretend to be a character in the sequences shot in Christ Church, New College and the Bodleian Library (where those movie dances were featured), Hogwart’s Dining Hall and the tree where Malfoy sat while taunting Harry. Take your Pottermania to a new level.
Naturally, there would be muggles for lunch. Don’t forget to stock up tons of souvenirs to remind you of an unforgettable day in a world-famous English city.
Pre-book your skip-the-line entrance tickets to Christ Church. And just concentrate on melting into the magic of the day.
Duration: 8 hours.

This 3-hour complete Oxford experience gives you a chance to cover over 1000 years of Oxford history and see the best parts of the city on foot and by bicycle. See this historic city combining the biking and walking experience into one intimate insight into the most beautiful and exclusive sites that Oxford has to offer.
Duration: 3 hours.

Take a private guided tour of the picturesque university city of Oxford. Enjoy a private walking tour of the city and its colleges and museums. Your 3 hours tour begins when your guide meets you at the agreed pick-up point, for example Oxford train station. The tour introduces the most famous colleges and describes college life, student traditions, famous literary, scientific, and political figures, and English history in Oxford. Follow the informative guide around the city as you visit the famous sights and learn about the history of Oxford.
Duration: 3 hours.

The minute we watched "A Discovery of Witches", we fell in love with the characters, the setting, and the story. We already loved Oxford, the city of dreaming spires, and we rushed out to buy the whole trilogy of books in the series. From this, our "A Discovery of Witches"/All Souls Trilogy tour was born.

Our "A Discovery of Witches"/ All Souls Trilogy Tour takes the hassle out of discovering the best locations from the hit TV series and the books. Our guide, who is a qualified member of the Oxford Guild of Tour Guides, will show you Matthew and Diana's Oxford and explain how Deborah Harkness created the book series from her experience of visiting Oxford and studying at Keble College.

During the tour, we will explain the history of the locations you visit, detail any unique points of interest, and explain how these locations relate to both the books and TV series.
Duration: 4 hours.

Our iconic open-top bus tour of the city with 20 stops along the route, as well as a 45-minute optional 'Stepping Through Oxford' walking tour.

Looking for an exciting way to see the city? Well look no further. Your ticket is valid for 24 hours and will allow you to see the various attractions and historical points of interest from the comfort of your seat. This City of Dreaming Spires has so much to offer and although entrance into attractions and landmarks is not included we do encourage you to visit our Visitor Information Point where a member of our team will happily advise you on any attraction charges.
Duration: 1 day.

Explore the ‘uncomfortable’ side of the Ashmolean Museum.

This tour highlights the contentious histories within museum spaces, bringing forward discussions about colonial origins, object transferal networks, and requests for repatriation. It encourages critical thinking and engagement with the Ashmolean Museum, its collections, and its displays. Delving into the intricate layers of history behind the exhibits, this tour will provide insight into the imperial connections that led to the development of the first public museum in England.

Through the questioning of labels, displays, and exhibits, this tour asks participants: What is the purpose of a museum?

All our tours are led by university researchers who have completed our official Uncomfortable Oxford training programme. Our guides combine expert knowledge and performance, ensuring each tour is a fun and educational experience.

The tour has been developed in collaboration with the Ashmolean Museum staff and curators.
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes.

Use clues at each attraction to find your next destination and challenge yourself to use logic, imagination, observation, and team spirit to complete the game. Uncover local information and facts about the city as you explore. Discover hidden gems and narrow streets.
Without a schedule and at your own pace, pause anytime and continue later or even another day.
Work as a team or compete with each other. A unique team-building activity perfect for couples, families, companies, students, and groups of friends.
Duration: 2 hours.

You will see & hear lots of tours in Oxford and tours aimed at all interests but as a former nanny and now a tour operator since 2010 onwards, I notice that there is not really a tour focused on entertaining younger children. Yes, I do run Harry Potter tours but then it's not only focused on children's interests or attention span. So this new concept tour is to ask children to solve riddles with their parents, as we take in the sights of Oxford but also as we introduce the many wonderful literary legends of Oxford such as Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland and CS Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia.

A short tour offered only once a week at a time scheduled to suit parents wanting to occupy and inspire their children.

Minimum numbers 4 persons required for the tour to proceed. If we have less than total 4 persons by 8pm on the day before the tour, then you will be refunded and notified of cancellation.
Duration: 1 hour.

Besides introducing Oxford heritage, this tour is led by one of Oxford's most experienced local guides and it introduces the best college gardens off the beaten route of most tourists visiting Oxford. For anyone interested in herbalism, this can be a focus interest too, if made known in advance before the tour. You will visit inside at least one or more college -see details of which colleges in the main tour description. This tour is suitable for all ages but it will appeal especially to anyone who has a special interest in gardening.
Duration: 2 hours.