When you stay with Homestay Oxford you will be able to tour Oxford and explore the immense cultural treasures very close by in the City of Oxford
Carfax Tower
If someone asked where is the centre of Oxford, the answer would have to be Carfax Tower; it is right at the centre of Oxford where the High Street meets St Aldates, Cornmarket and Queen Street. Its name comes from the French ‘carrefour’ meaning ‘crossroads’
The Tower is the only remains of the 13th century St. Martin's Church. You can climb to the top of the tower to obtain a superb view over central Oxford. On the east side of the tower is a clock face whose figures hammer the quarter-to and quarter-past bells.
St Giles Fair
This is a two-day street fair dating back to the early seventeenth century and held at the start of September; the St Giles Fair runs the length of St Giles, a main thoroughfare in the centre of Oxford.
Markets
Gloucester Green in the centre of Oxford hosts a market every Wednesday; although having a range of goods it specialises in fresh produce. On Thursdays there is an antique market in the same location. There is also a permanent market held daily near Carfax - it is called the Covered Market.
Oxford's Rivers
As you can tell from its name, Oxford marks the crossing point of the river (a ford is a crossing point). This is a few hundred metres from Carfax near Foly Bridge.
The river is called the Isis and it eventually flows to London becoming the Thames on the way. Today the river is a centre of fun in the summer months with punting and pleasure cruises. For more information on cruises check here.
May Morning
In a tradition dating back 500 years crowds gather on Magdalen Bridge on May Day at 6am to hear the choir sing from Magdelen tower. This is frequently followed by revellers jumping off the bridge into the river.
Church of St Michael-at-the-North Gate
This ancient church has an interesting history. It is the oldest building in Oxford and was originally part of the North wall when Oxford was a walled city. The tower which was part of the wall dates back to Saxon times (1040). It can be climbed for a good view over Oxford but is famed also for having the Bocardo prison, where Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer were held in the 1550s before their executions. The church was rebuilt in the thirteenth century and contains the oldest pieces of stained glass in Oxford (1290). More information can be found here
Connections between Oxford and the rest of the world are very good. There are frequent buses to the main London airports and buses every few minutes to London. The train station is in central Oxford and has frequent connections around the region to the coast and even Scotland. Check here for more information about travel including within Oxford.
Maps
A map of Oxford can be found here and a downloadable version here.
Information
Gaining general information about Oxford is very easy as there are many sites. Three large ones are Visit Oxford, Oxford City, and In Oxford
This is a few hundred metres from Carfax near Foly Bridge.
