Let’s be honest – things are getting expensive. Oil, inflation, wars, and tumultuous leadership resignations abound, and our wallets suffer the fall-out. But it’s summer, it’s time to holiday, right?
If there’s one thing the pandemic taught us, it’s that sometimes a luxury staycation, Oxford style, is just as good as a flight away. We reckon it’s time to bring the trend back. Rather than dropping your hard-earned cash on expensive flights, let's take a look at why an Oxford staycation gives you some excellent holiday memories. A destination city in its own right, when you live in or near a place, you can often overlook the unique delights of exploring it like a tourist, treating yourself to all of the culture, sights, and culinary delights this great city has to offer.
We’ve collated some of the top options an Oxford staycation trip offers, featuring a curated list of things to do in Oxford, including an Urban Trail walking tour to help your group explore the city as they've never experienced it before.
World Class Culture in Oxford – Cost Free
Who can argue with free art? One of the best things about planning a luxury staycation Oxford trip is that our absolute best cultural institutions won’t cost you a penny for entry. If you are hunting for free things to do in Oxford, you can holiday like a high-brow tourist by taking advantage of these:
The Modern Art Oxford (MAO): Tucked away on Pembroke Street, this incredible space is celebrating 60 years of cutting-edge contemporary art exhibitions. It's easily one of the most inspiring free things to do in Oxford.
The Weston Library (Broad Street): Ditch the crowded tourist gift shops and head into the ST Lee Gallery here. Look out for their free literary exhibitions, like their curated look into historical manuscripts and art.
The Ashmolean Museum: Skip the rush and head straight to the higher levels. Beyond the world-famous antiquities, the sheer architecture and natural light on the top floors offer a peaceful escape from the city noise below - perfect for those seeking relaxing free things to do in Oxford.
Active Things to do in Oxford
What's a holiday without an exhausting activity that justifies the drinks after? Don't worry about packing a massive backpack or spending a fortune on a train ticket to the middle of nowhere just to touch grass. Oxford is steeped in historic architecture and idyllic waterways that are easy to access. Here are our two favourite activities to explore the city from a completely fresh perspective on your next Oxford staycation. When looking for active things to do in Oxford, these two options top our list.
Option 1: Story-Driven Outdoor Puzzle Game with Urban Trails
To get away from your daily routine, you don’t need to leave Oxford. You just need a completely different way to look at it. If you're looking for unique things to do in Oxford, Urban Trails is a self-guided walking tour game played on your phone, and turns the city centre into something of an outdoor escape room.
Our Oxford game is a sci-fi mystery called Guardians of the Timeline. Instead of listening to a tour guide read out historical dates, your group follows a story told through animated, voice-acted briefings. A rogue agent is moving through the city, and your job is to find clues hidden in the local architecture to track them down.
The Route: The game takes you on a walking tour through the historic core of Oxford. Some of it you’ll recognise, some of it you might not. Either way, we can bet you won’t have looked at the landmarks quite this closely before. Plus, each stop shares historical tidbits, making it one of the most educational things to do in Oxford.
How the Puzzles Work: Our puzzles use the physical landmarks that you’ll be exploring. Think escape rooms – where you have to study your surroundings for clues and find the answers in places your group has maybe walked past a million times but never stopped to really look at.
Take It at Your Own Pace: The big benefit of a self-guided walking tour is flexibility. With our Casual mode, when you ramble past a cafe or pub you like the look of, you can pause the game, head inside, and sit down to talk through their progress so far, and the choices they’re facing.
Option 2: Self-Drive Punting at the Cherwell Boathouse
If you want an outdoor activity that pairs perfectly with a long walk but uses completely different muscles, head to the historic Cherwell Boathouse tucked away at the end of Bardwell Road in North Oxford. Punting is a wonderfully eccentric Oxford tradition, perfect for an authentic Oxford staycation.
The Route: Hire a punt yourself and head upstream away from the usual university crowds.
The Experience: Within fifteen minutes, the city vanishes. You’ll glide quietly past the Marston meadows, under low-hanging willow trees, and through sun-dappled countryside.
The Payoff: Navigate your way up to the Victoria Arms, a classic historic pub with massive lawn tables stretching right down to the water’s edge. Moor your punt, grab a cold drink, and sit in the sun before paddling your way back down. A truly quintessential thing to do in Oxford on a lazy summer afternoon.
Dine Like an Out-of-Towner
Because you aren't paying for plane tickets, trains, or hotel rooms, you have the financial green light to elevate this into a true luxury staycation Oxford experience by spending a bit more on dining out. Treat yourself to the independent restaurants that never feel justifiable on a standard Tuesday night.
Gees Restaurant & Bar: Located on Banbury Road, this restaurant is set inside a Grade II listed Victorian conservatory. Sitting under the glass roof surrounded by olive trees and plants instantly makes it feel like you've gone away on holiday.
The Folly: Found right by Folly Bridge, you can secure a table on their floating river terrace. It’s a great spot for seasonal dining right on the water while you watch the boats drift past. A must-add to your itinerary of culinary things to do in Oxford.
The Staycation Value Breakdown
By choosing an Oxford staycation, you get to enjoy world-class experiences without the premium travel price tag. Here is how a local holiday compares to going abroad:
The Standard Holiday Abroad
- Travel: £150+
- Accommodation: £250+
- Excursions: £40
- Food & Drinks: £80
The Oxford Staycation
- Travel: £10.00 (Walk or local bus)
- Accommodation: £0.00 (Your own bed)
- Excursions: £27.60 (Free galleries & family ticket for Urban Trails)
- Food & Drinks: £95.00 (Luxury Oxford dining)
Opting for a staycation means you save hundreds of pounds, avoid the travel stress entirely, and still end your holiday with new memories, a cleared head, and that distinct feeling that you’ve been away somewhere special.
Put your work email on out-of-office, your phone on airplane mode, and go explore your own backyard for a much-deserved Oxford staycation.