Places to go
Apart from the universities themselves, there are other interesting Oxbridge-related places to visit. Here are just a few.
Oxford University Museum of Natural History
The museum building alone is well worth a visit – it’s Grade I-listed and renowned for its spectacular neo-Gothic architecture.
The Museum was designed as a "cathedral to science", and has an illustrious history. It played host to the famous evolutionary debate between Huxley and Wilberforce in 1860. Among the museum’s most famous features are the Oxfordshire dinosaurs, the dodo and the swifts in the tower.
The Museum's permanent exhibits are devoted to the history and diversity of life on earth, and to the rocks and minerals from which it is formed.
Address: Parks Road
Magdalen College, Oxford
Try to make time for a wander around this historic college and grounds, including the tranquil, tree-lined Addison’s Walk, Hollywell Ford and the Fellows' Garden.
Address: Magdalen College, High Street, Oxford
St Mary the Great with St Michael, Cambridge
A major highlight of a visit to Cambridge is a climb up Great St Mary's tower. Today, 123 steps take the visitor up the 114ft (35m) to the top, to a panoramic view of Cambridge and the surrounding countryside.
The bells can be seen by visitors to the tower – four of them installed in 1515. The clock dates from 1793, and its ring (known as the Westminster Chime and used by Big Ben) were composed by two undergraduates shortly afterwards.
Address: St Mary the Great with St Michael, Market Square, Cambridge
The Boat Race
Apart from the universities themselves, surely the famous four-and-a-quarter-mile Boat Race from Putney to Mortlake is the thing that's most associated with Oxbridge.
The idea for a rowing competition dates back to 1829, and was started by two friends – Charles Merivale, a student at Cambridge, and Charles Wordsworth (nephew of the poet William Wordsworth), who was at Oxford.
The tradition has continued annually each spring on the Thames ever since and always attracts a huge audience. Why don’t you get close to the action and join the thousands of people who line the route? Which team will you support?
Address: Start: Putney Bridge, SW6. Middle: Hammersmith Bridge, W6. Finish: Chiswick Bridge, W4 and SW14.
Museum Of Oxford
Explore the wonders of Oxford’s long history at this museum. Who were the city’s earliest residents? Before the first student took his first lesson at the University, saints walked in Oxford, kings were crowned there and parliaments debated.
Learn about medieval crafts and Oxford’s
famous literary connections, the rise of the University and Oxford's role in the Reformation and Civil War. In the upper galleries visitors can see displays about Victorian Oxford, its famous literary connections and the development of the modern town and car industry.
Address: St Aldate’s, Oxford
Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
The Museum's anthropology section holds large and unparallelled Pacific collections (more than 30,000 artefacts), including 18th-century material from Captain James Cook's voyages of exploration. There are particularly fine 19th and 20th century collections from Fiji, Vanuatu, New Guinea and the Torres Strait.
The archaeology collection also contains material from important sites around the world, plus a unique collection of artefacts of British folklore.
Address: Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Downing Street, Cambridge
Christ Church, Oxford
Visitors can take a behind-the-scenes tour of the hidden Christ Church. With access to private gardens, this allows a unique access into the College's history, its architecture, student life, scenes associated with the world of Lewis Carroll and, of course, the Harry Potter films. To guarantee a guide, make an advance booking.
Prices: £2 per head in addition to the standard admission charge, with a minimum charge of £25 per tour.
Address: St Aldate’s, Oxford
