Recently, me and my boyfriend decided to take a last minute, mid week trip to Oxford. It’s somewhere that I’ve always wanted to visit as a Harry Potter fan and an avid reader. Many great things came from and were inspired by Oxford, I was so excited to visit!
We decided to go for just 2 days and one evening. In my opinion it was the perfect amount of time and we did so many amazing things! Keep reading if you too are looking to go and want some recommendations…
Hi Darlings and welcome back to a new blog post.
Recently, me and my boyfriend decided to take a last minute mid week trip away. I had some free time and so did he before a new role so we made the most of it and went on our first mini trip away together!
I’ve wanted to go to Oxford for forever as a huge Harry Potter fan and my boyfriend was interested to visit the quaint and famous little city too. This post is full of recommendations from where to stay to what to eat and see.
I am going to organise this post into an itinerary for 2 days in Oxford. I hope this post is helpful to any of you looking to visit beautiful Oxford soon also!
DAY ONE
Park and ride
Parking in Oxford isn’t great and probably quite expensive so me and my boyfriend drove to Thornhill and did the park and ride. From Thornhill it’s 16 minutes and it costs £6 for parking + a return for 2 people.
The bus is also purple which made my inner Potter nerd very happy! There’s free charging and plug ports on the bus which me and my boyfriend were very impressed by! Map guides are also available for free.
Climb up the University church
If you’re disabled this sadly isn’t very friendly with around 100 steep steps to climb. It costs £5 for two people to venture up to the top but it’s well worth the views. Not suitable for those with a fear of heights!
Visit the Alice in Wonderland Shop
Alice’s Shop is where the real Alice bought her sweets 150 years ago. The shop was written into one of the Alice books, Through the Looking-Glass. It’s a cute little shop to browse with lots of adorable related items.
Lunch Time ~ Oxfords first coffee house?
This adorable and indeed grand cafe claims to be Oxford first coffee house. Wether you’re looking for afternoon tea or a sandwich, this is a great and not too expensive lunch stop. The coffee was delicious too of course! Staff were very friendly and accommodating with any diet requirements.
Christ Church ~ The Harry Potter fans dream
Many Harry Potter films were shot or inspired by Christ Church and The Divinity school in Oxford which I will come onto next.
Christ Church is home of the Grand staircase, Great hall, Corridor, Courtyard and many other famous scenes from Harry Potter films. Potter fan or not, it’s a gorgeous building to wander around and learn the history of.
Coffee and cake stop
Me and my boyfriend needed a quick coffee and sugar stop so we headed to the Waterstones in Oxford for a coffee and cake fix. The coffee and cake was delicious with a view over the Oxford town and a very sweet church and garden. I had white chocolate and raspberry cake, Scott has chocolate orange and we both had Soya cappuccinos. Yummy!
I also wanted to browse Waterstones for some new books to read. I’ve been reading a lot of information books and needed some non fiction to get stuck into. A very nice pit stop to relax and gain some energy or sugar if needed.
Divinity School ~ Ron and McGonagalls first dance
Again, Potter fan or not this building is incredible! The hand carved ceiling blew me and my boyfriend away. The room used in Harry Potter films from The Divinity school used to be a court room. An incredible one!
In the Harry Potter films, this room is used to hold a class where the student prepare their dancing skills for the Yule ball. McGonagall asked Ron to dance much to his embarrassment. Very funny and cool to see in real life!
Gee’s ~ Dinner in a romantic greenhouse
I cannot recommend this restaurant enough. The setting was just stunning and so romantic. Set in a greenhouse about 10 minutes away (walking) from the city centre this is a gorgeous place for date night.
The food was delicious, cocktails strong enough and wine list amazing. I had a prawn, salmon and clam pasta whilst my boyfriend had Lamb. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals and would go back!
Time to rest your head and get some sleep
I found the cutest Air B ‘n’ B for £65 a night, half an hour away from Oxford city centre set in the beautiful countryside. I wanted somewhere affordable but modern and cosy within a good distance from Oxford and for me, this place ticked all the boxes.
The owners were incredibly kind and accommodating offering tea, coffee, snacks and breakfast delivered in the morning. The bed was so comfortable, bathroom modern with an amazing rain shower and beauty products out and available. From shampoo and conditioner to toothbrushes and toothpaste, they had covered every eventuality. Highly recommend!
The link for the Air B ‘n’ B is HERE. Get £34 of your first trip using this link https://www.airbnb.co.uk/c/laurenc2503?currency=GBP
DAY TWO
Victors ~ Brunch O’clock
This was a recommendation from my friend Polly and such a good one! Victors is a modern European restaurant with the most gorgeous Instagrammble interiors and exteriors. There are the cutest floral igloos on a terrace overlooking the city for warmer, summer months.
We both went for the brunch menu. I had the Avocado on toast with some smoked salmon and my boyfriend had the American breakfast with eggs and maple bacon pancakes. I may of stole a pancake minus the bacon of course! We both had a cappuccino, almond milk for me and fresh juices.
The staff were so friendly, food came fast and was delicious. Cost was affordable and well priced! Would go back again for sure! More than just a pretty restaurant with city views, Yummy too!
Junkyard Golf – Crazy golf and cocktails!
Me and my boyfriend are big children and fancied doing something fun and a little bit … competitive. Crazy Golf was such fun!
Junkyard Golfs are located all over the UK with unique and rather strong comical named and inspired cocktails. They provide three crazy golf courses which I will not giveaway but one is a car junkyard theme, one a clown circus theme and the final a jungle exploration theme. They’re so much fun for young children up to adults. Courses cost £8 for 10 holes.
Bicester Village
Bicester Village us one of the UK’s largest and most well known designer outlets. As a fashion and beauty, lover I couldn’t not go!
With shops such as Dior, Calvin Klein, Kate Spade, Levis and so many more it’s worth going to find a great bargain on staple wardrobe pieces. I had never been and wanted to just check it out, I did however find some great deals and get a few purchases. It’s a great pit stop to avoid rush hour traffic on the way home and with free parking too! You can’t complain…
Leave a Reply