A Guide to the City of Dreaming Spires: A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Oxford

The journey, in full

This leisurely walking tour takes you around the beautiful city where you'll hear the stories behind the spires. This easy stroll takes you from Carfax Tower, around the historical city centre where the majority of the colleges are situated, to finish on Magdalen Street next to the Martyrs’ Memorial. The tour passes by Alice's Shop. You'll hear how this Alice in Wonderland themed store came to be and why the beloved story is so connected to the city. While you walk, you'll hear why Great Tom, the bell above the entrance to Christ Church College, chimes 101 times at 9.05pm. This self-guided audio tour takes you past Magdelen College. You'll hear about the college while you walk. The tour takes you past the Examination Schools where you'll hear about a unique Oxford tradition. The tour takes you past the Grand Cafe, the site of the very first coffee house in England. You'll hear the history of this charming cafe while you walk. You'll pass by the splendid-looking Bridge of Sighs, one of the most photographed and instagrammable sights in Oxford. The tour takes you through Radcliffe Square. You'll hear about it's star, the Radcliffe Camera, as you walk. The tour passes by the Bodleian Library, the main research library for the whole of the university, and it's the second largest library in the country after the British Library. All together, the Bodleian libraries hold over 13 million printed items. The tour passes by the Sheldonian Theatre, a focal point of the University of Oxford. It's the university's Ceremonial Hall, and it's used for Matriculation Ceremonies for new students to enrol them on the university's register. The tour takes you pass the Balliol College which first started as a community of scholars in 1263. This easy stroll takes you from Carfax Tower, around the historical city centre where the majority of the colleges are situated, to finish on Magdalen Street next to the Martyrs’ Memorial.