Oxford food and sightseeing tour: 4-5 tastings with a local guide

Taste your way through Oxford's markets and colleges without stopping to order

This is a guided walking tour of Oxford combining food and drink tastings at 4 to 5 local stalls and shops with a route past the city's university colleges and landmarks. The guide pays for each tasting portion, so you move through the Covered Market, the cheese company, gelato stops and the international food market without sitting down or negotiating at a counter. Entry to one college or the Divinity School (the Harry Potter film location at the Bodleian Library) is included up to £4 per person, subject to availability on the day. The tour runs 2 to 3 hours and works in all weather, though heavy rain shortens the walking and shifts the group to a nearby pub or café instead.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Bridge of Sighs2m
2. Bodleian Library10m · entry included

Oxford food tasting and sightseeing

• Walk Oxford city sights
• Pass by Radcliffe Camera
• Pass by Bridge of Sighs
• Visit Bodleian Library and Divinity School
• Pass by Oxford martyrs site
• See multiple Oxford university colleges
• Sample local food and drinks at market stalls

The experience

You arrive at the meeting point in central Oxford with a free afternoon or a morning to spare. The guide meets you and introduces the route: a walk that threads past the Radcliffe Camera, the Bridge of Sighs and multiple university colleges, stopping to taste food and drink along the way. This is not a sit-down tapas experience. You visit market stalls and food shops, the guide orders and pays for each tasting, and you keep moving. The stops are not fixed every time. The guide suggests options based on what is open and what appeals to the group.

The route takes in the Covered Market, where you might sample a micro-brewery drink or visit the Oxford cheese company. You also stop at the international food market and other local stalls for gelato, local specialities or international food choices. Over the course of the tour you taste 4 to 5 portions. The guide pays for each one, so there is no menu to study or bill to settle at each stop. You taste, move on, and the guide points out the colleges and landmarks as you pass them. If the weather turns bad, the walk shortens and the group heads to a nearby pub or café instead.

Entry to one college or the Divinity School at the Bodleian Library (the filming location for Harry Potter scenes) is included in the price, paid by the guide up to £4 per person. The Divinity School is worth seeing for the architecture alone, and entry is subject to availability on the day. If you want to visit a different or additional college, that can be arranged and paid for separately. The guide speaks English and has hundreds of five-star reviews. Arrive 5 minutes early. If you arrive more than 5 minutes late, the guide will have left the meeting point and your booking is forfeited.

What’s included

• Experienced local guide speaking English.
• 4 to 5 food and drink tasting portions at local stalls, shops and markets.
• entry paid by the guide to one college or the Divinity School at the Bodleian Library, up to £4 per person, subject to availability.

Before you book

Days and timesWednesday to SaturdayDeparts at 12:45

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (18 to 59 years) · Senior (60 and older) · Youth (13 to 17 years) · Child (8 to 12 years) · Infant (under 8): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 12 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Visit Oxford Tours

Is this one for you?The 2 to 3 hour timeframe leaves room for a college visit or a leisurely market walk without consuming your whole afternoon, so you can fit this into a morning or a free slot between other plans. If you want a full day of sightseeing or a longer food experience with sit-down meals, a different tour would suit better.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 17 years); Child (8 to 12 years); Infant (under 8): free.

What are the food and drink tastings like on this Oxford tour?

You taste 4 to 5 portions at local stalls and shops, typically cheese from the Oxford cheese company, gelato, a micro-brewery drink, and choices from the international food market or other local vendors. The guide pays for each tasting, so you do not order or pay at the counter. You taste and move on. This is not a restaurant experience or a sit-down meal.

Can I visit inside the colleges during the tour?

Yes. Entry to one college or the Divinity School at the Bodleian Library is included, paid by the guide up to £4 per person, subject to what is open on the day. The Divinity School is the Harry Potter film location. If you want to see inside a different college or a more expensive one, that can be discussed with the guide and paid for as an extra cost on the day.

What happens if the weather is bad?

In heavy rain, the walking route is shortened and the group moves to a nearby pub or café instead, so the tour continues but with less outdoor walking and more time indoors.

How long does the tour take?

The tour runs 2 to 3 hours, depending on the pace and how long you spend at each stop and any college visit.

Which Oxford landmarks do we see on this tour?

The route passes the Radcliffe Camera, the Bridge of Sighs, the Bodleian Library and multiple university colleges. Several are introduced in passing as you walk. Others offer the option to go inside. Christ Church College is not visited on this tour.

Can the guide cater to dietary needs?

Yes, the tour can accommodate special dietary requirements. Let the guide know when you book or arrive, and they will adjust the food stops and tastings to suit your needs.