Oxford: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour & Walking Tour

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/25

Duration1h

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Oxford's Colleges & Pubs on Your Own Schedule

You board a double-decker bus at any stop along the route and ride as many loops as you want over 24 or 48 hours, with on-board audio in your language and an optional guided walking tour to fill in the details. The river cruise adds a 40-minute boat trip to Iffley Lock if you want it. Buses run every 15 minutes, so you're never waiting long to move on.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Oxford by hop-on hop-off bus

Start at Railway Station
Hop on double-decker bus
View Christ Church College
See Brasenose College
Pass The Plain
Visit Sheldonian Theatre
Stop at Trinity College
Visit The Eagle and Child pub
Enjoy on-board audio commentary
Take guided walking tour

The Experience

The woman at the Visitor Information Point on High Street didn't rush you through the options — she just handed over the headphones and said the bus would be back in fifteen minutes if you missed the first one. That's the whole thing, really. You pick up your ticket, walk to any of the stops along the Historic City & University Route, and climb onto the open-top deck whenever you're ready. The bus loops past Christ Church College, the Sheldonian Theatre, Trinity College, and all the colleges that line the streets, and you can jump off at any stop to explore on foot, then catch the next one that comes along. The audio commentary plays in fourteen languages, so you're not dependent on a guide's pace or someone else's idea of what matters.

If you want a bit more structure, there's a 60-minute Oxford Uncovered Walking Tour that departs hourly from the same information point between 11am and 4pm. It's a closer look at the local streets and stories — the kind of detail you miss from the bus window. The Eagle and Child pub, where Tolkien and Lewis used to meet, is one of those stops that makes sense when someone explains the history. You can do the walking tour on its own or combine it with however many bus loops you want to do across your 24 or 48 hours. If you've booked the Bus & River Cruise ticket, you also get a 40-minute return trip to Iffley Lock — boats run hourly from 11am to 5pm, April through September, weather permitting.

The buses run every fifteen minutes until early evening (last departure at 6pm most of the year, 5pm in autumn), so there's no real pressure to plan the day in advance. You can spend an hour at the Bodleian Library or the Ashmolean Museum, or just ride the top deck for the views and hop off at Carfax Junction or Oxford Botanic Garden whenever something catches your eye. Mobile tickets work at any stop, and if you've got a paper voucher, the City Sightseeing shop at Oxford Railway Station will sort you out. The voucher stays valid for a year, so if you book it now and plans change, you've got time.

What’s included

Your 24 or 48-hour ticket includes unlimited hop-on hop-off bus travel on the Historic City & University Route, on-board audio commentary in 14 languages with free headphones, and a 60-minute Oxford Uncovered Walking Tour departing hourly from the Visitor Information Point on High Street (11am–4pm, subject to availability).
If you select the Bus & River Cruise ticket, you also get a 40-minute return boat trip to Iffley Lock, with departures daily from 11am to 5pm, April through September.
Mobile and paper vouchers are accepted; paper vouchers are redeemed at the City Sightseeing shop at Oxford Railway Station.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleStroller friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by City Sightseeing Ltd - UK and Ireland

Is this one for you?Pick this if you want to see Oxford's colleges and landmarks without arranging your own transport or timing — the frequent buses and walking tour option let you move at your own pace while someone else handles the route.