Experience one of the world’s greatest university cities on this hop-on hop-off Oxford bus tour. With a 24- or 48-hour pass, design a personalized itinerary with several possible stops including the University of Oxford buildings (some featured in the 'Harry Potter' films), Oxford Castle, and Bodleian Library, one of the world’s oldest public libraries. Enjoy unobstructed views from the open-top viewing deck and fun onboard commentary as you savor this elegant city.

Discover Oxford and its highlights with a City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus tour
See the best of the ‘City of Dreaming Spires’ at your own pace with a 24- or 48-hour ticket
Pass by must-see city sights including Oxford Castle and Christ Church College
Set your own sightseeing schedule, hopping on and off at any of the stops
Sit on the open-air, top deck and soak up 360-degree views of the honey-stoned university city
Listen to the onboard audio commentary to learn about the historical city

What's Included

24 or 48-hour bus pass
45-minute Stepping Through Oxford Walking Tour
On-board audio commentary available 14 languages + free headphones
Vouchers are valid for 12 months from travel date selected at check-out
Mobile tickets accepted

Hotel pickup and drop off
Food and drinks, unless specified
Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Start time

Opening hours

Select your preferred tour option to see hours.

View tour option

What To Expect

With your 24- or 48-hour ticket, see the best of the ‘City of Dreaming Spires’ by bus, with onboard audio commentary offering fascinating snippets of local history. Hop aboard the bus at any of the route’s stops (full itinerary listed below) and enjoy the flexibility of choosing your own itinerary, pace and tour duration.

Grab a comfortable seat in either the indoor or open-air seating section and take in the sights along the route. Feel free to stay on for the entire loop, or hop off at any stop to see one of Oxford’s historical or cultural landmarks—buses depart regularly.

Between stops, explore the city’s local color and soak up the rich character of this celebrated hub of global education. To end your tour, disembark at any stop along the route, any time you like.

Historic City & University Route

20 Stops

16 Points of Interest

Duration: 40 minutes

Operating Schedule: 31st March - 16th April: 9:30am - 5:30pm, every 15 minutes 17th April - 25th May: 9:30am - 6pm, every 15 minutes 26th May - 22nd July: 9:30am - 6pm, every 15 minutes 23rd July - 3rd September: 9:30am - 6pm, every 10 minutes 4th September - 22nd October: 9:30am - 5pm, every 15 minutes 23rd October - 29th October: 9:30am - 5pm, every 15 minutes

Oxford

Park End Street

Gloucester Green

New Road

Westgate Shopping Centre

Speedwell Street

St Aldates (Stop G2)

Brasenose College

The Queen's College

The Plain

St.Cross Road

South Parks Road

Wadham College

53 Broad St

Parks Road

Park Town

Plantation Road

61 St Giles'

Magdalen Street East (Stop C6)

Sightseeing Randolph

Points of interest passed by on this route

Christ Church

Brasenose College

Sheldonian Theatre

Queen's College

Trinity College

City Sightseeing Oxford

Oxford Castle & Prison

Westgate Oxford

Oxford Playhouse

Bodleian Library

University of Oxford Botanic Garden

Pitt Rivers Museum

Carfax Tower

Arts at the Old Fire Station

Oxford Town Hall

Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
Operates: All Year Round (except 1st January, 25th & 26th December)

Tour operates 9:30am - between 5pm and 6pm depending on the time of year. Frequency of the bus is every 10 - 15 minutes
Duration: 40 minutes
45-minute Stepping Through Oxford Walking Tour: 11:45am, 12:30pm, 1:15pm, 2pm, 2:45pm and 3:30pm. Meeting Point: Oxford Visitor Information Point, 44-45 High Street
Please note that the guided walking tour is seasonal, and customers should enquire upon arrival for more information.
Mobile or Paper Vouchers accepted. Paper vouchers must be redeemed at City Sightseeing shop in Oxford Railway Station.
Vouchers are valid for 12 months from the travel date selected at check-out

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

I bought a multi-day pass and one day had a driver who took the tour part seriously and slowed down so that you could actually catch the sites.

The bus starts from right outside the Oxford station which is really convenient

A good way to view Oxford, to see where all the key places are sited, to later explore.

Reviews

4.5

649 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 649 reviews

Oxford bus tour

Eda_B, Sep 2023

Wonderful trip. Went round twice to take it all in. The architecture of the colleges was amazing. Helpful and friendly driver.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Dear Customer, Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience with us. Your kind words mean a lot to us. We will be sure to share your kind comments with our team. We look forward to seeing you very soon at your next City Sightseeing destination. Customer Support Agent

A good sightseeing tour

Raimonda_P, Sep 2023

Excellent stories about buildings, students and learning methods. It's a good idea to say what we'll see when we get out.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Dear Customer, Thank you for choosing us and taking the time to share your impressions.  We are glad you had a great experience. We hope to see you again if you ever come back to the city! Best regards, Customer Support Agent

An alright experience

Melanie_S, Sep 2023

I’ve been on other hip on hop off bus tours that had more amenities and an easier to use app. Overall an okay experience but not spectacular. Also not the companies faults but my companion had her phone stolen off one of the buses. Just be aware of the people around you. The company did all they could but once that phone was taken off the bus there’s nothing they could have done.

Great information on a beautiful city

Steven_M, Sep 2023

A great look at the beautiful city of Oxford. Upstairs allows a sneaky look inside the grounds of some places too.

Hop on hop off with ease

Gerlof_S, Sep 2023

Really easy for around the town. If it’s raining this is a was to see everything without getting wet.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Dear Customer, We love to hear that you had such a great experience at the tour bus. We are looking forward to seeing you again. Kind regards, Customer support agent

Useful way of statting...

Tim_V, Aug 2023

Useful way of statting out in Oxford, good regular service and helpful drivers. Walking tour was an extra bonus.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Dear Customer, We love to hear that you had such a great experience at the tour bus. We are looking forward to seeing you again. Kind regards, Customer support agent

Lovely experience

Emma_F, Aug 2023

Great commentary at a good pace for everyone to enjoy. Lots of facts about Oxford that helped us plan the rest of our day too. Glad we did the full tour first.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Dear Emma, Thanks for leaving a review! We are happy to hear that everything went smooth and that you enjoyed the tour. Hope to see you back soon! Yours sincerely, Customer support agent

Great experience!

Magdalena_M, Aug 2023

The tour was interesting and the bus driver was very friendly. Have seen all of the top’s attractions. Would definitely recommend as part of the sightseeing.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Dear Customer, Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience with us. It means a lot to us. We will make sure to share your kind comments with our team. We would love to see you again very soon. Kind regards, Customer support agent

You asked

patriciam_s, Jul 2023

Great weather. Very interesting town I am not a big literary buff. We were in Oxford to pick up a car

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Dear guest, Thank you so much! At City Sightseeing we work every day, so you get the best experience possible. We would love to have you back in the city or at any of our other locations. Kind regards, Customer support agent

Great way to see the...

SeanAndrew_W, Jul 2023

Great way to see the sights of Oxford with a bit of history on each.Driver was very helpful with additional information once tour had finished

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Dear Customer, Thank you for writing your opinion and highlighting what you liked most. We are glad to know that you have enjoyed the visit. We hope to see you again very soon in Oxford in one of our destinations. Kind regards, Customer support agent

Good tour needs updating

Amanda_H, Jul 2023

Interesting to get an overview of Oxford. Commentary could do with freshening up and headphones didn’t work for a while after bus started. Guide knew this but continued to start talking before headphones started working!?!

A good introduction to Oxford

Amanda_C, Jul 2023

We were delighted to have a very knowledgeable live guide (much better than the taped version), who brought the tour to life. Reasonably frequent service. All in all, good value for money for a 24 hour ticket. Not sure a 48 hour would be worthwhile, the trip around Oxford is limited to the centre and does not extend beyond the college circuit.

Great way to see Oxford above the crowds!

Doug_B, Jun 2023

This was an excellent way to get our bearings in Oxford, and the commentary really helped to place all the different colleges. It also included a good 45 minute walking tour. We did it twice as a loop before getting off to explore more!

See and learn about Oxford

Clifford_B, Jun 2023

The bus tour is a great way to see and learn about Oxford. It is a regular service with friendly staff. Do the full tour in one go initially to listen to the commentary and then go again and get off at the attractions you are interested in.

Not worth the money. No way to get in contact with them.

Helen_N, Jun 2023

There was No way to contact the bus or company to see when it would be next scheduled other than a chat that didn’t respond. Would not recommend because the customer service sucked and didn’t give us a refund even though there was no bus in sight and no way to know when the next one came. Plus you can walk easily to each landmark.

Best Way to See Oxford

Kate_B, May 2023

Wonderful way to get oriented to Oxford! We did the entire loop first, to get our bearings, then hopped on and off for the rest of the day to get around. Very easy to access and the drivers were all courteous and helpful!

Viewing Oxford colleges...

Paul_S, May 2023

Viewing Oxford colleges from the top of the bus in glorious weather. The Walking Tour was great although a little rushed.

Very quick overview of University history

Chastity_F, Mar 2023

The audio has good info on the colleges. Nice drivers. Oxford is not very big at all, or it doesn’t seem so. This tour mostly goes around the colleges. Easiest way to see the schools and get the good views. Street parking is available (maximum of 2 hours) about 2 blocks from main office where you pick up your ticket. Then, about 100 yards from their front office door is stop #K3, where the bus picked us up. Think the whole tour took roughly 40 mins.

a tour of Oxford City

Patricia_W, Feb 2023

wonderful journey around Oxford city. Amazing buildings to be seen from the comfortable tour bus with free ear phones to hear a description of all the interesting places

Learnt a lot with the tour guide. very enjoyable.

Isabelle_M, Feb 2023

Oxford is a lovely city and with the information given during the guided tour, we saw the city in a new light. We have learnt a lot and had a very pleasant day.

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