Share this tour
Offered languages
- English
Walk eight centuries of Oxford science and medicine with a DPhil scientist, from Boyle's Law on the High Street to where the penicillin story began. Each place comes to life through printed historical images you hold in your hands. Story-led and small-group, with no science background needed. This is an exterior walking tour: we explore the colleges and gardens from the outside, so there are no admission tickets to buy and nothing extra to pay on the day.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Meet me at the base of Carfax Tower, on the corner of Cornmarket Street and Queen Street. Look for Kester holding a stack of large printed photographs, I'm the guide in the listing photos.
The tour ends near the Oxford Botanic Garden entrance on Rose Lane, just off the High Street by Magdalen Bridge. You'll be beside Magdalen College and the Magdalen Bridge Boathouse for punting, and about a 10-minute walk back to the city centre.
Itinerary
-
1Carfax Tower
The medieval bell tower at Oxford's central crossroads, where the walk begins.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2Radcliffe Camera
Oxford's iconic round library, named after the physician whose fortune built it.
20 minutes • Admission ticket free -
3University Church of St. Mary the Virgin
The University Church on the High Street, the centre of Oxford's early university and home to its first library.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
4Bodleian Library
One of the world's great libraries, at the heart of historic Oxford.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
5Bridge of Sighs
The much-photographed bridge on New College Lane, once home to one of history's great astronomers.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
6Merton College
One of Oxford's three oldest colleges, on a cobbled street tied to the birth of modern brain science.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
7High Street
The grand sweep of "the High," lined with buildings where Oxford's scientists once worked.
20 minutes • Admission ticket free -
8
Oxford's grandest college from the outside, crowned by Wren's Tom Tower, whose great bell still keeps Oxford's own time.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
9Magdalen College
A grand riverside college, and the Oxford starting point of the penicillin story.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
10University of Oxford Botanic Garden
Britain's oldest botanic garden, founded for medicine, where the tour ends.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- 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.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Your guide to the flawless travel experience
Popular Countries
Get our app
