Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire mixes a famous university city with market towns and quiet villages spread across gentle countryside. Oxford itself is the natural starting point, its colleges and museums drawing visitors year-round, while Woodstock offers a smaller-scale elegance alongside Blenheim Palace nearby. Banbury and Bicester serve as practical hubs, the latter well known for its shopping outlet, and Chipping Norton and Hook Norton bring genuine Cotswold charm to the county's western edge.

Along the Thames, Wallingford, Moulsford and Henley-on-Thames offer a slower pace, with riverside walks and traditional regattas defining Henley in particular. Adderbury and North Weston are peaceful villages suited to those wanting rural calm, while Horspath sits conveniently close to Oxford for day trips without the city bustle. Together these places suit travellers wanting culture, countryside and riverside relaxation within easy reach of one another.

Oxford accounts for much of the choice, and the city rewards a bit of thought about where you stay. Malmaison Oxford occupies a former prison close to the centre, while The Head of the River sits by Folly Bridge with the river on its doorstep. For something smaller, Oxford BnB and 4 Golden Cross Guesthouse put you within walking distance of the colleges and museums, and High Hedges Guest House and Lakeside Guest House offer a quieter base a little further out.

Beyond the city, options thin out but improve in setting. Bicester serves those visiting for the outlet shopping or passing through on the motorway network, while further into the countryside places like Lime Trees Farm and Sabine Barn B&B give a proper rural stay, and The Old Post Office suits travellers wanting a village address. Le Manoir aux QuatSaisons stands apart as a destination in its own right, built around one of the country's best-known kitchens.

Oxfordshire's days out range from grand estates to city streets thick with history, and the choice depends largely on where you base yourself. Woodstock is the obvious stop for Blenheim Palace, a day's outing in itself, while Oxford holds the greatest concentration of things to do, from ghost walks and escape rooms to guided tours through its colleges and lanes.

Away from the city, Wallingford and Henley-on-Thames offer a different pace, with trails and treasure hunts that make good use of their riverside settings. Abingdon and Didcot sit conveniently between the two worlds, useful bases for families wanting to mix outdoor activity with a look at the county's older towns. Many operators run trails and adventure activities that suit a spare afternoon as easily as a full day out.

Oxfordshire's dining scene runs from centuries-old coaching inns to the kind of city-centre spots you'd expect in a university town. Oxford itself holds the greatest concentration, with everything from quick café stops like Greens Cafe to more considered places such as Pompette and the Ashmolean Rooftop Restaurant and Cafe, the latter making the most of its position above one of the city's museums.

Beyond Oxford, the county's towns and villages offer their own mix of pubs and cafés, from Upper Heyford through to the wider county's market towns, where a good pub often doubles as the social hub. Whether you're after a proper Sunday roast, a curry house like Chaa Affaire, or somewhere more casual for coffee and cake, the choice reflects Oxfordshire's blend of rural tradition and city sophistication.

Oxfordshire's campsites and glamping spots make the most of a county that mixes rolling Cotswold country in the north and west with the quieter River Thames valley around Wallingford and Moulsford. Around Chipping Norton and Witney you'll find farm sites and shepherd huts like Spring Grounds Farm Shepherd Huts and D'Oyleys Farm, set among the fields and drystone walls that give this part of the county its character.

Closer to Oxford and out towards Bicester and Waterperry, sites tend to suit those wanting easy access to the city and its surrounding countryside without straying far from the A34 or M40. Small certificated locations such as Plummers Ridge Farm sit alongside more developed glamping ventures like Rolling Fields Glamping and Hum Hideaway, which lean towards comfort over basic pitches.

Further south towards Wantage and Banbury, farm-based stays and simple campsites such as Spring Hill Farm and Muster Point Campsite offer a plainer, more traditional camping experience. Choosing between them often comes down to whether you want a working farm setting, a ready-furnished hut or pod, or a base for exploring the wider Cotswolds.