Oxford Travel Forum

I'm planning a one-night stay in both oxford and cambridge as side-trips for a London visit. Is a one-night stay enough to gain a decent appreciation of each town? Or would I be better off canceling one side-trip and extending my stay at the other town?

Hi, welcome to VT.

You say 'one night', so I guess that means you have nearly two days in each. There's a lot to see even though both are small towns, but if you want to spend time walking around getting the feel of the places and seeing the main sights then you could do that in the time you have. They are different from each other and it would be a shame to miss either of them.

I agree.

Both are within feasible travelling distance of London and, with an early start one day and a late afternoon/evening return the next you will have time to explore the main sites.

www.nationalrail.co.uk will give you train times and fares.

www.nationalexpress.com and www.megabus.com will give you coach times and fares. For Oxford there is also www.oxfordtube.com (a bus, not an underground!). Buses are cheaper than trains but slower.

Train will be the best option for Cambridge, I think, because it is further away. Bus is fine for Oxford, as it is quite a short journey.

If you are travelling after 1st May, do try to visit the Pitt-Rivers Museum in Oxford: it is entirely amazing! http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/visit.html

Thanks for the museum tip, leics... I'd never heard of it, but it sounds very interesting. We're due for another Oxford day this spring.

The museum seems closed until 1 May when it reopens after some renovations.

Yes, it is.

But if you are there after it's open, it is wonderful..everything from prehistoric axes to shrunken heads, costumes from around the world to musical instruments ditto, from boats to toys to fossils to witchcraft remanants to weapons to armour to fans to jewellery.........displays crammed together, drawers and drawers and drawers of stuff to explore.

Just one collection from the Victorian General, and a glorious, glorious experience! :-)