Should You Visit Cambridge or Oxford as a Day Trip From London (2024)

Debating whether you should visit Cambridge or Oxford as a day trip from London? It's a question many tourists have asked. Learn which will be best for you and why!

The last few times I visited London I debated whether I should visit Cambridge or Oxford as a day trip from London. Unfortunately, after numerous online searches, I never seemed to get a straight answer as to which city was best from a tourist perspective.

If you find yourself asking the same question, I’m here to give you my honest opinion after visiting both Cambridge and Oxford back to back.

Both cities make wonderful day trips from London. Travel time is under an hour for either Oxford or Cambridge and tickets are between $15-$20 each way as long as you book in advance.

As I’m sure you've already guessed, both are university towns that offer a lot of history with a long list of famous professors and alumni. Both offer tours (often student-led) that will take you through the most popular colleges, chapels, and libraries.

You’ll find beautiful architecture and that “scholarly” vibe on a visit to Oxford or Cambridge.

But to answer the pressing question of which is best to visit... Cambridge or Oxford…my answer is hands down Cambridge. This is purely from a tourist perspective and assuming it's a day trip from London. I’ll get into why Oxford may be best for some people.

Should I visit both if I can’t decide between Cambridge or Oxford?

Before we get started on why I prefer Cambridge, let’s discuss one of the most common questions that comes up when discussing whether you should visit Cambridge or Oxford. Should I visit both if I’m not crunched on time?

The short answer is no.

Even if you’re spending a month in England, there really is no reason to visit both university towns. They are very similar, and it would seem redundant to tour both. The only reason I would argue otherwise is if you’re a big history buff and intent on seeing where famous students and professors attended or taught classes.

Cambridge and Oxford have a long list of prominent alumni. Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton hail from Cambridge. Albert Einstein, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Oscar Wilde studied at Oxford. They also share a few famous names. Stephen Hawking and C.S. Lewis attended both universities.

If seeing the hallowed halls of where your favorite scientists, economists, authors, and politicians studied is of utmost importance to you, then it may be worth it to visit both Cambridge and Oxford.

Why Cambridge wins the Cambridge vs Oxford debate

Cambridge wins the Cambridge vs Oxford debate primarily because it’s more picturesque and compact. It’s exactly what you imagine when you think of a quintessential university town in England.

Picturesque cobble-stoned streets, peaceful green space and botanical gardens, students riding bikes to and from class, a skyline filled with Gothic spires, and cozy cafes.

Cambridge is compact, making everywhere worth going reachable by foot in twenty minutes or less.

Oxford is far more sprawling. It’s still doable by foot, but walking around is not nearly as scenic as Cambridge is.

Cambridge feels like a small, charming, college town/village. Oxford has more of an urban vibe to it.

You’ll find photo opportunities around every corner and down almost every street in Cambridge. Oxford has its stately buildings and picturesque spots, but as a whole, it's not as picturesque as Cambridge.

Cambridge is also the perfect place for a punting experience. Think of punting as the British equivalent of a gondola ride in Venice, minus the singing, exorbitant cost, and overall tourist rip-off vibe.

It's a memorable experience to book a punt tour and take it the views, especially if the weather is nice.

Punt rides go around what is called the “backs”, which is quite literally, the backs of the colleges. It’s peaceful, calm, green, and a great way to see the different buildings and bridges of Cambridge.

Oxford also offers punt rides, but Cambridge again, is a bit more picturesque.

ReadA DAY TRIP TO CAMBRIDGE FROM LONDON for a complete guide on how to get there, what to do, and how to plan your time.

Oxford - Should You Visit Cambridge or Oxford as a Day Trip From London

Reasons to visit Oxford instead of Cambridge

There are several specific reasons why I would recommend visiting Oxford vs Cambridge. The biggest factor is if you want to fit in more than just one place on your day trip from London.

There really isn’t much around Cambridge and it’s not on the way to anywhere a typical tourist might be going.

Oxford on the other hand is in the vicinity and on the way to a number of popular destinations. A quick stop in Oxford is actually often combined with Bath, the Cotswolds, Stonehenge, or Stratford-upon-Avon with tour companies.

Popular tours that include Oxford:

• Oxford and Traditional Cotswolds Villages Small-Group Day Tour from London
• Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Oxford Day Trip from London
• Oxford, Stratford, Cotswolds & Warwick Castle Tour from London
• Small Group Cotswolds Villages, Stratford and Oxford Day Tour from London

Christ Church College Great Hall (Oxford) - Should You Visit Cambridge or Oxford as a Day Trip From London

Oxford wins the Oxford vs Cambridge debate for Harry Potter fans

Should serious Harry Potter fans visit Cambridge or Oxford? The answer is Oxford when it comes to Harry Potter filming locations and inspiration.

The Great Hall in Christ Church College served as inspiration for the Great Hall in Harry Potter. The steps that lead up to the hall were used in several scenes as were the surrounding hallways.

The Divinity School at Bodleian Library was used as the Hogwarts Hospital. Duke Humphrey’s Library (also at Bodleian Library) stood in for the Hogwarts Library in the first film.

Lastly, the scene where Mad-Eye Moody turned Draco Malfoy into a ferret was filmed at the New College Cloisters.

While Cambridge may remind you of many Harry Potter scenes, the only college that was used was Oxford.

Join a tour to take you to all the Harry Potter filming sites:

• Oxford Harry Potter Insights entry to Divinity School PUBLIC Tour - 1.5 to 2 hours with a max of 20 people.
  • Private tour option
    
• Harry Potter PUBLIC Tour + Self Guided Christ church Daily 12.45- 3 hours with a max of 20 people.
  • Private tour option
• Extended: Oxford University & City Tour With Christ Church- 3 hours with a max of 19 people.

Radcliffe Camera, Oxford - Should You Visit Cambridge or Oxford as a Day Trip From London

A summary of whether you should visit Oxford or Cambridge

If you’re looking for the more picturesque, compact, charming, quintessential university town…Cambridge wins the Oxford vs Cambridge debate. Cambridge is by far more scenic.

I also personally think it’s the more worthwhile of the two if you’re visiting Cambridge as a day trip from London and don’t want to stop anywhere else before or after. There isn’t much around Cambridge that would easily fit into a day trip itinerary.

It would make more sense to visit Oxford vs Cambridge if you want to fit more than one place on your day trip itinerary. Oxford is on the way (or close) to several other interesting destinations like Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon, and the Cotswolds.

This also makes Oxford a convenient stop if you plan to stay in those destinations. Harry Potter fans will also prefer Oxford over Cambridge because Oxford was used for several Harry Potter filming sites.

I hope this helps answer whether you should visit Cambridge or Oxford as a day trip from London. Either way, you'll have a memorable time as both are wonderful destinations filled with history and character.

Have you visited both universities? Which do you think is best for a tourist to visit, Cambridge or Oxford? Let me know in the comments below!