10 leisure, culture and entertainment options in Oxford
The Radcliffe Camera Viewed From University Church
Oxford is famous for its colleges, museums and beautiful historic streets, but it is also a vibrant city with great shopping, theatre, cinema, live music, restaurants and cafés.
Whether you are planning a family day, a cultured afternoon, a little retail therapy or a memorable night out, here are ten leisure, culture and entertainment options to enjoy during your stay at Observatory Retreat.
1. Enjoy some retail therapy
For shopping in the city centre, Westgate Oxford is the main destination. It has a wide range of high street and designer stores, restaurants, cafés and rooftop dining, all within easy reach of the historic centre.
If you would like to make a day of it, Bicester Village draws visitors from all over the world. It is just over 15 minutes away from Oxford by train and is known for its designer outlet shopping, smart boutiques and stylish places to eat.
2. Watch a film at one of Oxford’s cinemas
Oxford has some excellent cinema options, whether you are looking for a big screen blockbuster or something more independent.
The Phoenix Picturehouse on Walton Street is literally at the end of the road. It has a lovely local feel, showing a mixture of new releases, independent films, foreign language cinema and special screenings. Curzon Oxford, in Westgate, offers a more contemporary cinema experience, with comfortable screens and a programme that combines mainstream, independent and arthouse films.
3. Spend an evening at the theatre
Oxford has a lively theatre scene, with several venues offering very different styles of performance.
Oxford Playhouse is an independent theatre on Beaumont Street, close to the Ashmolean Museum, and hosts a broad programme of drama, comedy, dance, family shows and touring productions. New Theatre Oxford is the city’s larger commercial theatre, known for musicals, concerts, comedians, tribute acts and major touring shows. The Old Fire Station offers a more intimate and contemporary programme, including new writing, fringe-style theatre, comedy, spoken word, music and community arts.
Between them, there is usually something on for almost every taste.
4. Find live music and evening entertainment
Oxford has a long musical history and a thriving live music scene. One of the best-known local venues is the Jericho Tavern, close to Observatory Retreat, where Radiohead famously played in their early days. It remains a great place to hear live bands in an intimate setting.
Other options for music and evening entertainment include The Bullingdon on Cowley Road, known for gigs, club nights and comedy, and The O2 Academy Oxford, which hosts touring artists, tribute acts and bigger live events. For a more relaxed evening, look out for acoustic sets, jazz nights and open mic events in pubs and bars around Jericho, the city centre and Cowley Road.
5. Enjoy cocktails, cafés and Little Clarendon Street
Our Jericho location means you are wonderfully placed for cafés, restaurants and evening drinks. Little Clarendon Street is nearby and has a lively, independent feel, with places to stop for coffee, brunch, supper, craft beer, wine or cocktails.
It is a lovely area to wander in the late afternoon or evening, especially if you want somewhere close to the house without heading right into the busiest parts of the city centre. The legendary G&D’s (an Oxford institution) is well worth the visit for its quirky setting and locally-made ice-creams.
6. Enjoy classical music and concerts
Oxford has a rich classical music scene, with concerts taking place throughout the year in college chapels, historic halls, churches and dedicated performance spaces. Look out for choral evensong, chamber music, orchestral concerts and visiting performers — some venues like the Holywell Music Room and Sheldonian Theatre are almost as memorable as the music itself.
A particularly exciting new addition is the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, which can be seen from the back of Observatory Retreat. Designed as a world class cultural venue for Oxford, it will bring together performance, music, exhibitions, lectures and events, making it well worth checking what is on during your stay.
7. Take an architecture walk
Oxford is one of the best cities in the country for simply walking and looking around. A self-guided wander can be a simple (and free) way to enjoy some of its most famous views.
Head to Radcliffe Square, where you will find the Radcliffe Camera, perhaps Oxford’s most iconic building and one of the city’s classic photo spots. En route you’ll pass the Bodleian Library, the Sheldonian Theatre, designed by Christopher Wren, and the Bridge of Sighs, a much-loved Oxford landmark.
You can pay to climb the tower of the University Church for views of the city’s rooftops and spires, and one of the most photographed angles of the Radcliffe Camera.
8. Visit Modern Art Oxford
For a more contemporary cultural stop, Modern Art Oxford is well worth a visit. It is one of the UK’s leading public galleries for modern and contemporary art and hosts a changing programme of exhibitions, installations, talks and events.
It is a good choice if you want something creative, thought-provoking and a little different from Oxford’s more traditional historic attractions.
9. Explore The Story Museum
The Story Museum is a fun option for children, but it is enjoyable for anyone who loves books, imagination and storytelling.
The museum celebrates stories in all their forms, with immersive exhibitions, performances, activities and events. It is especially fitting in Oxford, a city with deep connections to writers such as Lewis Carroll, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and Philip Pullman.
10: Visit Broad Street and Blackwell’s Bookshop
Broad Street is one of Oxford’s most atmospheric streets, with the Sheldonian Theatre, the Bodleian Library and several colleges nearby. It is also home to Blackwell’s Bookshop, founded in 1879 and one of the city’s great institutions. Its famous Norrington Room stretches deep underground and is a paradise for book lovers.
While you are there, look out for the cross set into the road on Broad Street, marking the traditional site where the Oxford Martyrs were burned at the stake. It is a small but powerful reminder of the city’s remarkable — and sometimes turbulent — history. The nearby Martyrs’ Memorial just outside St Mary Magdalen Church, tells more of the story.
Oxford has something for every mood: historic streets and cultural landmarks by day, independent bars and theatres by evening, and plenty of music, cinema and entertainment in between. From Observatory Retreat, almost all of this is within comfortable walking distance, making it easy to enjoy all the city has to offer at your own pace.