Oxford Transportation

Getting There

Air

3 major airports service Oxford. Most visitors to Oxford fly into the BAA Heathrow Airport (LHR) (+44 870 000 0123 / http://www.baa.co.uk/main/airports/heathrow/) which is considered the hub of the aviation world and has the distinction of being the world's busiest international airport. Heathrow houses over 90 airlines and is located 14 miles west of central London. Travelers can also fly into the BAA London Gatwick Airport (LGW) (+44 870 000 2468 / http://www.baa.com/main/airports/gatwick/) which houses 80 airlines and is located 28 miles south of London; or the London Luton Airport (LTN) (+44 1582 4051 00 / http://www.london-luton.co.uk/) which is located 32 miles from central London and 50 miles from Oxford. Although traveling to Oxford can be difficult, the recommended method of ground transportation from the airports is by bus or coach. Some airline providers for Heathrow include:

American Airlines (+44 020 7365 0777; http://www.aa.com/) Air Canada (+44 0871 220 1111; http://www.aircanada.ca/) Air France (+44 0845 084 5444; http://www.airfrance.com/) Air China (+44 020 8757 4860; http://www.airchina.com.cn/) Air India (+44 020 8560 9996; http://www.airindia.com/) British Airways (+44 0870 850 9850; http://www.britishairways.com/) Japan Airlines (+44 0845 774 7700; http://www.jal-europe.com/) Korean Air (+44 0800 413 000; http://www.koreanair.com/) United Airlines (+44 01293 596 609; http://www.united.com/) Virgin Atlantic (+44 0870 606 0046; http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/) Lufthansa (+44 0845 773 7747; http://www.lufthansa.com/)

From the Airport

Taxi & Limousine: Taxis can be easily accessed outside the airport terminals. Advance booking is usually unnecessary. Some providers are:

Botley Taxis (+44 1865 42 3264 / http://www.botleytaxis.co.uk/) Royal Cars (+44 1865 77 7333 / http://www.royal-cars.com/) Findlay Chauffeur Service (+44 1865 736 800; http://www.findlay.uk.com/) Hire Limos, Oxford (+44 0870 950 2025; http://www.hirelimos-oxford.co.uk/)

Checker Cars (+44 0800 747 737) provides chauffeur-driven car hire services. There is a quoted fare system and taxis can be pre-booked and paid in advance by cash or credit card or at the end of the journey.

Oxicars.com (+44 1865 875900; http://www.oxicars.com/) provides taxi and minivan service between Heathrow and Gatwick airports and Oxford for individuals or groups.

Traintaxi (http://www.traintaxi.co.uk/) is a guide to taxis serving all train, tram, metro and underground stations in Great Britain.

Car Rentals: From the Heathrow Airport, take the M4 to the M25 to the M40. Turn off at the "Oxford exit" to enter the city.

Budget Rent A Car (+44 1865 724 884; http://www.oxfordcity.co.uk/travel/budget/)

Train

Great Western Railways (+44 08457 48 49 50; http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/) Thames Trains (+44 08453 307 182; http://www.thamestrains.co.uk/) Virgin Trains (+44 0870 789 1234; http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/) National Rail (http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/)

Bus & Coach

National Express (+44 08705 808080; http://www.nationalexpress.com/) National Park and Ride Directory (http://www.parkandride.net/) Oxford Bus Company (+44 01865 785 400; http://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/) Thames Travel Bus Services (+44 01491 837998; http://www.busbook.co.uk/) Megabus.com (http://www.megabus.com/) requires online booking.

Planning services include: Arriva (http://www.arriva.co.uk/shires&essex/)

Getting Around

Bus

Five park and ride sites are located within the city limits of Oxford with a link to the city center by public bus. Bus 300 services Pear Tree and Seacourt, Bus 400 services Redbridge and Thornhill, Bus 500 services Water Eaton. Buses are operated by the Oxford Bus Company (http://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/) and Stagecoach Oxfordshire (http://www.stagecoachbus.com/oxfordshire/).

Rail

The Oxford railway station (http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/oxf.html) is located west of the city center. Destinations like Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham or London are conveniently accessible.

Car

The A34, the A40 and the A4142 form a beltway surrounding the city of Oxford, leading in and out of Oxford. The M40 is the local motorway that is connected to the beltway and also connects London and Birmingham.

Hot Air Balloon

The Oxford Balloon Company (http://www.oxfordballoon.com/) offers flights from Oxford's South Park, Cuttleslowe Park and Ice Rink, from Frilford Heath (5 miles southwest of Oxford), and Warborough Green (9 miles southeast of Oxford).

Planning a Trip

Getting There

Trains from Paddington Station reach Oxford in 1 1/2 hours. Five trains run every hour. A cheap, same-day round-trip ticket costs £27. For more information, call tel. 0845/748-4950 or visit www.nationalrail.co.uk.

Stagecoach (tel. 01865/772250; www.stagecoachbus.com) operates the Oxford Tube, with buses leaving London at the rate of three to five per hour, costing £16 one-way or £13 if you're a student.

If you're driving, take the M40 west from London and just follow the signs. Traffic and parking are a disaster in Oxford. However, there are four large park-and-ride parking lots on the north, south, east, and west of the city's ring road, all well marked. Parking is £2 to £2.50 per hour. From 9:30am on and all day Saturday, you pay £2 for a round-trip ticket for a bus ride into the city, which drops you off at St. Aldate's Cornmarket or Queen Street to see the city center. The buses run every 8 to 10 minutes in each direction. There is no service on Sunday. The parking lots are on the Woodstock road near the Peartree traffic circle, on the Botley road toward Farringdon, on the Abingdon road in the southeast, and on the A40 toward London.

Visitor Information

The Oxford Tourist Information Centre is at 15-16 Broad St. (tel. 01865/252200; www.oxford.gov.uk/index.cfm). The center sells a comprehensive range of maps, brochures, and souvenir items, as well as the famous Oxford University T-shirt. Guided walking tours leave from the center daily. The center is open Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 5pm, and Sunday and bank holidays 10am to 4pm.

Getting Around

The Oxford Bus Company, 395 Cowley Rd. (tel. 01865/785400; www.oxfordbus.co.uk), has green Park-and-Ride buses that leave from four parking lots in the city using the north south or east west routes. A round-trip ticket costs £2 to £2.50. Their Airline buses are blue and travel to Heathrow and Gatwick. A one-way ticket from Oxford to Heathrow costs £20 for adults, £10 for children ages 5 to 15. A one-way ticket from Oxford to Gatwick costs £25 for adults, £13 for children ages 5 to 15. The company's red local buses cover 15 routes in all suburbs, with a day pass allowing unlimited travel for £3.70 to £6. Weekly and monthly passes are available.

The competition, Stagecoach, Unit 4, Horsepath, Cowley (tel. 01865/772250; www.stagecoachbus.com/oxfordshire), uses blue-and-cream minibuses and coaches colored red, blue, and orange. City buses leave from Queen Street in Oxford's city center. A 1-day ticket that allows unlimited travel within Oxford city (called Dayrider) costs £3.50.