Oxford & the Cotswolds

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Overview

Sprinkled with gorgeous villages and medieval towns, the part of England that stretches westwards from London to Wales comes as close to an old-world idyll as you’ll ever find. It’s a haven of green-cloaked hills, rose-clad cottages, graceful churches and thatched roofs. Add the university city of Oxford to this alluring mix, with its majestic architecture and youthful scene, and it’s obvious why the region is a magnet for visitors.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Windsor Castle

Windsor & Eton

The world’s largest and oldest continuously occupied fortress, Windsor Castle is a majestic vision of battlements and towers. Used for state occasions, it…

Windsor Great Park

Windsor & Eton

Windsor Great Park stretches south from Windsor Castle almost all the way to Ascot, 7 miles southwest. It covers just under 8 sq miles and holds a lake,…

Christ Church

Oxford

With its compelling combination of majestic architecture, literary heritage and double identity as (parts of) Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, Christ Church…

Gloucester Cathedral

Oxford & the Cotswolds

Gloucester’s spectacular cathedral is among the first and finest examples of the English Perpendicular Gothic style. Benedictine monks built a Norman…

Bodleian Library

Oxford

At least five kings, dozens of prime ministers and Nobel laureates, and luminaries such as Oscar Wilde, CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien have studied in Oxford's…

Magdalen College

Oxford

Guarding access to a breathtaking expanse of private lawns, woodlands, river walks and even its own deer park, Magdalen ('mawd-lin'), founded in 1458, is…

Ashmolean Museum

Oxford

Britain’s oldest public museum, Oxford’s wonderful Ashmolean Museum is surpassed only by the British Museum in London. It was established in 1683, when…

Warner Bros Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter

Oxford & the Cotswolds

Whether you’re a fair-weather fan or a full-on Potterhead, this magical studio tour is well worth the admittedly hefty admission price. All visitors have…

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