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Oxford Tours
City Sightseeing Oxford Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
4.5

City Sightseeing Oxford Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

By City Sightseeing Oxford
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Oxford’s public bus system caters much more to locals than it does to tourists. Save time and money as you explore on a hop-on hop-off bus with a loop of several stops that's perfect for independent travelers. An open-air top deck delivers 360-degree views, while audio commentary is available via headset. Choose between 24- and 48-hour tickets.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation

Ages 6-99
Duration: 40m
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More
Audio guide: German, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, English, Italian, French, Spanish
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Highlights
  • Discover Oxford, the “City of Dreaming Spires”, at your own pace
  • Enjoy several stops, including Oxford Castle, Christ Church College, and Sheldonian Theatre
  • Soak up 360-degree views from the top deck as you listen to audio commentary
  • Choose between 24- or 48-hour tickets to suit your schedule

  • 24 or 48-hour bus pass
  • 45-minute Stepping Through Oxford Walking Tour
  • On-board audio commentary available 14 languages + free headphones
  • Vouchers are valid for 12 months from travel date selected at check-out
  • Mobile tickets accepted
What's not included
  • Hotel pickup and drop off
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Gratuities

Hop on the bus at a stop that suits you—perhaps at Oxford Railway Station—choose between cozy indoor seating or the open-air top deck, don your headset, if required, and explore away. Depending on whether you’ve purchased 24-hour or 48-hour tickets, you are able to hop on and off at any one of the stops, listed under itinerary below, for one or two days. Buses travel at regular intervals, depending on the season, so you never have a long wait for pickup. Stops include Oxford Castle, the Sheldonian Theatre, and the Bodleian Library, not to mention Christ Church College, a key filming location in the 'Harry Potter' series. Soak up the onboard commentary and historic views as you savor this elegant city, hopping on and off when and where you want.

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2065OXF

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Most travelers can participate
  • Operates: All Year Round (except 1st January, 25th & 26th December)
  • Bus Tour Operating Schedule:
  • Until 24th November 2024: First departure from Stop 1 at 9:30am. Last departure from Stop 1 at 4pm. Frequency - every 20 minutes
  • 25th November - 19th December 2024: First departure from Stop 1 at 9:30am. Last departure from Stop 1 at 4pm. Frequency - 20 - 30 minutes
  • 20th December - 5th January 2025: First departure from Stop 1 at 9:30am. Last departure from Stop 1 at 4pm. Frequency - every 15 - 20 minutes
  • 6th January - 13th February 2025: First departure from Stop 1 at 9:30am. Last departure from Stop 1 at 4pm. Frequency - every 20 minutes
  • 14th February - 3rd April 2025: First departure from Stop 1 at 9:30am. Last departure from Stop 1 at 5pm. Frequency - every 15 - 20 minutes
  • Duration: 40 minutes
  • 45-minute Stepping Through Oxford Walking Tour: Daily. Departure Point: 44-45 High Street. Departures at 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm and *2:30pm. *Saturdays and Sundays during half term and Bank Holiday weekends
  • Please note that the guided walking tour is seasonal, and customers should enquire upon arrival for more information.
  • Mobile or paper vouchers accepted. Paper vouchers must be redeemed at City Sightseeing shop in Oxford Railway Station.
  • Vouchers are valid for 12 months from the travel date selected at check-out
  • Please note, Stop 19 St. Giles Church will be closed until the end of the year. Customers are advised to hop-on and hop-off from either Stops 18 or 20
  • Please note that due to emergency roadworks, Stop 13 will be out of use until Thursday 21st November

  • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2065OXF

From
$23.51
per adult
Select date and travelers

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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
  • City Sightseeing Oxford
    1,056
    United Kingdom
    Joined in July 2007
  • 688adri_np
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lovely tour
    Very good experience with Grek the tour guide, he told us many information relevant and some anecdote. I recomend 100%.
    Written January 1, 2025
  • MartinWright60
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Enjoyable tour with helpful drivers.
    Joined the Oxford city tour today. Driver Linda was very helpful and demonstrated a real commitment to passenger safety when a parent failed to adequately supervise a very young child. I hope all your drivers are as good as Linda in Oxford.
    Written December 31, 2024
  • ClaudiaDianaMaris
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Perfect way to discover this stunning city.
    Super driver, great sense of humour 👏 The headphones all worked perfectly and it was a really interesting and informative tour, perfect for our very young at heart but elderly parents! I would strongly recommend this tour, it's the perfect way to see this stunning city.
    Written November 26, 2024
  • janetkG5093NH
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Brilliant walk/bus tour
    Had a brilliant day today 21st. Lesley was so knowledgeable and a really lovely lady. She was on a time crunch but got us back to our hopon/off bus in time. We will be back next year for a longer tour. Thank you Lesley. Bus driver was so good around all the roadworks in Oxford. Highly commended walk/bus tour
    Written November 22, 2024
  • Daydream16520474049
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great experience !
    The tour was educational and really pleasant . The explanations were clear, comprehensive and easily understandable. Fantastic knowledge and friendly manners, Roberta is an asset to the tour!
    Written November 9, 2024
  • sabas863
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great way to see Oxford in a day
    Very knowledgeable tour guide who grew up in Oxford himself! Thoroughly enjoyed it and well priced aswell! Highly recommend
    Written November 9, 2024
  • 589twinklem
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wonderful
    Our guide was Lesley and she explained very clearly about oxford heritage and history.She was very knowledgeable person and very kind.we really enjoyed the conversation with her. She was very patient and clearly explained our doubts.she was very fluent in English and very much positive person
    Written November 5, 2024
  • vanessafB8090LE
    0 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Town and Gown
    Our tour guide was Lesley and she took us on the Oxford Town and Gown walking tour. Despite it being a chilly grey day Lesley made it an enjoyable tour with plenty of interesting tales and facts about the beautiful city of Oxford. It was great to hear some of the history behind the buildings and places with enough humour to stop it being too dry or a list of dates and names. Thank you Lesley
    Written November 3, 2024
  • DeepInTheWoodsMike
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Excellent Overview
    Excellent way to get overview. We rode once around then rode halfway, walked around then reboarded to go back to the rail station. Greg was the live commentator and was very helpful making sure we could hear him. Hats off to Greg!
    Written November 3, 2024
  • MairyRuth
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Excellent package but check walking tour times and if you are happy to climb the tower's steep and narrow spiral stairs
    Excellent way to discover Oxford and thoroughly recommended. You are issued with earphones with your ticket to listen to the audio tour on the bus which worked really well. The content was interesting and wide-ranging and you get a leaflet with a clear map so you can decide where to get on/off. The walking tour of the central area was excellent with a knowledgeable guide (Pete) who tailored elements to suit people's interests, but make sure you check the times - we almost missed it as the last one departed at 2.30pm (it would be helpful if they advised you of the times on booking). The views from the top of Carfax Tower are fantastic but the staircase to the top is very narrow and spiral - one of our group decided not to attempt it. If you're not sure, I'd advise a quick look at the staircase before buying the tout ticket that includes the tower tour.
    Written October 13, 2024
  • 309eelkes
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice sightseeing tour with guided walking tour
    During our visit to Oxford we made a nice sightseeing tour of the city with the Hop on Hop off bus. After that we took a beautiful walk through the city center under the guidance and with clear explanations from our guide Penny. A very nice way to get to know Oxford.
    Written September 30, 2024
  • Meander29714641923
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wonderful sights and great information
    We took this bus tour as we wanted to see the sights of Oxford, and not only did we get good views, we also got plenty of information from the very helpful guide, Greg. He was very helpful and full of information about the landmarks of Oxford. Plenty of stops as well, allowing you to get off and easily get on after a shopping trip.
    Written September 8, 2024
  • rhonday226
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great day out
    We thoroughly enjoyed our hop on hop off bus tour, we stayed on and did the circuit a few times and picked up different info each time. We got a good overview of the Oxford area and it's history. We also did the 15 minute walking tour with Policeman Pete who was funny and informative. Totally recommend. Thanks very much
    Written September 2, 2024
  • Horsce
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Way to see Oxford
    Thought the price was a bit steep (£17-senior) at first, but well worth it, extremely informative, walking tour included
    Written August 16, 2024
  • Discover57121709706
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A great way to see Oxford!
    Went to visit Oxford today, and decided to take the open top bus tour. All the staff were extremely helpful and friendly, especially our lady driver, who even came up to find us when she knew where we wanted to get off! The walking tour was excellent as well, we had Policeman Pete taking us round, very knowledgeable and friendly. We got on and off very easily, and never had to wait very long for the next one. Would highly recommend this way of seeing the town, as we had no previous knowledge of what to see or where to go. A great day out! Phil.
    Written August 15, 2024
See all 1,056 reviews
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles658 reviews
Excellent
444
Very good
133
Average
56
Poor
17
Terrible
8

JustaPassinThru
Godmanchester, UK142 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Quite a mix of ticket options to choose from. We opted for the cheapest, the so called bronze. It included 24 hours of hop on off across the 20 stops around the city. Plus a 30 minute guided walking tour. The audio guide on the bus was well thought out, very informative and clear. 14 languages plus a children’s option. You’re given a new earpiece to plug in to the system when you get your ticket. The friendly walking tour guide was equally excellent with facts and anecdotes, packing a lot into the half hour. Depending on when you buy your ticket, you may be able to use the remainder of the 24 hours the following morning. All in all great value.
Written October 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear JustaPassinThru, We appreciate the detailed 5-star review you have given us. It is lovely to hear of your experience while exploring Oxford on our open-top buses and walking tour. With the bronze ticket option you mention, now name-changed to "Bus Tour", it includes a free walking tour which, as you say, contributes towards great value for money. I hope we can welcome you to Oxford in the future. Kind Regards, Sam Trafford
Written May 15, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

erica
Glasgow, UK172 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
We decided to visit Oxford and only had about 4 hours to see the city so decided to opt for the hop on hop off bus tour as had used them in the past and found this normally a great way to see the city. It did take us a while to find long term parking and as a tip would recommend the Westgate centre as it was around 9 pounds for the 4 hours and it’s on the stop list so was easy to get back to the car at the end we then had to redeem our voucher for bus tickets as we bought online the office was about 8-10 mins from west gate on the high street another tip I would just buy on the day from the driver as I saw someone else do this and would have e saved us about 20mins . The actual bus tour was great We did the loop twice and it allowed us to cover a lot of the city in a very short period the buses were very regular and the headphone audio was really factual and interesting loved it . It was really good value for money and we came away feeling we had got to see a lot of the beautiful city in only a few hours.
Written August 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your positive feedback, it's good to hear you enjoyed your journey.
Written August 24, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

James M
Westcliff-on-Sea, UK1,221 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Okay my wife and I are slightly biased, because everywhere we go we always jump on one of these! But this one was very informative as it explained all of the details of the universities, and actually gave you a really good insight into a lot of information and famous people who have come out of this prestigious city.

The wonderful thing is that your ticket is valid for 24 hours, so it’s a very good way to get around the city, and with an ability to hop on and then hop off at any point, it makes a day trip very useful.

With a selection of languages available, headphones and an informative script, we definitely recommend this.
Written January 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to review our bus tour to say how much you enjoyed it. As a frequent traveller with our company you may already know that if you take your tickets with you next time you use City Sightseeing, most venues offer 10% discount.
Written January 25, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

MattandLeaAbroad
Johannesburg, South Africa54 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Couples
Very poor experience. We booked tickets online, but there was confusion from the driver who then told us to go speak to the man on the pavement to get tickets. The audio on the headsets only played through one ear and the max volume is so low it can barely be heard. The stops numbers are not announced by the driver/guide/audio so it can be confusing which stop you are at. The bus would stop for over 10 mins at a time for the driver to generate tickets or take payments for people just getting on - very frustrating - this should only be done at the train station and not hold up an entire bus of people waiting to get to a specific stop.
The normal bus charge from High Street to the train station was £0.10, which is what we will be using on our next visit. Very disappointed at having spent £34 for such a poor experience.
Written July 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi there, I am very sorry to hear about your experience. Please provide more specific details of your journey to info@cityseightseeingoxford.co.uk so we can look into this for you.
Written July 11, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

happyhotfoot
London, UK28 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020 • Couples
A mixture of live and recorded commentary, it was great value for getting around the main attractions of the city. There’s even an additional walking tour on the Bronze ticket. Very Covid 19 aware.
Written September 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for you review. The additional walking tour is available on the gold , silver and bronze tickets The silver and gold tickets also include an additional guided walking tour of 1 hour.
Written September 26, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

d0ttyd0t
scotland31 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Friends
As advertised on their leaflets we went to buy a ticket at the park and ride as part of our travel into the city. The bus driver was quite rude and couldn’t work out how to give us student fares we ended up paying full price as to not hold up the bus any longer. Maybe some more information is needed here. The leaflets also say there is a live guide but we’re disappointed to find it was a prerecorded audio guide. I always find these to only tell you a wee bit of a story and found myself googling quite a bit.

The buses were regular and great to see the city.

I highly recommend the walking tour that is included in your ticket; It was only us on the tour and Graeme our tour guide was great at showing us the bits that the bus can’t go to.
Written July 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your feedback, if you could provide more specific information about your experience with the driver at info@cityseightseeingoxford.co.uk we will be able to look into this for you.
Written July 11, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Travelmom
United Kingdom46 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
I took my parents on a day trip to Oxford. Never having been, with not much time to plan, I was relying on the Hop on Hop off bus to direct our day. Jules at the desk at the train station was exceptionally helpful, giving us opening times and costs of entering a variety of Oxford colleges. Greg was our guide on the bus and was very personable and knowledgeable about the city. Clearly he loves his hometown. We even stayed on the bus longer than planned just to listen to his commentary. Having recently done a hop on hop off bus tour in London that I would not recommend, I would certainly recommend this convenient tour. At the end of our day, my young son ran ahead to ask the bus driver to wait for his grandparents to catch up. When I got on the bus, he was very proud to have had a great, grown up conversation with the friendly bus driver.
Written May 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your positive feedback, your kind comments are much appreciated.
Written May 23, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Tibs
Essex, UK137 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
A great way to see the city and learn some of it’s history. We found the ticket price to be reasonable, especially as it includes a 30 minute walking tour, particularly useful for the parts the bus cannot reach such as through the colleges and around the cobbled streets.

We started off by staying on the bus for the whole circuit whilst listening to the tape through the headphones. Later in the day we had intended on ‘hopping on’ for 2 stops, however one of the live guides (Catherine) was on board and invited us up to the top deck where a few other guests were sat, and she told us so much more about the city than the automated tape had! She was very engaging and her facts and stories were so interesting that we ended up staying on for the whole circuit again! She took the time to learn where everyone was from and tried to link some of the facts back to each person’s place. She was also able to recall all of the exhibitions that were currently on within the city centre and suggest activities for that evening. Her passion and enthusiasm were contagious and really made our Oxford experience, thank you!
Written March 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi there, thank you very much for your feedback, it is good to hear you enjoyed the experience.
Written March 9, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Tracey G
Halesowen, UK2,225 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Quite a sort tour only about 55 minutes but Oxford is only a small compact city

Good commentary in many languages. Buses run to schedule with helpful drivers

Keep your tickets as this give you discount on future city tours anywhere in the world. Applicable now we can TRAVEL AGAIN. Yippeeeeee
Written March 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your positive feedback, it is good to hear you enjoyed our tour service.
Written March 23, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Andy E
Derbyshire, UK53 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
With only 4 hours available to our family for our visit to Oxford on a Saturday in July we thought the best use of our time would be the bus tour - not so! After waiting for over 30 minutes at a stop we decided to visit a nearby museum instead, to return to the same stop half an hour later to wait for another 45 minutes! The frequency was advertised as every 15 minutes. This was very disappointing as our previous experience of this service in various other cities has always been positive. I emailed the company direct via their website for their comments and received the usual automatic reply that a response would be with me within 2 days - that was on the 9th July and I'm still waiting....
Written August 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Andrea, our Team has checked the complaints received worldwide and I'm afraid this incident was never reported. Are you able to forward this to info@citysightseeingoxford.com so my colleagues can get back to you? Apologies for the inconvenience caused.
Written August 6, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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