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If it’s heritage and atmosphere you are after, Oxford and the surrounding region provides it in truck loads. It speaks volumes that the City of Oxford has well over 5 million international visitors a year, whilst Oxfordshire and the adjacent counties see more overseas staying visits than the whole of Scotland and Wales put together. Oxford City attracts the 6th highest number of international visitors in the UK, second only to London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow. Accordingly, there is more than enough to keep most people amused, whatever your interests may be.
The following list highlights some of the attractions we would recommend to visitors, crews and pilots whether passing through for a few hours, a whole day, or perhaps the weekend. London of course is only an hour away by train, but here we have focused on local places of interest within 30 or so miles. For a quick 5 minute run into the likes of Woodstock (for Blenheim Palace), subject to availability, a staff member may be able to offer you a ride - otherwise please book a taxi (see our transport section) to meet you on arrival at our GA terminal. Alternatively, hire cars can be booked from just outside the airport from as little as £25/day. If pre-booking, you may need to fax a copy of your driving license and to ask if the car could be collected from the airport and keys left at the operations desk or the security office. Maps and guides to Oxford are available at our operations desk or in the GA terminal.
Enjoy your visit to Oxford!
Blenheim Palace & Woodstock – 2 Miles
Tel: 08700 602 080
 Blenheim Palace is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, voted recently as the Greatest Briton of all time, and has many attractions for the whole family. Home to the 11th Duke of Marlborough and one of Britain's greatest houses, Blenheim is a World Heritage Site. The palace hosts over 425,000 visitors a year on top of the 137,000 that last visited the CLA Game Fair, 50,000 who visited the Blenheim Flower Show, 45,000 that visited the Blenheim Horse trials and 25,000 that went to the 2005 Blenheim Festival of Flight. In addition to these events, Blenheim plays host to numerous other events, festivals and concerts through the year. The picturesque town of Woodstock, adjacent to the airport and Blenheim Palace, hosts a variety of interesting shops, the Oxfordshire museum, excellent, hotels, restaurants and pubs. To see what there is to do there, view www.wakeuptowoodstock.com or www.woodstock-oxfordshire.co.uk
Oxford City & University – 6 miles
Home to 38 famous colleges, the ‘Dreaming Spires’ of Oxford play host to the world’s oldest English-speaking university. A stunning limestone city surrounded by waterways including the Thames, the Isis and the Oxford Canal, university parks and the famous Botanic Gardens, one can easily fill a whole weekend just in the city alone. Visit several museums including the Ashmolean, Natural History, The Oxford Story and Pitt Rivers Museum, the Bodleian Library – one of the world’s greatest with over seven million books and a million maps, the Sheldonian Theatre, the Radcliffe Camera, six theatres including the Apollo (now the New Theatre) and Oxford Playhouse – all within 15 minutes of the airport. Many parts of the colleges can be viewed by the public, although some only by prior arrangement. Christchurch College was home to Lewis Carroll of Alice in Wonderland fame and has the world’s only college chapel that also happens to be a cathedral. In the summer, you can’t really miss the opportunity to do some punting on the Thames from the Cherwell Boathouse and enjoy the ‘Brideshead Revisited’ atmosphere.
For other Oxford activities, events and places to visit, try:
www.inoxfordmag.co.uk
www.oxfordcity.co.uk
www.oxford.gov.uk
www.visit-northoxfordshire.co.uk
www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/whats_on
www.britainexpress.com/cities/oxford/index.htm
Rousham Park House & Garden – 8 Miles
Tel: 01869 347 110
 Built in 1635 by Sir Robert Dormer, with parklands created by William Kent, this magnificent house is still in the ownership of the same original family.
Bicester Village – 11 Miles
Tel: 01869 323 200
Europe's leading luxury outlet shopping destination has become the label-lover's number one haven. With over 100 irresistible stores, Bicester Village offers the perfect mix of fashion's most-wanted designer brands such as Dunhill, MaxMara, Polo Ralph Lauren, Versace, Waterford, Wedgwood, Tod's and others. No-where else can fashion lovers enjoy the luxury of saving as much as 60% off their favorite international brands everyday, all year round. Bicester Village has become one of Britain's best kept shopping secrets for those who appreciate indulgent names at forgiving prices.
Burford & Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens – 17 Miles
Tel: 01993 823 006
 A beautifully presented zoo in the grounds of a listed Victorian Manor House, the Cotswold Wildlife Park is set in 160 acres of parkland and gardens and has been open to the public since 1970. The nearby town of Burford is generally regarded as the gateway to the Cotswolds, one of the UK’s most stunning regions with rolling hills and limestone towns and villages. The town hosts many shops, restaurants and pubs and is an ideal stopping-off point for visits further into the Cotswolds to towns and villages (see below).
Broughton Castle – 18 Miles
A stunning Tudor mansion house surrounded by parklands and a moat. Visited by Queen Ann and centered amongst the area where the first battles of the civil war took place.
Chastleton House – 18 Miles
Tel: 01494 755560
 One of England’s finest and most complete Jacobean houses carefully conserved by the National Trust in the 1990’s, after over four hundred years of continuous occupation by the same family. The rules of the game of croquet were codified here in 1865.
The Cotswolds – 20+ miles
 Regarded as one of the UK’s most picturesque regions, the Cotswolds is an area of gently rolling hills lying directly to the west of Oxford Airport. From Burford (see above), one can venture into counties including royal Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire to the north and Wiltshire to the south. Villages and towns such as Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, Moreton-in-Marsh, the Slaughters, the Tews, Chipping Camden, Winchcombe and Broadway, are all within 30 - 45 minutes of Oxford Airport. An ideal region in which to stay for a weekend, Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon are nearby to the north and far to the south is the stunning city of Bath. If contemplating going to visit this area for more than a day, we can offer advice on places to stay from private houses and cottages to world-class five star hotels whilst also arranging for tours by private chauffeur. Contact us here and we can help organise your stay.
For a full overview on what the Cotswold region has to offer, try these related sites:
www.the-cotswolds.org
www.cotswolds-calling.com
www.thisisthecotswolds.co.uk/
www.oxfordshirecotswolds.org/travel.asp
www.glos-cotswolds.com/
www.digital-brilliance.com/hyperg/
www.cotswolds.info/
 Sulgrave Manor – 24 Miles
A superb example of a manor house and formerly the home of the ancestors of George Washington. See also: http://www.stratford.co.uk/sulgrave/
Silverstone Racecourse – 26 Miles
 Centered within the heart of the UK’s motor racing industry, Oxford airport is only a stone’s throw from the famous Silverstone race track, home to the British Grand Prix and other race days. Apart from regular races, one can enjoy driving experiences from supercars to karting.
Other attractions within 30 miles:
 Waddesdon Manor - 22 Miles
An astonishing Renaissance-style château designed in 1874 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to display his vast collection of art - a National Trust property
 Stonor - 26 Miles
Stonor, a magnificent country house open to the public, has been the home of the Stonor family for more than 800 years and a centre of Catholicism throughout - including all the dark days following the Reformation
 West Wycombe & the Hellfire Caves - 28 Miles
A palladian house built in the early part of the 18th Century by Sir Francis Dashwood the Premier Baronet of Great Britain. The Dashwood family still live in the mansion, it is now the home of Sir Edward Dashwood Bt., the 12th Premiere Baronet of Great Britain
 Henley on Thames - 30 Miles
A pretty Oxfordshire market town next to the Thames famous for hosting the Henley rowing regatta. Many wonderful shops, restaurants and pubs to explore and enjoy. See also: http://www.henley-on-thames.org/
 Cliveden - 37 Miles
Cliveden is unique. The setting, architecture and interiors all speak eloquently of extraordinary extravagance and remarkable refinement. There is a palpable sense of history, for this is a house that for over 300 years has been dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure, power and politics.
Other historic Oxfordshire Houses:
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