Travel advice

Oxford is a small city with many traffic restrictions and parking is limited. If at all possible, please do not drive into the city centre. We recommend that you use the Park & Ride system.

If driving into Oxford cannot be avoided, please refer to up-to-date traffic information for details of all local road works and advance notice of any disruptions. Please note that there is no visitors' parking available at colleges or University buildings (unless you are a Blue Badge holder).

If you are travelling by car, please be aware that the A420 to the west of the city, on Botley Road, is currently closed to traffic while maintenance on a railway bridge is carried out. You will not be able to travel via this route by car, so please plan an alternative route. 

Oxford City Council has some advice about parking in the city for visitors with disabilities.

Temporary congestion charge

Oxfordshire County Council is running a temporary congestion charge scheme until Botley Road reopens, which is expected to be August 2026.

The congestion charge applies only to cars (and motorhomes). Electric cars are not exempt from the congestion charge. The daily charge is £5. Details of congestion locations, fines and exemptions can be found on the Oxfordshire County Council website.

• London - 56 miles
• Southampton - 65 miles
• Bristol - 72 miles
• Birmingham - 78 miles
• Cambridge - 85 miles
• Nottingham - 103 miles
• Cardiff - 106 miles
• Brighton - 106 miles
• Sheffield - 143 miles
• Norwich - 148 miles
• Manchester - 161 miles
• Leeds - 172 miles
• Liverpool - 173 miles
• Plymouth - 193 miles
• Aberystwyth - 196 miles
• Lancaster - 206 miles
• Middlesbrough - 226 miles
• Newcastle - 258 miles
• Carlisle - 269 miles
• Glasgow - 364 miles
• Edinburgh - 366 miles
• Aberdeen - 498 miles
• Belfast - c.450 miles
• Londonderry / Derry - c.500 miles

We recommend using one of the following four Park & Rides conveniently located on the outskirts of Oxford. 

Please follow the links below for full details:

Please be aware that due to maintenance taking place elsewhere in Oxford, the Park & Rides are likely to be extremely busy. We recommend arriving early.

There will be additional services running on the Open Days, although please be aware that some Park & Ride services on these days will operate as express services to the city centre.

You will need to pay a parking charge when you park at a Park & Ride. The standard parking charge is £2 per vehicle (up to 16 hours) or £4 per vehicle (up to 24 hours). You can pay by cash at designated parking ticket machines.

You can also pre-pay using RingGo for Redbridge, Thornhill, and Pear Tree Park & Rides.

We strongly advise you to pay in advance to avoid lengthy queues at the ticket machines.

View a PDF version of the map.

Free bus travel from park and ride sites until 15 August 2026. You must pay for parking to get free travel - show your parking ticket (or RingGo session) to the bus driver when you board. Free travel is for up to two adults and three children under 16; standard bus operator fares apply to additional travellers. Read further information about free bus travel.

How to pay for a ticket

If you do not qualify for the free travel scheme mentioned above, you will need to buy a return bus ticket to and from Oxford city centre. You can pay by cash or contactless on the bus. A peak adult day return ticket costs £5 for two adults travelling together. Up to three under-16s can travel free when accompanied by at least one fare paying adult.

There is also a Freeflow system that allows you to 'tap on' the driver ticket machine at the start of each journey and 'tap off' at the end of each journey using a contactless payment method.

There is no general coach parking in Oxford city centre, so if you are travelling with a large group of students, we recommend dropping them in the city centre and parking at Redbridge, which offers parking for coaches and mini-buses.

On-street pick-up and drop-off points are provided by Oxfordshire County Council at the following locations:

• St Aldate's South (northbound) - just south of the Combined Court OX1 1TL
• Beaumont Street (westbound) - just outside the Playhouse OX1 2LW
• St Giles' (northbound) - in the lay-by by the Taylorian OX1 3NA

School groups travelling by minibus can book a free parking space (subject to availability) at Lady Margaret Hall, which is only a ten-minute walk away from the city centre and the Open Day Information Centre.

Oxford Station runs regular direct services to London Paddington, Birmingham New Street, Reading and others with less frequent direct services also available to Manchester, Southampton and Bournemouth. Check live travel updates for Oxford station.

The connection between Oxford and Oxford Parkway means that Chiltern Railways now offers a twice-hourly direct connection between Oxford and London Marylebone, High Wycombe, Bicester Village and other stations.

Oxford Parkway is on the same site as the Oxford Parkway Park & Ride car park and the 2 and 2A bus routes go past the University Science Area, St Hugh's College and close to Lady Margaret Hall, terminating in the city centre. Check live travel updates for Oxford Parkway station.

The National Rail website has a number of travel tools available to alert passengers to any changes or disruptions in service, including the National Rail app and Train tracker: 03457 484950 or text 84950 (charges apply).

Coach services run to Oxford from many parts of the UK. The city's coach station is located centrally and within a short walk of many colleges and other facilities. More information about coach services can be found at:

• Oxford Tube
• National Express

Please read our advice on the 'by car' tab.

Trains from Heathrow run to London Paddington, where you will need to catch a connecting service to Oxford. Coaches run directly to and from London Heathrow every 30 minutes during the day, and with a reduced service overnight.

• The Airline
• National Express

Trains from Gatwick run to London Victoria. You will then need to travel across the city to London Paddington or to Marylebone to catch a connecting service to Oxford. Coaches run to and from Gatwick every 1-2 hours during the day, and with a reduced service overnight.

• The Airline
• National Express

Trains from Stansted run to London Liverpool Street. You will then need to travel across the city to London Paddington or to Marylebone to catch a connecting service to Oxford. National Express Coaches run regularly from London Stansted to Oxford. 

• National Express

The collegiate University is committed to improving access and is currently continuing to develop its Access Guide. 

As more of our historic buildings are modified the Access Guide will become more comprehensive. In the meantime, the Access Guide is a helpful first point for information on accessible buildings. Where there are gaps in the information we suggest you contact the places you wish to visit directly.

The Oxford City Council website provides further information on accessibility. The council also runs a

There are taxi ranks at Oxford Railway Station, Gloucester Green Coach Station and St Giles' in the city centre. A list of taxi companies can be found on Oxfordshire's Visitor Information Centre website. 

Some Open Day venues that are located outside of the city centre can also be accessed via bus. Please visit the Oxford Bus Company's journey planner to plan your route.

It can be expensive to get to Oxford, so some colleges offer to help with the cost:

• Christ Church travel scheme - open to UK students at UK schools and colleges; apply by Friday 19 June 2026
• Keble College travel scheme - open to UK students at UK schools and colleges; apply by Friday 5 June 2026
• Magdalen College travel scheme - open to UK students at UK schools and colleges; applications open on Monday 1 June 2026
• Merton College travel scheme - open to UK students at UK schools and colleges
• Somerville College travel scheme - open to UK students at UK schools and colleges; apply by Monday 15 June 2026
• St Anne's College travel scheme - open to UK students at UK schools and colleges
• Trinity College travel scheme - open to state school students from the North East of England

Terms and conditions apply. Further travel assistance schemes may become available and details will be added this page.

Minibus parking

School groups travelling by minibus can book a free parking space (subject to availability) at Lady Margaret Hall, which is only a ten-minute walk away from the city centre and the Open Day Information Centre.

Open Day accommodation

If you are travelling far, you might be able to stay the night at an Oxford college. Unfortunately colleges are usually unable to accommodate parents - the Conference Oxford or Experience Oxfordshire websites may help you find somewhere else to stay.

UK students studying for their first undergraduate degree who live more than 80 miles from Oxford receive an annual bursary to help with travel costs between their stated home address and Oxford.

Read more about the Oxford Travel Supplement.