Oxford University

Oxford University, established in the 12th century and the oldest English-speaking university in the world, is spread across the centre of Oxford, England, in a collection of 44 colleges whose buildings span architectural styles from Norman to modernist. The city and university are inseparable: walking the streets of central Oxford means passing through college gateways, beneath gargoyle-lined towers, and across cobbled quadrangles that have been the setting for eight centuries of academic life. Christ Church College is the most visited, notable for its Great Hall — the model for the Hogwarts Great Hall in the Harry Potter films — its Tom Tower gatehouse, and the adjacent Christ Church Cathedral, which doubles as the college chapel. Visitors must book timed entry tickets to Christ Church in advance. Merton College is among the oldest and best-preserved in architectural terms, with a library that claims the medieval book chaining system still in place. The Bodleian Library complex, one of the oldest libraries in Europe, opens its central Divinity School — the only room explicitly built as a library space in the 15th century — and the circular Radcliffe Camera to guided tours, which must be booked in advance. Climbing the tower of the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin on the High Street provides the most celebrated panoramic view of the Oxford skyline, looking over the Radcliffe Camera and the college rooftops at close range. Punting on the River Cherwell from the boathouse at Magdalen Bridge is a popular warm-weather activity. The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street houses one of Britain's finest collections of art and archaeology and is free to enter. The covered market on Market Street provides independent food stalls, cafes, and shops in a Victorian market building.