The Pre Raphaelites Artists Oxford Private Tour

5.0 (2 reviews) 2 hours – 2 h 30 min Free cancellation Private tour

out of 5

2 reviews

5.0

Exeter college — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Learn from your local guide interesting facts about Pre-Raphaelite artists. The group sought a return to the abundant detail, intense colors, and complex compositions of Quattrocento Italian art. Also, discover the history of two artists that were part of this movement, William Morris and Edward Burne Jones.

Finally, visit Exeter College with its chapel and the Magi tapestry. A passageway from the Front Quadrangle leads through to the college's Fellows' Garden. Enjoy the best views of Oxford and spot Radcliffe Square, including All Souls College and the Radcliffe Camera.

Please note that entry to Exeter is included, as and when it's open. Its opening schedule varies lots by the time of year.

Discover the history of Oxford, the collegiate system, and the famous alumni who studied and taught at the university. There are 38 colleges at Oxford University, but the tour will be focused on Exeter College, which continues to welcome students of the fine arts nowadays.

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At a glance

Duration: 2 hours – 2 h 30 min
Confirmation: Confirmed within 48 hours
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–15
Guide: English
Operated by: Visit Oxford Tours

Ages: Infants (0–5 years) · Children (6–11 years) · Youth (12–17 years) · Adults (18–99 years)

What is included

Included

Included: On any dates when neither the Oxford Union, nor Exeter may be open, we'll visit Ashmolean musuem.
Included: Entry worth £5 to Exeter college, as & when open
Included: Entry worth £8 to the Oxford Union library, as & when open. Advance booking necessary for us here.

Not included

Not included: Entry to either Exeter college or to the Oxford Union will be subject to them being open or not.
Not included: The further notice you book this tour, the more likelihood, I can pre-book entry to above venues.
Not included: Exeter college & the Oxford Union are not open to the general public- thus I need to pre book entry!
Not included: We cannot always guarantee entry to a college on graduation dates. 2026/2027 graduations include....
Not included: Sep 25 + 26, Nov 6 +7 +13 +14 of 2026; plus Feb 27 + March 6 + May 14 + 15 + 22 of 2027

Itinerary

The Oxford Union

20 min Admission included

Entry worth £8 to £10 per person is included, as and when the Oxford Union Victorian library is open. I always pre book entry, as soon as you book the tour but if you book at very short notice, this might not always be possible to get inside here.

This is where William Morris and Ed Burne Jones and their circle of friends designed the walls and then ceiling.

Entry fee worth £4 per person included.

Sometimes the librarian agrees to also show us the Oxford Union's famous debating chamber, where many presidents and prime ministers plus famous intellectuals have debated.
Bridge of Sighs

Passing by

We pass by here and many other famous sites and introduce such sites on the tour
University Church of St. Mary the Virgin

Passing by

We usually pass by here and many other famous sites and introduce such sites on the tour
Brasenose College

Passing by

We usually pass by here and many other famous sites and introduce such sites on the tour
Hertford College

Passing by

We usually pass by here and many other famous sites and introduce such sites on the tour
Radcliffe Camera

Passing by

We pass by here and many other famous sites and introduce such sites on the tour
Jesus College

Passing by

We pass by here and many other famous sites and introduce such sites on the tour
Exeter College

20 min Admission included

Entry worth £5 per person is included, as and when Exeter is open to the public. We visit here to see the pre Raphaelite art work in the chapel and the gardens plus quad and maybe we can see its hall too. This is where William Morris and Ed Burne Jones arrived to study theology at Oxford in 1853.
Lincoln College

Passing by

We pass by here and many other famous sites and introduce such sites on the tour
Balliol College

Passing by

We pass by here and many other famous sites and introduce such sites on the tour
Trinity College

Passing by

We pass by here and many other famous sites and introduce such sites on the tour
Wadham College

Passing by

We often also pass by here and many other famous sites and introduce such sites on the tour

This college is where JK Rowling applied to study at Oxford but was not unfortunately accepted.
Oxford Covered Market

Passing by

We usually pass by here and many other famous sites and introduce such sites on the tour
Stop 14

1 min

Only if time permits and if Exeter and the Oxford Union happens to be closed, then we might also visit the pre Raphaelites exhibition space on the top floor of the museum.

Entry to the museum is free and it's open every day except Mondays until 5pm.
Bodleian Library

5 min Admission not included

We usually introduce the library on our route but we don't go inside and indeed guiding is not permitted inside

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

Meet your guide wearing red lanyard. Meeting next to our black sign, OUTSIDE Oxford Tourist info centre, 15 Broad street, OX1 3AS. This is also next to the Oxfam shop which has a green sign above its shop.

End point

Using your ticket

Terms and Conditions Notice:

1) Please note that we cannot cancel activities on the day, just because of bad weather. Therefore, please dress for all weather.

2) If you have opted for cycling activity, please let us know your heights and if you wish helmets (helmets are not obligatory but we do always recommend anyone under 18 wears a helmet).

3) We do have public liability insurance but it is our policy that parents should always be responsible for the safety of any of their children aged under 18. If you are cycling, the guide will advise health and safety guidelines, when setting up the bikes for you.

4) Please note we don't stock parents' tandem bikes nor young children's bikes, so if you may require these, you will need to bring your own bikes or ask us if we can reserve a tandem bike from a bike shop for £20 additional fee, by advance notice only! In addition, our mountain bikes will comfortably fit anyone of between approximately 4 foot 9 (1.4m) to 6 foot 3 (1.9m) only. Apologies but if you are outside of this range, please instead ask us to book you onto the river cruise option...or bring your own bicycle along to join us.

Cancellation

Free cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

If you cancel	You get back
At least one day before	100%
Less than a day before	0%

The operator may cancel if too few people book; you then get another date or your money back.

Good to know

Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Please arrive 5 minutes early for your tour at our meeting point. If you arrive more than 5 minutes later than the scheduled tour, then you will likely forfeit and lose your booking as it interrupts the guide and other customers, if we are trying to find you after a guide has started and left the meeting point.
INFO FOR DRIVERS AND PARKING:
If you are driving, then please allow extra 30-60 minutes over whatever time you think it will take you to get here. Oxford is NOT car friendly and it is congested roads and hard to find parking spaces....unless you park at the sign posted 'park and rides' on edge of town on any major road into the city and hop on their buses into city centre. The park and ride buses leave every 15 or every 30 minutes and take anything from 10 min to 30 min (depending on traffic) to reach city centre. So if you are going to drive, then please assume you should be aiming to park your car about one hour before your tour starts.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT:
We actually recommend instead using the much faster and reliable train services but again please aim to arrive about an hour or earlier before your tour starts as trains can be delayed and the train and coach station are about 15 minutes walk from our meeting point. There is also the coach service from London called the Oxford Tube which leaves every half hour or more but it can take much longer than its advertised 105 minute journey time. It drops you off either at High street Oxford or Gloucester Green coach station. It's quicker to ask to get off on High street near Carfax tower, then it's a 10 minutes walk to Broad street.