Oxford Science and Medicine Small Group Walking Tour

2 hours Free cancellation

Oxford Science and Medicine Small Group Walking Tour, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Walk eight centuries of Oxford science and medicine with a DPhil scientist, from Boyle's Law on the High Street to where the penicillin story began. Each place comes to life through printed historical images you hold in your hands. Story-led and small-group, with no science background needed. This is an exterior walking tour: we explore the colleges and gardens from the outside, so there are no admission tickets to buy and nothing extra to pay on the day.

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At a glance

Duration: 2 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Up to 8 people
People per booking: 1–8
Guide: English
Operated by: Kes Tours

Ages: Youth (7–17 years) · Adults (18–99 years)

What is included

Included

Included: Guided by a DPhil scientist (Oxford doctorate)
Included: Printed historical images used throughout the tour

Not included

Not included: Food and drinks
Not included: Gratuities
Not included: Hotel pickup and drop-off

Itinerary

Carfax Tower

10 min

The medieval bell tower at Oxford's central crossroads, where the walk begins.
Radcliffe Camera

20 min

Oxford's iconic round library, named after the physician whose fortune built it.
University Church of St. Mary the Virgin

10 min

The University Church on the High Street, the centre of Oxford's early university and home to its first library.
Bodleian Library

10 min

One of the world's great libraries, at the heart of historic Oxford.
Bridge of Sighs

10 min

The much-photographed bridge on New College Lane, once home to one of history's great astronomers.
Merton College

10 min

One of Oxford's three oldest colleges, on a cobbled street tied to the birth of modern brain science.
High Street

20 min

The grand sweep of "the High," lined with buildings where Oxford's scientists once worked.
Stop 8

10 min

Oxford's grandest college from the outside, crowned by Wren's Tom Tower, whose great bell still keeps Oxford's own time.
Magdalen College

10 min

A grand riverside college, and the Oxford starting point of the penicillin story.
University of Oxford Botanic Garden

10 min

Britain's oldest botanic garden, founded for medicine, where the tour ends.

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

Meet me at the base of Carfax Tower, on the corner of Cornmarket Street and Queen Street. Look for Kester holding a stack of large printed photographs, I'm the guide in the listing photos.

End point

The tour ends near the Oxford Botanic Garden entrance on Rose Lane, just off the High Street by Magdalen Bridge. You'll be beside Magdalen College and the Magdalen Bridge Boathouse for punting, and about a 10-minute walk back to the city centre.