For a taste of English traditions, Oxford is the perfect place. Situated 80 km from London, on the Thames and Cherwell rivers, the city is renowned primarily for its eponymous university. It is the oldest university city in the country, a citadel of learning in England, and a beautiful place with distinctively British architecture.

Oxford University is among the top European higher education institutions. It is second only to Cambridge in the UK, and its graduates have included nearly 50 Nobel laureates.

Entertainment and Attractions
At the intersection of Holywell Street and Catte Street stands the university building and one of Oxford’s main medieval masterpieces, the Bodleian Library. Its interior, exterior, and collection of books are simply stunning, surpassed only by the British Library.

The library building has a beautiful appearance – a round building, the Radcliffe Camera, columns, and balustrades. The Sheldonian Theatre is similar to the library. However, performances aren’t held there; the theater is used for university ceremonies.

The 13th-century Church of St. Mary the Virgin is the largest in Oxford. It impresses with its ancient organ, colorful stained-glass windows, carved naves, and statues. Its tower offers excellent panoramic views.

Of Oxford University’s 38 colleges, the most notable are Magdalen (famous for its organists, choristers, deer park, and an alumnus named Oscar Wilde), Christ Church (a filming location for Harry Potter), and Merton (many famous politicians, scientists who later became Nobel laureates, and even a Japanese prince and princess studied here).

Also worth visiting are: Oxford Castle, Carfax Tower, the Martyrs’ Memorial (erected in memory of the English who perished in the fires of the Inquisition), and Blenheim Palace, the ancestral home of the Dukes of Marlborough.