UNITED KINGDOM

30th March Oxford v Cambridge University Boat Race - held since 1829 from Putney to Mortlake, River Thames.

27th Mar - 31st March Oxford Literary Festival

1st May May Morning - Magdalen College choir sings from Magdalen Tower at 6.00am.

11th -12th May Balloon & Kite Festival

11th May- 2nd June Arts Week - Various venues in Oxford

22nd -25th May Eights Week - A series of inter-collegiate rowing races.

1st - 3rd June Oxfordshire Jubilee Festival 2002

3rd June Lord Mayor's Parade - St Giles to South Park

19th June Encaenia - Honorary degree ceremony held at the Sheldonian Theatre at 11.30am.

23rd June Oxford Canal Festival

30th June East Oxford Carnival

3rd - 7th July Henley Royal Regatta, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

14th - 20th July Swan Upping - Tagging of swans along the River Thames.

23rd August Fireworks and Lights Extravaganza, Blenheim Palace, Woodstock.

9th - 10th Sept St Giles' Fair - Oxford's street fair

5th - 8th Sept Blenheim International Horse trails, Blenheim Palace.

26th Oct Oxford Round Table Fireworks Display - South Park

10th Dec Varsity Rugby at Twickenham

Magdalen Bridge
© Oxford City Council

Places to Eat and Drink

You will never be short of places to eat and drink in Oxford, with a vast choice of restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars.

Oxford boasts traditional tucked away, 16th century English pubs, serving pub lunches and snacks, such as The Eagle and Child in St Giles which was frequented by C S Lewis and J R R Tolkein, leading figures in Oxford's famous literary group known as the Inklings. Colin Dexter's infamous character, Inspector Endeavour Morse could often be found in Oxford's older pubs such as The Turf Tavern which were often used in the filming of the world-famous TV series.

One place you wouldn't expect to find a café and late night bar is in a neo-classical listed building which was formerly a church. Freuds serves excellent food at affordable prices, wines, beers and cocktails all mixed with live music in the evenings.

For a more contemporary or unique atmosphere, Oxford is home to the Quod Bar and Grill in the High Street, and also Gee's Restaurant, housed in a Victorian conservatory, can be found on Banbury Road, 10 minutes from the centre.

Fishers in St Clements, until recently was Oxford's only dedicated fish and seafood restaurant, where all the fish is delivered daily from Billingsgate market. However, a new addition to Oxford's extensive of restaurants is the new Loch Fyne Fish Restaurant in Walton Street, which serves seafood delicacies supplied from Scotland.

Bodleian Library
© Oxford City Council

If it is international cuisine that you are looking for, Oxford has something for everyone, from numerous Asian restaurants serving Chinese, Indonesian, Indian, Thai, and Indian to European restaurants serving French, Italian, Spanish and Greek. Well worth a visit is Aziz Indian Cuisine, on Cowley Road, which has just been named as one of the country's top 30 Indian restaurants for the fourth consecutive year, or how about Chaing Mai Kitchen where authentic Thai food is served in the setting of a timber framed 17th century building. Also PizzaExpress in the Golden Cross offers a relaxed candlelit atmosphere in the former Cross Inn dating back to 1540 though records show there may have been an Inn on the site as early as 1193.

For an evening you will be sure never to forget, why not eat by the river at Cherwell Boathouse or even on the river taking in the views of Oxford's Dreaming Spires on Rosamund the Fair, Oxford's Cruising Restaurant.


Oxford's ringroad hotels - A rough Guide

The Travel Inn Tel: 01865 779230 120 £49.95
Travelodge Tel: 01865 318600 150 £59.95
Holiday Inn Tel: 0870 400 9086 154 £149
Oxford Spires Four Pillars Tel: 01865 324324 141 £130 week day £89 weekend special in August
Oxford Thames Four Pillars Tel:01865 334444 60 £139 room only