The Atlas Obscura Guide To Oxford

49 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Oxford, England

Updated March 25, 2025

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Unusual Attractions in Oxford

The entrance to the Story Museum

Oxford, England

The Story Museum

An Oxford museum where visitors can have tea with the Mad Hatter and climb through the wardrobe to a fantasy land.

The grave in early spring.

Oxford, England

J.R.R. Tolkien's Grave

The names Lúthien and Beren can be found inscribed on the shared grave of the famous writer and his beloved wife and muse.

The grave of C.S. Lewis.

Oxford, England

C.S. Lewis's Grave

The beloved fantasy novelist is buried near a church containing a whimsical etched glass window full of Narnia favorites.

Oxford, England

Duke Humfrey's Library at the Old Bodleian Library

One of Europe's oldest libraries.

Oxford, England

Oxford Museum of Natural History

Home to the most complete dodo remains known - one head, and one foot.

Oxford, England

Pitt Rivers Museum

Ancient Egyptian wigs, South American feather headdresses, a bounty of anthropological artifacts in Oxford.

Codrington inside his library

Oxford, England

All Souls College Library

Oxford University's stateliest library seems designed to make students truly feel the weight of knowledge.

See All 49 Things To Do in Oxford

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Oxford

The many, many necktie pieces on display.

Oxford, England

The Bear Inn

This centuries-old pub boasts a collection of more than 4,500 snippets of neckties from around the world.

Order a cappuccino where the concept of utilitarianism was invented.

Oxford, England

Queen’s Lane Coffee House

Originally founded in 1654, this coffee house claims to be the oldest of its kind in Europe.

The sign of the Agnus Dei.

Oxford, England

Lamb and Flag

A less famous, short-lived meeting spot of the Inklings.

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Museums 8

Books 6

Sacred Spaces 6

Churches 5

Universities 5

Fantasy 5

History 5

Collections 4

History & Culture 4

Children's Literature 4

Architecture 4

Pub 3

Libraries 3

Design 3

Archaeology 3

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Medieval 3

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Stories About Oxford

The Respected Oxford Professors Who Say They Time Traveled

Two Victorian academics believed they saw Marie Antoinette at Versailles.

by Chris Wheatley, Atlas Obscura

English archeologist Howard Carter is well-known for his discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. “We really wanted to showcase the Egyptian team, whose hard work has been overlooked for 100 years,” says Oxford University Egyptologist Daniela Rosenow, co-curator of the exhibition.

What We Overlooked in King Tut's Tomb

A new exhibit focuses on the Egyptians left out of the story of the most famous archeological find of the 20th century.

by Amy Crawford, Atlas Obscura

This illustration of The Love Books of Ovid was, apparently, too much for young minds.

Oxford’s Library Once Branded Its Sauciest Books With a Greek Letter

How James Joyce, Madonna, and Monty Python ended up on the same restricted shelf.

by Matthew Taub, Atlas Obscura

November 15, 2018

An Ostrich Saving Its Young with the Blood of an Asp, from Miroir de l’Humaine Salvation, France, 15th century.

The Secret Meanings Behind the Beasts in a Medieval Menagerie

In Middle Age Europe, animals were popular storytellers.

by Anika Burgess, Atlas Obscura

August 17, 2018

Snazzy.

The Great Oxford Poop Prank

Don't you guano know what happened?

by Cara Giaimo, Atlas Obscura

Drawing, 1932.

J.R.R. Tolkien Is Our Favorite Father Christmas

For 23 years he role-played in holiday letters to his children.

by Anika Burgess, Atlas Obscura

December 21, 2017

Reverend Bob Wilkes points the way.

The Delightful English Tradition of Beating Parish Boundaries With Sticks

Or, why you may have seen 40 branch-wielding people in Oxford shouting "Mark, mark!"

by Emily Cleaver, Atlas Obscura

A balloon view of London, 1851.

Take a Journey Into One of the World’s Most Impressive Map Collections

Peek inside the Bodleian Library's Map Room.

by Anika Burgess, Atlas Obscura

December 23, 2016