Life in Oxford

Sightseeing, Dining, and Shopping

Oxford is full of beautiful places to visit, allowing you and your classmates to take in the history and architectural beauty of this medieval city.

If you’ve had enough of the sights, you can relax with a cup of tea or coffee and a pastry in a local café. Café culture is alive and well in Oxford, and in the city centre, a café is never more than a few minutes away.

Oxford is also home to a wide variety of restaurants, specialising in everything from Malaysian and Libyan to home-style British pub fare. If you’re in a hurry, you can always grab something quick to take away from the many kebab vans or fish-and-chip shops! Or you might like to do some shopping in Cornmarket Street, Queen Street, or the lovely Covered Market.

Area Transport

Stagecoach buses depart every half-hour to take you to fantastic brand-name outlet shopping at nearby Bicester Village.

The Oxford Bus Company offers local buses as well as regular buses to London, home of some of the world’s greatest shopping and dining!

And of course, the convenient Oxford rail station is in the centre of town, near Oxford University's Said Business School.

Pubs & Clubs

In the evenings, it is an English tradition for young people to enjoy an hour (or more!) in their local pub. Oxford boasts dozens of “public houses” where you can enjoy a pint of beer and a chat with friends. After dark, the Oxford club scene comes to life. The city offers a range of nightclubs and music venues where you and your new friends can listen to live music being performed, or dance the night away.

Sport & The Outdoors

No matter what the weather, most English people love to play sport and be outdoors. Perhaps you’d like to play a game of football in University Parks, or take a long countryside walk through Port Meadow to the Perch Pub in Binsey. You can take advantage of dozens of outdoors and sports opportunities in and around the city.

Museums, Theatre, & Music

Of course, no visit to Oxford would be complete without a visit to one or more of the brilliant cultural venues in the city.

Whether it’s whiling away a rainy afternoon in the Ashmolean Museum, taking in a matinee performance at the Oxford Playhouse, or spending a Sunday morning listening to live music at one of the Coffee Concerts, you will have countless chances to enjoy the stimulating environment in the city.

Private Study

Outside lessons, you are free to study on your own.

• CIE’s Bocardo House is a 5-minute walk from the Oxford City library, which is available for your use seven days a week and offers free Internet access as well as many other facilities and services for students. If you are in Oxford for 3 months or more, CIE can help you sign up for a library card, which allows you to borrow books and materials from the city library.
• In the common room at CIE are several Internet-enabled computers for your use at any time outside of lessons.
• A small library of English language readers and texts are available for your use in the CIE common room. You are welcome to borrow these books while you are a student at CIE by signing out the text in the lending booklet.

< Back to the Student Information home page