The nearest main airport to Oxford is London Heathrow ( LHR ). From Heathrow you have a choice of coaches (frequent and direct service to the centre of Oxford), trains (Railair bus link to Reading then train) or of course car. Travelling into Oxford by car can be a dauting affair. Many roads are one way and the heart of Oxford has been pedestrianised; take the wrong turning and you will end up miles away from where you want to be. Parking in the centre is also expensive and very difficult. So unless you know exactly where you are going and you have a parking space when you reach your destination, you should avoid using the car. There is no way of avoiding commuter traffic at peak times, simply because there are few roads leading into the centre of Oxford, so all access routes are heavily congested. Locals make use of the Park&Ride service. This is an excellent service that provides large and secure parking facilities at various access points around the city. From the car park you can catch a frequent bus service into Oxford. For more information about this service click here.
If you are travelling to Oxford from London your fastest way in is the train. There are lots of FGW trains from Paddington station some fast and almost-direct and a suburban line stopping at almost every station en route. These provide a very efficient service from the heart of the capital right into the centre (well, almost... did you know that the Oxford Dons fought for ages in the 19th century to have the railway station as far away as possible from the town, to avoid the students becoming ’corrupted’..!?). Don’t be put out by the rather awful Said Business School just outside the railway station, the rest of Oxford is much nicer. If you arrive at the railway station you can catch one of the many buses, though the centre is just 10 minutes away (leave the station’s access and bear left passing the Said School and continuing straight, you’ll end up in George Street). If you don’t like trains our you are travelling on a budget you can take a coach from central London (Victoria) into Oxford, but your journey will be longer and dependant on the traffic leaving London and on the motorways.
Travel Costs from London:
Train
£35.00 before 9.30am (Mon-Fri), £17.00 after 9.30am (and all day Sat/Sun),
£8.50 when travelling in a group of four (after 9.30am).
Coach (Oxford Tube)
£13.00 Day Return