After spending a wonderful three days at Heythrop Park we decided to spend a few hours in Oxford before we headed home. We looked at a number of attractions and after taking a look at the online booking application we decided that the Castle and Prison tour would fit in nicely with the time that we had available so we booked two tickets and started driving towards Oxford. The tour guide, (a very knowledgeable young lady), could not have been more engaging with our group and her genuine enthusiasm for the history relating to both the Castle and the Prison was very well received and made the experience all the more enjoyable. I would highly recommend this tour to anybody who would like to learn a little more about the city of Oxford.

Having lived in and around Oxford for our entire life, we’ve never been to the Castle & Prison before but we’re glad we did! There is so much history encapsulated here, and our knowledgeable guide (Jade) did a wonderful job of telling us the complete back story in our tour of the site. So many visitors to Oxford must come for the Universities and Colleges, but if they miss the Castle & Prison then they’ve missed out on an opportunity to learn about the history Oxford. An added bonus is that the tour is largely (excluding the Tower) indoors so when the British weather isn’t playing ball this represents the perfect opportunity to dodge the showers and expand your knowledge. There was also an activity for the kids in full swing when we did our tour with a specific shout out to the “Dragon Master” (Tommy) was putting smiles on the faces of the parents and children alike with his stories and interactions.

My son and I had a day out in Oxford, I had booked him onto Knight school as a surprise treat. What an amazing experience! It was an hour long experience where he had a try at archery, jousting and learned sword skills. At the end all children were knighted and received a certificate and got to keep their wooden sword. For £14 per child (you didn't have to pay admission into the castle as it was in the courtyard) I felt it was a brilliant experience. Everyone involved was wonderful and the young lady knight running things definitely deserves a medal for handling all those crazy kids. This is a must if you have kids and are visiting Oxford for the day!

This was such an interesting and intriguing tour. I attended during the Christmas holiday so the guide was in period attire and used a lantern, which she reported was only during the holidays. There were several children 11 and under on this tour and at least one who was maybe 6, got quite scared so I would recommend considering the age of any children you accompany. Jade was a great guide and maybe glad we didn’t get Matt? 😆🤣 (had to be there joke) Lots of history and information you may not imagine.

We had a fascinating tour of a beautifully maintained and clean exhibit. However, the tour was made extra special by the very talented, and caring, Emily. Our daughter has ADHD and Autism, can be overly social, quite impatient and very chatty in these situations but Emily was patiently amazing with her throughout. Remaining ‘in character’ and providing great in-depth knowledge of the facility itself, Emily demonstrated humour and warmth throughout the tour. As a result we all had a great time and would happily recommend this to any family wishing to attend. Just cross your fingers for an Emily to lead you the way!!

The guided tour really made the jail come alive and worth the £18. Without the guide it would have seemed overpriced as you can't access a large area. I would have been interested to view the main section but this is now a hotel. The audio visual in the padded cell was good. The written displays didn't grab my attention much but an interesting visit to fill a wet afternoon.

Admission comes with guided tour. You can book online but walk-in during non peak season is slightly cheaper. The history of this prison is shared. There is a lot of narrow stairs to walk up and down. I counted 100 steps. Wear comfortable shoes.

Simply a MUST SEE if you’re visiting Oxford. The tour of the castle and prison take’s approx 1.5 hours. There are quite a few steep and narrow stairs to manoeuvre but plenty of time and the 100 steps to the top of the tower is optional but well worth doing for the views. Ellie was our tour guide and she was magnificent in terms of her knowledge, enthusiasm and engagement. The tour is interactive and held our interest. Staff are friendly and professional. Advance booking is a MUST. The gift shop is on the expensive side as can be expected.

Absolutely fab, fun and informative. Me and my son visited on a Saturday afternoon. I think our tour guide was called Keely, told us some great facts about other parts of the castle and the stairs. We laughed and enjoyed ourselves and would highly recommend. We loved visiting the cells, trying to get over 100 turns of the clink and having our mug shots taken. Would highly recommend to all ages.

Stayed at the Premier Inn (Westgate) which was centrally located to all that we wanted to see. Very clean & tidy but had to have the room key recoded every day which was annoying when you find out at your room door! During the 3 day stay we went to the castle & prison, natural history museum including the Pitt Rivers, wandered around the many colleges and had a crazy time in the Junkyard crazy golf. Overall, an action packed time with the prison ghost tour on the first evening which was very good, informative and full of ‘jump scares’. Excellently produced by the staff who all acted superbly which enhanced the tour. We were amazed by both museums (natural history & Pitt Rivers) and will return again to Oxford to explore & re-explore the museums.