Oxford: an ideal student city

Source: https://www.brookes.ac.uk/student-life/oxford Parent: https://www.brookes.ac.uk/study/courses

Bursting with things to do, see and experience, Oxford is an ideal student city. Whether you’re looking for green spaces and culture or a buzzing nightlife and diverse community, you’ll get the best of both worlds in Oxford.

“Oxford is a wonderful city, full of history, people and excitement. It’s a young city as well, so there’s always a lot of events to join in.”

Sabrina Andrade, Media, Journalism and Publishing

Inspiration every day

As a student in Oxford, you’ll be living and learning in the heart of a knowledge economy, where research, technology, science and motorsports are thriving. And with museums and galleries round most corners, you won’t fail to be inspired by it's arts and culture scene.

Cowley Road: A street that has it all

Diverse and vibrant, Cowley Road is packed with a range of great restaurants, pubs, clubs and music venues. You can search for vintage treasures in the charity shops and pick up your international groceries while you’re there too.

Beautiful green spaces

From picnics in South Park, to admiring the spring snowdrops and the exploring the arboretum in Headington Hill Park - you’re never far from nature in Oxford.

Further afield you can explore what the rest of the county has to offer. The Cotswolds, Waterperry Gardens and Blenheim Palace are all perfect for a day trip and can be reached by bus.

Historic and magical

Oxford is an Instagrammer’s dream. A walk in the city centre can have you feeling like you’ve wandered onto a film set. With its beautiful buildings, winding lanes and cobbled streets, Oxford is picture perfect.

Punting is a unique way to see Oxford from a different angle. Glide leisurely along the idyllic waterways as you sit back and admire the stunning architecture and landscape. Or try it yourself – without falling in!

Retail therapy

You’ll find a mix of high street brands and independent shops in Oxford. The Westgate Shopping Centre is the main place to shop or grab a bite to eat. While the Covered Market offers a unique shopping experience that dates back to 1774! If independent and charity shops are more your thing, Cowley, Headington and Summertown are all worth a visit.

Getting around

You can easily travel around Oxford by foot, bicycle, and e-scooter. A range of bus routes connect our campus to the rest of the city and as an Oxford Brookes student, you can purchase a subsidised annual bus pass to save up to hundreds of pounds a year on sustainable travel. The University has committed to this student travel offer for at least three years from July 2026. Find more information on our Travel webpages.

Well connected

Oxford is also well connected to the rest of the UK. You can get to London and its airports by direct coaches from Headington and trains from Oxford train station, and we recommend using the Oxford Park and Ride sites if you’re commuting into the city.

Explore Oxford

We know that choosing where to go to university is a big decision and that not all students want the same thing. Fortunately, Oxford has something for everyone.

Download illustrated map of Oxford

*South Park*Two minutes walk from our Headington Campus, this green space is great for a picnic or lunchtime kick-about.
*Cowley Road*A vibrant area with places to eat from all corners of the globe. With pubs, bars and cafes, it’s a firm favourite with students.
*O2 Academy Oxford*An iconic Cowley Road venue hosting headline acts, as well as club nights. Brookes Sport student nights take place here every Wednesday during semester time.
*The Ultimate Picture Palace*Offering student discounts, this is Oxford’s first independent cinema, showing everything from the latest blockbusters, to foreign language films and the classics.
*Punting down the river Cherwell*A quintessentially Oxford experience, punting is a unique way to see the city from the river.
*Oxford Botanic Gardens *With discounted entry for Oxford Brookes students, you can explore Britain’s oldest botanic garden that has over 6,000 different plant species!
*Queen’s Lane Coffee House*A great place to grab a coffee or slice of cake. Opened in 1654, it’s reputed to be the oldest continually working coffee house in the whole of Europe.
*Westgate Shopping Centre*Find over 100 stores, a cinema, restaurants, cafes, junkyard golf, a gym and much more. There’s plenty to see and do, with many places offering student discounts.
*Modern Art Oxford*Free and open to all, this gallery showcases cutting-edge exhibitions and innovative programmes.
*Ashmolean Museum*With free entry, this art and archaeology museum has world famous collections, including Egyptian mummies and the largest collection of Raphael drawings.
*Natural History Museum and Pitt Rivers Museum*From dinosaur skeletons to ancient artifacts – these museums are free to enter and hold more than 5 million specimens!
*Radcliffe Camera*One of Oxford’s most photographed landmarks, the area around here will have you feeling like you’ve stepped back in time.
Harcourt Hill Campus\ Distance from Headington Campus: 6 miles \ Bus journey length: 40 mins
Marston Road site\ Distance from Headington Campus: 1.5 miles\ Bus journey length: 10 mins
Oxford is close to London, with coaches running 24/7.
Airline buses connect Oxford with London Heathrow and Gatwick airports day and night airline.oxfordbus.co.uk