While I loved every minute of my time in Oxford, I also enjoyed traveling on the weekends to see new places. Oxford is only a 1-1.5 hour train ride from London, so that made traveling to London easy. Also, the train system in the UK can get you practically anywhere you want to go in the UK. It’s so easy and practical! For the UA in Oxford program, classes run Monday-Thursday. So, by about 12:00-1:00 on Thursdays, we were free to head out of town and start our travels.
I spent one full weekend in London. I went with a group of six other girls that were also with the UA in Oxford program. We saw the London Bridge and Big Ben, toured Westminister Abbey, and went to various museums and galleries. We also explored areas around London, such as Battersea and Camden Town. Believe it or not, London is known for having great Indian food. The Indian food we got did not disappoint, it was fantastic! We also experienced high tea complete with fancy tea pots, scones, and cute tiny sandwiches. I would highly recommend doing this!
I also took a weekend trip to Dublin, Ireland with four other girls. Dublin was amazing! For starters, every person we met was so nice and sociable. We toured Trinity College and the Book of Kells, which was neat. We also saw the Dublin Castle, Phoenix Park, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Christ Church, and several other museums in the city. There is so much to do and see. The Temple Bar and Camden Street areas had the best night life. Overall, Dublin was a great experience and I will definitely come back here someday.
Because of the flexible structure of the program, there was also time for day trips. We took a day trip to Bath, England to see the Roman Baths. The Baths were full of rich history and were fascinating. The city of Bath in general was such a cute and quaint city. Again, I’d definitely recommend visiting.
I didn’t have time to do all the small trips I wanted, but I figured I could mention some more trips that other students on the UA in Oxford program did on weekends and loved. One group went to Edinburgh, Scotland. Another group went to Paris, France. Some people also visited Stonehenge, Brighton, Stratford, and other nearby locations in England. The choices really are endless! And as I said before, traveling around via the train system really was straightforward and easy.
All of this is to say that I’d really recommend using every minute of your time inside AND outside of Oxford. I soaked up Oxford during the week, then traveled on the weekends. However, spending a weekend in Oxford would be a great idea too, especially on your last weekend on campus when you’re getting ready to say goodbye. Travel or not, you’ll love your time with the UA in Oxford program.
