In this post, members of the Oxford EMI team share some more of their favourite things to see and do in and around the university city.
While some of the Oxford EMI team call Oxford home, others spent time here as students, or regularly visit the city as they come into the office on Blue Boar Street. As part of our preparation for the Oxford EMI Summer Programme in Oxford in July 2026, we’re sharing some more insider top tips of places to see and things to do in The City of Dreaming Spires.
Surrounded by history
Dr. Ikuya Aizawa, Consultant & researcher
With so many beautiful buildings in Oxford, it’s easy to walk past them without realising how important some are to the history of the city and university.
A prime example of this is on the high street: University Church of St Mary the Virgin. With a tower dating from the 13th century, this building played a crucial, everyday role in academic life in the 13th century as a meeting place and chapel for scholars. The church is open most days to visitors. If you have the time, get a ticket to walk up the tower for some wonderful views of Oxford.
But this is not the oldest building in Oxford. Predating it by several hundred years, that honour goes to St Michael at the North Gate on Cornmarket Street (built c.1040-50). A prime example of Anglo-Saxon construction, this was originally part of the city’s fortified walls. It was later connected to the infamous Bocardo Prison, with the cell door of the “Oxford Martyrs” (dated 1555) still preserved inside.
A good cup of coffee
Ben, Educational Designer
As a coffee lover, I feel very lucky with the great selection of specialist coffee shops and cafés Oxford has to offer.
A very unusual fact is that we have Europe’s oldest coffee house. In fact, confusingly, we have two of them… right opposite each other! Queen’s Lane Coffee House, is said to be the oldest continuous coffee house, founded in 1654 and still serving a great cup of coffee. Just across the street is The Grand Café which also has the historical claim of being on the site of the first coffee house (founded around 1650). So, if you want to be able to say you have been to Europe’s oldest coffee house, you’ll need to visit both, just to make sure!
Personally, I love the excellent modern, ethical local roasters dotted all over the city. You’re never far from a decent espresso or americano, with places like Jericho Coffee Traders, Missing Bean and New Ground my top picks. New Ground, my personal favourite, began around the corner from where I live and now has a second shop in the city centre. So whether I’m home or at work, I can have some amazing coffee! Top tip: ask which coffee beans they are serving that day as they will usually have a choice of two.
If you’re looking for coffee to take home, Oxford EMI director Julie recommends picking up a bag or two of freshly-roasted coffee beans from Cardews in the Covered Market.
The arty side of Oxford
Emma, International Programmes Coordinator
Oxford itself has been the subject of many famous artists. Perhaps the most famous of these is J.M.W Turner’s High Street Oxford (painted in 1810), which forms part of the collection at the Ashmolean Museum. This also has works by well-known artists, including like Leonardo da Vinci, Paolo Uccello, Francisco de Goya, Mark Gertler and Katsushika Hokusai, to name just a few.
The Christ Church Gallery is another wonderful gallery, this time in a university college setting, and is home to a collection of important Old Master paintings and drawings. An interesting curiosity here, look out for the two empty picture frames as you make your way round the gallery, a permanent reminder of the infamous burglary that took place in March 2020.
When it comes to more modern art, Modern Art Oxford is a small, free museum with temporary exhibitions that’s perfect to wander around, whether it’s for ten minutes or an hour. It’s also just around the corner from G&D, the delicious great ice-cream stop I mentioned in a previous post.
Team members based in London also want to point out that the capital offers plenty for art lovers, including the Tate Modern, Tate Britain, National Gallery, and Saatchi Gallery. These are easily visited on a day trip from Oxford.
Finding a good read
Simon, Senior Trainer
If you love browsing in bookshops as much as I do, Oxford won’t disappoint, as there’s plenty of choice.
You can find great deals on secondhand books at places like Last Bookshop Jericho and the Oxfam bookshop on Turl street. The bonus of shopping in Oxfam is not only getting your hands on cheap copies of books students and locals have donated, but that all profits go to the charity. It’s a win-win situation!
The nearest bookshop to the Oxford EMI office is Gulp Fiction, which also serves good coffee, but my personal recommendation for all fellow bibliophiles and bookworms is Blackwell’s bookshop. First opened in 1879, from the outside it looks small, but as you walk in, you enter a book lover’s dream! Although it has three floors, the real magic of the shop is actually the basement level. The Norrington room is the largest book selling room in the world, with over 160,000 books across more than 2.5 miles (4km) of shelves in that room alone.
Top tip: leave plenty of room in your suitcase for books!
Concerts and gigs
Tom, Head of Training
For music lovers, there’s always plenty on to suit all musical tastes, from world class classical acts, through to grass roots local bands. You’ll see posters advertising events all over the city, many of them – especially classical and choral concerts – in unique university venues, such as the Sheldonian Theatre or Christ Church Cathedral.
If opera or ballet is your thing, two of Oxford’s cinemas – the Phoenix Picturehouse in Jericho and the Curzon in the Westgate Shopping Centre – regularly stream live performances from the Royal Ballet and Opera. For more contemporary tastes – rock and pop – the O2 Academy is a great venue on the Cowley Road, and for more local bands, Jericho is the neighbourhood to head to, with The Harcourt Arms and the The Jericho Tavern offering regular gigs and open mic sessions, where you can be part of the performance. The Tavern was actually the place where Oxford’s biggest band, Radiohead, played one of their first ever gigs!
See you in Oxford
The team here has plenty more tips and advice for all those EMI lecturers from around the world joining us in Oxford this July for the Oxford EMI Summer Programme. If you’d like to learn more about this two week, in-person training course for lecturers in EMI and TNE contexts, do get in touch.