London to Oxford and Blenheim: Private day trip

Oxford's medieval colleges, vaulted libraries, and river meadows deliver the most intellectually charged day trip from London — a city that has been thinking seriously since the 12th century, its accumulated architecture and collections palpable in every covered market lane.

What to see

• The Bodleian Library — one of the world's oldest research libraries; the Divinity School (filmed as Hogwarts' infirmary) is open for guided tours
• Christ Church — Oxford's grandest college, with its cathedral, Tom Quad, and the great hall that directly inspired the Hogwarts Great Hall
• The Ashmolean Museum — Britain's oldest public museum, free to enter, with Egyptian mummies, Raphael drawings, and the Alfred Jewel

What to eat

• The Covered Market (open since 1774) is the best single destination for lunch
• The Turf Tavern, hidden down a medieval alleyway, is Oxford's most atmospheric pub

Blenheim Palace is England's only non-royal palace and one of the supreme examples of English baroque architecture — a monument of national gratitude built for the Duke of Marlborough after the Battle of Blenheim in 1704, and the birthplace of Winston Churchill in 1874.

What to see

• The palace interior — state rooms of baroque magnificence, the Long Library at 55 meters, and the permanent Churchill exhibition in the rooms where he was born
• The Great Hall and the Saloon — the ceremonial heart of the palace, with its painted ceilings by James Thornhill among the finest of the period
• Capability Brown's park — 850 hectares of designed landscape, the ornamental lake created by damming the River Glyme, and the Column of Victory rising above the approach avenue

What to eat

• The Blenheim Palace Café in the stable courtyard serves traditional English lunches and afternoon tea in historic surroundings

Take note

• A combined palace and garden ticket gives access to everything; the walled garden and butterfly house require separate tickets