Oxford Guild of Tour Guides Walking Tours, Oxford (2026)

02/07/2026

Can you spot the Dodos in Oxford? 🦤✨

The Dodo is one of the most curious characters in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Oxford has a very special connection with him. Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, is said to have been inspired by the famous dodo specimens at Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

There is also a lovely old Oxford story that the Dodo was Carroll’s playful version of himself: Dodgson had a stammer, and “Do-do-Dodgson” became “Dodo.” In fact, all the characters in the book are based on people known to Alice and her two sisters, Edith and Lorena.

Oxford is full of these little Alice surprises - some obvious, some hidden high above your head. Look up, look closely, and Wonderland begins to appear. The Covered Market is filled with characters including the White Rabbit, Gryphon, Mock Turtle, Cheshire Cat, Caterpillar, Dormouse, Queen of Hearts, Hatter and Alice herself.

You can find plenty of Alice-themed fun things to do this weekend in Oxford!

If you’d like to find out even more, why not book an Alice-themed tour at toursoxford.com

02/07/2026

Curiouser and curiouser… Alice Day returns to Oxford this Saturday! 🐇✨

Every year, Oxford celebrates the “golden afternoon” of 4 July 1862, when Charles Dodgson - better known as Lewis Carroll - took Alice Liddell and her sisters on a boating picnic down the river near Christ Church College, and began telling the story that became Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

The book was published in 1865 and went on to become one of the best-loved children’s books in the world.

This Saturday, the city will be full of Wonderland fun: storytelling, trails, talks, crafts, croquet, characters and family events across Oxford.

And of course, Alice isn’t just a story here - she is woven into the streets, colleges, museums and riverbanks of Oxford.

Come and find the real Oxford behind Wonderland with us.

Book an Oxford walking tour: toursoxford.com

01/06/2026

🌿🥃 Happy Mint Julep Day! 🥃🌿

Today marks one of Oxford’s most delightfully eccentric traditions: Mint Julep Day at New College, Oxford.

The story begins on 1 June 1845, when a wealthy South Carolinian visitor, William Heyward Trapier, dined at the College and requested a mint julep after dinner. To his horror, nobody knew how to make one!

Determined to prevent such a catastrophe ever happening again, Trapier demonstrated the correct recipe, presented the College with an elegant 18th-century silver tankard for serving the drink, and left an endowment to ensure mint juleps would be enjoyed annually on the anniversary of his visit.

For many years, the College even set a place for him at dinner in case he returned to check that his instructions were being followed. (A very Oxford combination of hospitality, ceremony and gentle paranoia.)

The tradition survives today, and New College still celebrates Mint Julep Day each 1st June. The College even has a student officer known as the Mint Julep Quarterperson, whose role includes helping ensure the custom continues.

So if you find yourself wandering through Oxford on a warm June day, raise a glass to one of the city’s more unusual Anglo-American connections. 🇬🇧🤝🇺🇸

Cheers!

To learn more about Oxford, the University and its traditions please visit toursoxford.com

27/05/2026

🕊 The Wonder of Birds exhibition in the Weston Library at the Bodleian, Oxford, brings together rare manuscripts, scientific archives, illustrations and conservation stories.

Visitors can discover:
 📚 Shelley’s draft of ‘To a Skylark’ 🦅 Magnificent but controversial Audubon bird illustrations 🪶 The story behind Victorian “feather frenzy” fashion 🥚 The fragile beauty of the extinct Great Auk’s egg 🎶 Reflections on birdsong, migration and memory.

The exhibition explores not simply “what” birds are, but “who” they are, and why they continue to inspire artists, writers, scientists and conservationists alike.

This is a moving exhibition in the heart of Oxford, free to visit for all.

For a tour with an Accredited Blue or Green Badge Oxford Guide, please visit toursoxford.com

28/04/2026

🌿 Looking for something special in Oxford this summer?

Tucked behind ancient walls, the gardens of Worcester College are hosting a wonderful exhibition: The Storytellers.

This unique outdoor experience brings together sculpture, landscape and literature, with works by artists including Antony Gormley and Elisabeth Frink, arranged in five acts inspired by William Shakespeare.

It’s a rare chance to explore these beautiful gardens while discovering contemporary art from around the world.

📅 1 May – 5 July 2026 🎟️ Free entry
Highly recommended for visitors and locals alike 🌿

If you would like to learn more about Oxford, such as how colleges like Worcester fit into the wider University, or combine this exhibition with highlights across the city, a knowledgeable guide from the Oxford Guild of Tour Guides can bring an extra dimension to your visit. Simply visit toursoxford.com to transform your visit into something really memorable.

27/04/2026

A wonderful afternoon at the Lord Mayor’s reception celebrating Step into Oxford 👏

Hosted by the Lord Mayor, Louise Upton, the event brought together guides and guests to mark the success of this inspiring initiative - created by Amanda Ponsonby (High Sheriff of Oxford, 2021) to help tackle loneliness and encourage people to reconnect with the city after Covid.

Delivered in partnership with Age UK and the Oxford Guild of Tour Guides, the programme offers free guided walks around Oxford, often followed by tea and coffee - creating not just learning opportunities, but real connections.

It was a pleasure to hear from Martyn Sené, who shared the story behind the initiative, and from guide Christine Bainbridge, who brought the history of the Town Hall and St Aldates to life.

With the 150th tour coming up this summer, Step into Oxford continues to make a meaningful difference - bringing people together through shared stories and experiences 💙

Photos:
📸 The Lord Mayor Louise Upton with guides Martyn Sené and Christine Bainbridge
📸 Martyn Sené
📸 Louise Upton
📸 Members of Age UK enjoying the afternoon

21/02/2026

Happy International Tour Guide Day 2026 🎉

The Oxford Guild of Tour Guides represents professionally qualified, accredited guides dedicated to excellence, accuracy and insight.

We are always reading books and refreshing our knowledge…

To bring you the very best sights and stories Oxford has to offer.

From medieval colleges to modern discoveries, every corner of Oxford has a story worth telling.

Today we celebrate not just the city we love, but the community of guides who bring it to life.

Book your tour today at toursoxford.com and prepare to be surprised and entertained.

01/02/2026

Oxford Guild of Tour Guides are preparing for a busy 2026!

During the quieter, winter months we work hard to refresh and deepen our knowledge of this fabulous city.

This week we attended a fascinating lecture by Dr Duncan Taylor on his research project for the Bodleian Library “A new understanding of Oxford’s Divinity School vault.”

He showed his mapping of the superb decoration of the vault and explained how these amazing carvings, called bosses, have many different themes and include animals, monograms, heraldic shields and stories from the Bible.

During the 15th century, when the Divinity School was built, many people couldn’t read or write, but would have understood pictures and carvings and their layers of meaning.

Come and learn more about these amazing carvings and what they can tell us with The Oxford Guild of Tour Guides at toursoxford.com.

You’ll be standing in the room where Harry Potter met Dumbledore in the infirmary and where Professor McGonagall taught Ron Weasley how to dance too!

The Divinity School is a must on any Oxford visit!

29/01/2026

Last night members of The Oxford Guild of Tour Guides enjoyed an evening at formal hall in the beautiful Exeter College.

We were invited by members of ExVac, the Exeter College Vacation Project which has been helping children have fun since 1982. This entirely student-led charity runs two holidays a year for local children from families facing difficult times, having been put in touch with the charity via social services.

It was wonderful to hear the uplifting stories from these lovely students: .dunne President, Chairperson and Treasurer

The Oxford Guild of Tour Guides was delighted to have raised just over £500 from their carol singing - enough to send a child on an adventure holiday with ExVac!

Huge thanks to all involved 🙏🏻

20/12/2025

Christ Church College has recently announced that they have received an historic gift from American philanthropist Ellen A Michelson. It is the personal copy of the 1865 suppressed edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She views the college where Lewis Caroll was a don and the home of the real Alice as the natural home for his book.
A group of Oxford Guild of Tour Guides visited the college in preparation to take visitors to its Festival of Christmas Trees. The group saw several beautifully decorated trees, including the Alice themed tree. The tree highlights parts of the story in its decorations. The dried orange slices represent the jar labelled “Orange Marmalade” 🍊 Alice took it from the shelf on her descent down the rabbit hole to find it sadly empty! Apparently Lewis Carol was very fond of marmalade and used to sell jars in the college common room for 10d for 1 lb jar! 🫙

Oxford Guild of Tour Guides Walking Tours

02/07/2026

02/07/2026

01/06/2026

27/05/2026

28/04/2026

27/04/2026

21/02/2026

01/02/2026

29/01/2026

20/12/2025

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