Getting around Oxford

While Oxford Airport might be the closest airfield to the city at just seven miles away, it’s largely used as an air training school and for special charter flights. Far more useful for your average commuter is London Heathrow. At 45 miles away, it will take around 50 minutes’ driving with plenty of short, medium, and long-stay parking options across each terminal.

Alternatively, the Airline Bus Service runs a regular service from Oxford direct to all five of the Heathrow terminals, while trains will take around 90 minutes, usually with a change at Reading.

As one of the busiest airports in the world, Heathrow flies to dozens of countries and hundreds of destinations daily serviced by some of the biggest airlines in the world including Emirates, British Airways, KLM and more. Take the stress and strain out of your travel by choosing one of our hotels near Heathrow airport.

With three main bus companies – the Oxford Bus Company, Stagecoach Oxfordshire and Thames Travel – connecting the city with the rest of the UK, Oxford has a strong bus network. As well as city tour buses, a dedicated Airline Bus Service, park-and-ride schemes and regular Oxford Tube coaches to London that take less than two hours, there are a series of routes crisscrossing the city making it easy to get around Oxford. If you’re staying for more than a week, pick up a Cityzone pass which will get you access-all-areas bus coverage at highly reduced rates.

Opened in 1884, Oxford Railway Station is a four-platform train terminal that connects the city with London, Reading, Southampton, Bournemouth, Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham on a regular basis. Located on the western edge of the city centre, the station has a large on-site car park with 530 spaces, ticket machines, shops, a café, waiting rooms and several toilets. Great Western Railways run two fast trains via Reading to London Paddington every hour while Chiltern Railways also operate two fast trains to London Marylebone every hour. Check out our nearby Premier Inn Oxford City Centre (Westgate) hotel.

Only launched in 2015, Oxford Parkway Railway Station is a well-connected two-platform station that connects north Oxford. A travel hub, it also has strong bus, cycle and park-and-ride connections, making it an easy place to get to and from.