Oxford Walking Tours — Local services in Oxford

I did the Oxford Walking Tour with one other couple from Wales. I thought it would be a great idea to do a tour since I was alone. I feel as though I could have done many of the things on my own without the tour guide and I really should have just bailed. While I could tell our tour guide was very smart, and he liked to talk about the history, he was very abrupt and his spit went flying in my face when he talked. I appreciated that he did show us the dining hall and some other rooms, but he made me feel very uncomfortable. He kept making us face him in a half circle and also kept telling us to look at him when he talked. It's a tour- I want to be looking at the scenery and buildings not in a discussion group. He specifically targeted the other female in the group who was unhappy with how long he talked on and on about specific names. I think it would have been better to do more walking, looking and less talking. We did stand in certain places for over ten minutes. Over the course of the tour, he kept targeting the lady, saying things such as "wow, that's the first time I've seen you smile," or "she really likes what I'm saying now" in a sarcastic way. I just think he wasn't the best fit for this type of job (probably more fit for a PhD program), and the tour went over the...

We joined a group of 14 people (plus guide) led by Hao Tang (? I believe), a history undergrad at Pembroke College of Oxford. He gave a thorough tour with many colleges (alas, Bodleian was not open - ironically, if you had signed up for the print making workshop at the Bodleian that day, you'd be admitted, but the info about the workshop was not publicized anywhere online!)

We learned much about Oxford, as well as the life of a student, from the stressful admissions process, to the tough tutors (often experts with specialty in your chosen field) & how they mark one's papers, to the oral interview with a panel of tutors (much like PhD orals in the US) as part of the graduation requirements. His storytelling made Oxford come alive as a living, breathing institution of learning, but also as an institution of tradition. History being his major, Hao also described the history of the colleges & buildings we visited from that perspective, with an informed intellect that gave depth. Really worthy of the time (and £) spent.

We were also told about a few other places beyond the scope of this tour that were worth a visit (e.g. the original Blackwell's bookshop, especially its underground shelves). All good advice that...

We pre-booked a Sunday tour. Our guide was a foreign graduate spending an extra year in Oxford. At the appointed time only six pre-booked people had arrived. The company boss arrived and asked the guide three times if he wanted to call off the tour as there were only six of us. Two cash payers arrived and the guide decided to go ahead. I had been on three Oxford tours with other companies prior to this, all excellent. This guide had little knowledge of the buildings visited - St John's College, Radcliffe Camera, Sheldonian Theatre, Bodleian library, - other than his experience gained as a student using the facilities.. His knowledge of the history of Oxford university was superficial and he repeated the same general information at each stop. He was unable to answer any specific questions. Laughably he told the tour participants that if they went to Christ Church College they could see the river 'Tame' (sic) that came from London. My visitors were very disappointed with this tour . I would strongly recommend that anyone considering a walking tour looks first at the excellent Oxford City Guide self-guided itinerary to avoid wasting money. I cannot recommend...