Whenever I visit Oxford I’ve seen dozens of walking tours and wondered if they were any good. Realistically the only way of knowing is by actually doing one of them, but they can be quite pricey for five people and it’s a lot of money to waste on something rubbish. I was asked by Oxford Magic Tours to review their walking tour and we decided to give it a try. It combines history, magic and film locations such as Harry Potter; three things I’m very interested in, so I was expecting a lot from the tour.
We were gifted tickets for the Oxford Magic Tours to review their walking tour however they had no input into the contents and didn’t see it prior to publication.
The starting point
So, little bit awkward, I got the wrong starting point! You meet outside 13 Broad Street but this small section of road is also the starting point for several other Oxford walking tours, just ones without magic in them! So I walk over to the waiting lady outside number 15 to “check in” only to realise my mistake. Awkward. Anyway, it’s just outside Theo’s cafe and there’s a board on the road. Wait there!
The history and student life
Oxford obviously is packed full of history, so much so it’s hard to know where to begin. You get a whistle-stop tour of Oxford through the ages, including some of the grizzly bits. I won’t spoil any of it but there are places on the tour that you’ve probably walked down the street and never even noticed but they’re actually key parts of history! And not obscure history, well known bits!
Parts of the tour cover the life (and antics) of the students of Oxford University. Again, there’s plenty of things that I didn’t know. And this is despite working in Oxford and having visited many times. There’s plenty of giggles along the way and there’s also audience participation throughout the tour.
Oxford film locations tour
As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, Oxford magic walking tours also shows you some of the film locations of the Harry Potter and Wonka movies. Some of the places have chargeable entry so you don’t actually go into them during the tour. One thing I quite liked is that Shane tells you about the chargeable places and which ones are worth going to see and which ones aren’t, particularly if you’ve got to pay. For example, pop into the History of Science Museum because it’s free, but don’t bother paying for Christ Church College. You’re better off paying for New College at £25 for a family ticket. There you can see a very similar dining room to the one that inspired the one at Hogwarts (and don’t forget the hall itself was never used for filming), the Harry Potter tree and the Quad where several scenes from Goblet of Fire were filmed.
Obviously, he doesn’t cover all of the films and TV series that are filmed in Oxford. Because there are just too many! Fun fact – the last time we were walking around the Radcliffe Camera before we did the Oxford magic walking tour, they were actually filming the opening scenes of Saltburn. And if you look very carefully in the background as he’s going into the door of Brasenose College you can see us hovering down St Mary’s Passage behind a man in a yellow jacket!! We’re basically famous now.
And other stories…
Obviously Oxford has inspired many other stories, and many authors. CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien very famously lived and worked in Oxford and no walking tour, particularly one involving magic, could avoid mentioning them. The kids were fascinated to find out which landmarks are thought to have acted as inspiration for characters and places in the books. And there’s another Harry Potter easter egg too!
The magic
Whilst the walking tour around Oxford was fascinating, the magic part is absolutely what made this tour unique. It’s close-up street magic and it’s got various interactive elements to it (check this bit of rope etc). The kids’ faces whilst he was going the tricks were epic. They couldn’t figure out how he did it (TBF neither could I) and the lighter trick at the end was mind blowing. They couldn’t stop talking about it for at least half an hour. If you’re worried that a history tour might be a bit dry then I’d definitely recommend doing this tour instead because it brings a whole new element to it.
How long does an Oxford magic walking tour last?
The tour itself lasts for approx 90 minutes. In terms of distance it’s not particularly long, although you will be standing for that time. We wanted to make a full day of it so we bulked the day out, without adding to the cost. One of the places Shane pointed out was the Norrington room under Blackwell’s. We’d actually been into Blackwell’s that morning, but hadn’t gone downstairs. Now we knew what we down there we had to go. OMG it’s basically book heaven. For years it was the largest single room in the world selling books. The kids and I were like kids in a candy store!
Then we decided to visit Oxford Natural History Museum which is one of our favourite museums. There’s lots of other ideas of free things to do in Oxford in this post.
This review of Oxford Magic Tours is based on our experiences at the time of our visit. Things can change over time, including the price. If you have any specific requirements such as access it’s always best to check with the site directly before visiting. If anything I’ve said in this review is no longer accurate then please do let me know. Thank you.
Our Oxford Magic Tours review
I’m actually going to leave my review of Oxford Magic Tours to Biggest Child.
“I found the tour incredibly interesting. Instead of hours of standing still being bombarded with facts, the tour was unique, incorporating magic with history. On top of the Oxford history there are many pop culture facts surrounding Harry Potter and the filming. And the most important part is the magic. Amazing tricks for adults and children, with lots of interaction for the crowd. At the price it’s incredibly worth the money taking around an hour and a half, and a necessity for anyone wanting to learn about Oxford history, with a bit of fun on the side.”
It also has a 5 star review on TripAdvisor.
Admission cost
£15 per adult, £10 per child (5-14 years). Pre-bookable via their website.
Parking / How to get there
Parking – your best option is to use one of the park and rides. We parked at Thornhill and used the park and bus option which is £5 for 1 car, 2 adults and 3 children. Or you can use city centre car parks but they’re expensive.
Address – 13 Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3AS
Toilets
None – use public toilets in the city centre
Food
None
What else is there to do nearby?
Oxford is full of great things to do. Other than the ones I’ve linked above there’s also places like the Story Museum, Oxford Botanic Gardens or Shotover Country Park.
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Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
You’ll find the essential information you need to know before your visit that can be surprisingly hard to find out. Where do I park? How much will it cost me to get in? Are there any discounts available? Are there loos? Can I take a picnic or get food? My aim is to be your go-to guide for all your free and cheap family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts & slightly beyond. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook
