Bodleian Library – Skip the regular tour and book the extended “Duke Humfrey’s Library” option to see the medieval reading room where scholars have studied since 1487.

Christ Church College – Visit during weekday evensong (5:45pm) to experience the cathedral’s magnificent acoustics and dodge the entrance fee while glimpsing the dining hall that inspired Hogwarts.

Radcliffe Camera – View this iconic rotunda from the secret upper level of All Souls College’s library on one of their rare public open days (typically twice yearly) for a perspective most tourists never experience.

Bridge of Sighs – Photograph this ornate skyway at sunrise from the little-known vantage point behind New College Lane when the golden stone glows and before tour groups arrive.

Ashmolean Museum – Head straight to the rooftop restaurant for panoramic city views and Oxford’s best scones before exploring the collections to avoid the midday crowds.

Oxford Botanic Garden – Seek out the bench beneath the black pine tree where Tolkien regularly sat, which inspired the Ents in Lord of the Rings.

Covered Market – Skip the front entrance crowds and use the lesser-known Jesús College side entrance to reach Browns Café, where market traders have been starting their day with legendary bacon sandwiches since 1927.

Magdalen College Tower – Join the May Morning celebrations (May 1st at 6am) when choristers sing from the tower and locals jump into the Cherwell river, a tradition dating back 500 years.

University Parks – Follow the hidden path along the river’s eastern edge to find the secluded Victorian bathing spots where Lewis Carroll taught Alice Liddell to swim.

Pitt Rivers Museum – Look for the tiny handwritten labels in Victorian cursive that reveal the eccentric collector’s original notes, including bizarre supernatural beliefs about the shrunken heads.