Museum of Oxford Walks: Shakespeare and Oxford

New for 2025, celebrating the Museum of Oxford's 50th birthday!

Shakespeare came to Oxford when travelling between work (London) and his family (Stratford-upon-Avon) - what a commute! What was Oxford like during his lifetime? What did he get up to while he was in town?

This is an opportunity to pause and look carefully at Oxford city centre, noticing Elizabethan and Jacobean details you might pass by every day. The tour includes a unique Tudor bedroom above Cornmarket Street, the famous Painted Room which will be opened specially by Oxford Preservation Trust, just for us!

Want to know more about Elizabethan eating and drinking, entertainment and travel? Or the rollercoaster of religious change in Tudor and Stuart England? Led by historian Dr Elizabeth Sandis, this is a Shakespeare-themed journey through Oxford's famous streets.

At the end there will be an optional 20-minute extension to the tour (included in the price), exploring Tudor and Stuart treasures in the Museum of Oxford's galleries.

Accessibility and further information

Meeting point: Museum of Oxford shop (located inside the Oxford Town Hall). Please arrive 5 minutes before the start of the walk and check in at the Museum Shop with our friendly front of house team.

The walk lasts for approx. 90 minutes and is a circular walk around central Oxford. Length: approx. 1.2 miles / 1.9 km. Two toilet stops are available along the way.

Please note the Tudor Painted Room is up a steep flight of stairs without a lift; it is sadly not accessible to wheelchairs. The rest of the tour can be adapted to offer a more wheelchair-friendly route, avoiding narrow doorways and cobbles (please let us know if you would prefer this option by emailing [email protected]).

Please note that this walk is recommended for ages 16+.

Tickets cost £15 and are available to purchase online (booking fee applies) or at the Museum shop.

Dr Elizabeth Sandis works at the Ashmolean Museum and is the author of Early Modern Drama at the Universities: Institutions, Intertexts, Individuals (Oxford University Press, 2022). She researches the way in which the Classical culture of Greece and Rome impacted on English society and values during the early modern period. With a passion for local history and theatre, she enjoys translating and staging examples of the kind of plays students were producing in Oxford during the time of Shakespeare.

Access at the Museum

The Museum is accessible for wheelchair users, buggies and baby carriers. There is step-free, level entry access to the Town Hall via the entrance closest to Carfax (to the left of the main steps as you face the Town Hall). Inside the Museum, Museum Makers is accessible via a platform lift and lift to the basement level. Accessible toilets are available in the Museum (close to Museum Makers) and in the Town Hall on the ground floor, before entering the Museum.

Please contact the Museum team if you'd like to talk to a member of staff about your access requirements. Further access information can be found on our website: https://museumofoxford.org/plan-your-visit/access

Host or Publisher Museum of Oxford