The best wheelchair-accessible places to visit in Oxford

In partnership with Unlimited Oxfordshire, City Sightseeing Oxford – best known for its double-decker sightseeing buses – has created a fully wheelchair accessible tour of Oxford, taking in the city’s main central sights. The 45-minute trips depart daily from its visitor information point: join today’s tour at 11.30am; priced £10 per person, or free with all City Sightseeing Oxford open top bus tours (also wheelchair accessible). 

From Arabic palm trees to Japanese maples and lustrous New Zealand ferns: Oxford Botanical Gardens puts a world of plants at your fingertips. It’s the oldest of its kind in the UK, and is home to over 5,000 species which you can walk and wheel around, as well as art workshops and talks on selected days. It’s fully accessible, with a wheelchair available for public use and concessions for disabled visitors.  

On the banks of the River Thames (known locally as the Isis), this gourmet pub is a spectacular spot for a slap-up lunch: think apple cider sausage and mash, and oozy rosemary-baked Camembert. Its outdoor terrace overlooks the waterway, and catches the sun in the afternoon – you can watch the boats bob by over pints of local ale and Oxford-distilled G&Ts, with step-free access and wheelchair-accessible facilities. 

Why let the students have all the fun? During university holidays, you can stay overnight in college halls such as Christ Church and Keble – just like the undergraduates do. It’s an affordable and unique alternative to the city’s hotels, with good wheelchair-accessible options and Blue Badge parking available. The colleges tend to keep some rooms available during term time, so check with them directly – but if you’re not in luck, tonight’s recommended restaurant also offers wheelchair-accessible rooms. 

Go to jail! Or rather, to Malmaison Oxford – which used to be a prison but is now one of the city’s fanciest hotels. Tonight’s dinner date is at Malmaison Bar & Grill, in the prison’s former canteen: a novel (and wheelchair-friendly) setting for prime steaks, grilled seafood and fine wines. It also offers wheelchair-friendly rooms, with parking on-site.  

Start the day at one of Oxford’s most prestigious and historic colleges, Christ Church, on a 40-minute guided tour. A combination of lifts, ramps and paved pathways have been introduced to make it as accessible as possible, including the famous Great Hall, Tom Quad and cloisters. Tours depart at 11am. 

With its informal canteen style, city-view garden and extraordinary architecture, this quirky eatery is loved by locals and visitors alike. It’s wheelchair-accessible throughout, and the staff go out of their way to assist those with mobility issues. The building itself dates back to 1320, with vaulted ceilings and long communal tables: a spectacular setting for home-made soups, pasta dishes and veggie curries.  

It’s time to broaden your mind in one of Oxford's many museums. The city has cultural hotspots to suit every interest: from Egyptian mummies at the Ashmolean Museum and dinosaur bones at the Museums of Natural History, to tribal masks and jewellery at Pitt Rivers Museum and contemporary artworks at Modern Art Oxford. So this afternoon, take your pick and immerse yourself in their marvels for an hour or two; all of the above are wheelchair accessible.   

During term time, you can catch spine-tingling choral performances almost every evening at one of Oxford’s many colleges. Known as Evensong, the recitals (which occur on different days) are open to visitors of all faiths and none, filling the hallowed halls and cloisters with soaring vocals – all for free. The colleges are generally very accessible, but it’s best to check directly with the venues beforehand.  

Fans of Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse crime novels – and the eponymous ITV drama based on them (1987–2000) – should investigate the cocktail menu at the Morse Bar tonight. It’s where Dexter wrote many of the books, and legend has it that some of the series was filmed here too. With its open fireplace and gorgeous vaulted ceilings, it’s an atmospheric spot for dinner and drinks, and is wheelchair accessible.