Oxford Botanic Garden

I’m so glad I didn’t miss visiting the oldest botanical garden in the UK during my one-day trip to Oxford. There are many unique plants that are hard to find elsewhere, and it’s such a peaceful place to walk around. There’s also a small café and a public toilet on site, which is very convenient. I believe the garden must be even more beautiful in the summer, with more flowers and plants in full bloom. Definitely worth a visit!

The UK's oldest botanic garden, situated in the city of Oxford, is home to a wide variety of plants from around the world. Colourful floral borders in the walled garden, well kept herb gardens, and greenhouses of cacti and carnivorous plants are amongst the highlights, all well curated with informative display boards. The gardens are easy to navigate, with well kept paths and full wheelchair accessibility. It's easily possible to spend 1.5 to 2 hours exploring all the garden's different areas. Facilities are good, with a small gift shop and toilets onsite. At the time of my visit in June 2025, the entry fee was £9, which seemed reasonable considering the variety of plants to see and the standard of presentation. Guided tours are available from 14:30 on Thursdays and Sundays between April and September.

Beautiful place to visit in Oxford. Definitely you should choose spring or summer to see everything blooming

Lovely quite space in busy Oxford right by the river. The Christmas market was good with lots of stalls in a tent on the grounds. Warming foods and drinks on sale to. The gardens are best visited in spring summer and autumn as nothing is in bloom in the winter. Would recommend.

A very beautiful place with a good selection of plants and flowers. There is a small little seating area with a coffee truck near the river, this is good in warm weather but not when remaining as there is no cover. Polite and friendly staff, with a good shop selection.

A pretty garden, looking a bit dank and wintery, but a nice stroll around a little Christmas Market. Stall holders shoved in a small tent and with the buyers it was too squished. This will no doubt affect the sales. The food tent was far too small. Couldn't get in. Lovely brass band music and the rain held off.

Great visit, and despite a very dry spring and summer, the gardens were looking good. We've been a few times, and always enjoy it. Some nice shade on a hot day. The greenhouses are always fascinating.

Wonderful collection of plants I loved the orchard ate sone grapes, apples and pears all very delicious. Wish the green houses were bigger but there are many to view. Lovely day trip this garden was our high light of our trip. Definitely recommend entry was £10

We enjoyed a nice visit to the garden. They offer timed tickets you can pre book which makes it quick to get in. There is a large garden you can walk through to see the plants and trees and also some glass houses that contained interesting plants such as poisonous plants, cactus, and more. Most plants were labeled. There were a number of trees and some seating that was in the shade. It was a pleasant place to spend a couple of hours.

What a beautiful place to walk and listen to the birds as you walk your breakfast off. Really peaceful and despite not having all the flowers and trees in bloom, it was such a lovely couple hours spent here. I can just imagine what it would be like in summer. I really liked the green houses as well. Our favorite was the rainforest one. A small gift shop at the entrance/exit. The staff was really friendly and helpful but that's just all the people in Oxford so far.

You don't really get the full effect unless you visit in the summer. But still some nice things in the green houses. £6ish to enter. It takes maybe an hour to see everything. Many plants of everyday objects we have in our homes. Informative signs.

Beautiful shrubbery and beautiful flowers. Though it was a little bit damp when I came to visit I still got to enjoy all the beautiful trees and plants that are unique to the UK. The flowers here smell more fragrant and the colors are much more vibrant than I'm used to. Check it out if you get the chance to! This enchanting garden will have you lost and mesmerized

Lovely little garden, free with Bod card. A nice refuge when college life gets too close. Good educational areas (could have more info booklets, etc...) and lovely English plantings. Good fun to secretly watch Freshers fail at punting as well. :)

Go in winter and you can enjoy the tropical warmth of the glasshouses or the frosty beauty of the winter garden. Go in summer and enjoy the cool shade, the flowers and the water in the fountains, streams and river (or if it is a true English summer enjoy the shelter and warmth of the green houses!). The setting is wonderful. Just opposite Magdalen College and right by the river. It is an educational facility so you'll find information about the plants and trails and quizzes to keep children occupied. There are often special events during the spring and summer months involving music and art as well as education - check out their website for details. They can be great fun. 01865 286690 Opening times change with the seasons and it costs to get in but children are free.

The Oxford Botanic Garden is right in the heart of the city (it's part of the University) - but you can easily miss it because the signposting is lousy. Even when you get to the right place, it's hard be sure you've found the main entrance. But once you've found it, it's a lovely place to while away a couple of hours, or an entire day. Even when it's busy, there are quiet places and plenty of space for everyone. The garden has several sections, including one organized by plant families if you're a student of botany. More likely to be of interest to general visitors are the glasshouses - holding interesting ranges of plants from alpines through to tropical specimens. There's even a pond, with fish and lily pads, in one and there's certainly enough to keep everyone entertained and plenty to educate the kids - with commercial tropical crops like coffee and bananas growing happily. There are also ponds and rockeries outside, to complement the main beds. And during my last visit the special display was edible crops from around the world - a particular favourite of mine but probably not a permanent feature. The only bug bears are the lack of facilities - the entrance is small and houses the tills and the tiny 'gift' shop. There is a plant sale stand, but just a small one. The toilets are a hike from anywhere in the garden, being hidden away practically by the exit. But you're only a few minutes away from the town centre, so it's not a big deal. There's no parking though, something Oxford is notoriously bad for, so leave the car at one of the Park & Ride car parks.

Oxford's Botanical Gardens are a wonderful and welcome slice of greenery in the middle of Oxford city centre. They're located in a lovely part of the city right by Magdalen College and the river and have a beautiful collection of plants and trees in a lovely setting. Although it's not the kind of place you'd visit for a picnic go to the University Parks for that if you feel like a relaxing stroll, or you want to sit and read, this is a good place to do it. And afterwards, why not pop across to Magdalen Bridge and hire a punt?

We took a toddler to this beautiful, peaceful garden. More of a park really. She was able to run around safely although the ponds drew her like a magnet! Students were lying reading under the trees and there were families having picnics and artists painting. The colours were riotous, flowers and plants carefully and imaginatively planned. In the Walled Garden the plants are put together in groups of the country of origin or their botanic family with little descriptive labels. There is a Rock Garden, an Autumn Border and a Black Border which are very unusual. I think there are over 8,000 different sorts of plant and the Glasshouses are full of weird and wonderful, exotic things! We sat on a bench beside the river where we watched people punting and rowing, listened to the birds and inhaled all the wonderful perfumes - and tried to stop little Lulu picking flowers! No parking, so go to the Park & Ride and you will have to ask the way because we couldn't find a sign post and we never did find the toilets!