Birmingham to Oxford drive: Best road trip stops, distance & time
The best stops to add to a Birmingham to Oxford road trip itinerary are Warwick Castle, Stratford-Upon-Avon and Bicester Village. By car, the distance from Birmingham to Oxford is 74 miles, with a driving time of around 90 minutes.
Planning a Birmingham to Oxford road trip
The drive from Birmingham to Oxford takes you from the biggest city in the English Midlands to perhaps the most famous university city on earth.
Top Birmingham experiences include historic gangs walking tours that lean heavily on Peaky Blinders, learning new skills at the Bear Grylls Adventure and exploring the Jewellery Quarter.
Great Oxford experiences include an Oxford University walking tour with an alumni guide, a river sightseeing cruise with afternoon tea and Inspector Morse-themed walking tours.
Birmingham to Oxford distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Birmingham to Oxford is 74 miles. Traffic permitting, that makes for a driving time of around one-and-a-half hours.
Most of the Birmingham to Oxford journey is along the M40. The best stops to add to a Birmingham to Oxford road trip itinerary are Warwick Castle, Stratford-Upon-Avon and Bicester Village.
Birmingham to Oxford road trip stops: Warwick Castle
The first two great stops on the Birmingham to Oxford drive require coming off the M40 at Junction 15. Warwick Castle is one of the most impressive castles in the UK, and was originally built by William the Conqueror in 1068.
It’s cool to look round, but Warwick Castle’s massive strength is the vast range of activities going on, from birds of prey shows to jousting contests. You can even stay overnight in the castle grounds.
Tickets for Warwick Castle should be bought in advance.
Birmingham to Oxford drive: Stratford-Upon-Avon
Head in the opposite direction, and you’ll soon reach Stratford-Upon-Avon, which isn’t exactly shy about its Shakespeare connections. You can explore the Shakey sites on a hop-on, hop-off bus tour, go on a walking tour that explores Shakespeare’s sinister side and visit the Bard’s schoolroom at the Guildhall.
There are plenty of Stratford activities on offer, but the key sites are Shakespeare’s Birthplace, and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The latter is where the Royal Shakespeare Company is based, and it offers one of the most memorable theatre-going experiences on earth.
Birmingham to Oxford road trip attractions: Bicester Village
There’s an enormous love it or hate it factor to Bicester Village. Chinese tourists notoriously flock to this open air designer outlet shopping mall, but it is many travellers’ idea of chintzy hell.
If you do want to do some outlet shopping, however, there are more than 150 stores to choose from. Bicester Village is good at what it does – it’s just that not everyone’s going to like what it does.
More Birmingham road trips
Chesterfield to Birmingham | Coventry to Birmingham | Derby to Birmingham | Doncaster to Birmingham | Loughborough to Birmingham | Milton Keynes to Birmingham | Northampton to Birmingham | Nottingham to Birmingham | Rugby to Birmingham | Sheffield to Birmingham | Birmingham to Shrewsbury | Tamworth to Birmingham | Worcester to Birmingham | Birmingham to York.