Oxford Castle And Prison Guided Tour

We had our tour with Nat who was excellent. She was very knowledgeable, cheerful and made the information lively and memorable. Couldn’t have had a better guide. We felt the visit was well worth it.

I booked online which was only £16.20, which having done the tour I feel was very good value. The tour guide was excellent, even though there were 2 women in our group who kept talking in the background, which made it difficult to hear him even though he was talking loudly and clearly! We were only a small group, which was really good as it made it much easier, especially when climbing all the 101 stairs to the top of the castle! If you are able, I would also recommend climbing the mound after your visit - the view is amazing and it so worth it. I'm really glad I went as it was well worth the visit.

Had a superb guided tour with Joe last week. The castle and its history were really brought to life. The tour included details of the prisoners held in the castle over the years and their crimes. If you can do go to the top of the tower for the views over Oxford. Allow at least 2 hours to see things properly.

Gabriel was our guide and he was absolutely fantastic…..knowledgeable and highly entertaining.

Excellent tour with plenty of relatable facts and information shared in a story telling way that engages active young children and adults alike. Long enough to grasp information but not to long to become boring. After the guided tour you have as much time as you like to walk through the rest of the museum and you have access to climb the mound any time that day. Great for those with excess energy. Plan to go on a clear day the climb fir the 10 mile diameter view is quite spectacular.

Great tour led by the lovely Rosie. Lots of insights into the history delivered in a fun and engaging way. Learnt what the word ‘earmarked’ is derived from with even the health and safety messages delivered in a great way - who knew stairs could be out to kill you 😆.

We attended the Oxford Prison guided tour. Our tour guide,William was very animated and informative. We found the tour interesting and informative. We were also given access to the Oxford Castle Mound which provides a great view point of Oxford. All the staff including Edward who checked us into the tour were faintly and approachable.

Excellent tour - group just the right size and guide Matilda was very good

Our tour guide was excellent and gave a great talk. He had brilliant knowledge and made his talk exciting and very engaging.

We are local and this was a half term activity. It was fun and interesting and kept the attention of adults and children alike. It was reasonably priced. It is well worth a visit.

We had a fun time on this tour. The history is fascinating! Our guide, Joe, was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

Our tour guide was very knowledgable on the castle. He spoke clearly, and projected his voice well so all could hear, and even injected a bunch of comedy into the tour as well, which was great!

We had a great experience at the Prison. It’s smaller than we anticipated but the tour was comprehensive and we loved the views from the top of the tower. Our guide was excellent - forgotten her name but photo included!

Very interesting tour with a very entertaining guide

Our tour guide Joe is friendly & excellent in his role. He delivered an animated , informative & interesting history of the prison which made our experience most enjoyable.

Our guide, Rosie, was great. She had lots of information and a good sense of humour. Having a guide is the best way to see this attraction.

This was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon, it was interesting and informative getting to know the history of the castle and prison.

It was really interesting and super fascinating. I absolutely LOVED it!!!!!🥰 our tour guide was very helpful and informative she was called Rosie. -Aggie

Such a good tour to do if you’re into history. Our tour guide Edward was very informative and made the tour with his witty personality!

The tour was fine, the stairs a bit hard to climb for some old people, but done it in the end😀. The guide, Edward was brilliant, offered lots of information and good humour, 10+, overall a good tour. I will recommend in the future to my friends.

Great visit to an interesting jail. Tour guide was informative and made the trip really interesting.

Edward our tour guide was excellent. Very informative and funny!! Very good value for money. Not rushed out at the end of the tour, allowed to look around. Would highly recommend if you're in Oxford.

A lovely couple of hours spend here. Edward our guide was amazing lots of knowledge and stories , all the staff were very helpful and friendly. Worth a visit

Great experience. Guide was very informative. Plenty of time to look over again after tour, to take photos.50mins guided tour, not rushe

Knowledgeable tour guide gave us lots of history. It's an amazing place and I can't believe it was still used as a prison in 1996! Great views over the city from the top of the tower as well and nice pace to the different parts of the castle and prison on the tour.

The tour guides are great. Without the stories they tell there wouldn’t be much of excitement but they bring it to life. It’s amazing to peep and see the prison converted to a hotel next door. There’s a lot of history here and it seemed important to hear it. But you need the guide!

After visiting Oxford a number of times, I hadn't come across the castle before. It was a really enjoyable visit (if you can class learning about people being locked up as enjoyable..) The staff were friendly and helpful and our guide Edward was charming, funny and knowledgeable. I would very much recommend for something different to do from the standard Oxford museums. it very much deserves a visit.

The tour was excellent. Lots of history the guide Edward was very knowledgeable and very funny. Really made it fun

Amazing! Our guide Edward was knowledgeable & funny!

Edward was a great guide and made this beautiful but scary place truly fascinating.

Had a wonderful tour at Oxford Castle and prison. The history and connections really surprised us and the tour guide Grace delivered the information professionally and enthusiastically, immersing us in the history we were hearing about. Favourite part of the castle was seeing the worn floor and the groove caused by the elbows of the men who turned the wheel as pointless punishment. Also enjoyed the tales of the prison inmates. The views from the top of the tower were excellent. The steps were uneven and the doorways low but we were warned about this first. Loved the opportunity to have our photo taken and receive our mugshot and crime at the end. The self guided exhibition was also really interesting. Shocking that the prison was only closed 30 years ago. Highly recommended, one of the best tours we have had the pleasure of doing.

An interesting tour around information about the castle and jail. Possibly get cheaper tickets at the door but we really enjoyed the experience. The guide was very informative and a great story teller

Well presented, not rushed, plenty of information and visually good to see into the past

This tour was great! Will was our tour guide and kept us engaged and interested the whole time. I found it fascinating and amusing and would highly recommend the tour.

Visited yesterday, 3 Oct, with friends and we had a marvellous time. Will, our guide, was full of information, spoke clearly and took care of everyone’s mobility needs. I also had a strange experience in the crypt; tingling in both feet in a certain corner which stopped as soon as I stepped away. Repeated the action four times as I thought I’d imagined it the first time. Very strange. I’m not one to have paranormal experiences so just thought I’d log it here. A memorable visit. Highly recommended.

Using the 2FOR1 Days Out offers excellent value for money. I signed up, received our QR code and paid at the door on our chosen day. We joined a largish group but our guide, Joe, had a loud clear voice, was amusing, enthusiastic and knowledgeable and we all enjoyed the tour. There are 100 steps to climb to the top of the tower but if you are unable to do this you can watch a video at the bottom. We spent an hour enjoying the castle prison and walked up the mote straight after. I would recommend this tour.

What a fun experience! Natalia was a wonderful guide. Her expressiveness and knowledge brought the past to life. The entire staff was so friendly. The climb was do- able for 66-75 year olds, and the view was spectacular. An altogether satisfying excursion!

staff were welcoming as we entered, also needed to leave cases in the lock up lockers provided at the entrance for a small extra charge of a pound for the token, admission fee was reasonable, perhaps consideration in future for over 65 or 60 years admission reduction.. the tour guide was very good and knowledgeable she was dressed in attire for the period of the tour and made it very atmospheric.. the tour was just the right length and a small group which made it a better experience ... we were there for about 2 and a half hours as it was a nice day we walked around the prison site and the castle views and tower view was a bonus.. for those that wanted to climb the steps or could stay downstairs and watch a video..as well as revisiting the inside after the tour.. we had a coffee and cake in the cafe... on that day we had a coffee that was on offer so very reasonable as well.. would recommend this experience to adults and perhaps families with children over 10 years plus and a great shop at the end full of interesting things for all ages..

We visited the castle with our family. Matilda, our tour guide, made the tour a truly wonderful experience. She brought the historical context and the different eras to life in a very vivid and engaging way. Her explanations were lively and peppered with all sorts of anecdotes and examples. We’d do it again in a heartbeat.

100% excellent Maltilda was an excellent guide. ''any questions please '' at end of tour would have been nice as i had a few!!

It was good fun and the tour guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. There are a lot of stairs, beware - but you can skip the tower climb if you're not up to it.

The tour guide was enthusiastic, providing a good level of historic narrative. The tower gives nice views of the city spires. There's time to look around the exhibition at the end.

Great visit to Oxford Castle. Enjoyed an informative and entertaining tour from Edward.

Really interesting and informative tour. Matilda was an outstanding tour guide and really made the experience. The tour is about 50 minutes and is just the right time to keep you interested and give enough information. Great experience and would highly recommend.

This was an impromptu visit whilst visiting Oxford. All the staff were friendly and informative. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly. It was great hearing about the history of the castle prison. There are lots of narrow and small steps to climb but the views are worth it! It would of been good to have a little more time to read some of the information boards that were located in various areas but you are free to explore the main floor at your leisure. Was an enjoyable experience overall.

Absolutely brilliant day out and loads of history about the castle and prison our tour guide was spot on excellent 👍

Staff were amazing and so knowledgeable

It was a fabulous experience. Despite being a student in Oxford 40 years ago and re-visiting several times since with my family, I've never been to the Castle & Prison. I was treating my husband to a weekend in Oxford (belated birthday pressie) and we tried to do many new activities while there. The booking online for the Castle & Prison was very easy, the young man who greeted us was very friendly and informative making sure we knew what to do/where to go and advised us about using the code provided to walk up the Motte. Matilda, our amazing, knowledgable, friendly and beautiful guide was excellent. She certainly knew her stuff and answered many questions from other visitors with great confidence. It was a unique tour, great value for money and certainly clean and tidy, despite the age! We had a short rest and delicious drink after at Kelpie's and we recommended it to a couple we met at the Osney Arms Guest House where we stayed. Would highly recommend.

I really enjoyed visiting Oxford Castle Prison. The guided tour was very interesting and informative, bringing the history of the castle and prison to life. The guides were friendly, knowledgeable, and engaging. The atmosphere was amazing, and the views from the tower were beautiful. Definitely worth visiting if you are in Oxford. Highly recommended!