You needn’t pursue a degree at Oxford to brush up on your style smarts. Classic cable knits and nubby tweeds offer up bookish charm—in the stacks or at a pub.
The Scene:
Explore the inner sanctums of the university on a walking tour or peruse the pages of Brideshead Revisited at
Blackwell’s bookshop before savoring the collections at the
Ashmolean Museum.
The Stay:
Book a room at the
Old Bank Hotel, a Georgian building that has been transformed into a minimalist boutique hotel smack in the city center (check out its
Quod Brasserie on Sunday nights for world-class jazz sessions). Want a dash of the English countryside? Dine at
Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in nearby Great Milton and soak up the ambience of a centuries-old manor house while sampling innovative creations prepared by chef Raymond Blanc.
—Elizabeth Doyle