Walking Tour Combined with River Punting Rowing (3 hours duration)
Overview
Punting on the river is how students enjoy themselves after finishing their exams. What more unique way to experience Oxford than this. Your chauffeur guide will take you punting or rowing for one hour then join our walking tour.
See the city of dreaming spires both from the beautiful views of the river at a leisurely pace with a relaxing river trip in the comfort of your private group. See Oxford skyline plus Christchurch & Christchurch meadows.
You can select either to meet the guide for the chauffeured river trip as a private group before or after the shared walking tour- please select either 10.30am or 12.45 start time.
Your guide will walk you to Magdalen boathouse & tell you about Oxbridge's rowing traditions & the origins of the story of Alice in Wonderland, which resulted from just such an outing on the river on July 4th 1862. Option also exists to request boat trip to take place before the walking tour- upon request, when you book. Max 3-4 persons + guide per boat.
What's Included
- Please note dates below under section of graduation, university open days, Xmas holidays!
- Life jackets are available free of charge for the boats, by request. Water level averages 2-6 feet
- Max 4-5 persons + guide per boat. Any larger groups, ask viator to call us up for a quote!
- If you opt to request the 1 hour boat hire to handle the boat yourself, please note that if you don't return the boat within the one hour period, the boathouse may use its discretion to charge you a late return penalty fee. This is your responsibility therefore to ensure that you proactively keep an eye on how much time you have left and ensure that you can return the boat along the river in time before your hire period ends.
- No food or drink is included on this tour but the boathouse do offer you opportunity to pay for a picnic hamper & likewise, you may opt to bring your own food & drink onto the boat. If you opt to choose 1 hour boat hire, you are responsible for safe & sensible drinking of any alcohol and responsible handling of the boat, to ensure that you do not damage the boat or other boats & do not lose the oars etc. We cannot be responsible for any penalties which the boathouse (a third party) might see fit to charge you, if you should cause them damages.
- In case of bad weather: unfortunately, we don't permit cancellations but if you give us at least 24 hours notice, then we will accept requests to reschedule the date. If weather forecast suggests heavy rain & if you cannot reschedule to another date, we will alternatively let you book onto any alternative tour activity which is also running, such as to join a tour inside Christchurch.
- On graduation dates, we may not always be able to enter a college so see graduation dates below:
- 2025 Graduation dates includes...
- May 16 + 17 + 31, July 19 + 29, Aug 1 + 2 + 9, Sep 26 + 27, Nov 7+ 8+9+14 +15 of 2025
- We can only fit max 4-5 clients + guide per boat, so larger groups, please ask viator to call us up!
Meeting Location
15-16 Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3AS, UK
Detailed check-in instructions, including the exact address, are provided with your booking confirmation.
Oxford OX1 4AU
UK
The guide will give you a free Oxford map plus offer you help directions to wherever you need to go to next.
What To Expect
Book Online
Safe & secure • Easy breezy • Hassle-free
River Cherwell
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
University Church of St. Mary the Virgin
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Magdalen College (pass by)
Additional Info
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- In case of bad weather: unfortunately, we don't permit cancellations but if you give us at least 24 hours notice, then we will accept requests to reschedule the date. If weather forecast suggests heavy rain & if you cannot reschedule to another date, we will alternatively let you book onto any alternative tour activity which is also running, such as to join a tour inside Christchurch.
- Please note the river is on average about 6 feet (2m) deep, so any children will automatically be offered a lifebelt but you must notify us if any adults or children in your group cannot swim. Please advise us of this fact, when you book & when you meet the guide & when the boathouse prepare your boat!
- The default schedule for this tour is to first join either the 12.30 walking tour or the 2.30pm walking tour and then the guide will walk you to the boathouse. If your schedule requires you to instead take the boat trip in the morning before you join the walking tour, then you must make this request known and advise what time you can meet us (any time from 10am onwards)
- PLEASE ARRIVE ON TIME:
- Please arrive 5 minutes early for your tour at our meeting point. If you arrive more than 5 minutes later than the scheduled tour, then you will likely forfeit and lose your booking as it interrupts the guide and other customers, if we are trying to find you after a guide has started and left the meeting point.
- INFO FOR DRIVERS AND PARKING:
- If you are driving, then please allow extra 30-60 minutes over whatever time you think it will take you to get here. Oxford is NOT car friendly and it is congested roads and hard to find parking spaces....unless you park at the sign posted 'park and rides' on edge of town on any major road into the city and hop on their buses into city centre. The park and ride buses leave every 15 or every 30 minutes and take anything from 10 min to 30 min (depending on traffic) to reach city centre. So if you are going to drive, then please assume you should be aiming to park your car about one hour before your tour starts.
- PUBLIC TRANSPORT:
- We actually recommend instead using the much faster and reliable train services but again please aim to arrive about an hour or earlier before your tour starts as trains can be delayed and the train and coach station are about 15 minutes walk from our meeting point. There is also the coach service from London called the Oxford Tube which leaves every half hour or more but it can take much longer than its advertised 105 minute journey time. It drops you off either at High street Oxford or Gloucester Green coach station. It's quicker to ask to get off on High street near Carfax tower, then it's a 10 minutes walk to Broad street.
- Max 3-4 persons + guide per boat. Any larger groups, ask viator to call us up for a quote!
- Operated by a business
Frequently Asked Questions
(7)Q: Will I get seasick on Walking Tour Combined with River Punting Rowing (3 hours duration)?
Cancellation Policy
Still have questions?
We're here to help.
Activity code: C-22362P38
Reviews
Average 4.50 out of 5 stars based on 2 traveler reviews collected by Cool Destinations and partner sites such as Trustpilot, Viator, and TripAdvisor
Additional Info
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Frequently Asked Questions (7)
The answers provided below were previously given in response to questions from Cool Destinations customers.
Filter by:
If you have any doubts about becoming seasick on the water, we recommend taking a Dramamine® Motion Sickness Relief tablet the night before your trip. Some people recommend taking it the night before your cruise and then again that morning so you will not feel so drowsy.
Feb 2023- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the tour start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the tour start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the tour start time will not be accepted.
- Cut-off times are based on the tour local time (BST).
- Please note dates below under section of graduation, university open days, Xmas holidays!.
- Life jackets are available free of charge for the boats, by request. Water level averages 2-6 feet.
- Max 4-5 persons + guide per boat. Any larger groups, ask viator to call us up for a quote!.
- If you opt to request the 1 hour boat hire to handle the boat yourself, please note that if you don't return the boat within the one hour period, the boathouse may use its discretion to charge you a late return penalty fee. This is your responsibility therefore to ensure that you proactively keep an eye on how much time you have left and ensure that you can return the boat along the river in time before your hire period ends.
- No food or drink is included on this tour but the boathouse do offer you opportunity to pay for a picnic hamper & likewise, you may opt to bring your own food & drink onto the boat. If you opt to choose 1 hour boat hire, you are responsible for safe & sensible drinking of any alcohol and responsible handling of the boat, to ensure that you do not damage the boat or other boats & do not lose the oars etc. We cannot be responsible for any penalties which the boathouse (a third party) might see fit to charge you, if you should cause them damages.
- In case of bad weather: unfortunately, we don't permit cancellations but if you give us at least 24 hours notice, then we will accept requests to reschedule the date. If weather forecast suggests heavy rain & if you cannot reschedule to another date, we will alternatively let you book onto any alternative tour activity which is also running, such as to join a tour inside Christchurch.
- On graduation dates, we may not always be able to enter a college so see graduation dates below:.
- 2025 Graduation dates includes.
- May 16 + 17 + 31, July 19 + 29, Aug 1 + 2 + 9, Sep 26 + 27, Nov 7+ 8+9+14 +15 of 2025.
- We can only fit max 4-5 clients + guide per boat, so larger groups, please ask viator to call us up!.
There is no minimum age for this tour, so bring your wee one along for an adventure. This tour requires at least one adult to accompany children..
Apr 2025If a date or time is not listed on the calendar, it’s sold out or unavailable for another reason. Support cannot assist further if a date or time is not on the calendar.
If you find a date and time that works for you, book it NOW because things always sell out at this time of year.
Apr 2025Accessibility information for the Walking Tour Combined with River Punting Rowing (3 hours duration) is as follows:
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Detailed check-in instructions – including meeting point address, Google map, and parking information – for Walking Tour Combined with River Punting Rowing (3 hours duration) will be included in your confirmation email from Cool Destinations. Please be sure to double and triple check your email address is correct at checkout so this important email makes its way to you!
Mar 2024What's Included
- Please note dates below under section of graduation, university open days, Xmas holidays!
- Life jackets are available free of charge for the boats, by request. Water level averages 2-6 feet
- Max 4-5 persons + guide per boat. Any larger groups, ask viator to call us up for a quote!
- If you opt to request the 1 hour boat hire to handle the boat yourself, please note that if you don't return the boat within the one hour period, the boathouse may use its discretion to charge you a late return penalty fee. This is your responsibility therefore to ensure that you proactively keep an eye on how much time you have left and ensure that you can return the boat along the river in time before your hire period ends.
- No food or drink is included on this tour but the boathouse do offer you opportunity to pay for a picnic hamper & likewise, you may opt to bring your own food & drink onto the boat. If you opt to choose 1 hour boat hire, you are responsible for safe & sensible drinking of any alcohol and responsible handling of the boat, to ensure that you do not damage the boat or other boats & do not lose the oars etc. We cannot be responsible for any penalties which the boathouse (a third party) might see fit to charge you, if you should cause them damages.
- In case of bad weather: unfortunately, we don't permit cancellations but if you give us at least 24 hours notice, then we will accept requests to reschedule the date. If weather forecast suggests heavy rain & if you cannot reschedule to another date, we will alternatively let you book onto any alternative tour activity which is also running, such as to join a tour inside Christchurch.
- On graduation dates, we may not always be able to enter a college so see graduation dates below:
- 2025 Graduation dates includes...
- May 16 + 17 + 31, July 19 + 29, Aug 1 + 2 + 9, Sep 26 + 27, Nov 7+ 8+9+14 +15 of 2025
- We can only fit max 4-5 clients + guide per boat, so larger groups, please ask viator to call us up!
Additional Info
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- In case of bad weather: unfortunately, we don't permit cancellations but if you give us at least 24 hours notice, then we will accept requests to reschedule the date. If weather forecast suggests heavy rain & if you cannot reschedule to another date, we will alternatively let you book onto any alternative tour activity which is also running, such as to join a tour inside Christchurch.
- Please note the river is on average about 6 feet (2m) deep, so any children will automatically be offered a lifebelt but you must notify us if any adults or children in your group cannot swim. Please advise us of this fact, when you book & when you meet the guide & when the boathouse prepare your boat!
- The default schedule for this tour is to first join either the 12.30 walking tour or the 2.30pm walking tour and then the guide will walk you to the boathouse. If your schedule requires you to instead take the boat trip in the morning before you join the walking tour, then you must make this request known and advise what time you can meet us (any time from 10am onwards)
- PLEASE ARRIVE ON TIME:
- Please arrive 5 minutes early for your tour at our meeting point. If you arrive more than 5 minutes later than the scheduled tour, then you will likely forfeit and lose your booking as it interrupts the guide and other customers, if we are trying to find you after a guide has started and left the meeting point.
- INFO FOR DRIVERS AND PARKING:
- If you are driving, then please allow extra 30-60 minutes over whatever time you think it will take you to get here. Oxford is NOT car friendly and it is congested roads and hard to find parking spaces....unless you park at the sign posted 'park and rides' on edge of town on any major road into the city and hop on their buses into city centre. The park and ride buses leave every 15 or every 30 minutes and take anything from 10 min to 30 min (depending on traffic) to reach city centre. So if you are going to drive, then please assume you should be aiming to park your car about one hour before your tour starts.
- PUBLIC TRANSPORT:
- We actually recommend instead using the much faster and reliable train services but again please aim to arrive about an hour or earlier before your tour starts as trains can be delayed and the train and coach station are about 15 minutes walk from our meeting point. There is also the coach service from London called the Oxford Tube which leaves every half hour or more but it can take much longer than its advertised 105 minute journey time. It drops you off either at High street Oxford or Gloucester Green coach station. It's quicker to ask to get off on High street near Carfax tower, then it's a 10 minutes walk to Broad street.
- Max 3-4 persons + guide per boat. Any larger groups, ask viator to call us up for a quote!
- Operated by a business
