With so much more to offer than just dreaming spires, Oxford mixes historic architecture with a culture-packed brew of off-beat indie shops, live music and food and drink. Here are our favourite things to do in Oxford.

Oxford’s world famous university might be what brings most visitors to the city, but although the ancient colleges, scurrying undergrads, singing choirs and ringing bells make this a beautiful place to wander, the city has a flip side too. Oxford is a busy, quirky and creative working city, from the multicultural bustle of East Oxford to the historic car plant at Cowley, birthplace of UK motorcar mass-production. (The Mini is still made here – you can tour the factory.)

This mix gives Oxford an edge, and the city has a lively alternative culture that exists in symbiosis with the student population. From the college quads to the independent cafés, here are the top things to do in Oxford for a weekend away.

Friday

Check-in to: Vanbrugh House, a chic boutique hotel in a beautiful 18th-century townhouse a short stroll from the main sights. Lob a learned tome out of a front window and you’d hit the steps of the Oxford Union, home of the renowned debating society. Rooms are eclectic but elegant.

Eat at: The Rickety Press, Jericho. A 15-minute wander away is the hip suburb of Jericho with its terraces of redbrick canal worker’s cottages and cluster of bars, pubs and restaurants. Tucked down a side street, the Rickety Press serves up decadent burgers and imaginative pizzas. The Dirty Bird burger is a good to start the weekend; crispy buttermilk chicken with a smoky mayo sauce.

Have a pint in: The Old Bookbinders Ale House. The name of this cosy family-run pub with a good selection of ales harks back to Jericho’s link with the Oxford University Press, who set up their printing presses in purpose-built headquarters nearby in 1830.