SHA(i)PES of the FUTURE
Oxford Brookes University
9-12 September 2026
Here you can find all the information you need to get TO Oxford, get AROUND Oxford, and much more. Click on any item and/or sub-item on the page to expand it.
FLYING TO THE UK (AND REACHING OXFORD) FROM ABROAD
If you are flying to the UK from another country, you may want to arrive at London Heathrow airport, which is the closest to Oxford (50-60 minutes by coach to reach our campus; add 10-15 to the city centre). Depending on the airline you fly with, alternative airports are London Gatwick, London Luton, London Stansted, London City and – in some cases – even Birmingham and Bristol.
London Heathrow airport
The Airline coach service runs from Heathrow airport Central Bus Station (Stand 14 or 15), close to Terminals 2 and 3; and from Terminal 5 (Stand 10 at the Arrival concourse) (fixed date return ticket is £31.50; flexible return ticket is £35).
If landing at Terminal 4, you will need to take the Underground (either the Elizabeth or Piccadilly Line) to Terminals 2-3 station. It takes 5 minutes and transfer is FREE—just tap a contactless card or phone at the barriers—you will not be charged.
The Airline coach runs every 30 mins or so from about 6.50am until midnight, and every 1-2 hours through the night. It takes between 50 to 60 minutes (from Terminal 5) to reach Oxford (depending on traffic); a little longer from Central Bus Station (Terminals 1, 2 and 3). The route ends at the Coach Station in Oxford city centre; however, if you are alighting at Oxford Brookes University, you must get off much earlier—the driver calls all the stops in advance. Check The Airline website for fares, timetables, payment options (e.g. cash to driver, online booking).
London Gatwick airport
The Airline coach runs from South Terminal Lower Forecourt (Stands 1&2) and from North Terminal Lower Forecourt (Stands 4&5) at Gatwick airport (fixed date return ticket is £40.50; flexible return ticket is £45).
It runs hourly from about 7am to 11pm, and every 2 hours through the night. It takes about two to two-and-a-half hours to reach Oxford, depending on traffic. Check The Airline website for fares, timetables, payment options (i.e. cash to driver, online booking).
London Luton and Stansted airports
The National Express 737 coach runs from Stansted and Luton airports up to eight times daily (return tickets from £24).
Please be aware that Stansted airport in particular is quite far from Oxford and travelling by coach from there can take you up to 4 and a half hours as it makes several stops along the way. Travel time from Luton is around 2 hours.
An alternative route—albeit one that requires changing various means of transportation—is to reach London via the Stansted Express train, alight at Liverpool Street Station, take the Tube (i.e. the London Underground), and then the Oxford Tube coach service operated by Stagecoach (from Marble Arch) to Oxford, or a train from either Paddington or Marylebone rail stations (see below). From Stansted you can also take the National Express A8 coach service to Victoria Station in London (one every 30 minutes; travel time around 2 hours—check fares on website), and then the Oxford Tube coach service from there to Oxford (single tickets are £15 on the app or £18.50 online or on board; return tickets are £23 on the app, £28 online or on board—if purchasing tickets on the Oxford Tube app remember to activate them shortly before boarding). Without traffic, these combined routes may save you about one hour compared to the National Express 737.
For more information on any of the services mentioned please visit:
- National Express
- Stansted Express train to London
- London Underground
- Stagecoach Oxford Tube
- National Rail
Birmingham airport
Virgin trains to Oxford run from Birmingham International station (connected to the airport by the free Air-Rail Link) every 30 mins from about 7am to 11pm, and every two hours through the night. Travel time is about one hour. Return tickets cost from around £24 but may vary dramatically the closer to the travel date or during peak hours. For more information and timetables visit National Rail.
VISAS, ETAs AND BORDER CONTROL
For any information regarding travelling to the UK from your country, the official source of reference should be the Visas and immigration website of the UK government. For your convenience, here below is a summary of the main things to keep in mind.
First of all, check online if you need a visa or an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) here. Select your country from the drop-down list, then “Work, academic visit or business” as the reason for your visit, and “6 months or less”—the conditions that apply to your country will then be displayed.
From some countries (e.g. Australia and others) you may not need a visa to “go to a conference, meeting or training”; but remember that you will still need to “show officers at the UK border that you’re eligible for a Standard Visitor visa, even if you don’t need one”, which normally means your valid passport or other travel document.
Note: following post-Brexit rules, national identity cards are no longer accepted for most travellers entering UK airports. Unless you fall under specific exempt groups, most EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens must present a valid passport to clear border control.
If you do need to obtain a visa, then you should request a Standard Visitor visa, which in most cases costs £135 (as of August 2026). You should be able to apply online from most countries, but the procedure may vary, and it might take up to 3 weeks to get a response, so plan your time accordingly. All the relevant information is available here (select “Visit as an academic”).
TRAVELLING FROM LONDON
If you are travelling to Oxford from London (including if you land at London City airport) the best option is to use the local transport network (i.e. Tube, Overground and/or buses) to reach either one of the stops of the Oxford Tube coach service or one of the rail stations for train services.
By coach (Oxford Tube service)
The Oxford Tube is the direct motorway coach service from London, running as often as every 20 minutes most of the day, every 30 minutes late evenings and hourly right through the night. Travel time is 90-120 minutes depending on traffic and departing point. Pay the driver, book online or (cheaper) by using the app.
In Central London you can hop on at:
- Victoria Coach Station
- Grosvenor Square (opposite Victoria Station – Note: this is the rail station, not the coach station)
- Hyde Park/Marble Arch
- Notting Hill Gate
- Shepherd’s Bush
The coach will drop you off right outside Oxford Brookes University Headington Campus as well as in Oxford city centre. For more information, please visit the Stagecoach Oxford Tube website.
By train
Trains for Oxford depart from both Paddington and Marylebone stations in Central London. Trains depart approximately every 15-30 minutes throughout the day, and every 30 minutes in the late evening. The journey time is about 60-75 minutes. If travelling from Marylebone, make sure to alight at Oxford Rail Station rather than Oxford Parkway, which is far away from the city centre.
Rail travel can be quite expensive (and, often, inefficient) in the UK. Booking tickets in advance is cheaper; do plan your journeys ahead but always check travel restrictions (e.g. in most cases a reduced fare will only allow you to travel on a specific train or during ‘off peak’ hours).
For more information about train travel to and from Oxford Rail Station see National Rail.
From Oxford Rail Station, you can reach Oxford Brookes University either by bus (catch the 400 bus outside the station concourse) or taxi.
By taxi
Taxis to Oxford from the airports and from Central London are very expensive. We advise travelling by coach or train. If you decide to use a taxi anyway, book in advance, so that the taxi will be at the airport or other pick-up address to meet you. Fares will vary depending on which airport you are arriving at or point of departure in London, but—as a rough indication they range between £90 and £150 per taxi.
TRAVELLING FROM OTHER UK REGIONS
By train
There are direct train services to Oxford from many UK towns and cities, many at least hourly and sometimes half-hourly. For other places, there is usually a simple change en route at Birmingham or Reading, or in London.
For details of train services and timetable information, please visit the National Rail enquiries website.
By coach
Direct coach services to Oxford are run by National Express from Bath, Bristol, Birmingham, Coventry, Leeds, Sheffield, Bournemouth and Southampton.
For more information and timetable information, please visit the National Express website.
TRAVELLING BY CAR AND PARKING
We strongly advise to not come by car unless absolutely necessary, since parking is very restricted (and expensive) in the whole city of Oxford. Moreover, a congestion charge of £5/day has been introduced in the past few months; details and maps are available HERE. If you do get into Oxford by car, you have until midnight of the following day to pay online. In short, you would need to factor in the congestion charge plus £4-6 for every hour of parking. Most car parks operate either “pay and display” metres or via parking apps (e.g. RingGo, JustPark): all of them require you to choose a duration and pay in advance. One exception being the underground car park of the Westgate Shopping Centre, where you pay at the end of your stay.
Instead, we recommend you use the Park and Ride bus services: £3 will buy you 16 hours of parking and a return bus ticket for up to two adults and three children. Park & Ride car parks are clearly signposted as you approach the city and service is frequent all day and through the evening. The P&R closest to Brookes University is Thornhill.
Driving to Oxford
From the south (London) – take the M40 northbound, leave at junction 8 and follow the signs for Oxford along the A40. Within the city limits, the A40 becomes London Road: once there, follow the signs for the city centre. However, note that Headington Campus is located way before you reach the city centre.
From the north (Birmingham, Coventry) – take the M40 southbound, leave at junction 8a and follow the signs for Oxford along the A40 (this option bypasses exiting at junction 9 and using the A34 which tends to have much heavier traffic). Then follow the signs for the city centre on London Road as above.
If you are driving to Oxford via another route, on approaching Oxford you would normally take the By-Pass (i.e. Ring Road) at one of the main junctions/interchanges: Botley from West, North Oxford, Headington from East/South-East, or Redbridge from South; the A34 from South-West merges directly in to the Ring Road. Whichever direction you come from, drive round the Ring Road until you reach the Headington roundabout and then follow the signs to the city centre as above. NOTE: Botley Road (coming from the West) is currently closed to through-traffic before the main rail station, meaning you won’t be able to drive through the city centre. Moreover, roadworks have mushroomed up along the Ring Road in the past few weeks, causing frequent congestions—don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Parking at Headington Campus
Car parking is severely restricted and we can’t offer you a parking permit. Free parking in the surrounding area is almost non-existent or, where available, limited to 2-3 hours.
If you are using satellite navigation, the postcode required is OX3 0BP.
We would advise booking your accommodation as soon as possible after you receive acknowledgement of acceptance of your paper (or other submission). Oxford being a university city and a popular tourist destination, late August/early September tends to be a busy time—although, to be fair, any time throughout the year is in fact rather “lively”. Unfortunately, we were not able to obtain discounted rates from nearby guest houses/hotels. They all blame it on Booking.com sucking up a huge share of their daily rates, which makes offering discounted rates to us unaffordable for them.
Here below you can find a downloadable PDF with many (although not all) accommodation options (and some links to websites), grouped by proximity to our campus.
As you know, we’ll have catering throughout the conference (including lunches on Thursday, Friday and Saturday). Furthermore, we have the wine reception on Wednesday (which includes some light nibbles) and the Conference Dinner on Friday (if you chose to sign up for it). For your Wednesday lunch, Thursday or Saturday dinner, and Sunday meals (if you are staying the weekend), Oxford offers plenty of choice and types of cuisines. It would be impractical to list all the restaurants, gastropubs, pizzerias, dining bars etc. but here below is a list of the areas where you will find most of them.
- CITY CENTRE: the oldest area is known as the Maze because of its medieval cobblestoned alleyways and walled pathways. It is cut through by the High Street and limited by Cornmarket Street and Broad Street. You can find many eating joints in this area. If you are looking for good food albeit a bit pricey, you might want to try Gusto or The Ivy; for cheaper/quicker options, head inside the historic Covered Market where you can eat Lebanese wraps, Neapolitan pizza and panuozzi, Spanish tapas, Ethiopian treats, British, Thai, and more. If you fancy rooftop bars, climb up the Varsity Club. Beyond Cornmarket Street is the shopping area of the city centre. You will find several dining options at the Westgate mall (Indian, Nepalese, Mexican, Lebanese, BBQ and street food, Japanese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, and much more). Other thoroughfares with plenty of choice are in the area around Gloucester Green (e.g. George Street, St Michael’s Street, Queen Street down to Oxford Castle, New Inn Hall Street and the many alleyways in-between).
- JERICHO: this neighbourhood not far off the city centre takes its name from the local Jericho Tavern. You can find great food and lots of cafes in Little Clarendon Street and along Walton Street (past the Oxford University Press building).
- COWLEY ROAD and ST. CLEMENTS: halfway between our Brookes’s campus and the city centre, this is Oxford’s multiethnic neighbourhood. Well, all neighbourhoods are in Oxford, but this one concentrates the most dining places: Greek, Moroccan, Lebanese, Palestinian, Italian, Chinese, Indian, Polish, Turkish, Nepalese and more.
- HEADINGTON: you can find a few dining places (gastropubs, Indian, Lebanese, Italian etc.) along London Road (in the area known as Headington Shops) or further up in Old Headington near St. Andrew’s Church. But check closing times as these ones tend to close earlier than the joints in the city centre.
- SUMMERTOWN: fifteen minutes on foot north of the city centre, dining places are mainly found along Banbury Road (past Marston Ferry Road) and South Parade (which is a street far off north of North Parade; don’t ask why).
LOCAL TRANSPORT
BUSES: Bus stops are located just outside on the main road (i.e. Headington Road).
- To/From City Centre (limited to High St.): lines 8 and 9. Without traffic it takes about 10 minutes: with traffic, double the time.
- To/From City Centre and train station: 400. At least 20 minutes.
- To/From City Centre and St. Aldates/Abingdon Rd. (South of city centre): X32. About 20 minutes; more with traffic.
- To/From Cowley Road: 9 and 10. About 10-20 minutes, depending on how far along.
- To/From Headington/London Road (East of campus): 8 and 400. It takes only 5 minutes.
- To/From Summertown (North Oxford): 700. Factor in at least 20 minutes; more with traffic.
A typical fare for a Single ticket is £2.80; a Day ticket is £4.50. You can purchase tickets directly from the driver when you hop on the bus (card or phone payments only). It’s customary to thank the driver when getting off the bus.
You can find routes, maps, timetables and fares on the Oxford Bus Company website.
TAXIS: If you need a taxi, there are three main choices. 1) The typical British hackney black cab (although sometimes it comes in other colours too) can only be hailed in the street while it passes by or at specific taxi rank, e.g. at the rail station. 2) You can call an Uber via the app. 3) You can phone one of the other taxi companies to book in advance (no hailing in the street for these ones). Here below are the contact details:
- ABC Radio Cars: (+44) (0)1865 242424
- Royal Cars: (+44) (0)1865 777333
- 001 Taxis: (+44) (0)1865 240000
- Go Green Taxis: (+44) (0)1865 922222
Indicatively, black cabs and Uber are somewhat more expensive but usually more efficient: a ride from our campus to the city centre with them is around £10-12 compared to £6-8 with book-in-advance taxis (£6 is the minimum fare).
OPEN DOORS
Are you staying a little longer in Oxford once the conference has ended? Then you must not miss OPEN DOORS!
Every year, several historic buildings, cultural spaces, and special events across the city open their doors to the public for FREE on the second weekend of September – another good reason for picking this year’s dates for the conference. It is unlikely that you’ll have time on Saturday 12; but there’s still plenty to explore on Sunday 13. Click on the image below to visit the website of the Oxford Preservation Trust to find all the details. Essentially, there are two types of events: Drop-in (meaning that you check what, where and when and just go there) and Bookable (usually guided visits/tours at set times with capped numbers). If you are interested in any of the latter, we warmly recommend to BOOK NOW! So, browse the lists of the website and see what picks your fancy.
Our favourites (in no particular order): Bodleian Libraries, Divinity School, Bartlemas Chapel, Balliol College, Lincoln College Library, Magdalen College, St. John’s College, Merton College, The Painted Room, St. Mary’s Church (and its tower), Carfax Tower, Oxford Castle Prison, St Edmund Hall and the beautiful Holywell Cemetery – all in the city centre.
WHAT TO SEE
FOR FREE (photographed by every single person who comes to Oxford)
- Radcliffe Camera (it’s a working library so you can’t get inside)
- The Bridge of Sighs (Hertford Bridge)
- Covered Market
MUSEUMS AND THE LIKES
- Ashmolean Museum (blend the British Museum and the National Gallery together and you get the Ash)
- University Church and Tower of St Mary the Virgin (great view of the city centre; lots of steep narrow steps to climb though)
- Bodleian Library (look for the stunning Duke Humfrey’s Library and the Divinity School)
- Sheldonian Theatre
- History of Science Museum (a gem, with Newton’s and Galileo’s instruments, and Einstein’s blackboard with the equation of the expansion of the universe)
- Museum of Natural History (simply amazing! Just restored)
- Pitt Rivers Museum (inside the Natural History one)
- The Saxon Tower of St Michael at the North Gate
- Carfax Tower
- Oxford Castle & Prison
- Museum of Oxford
- Modern Art Oxford
- The Story Museum
HISTORIC COLLEGES
- St John’s (possibly the most beautiful)
- Magdalen (Oscar Wilde, Seamus Heaney, C.S. Lewis, Erwin Schrödinger, John Eccles… should we go on?)
- Christ Church (the most popular: Alice, Harry Potter, Henry VIII, etc.)
- Merton (the oldest, possibly… and Tolkien’s)
- New College (one of the oldest, despite the name)
- St Edmund’s (with its library inside the church)
- Exeter
- Brasenose
- Jesus
- Lincoln
- Trinity
- Balliol
- Worcester
PARKS AND GREENS
- South Park (huge meadow sloping down from Brookes towards the city centre)
- Headington Hill Park (this one too, next to Brookes)
- Oxford Botanic Garden
- Christ Church Meadow (beautiful walks along the Cherwell River and all the way down to the River Thames – which, in Oxford, we call Isis)
- Magdalen College Deer Park (that’s right; there’s a deer sanctuary right in the city centre inside the college)
- University Parks (the “other” university’s; just North of the city centre)
- Holywell Cemetery (a gem)
- Port Meadow (beautiful expanse, but quite far from the city centre)
THEATRES
- Oxford Playhouse
- New Theatre Oxford
CINEMAS
- Phoenix
- Ultimate Picture Palace
- Curzon multiscreen
OUTSIDE OXFORD
- Blenheim Park and Palace (in Woodstock village)
- Villages on the Cotswolds Hills (e.g. Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold, Lower Slaughter, Minster Lovell)
AND IF YOU FANCY SOME PUNTING…
- Magdalen Bridge Boathouse
- Cherwell Boathouse (in North Oxford)
GALLERIES
VINTAGE OXFORD (source: http://www.oxfordvisit.com)
TV OXFORD (source: guess the TV series this shots are taken from. Unfortunately, you won’t win anything if you get it right.)
OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY
MORE CITY CENTRE
Emergencies
The all-purpose emergency phone number is 999 (112 works as well, but it simply redirects you to 999 anyway). The operator will ask you to specify the type of emergency: i.e. ambulance, police, fire brigade.
Climate / Weather
Weather in Oxford in early/mid-September tends to be fairly mild, with average temperatures of 15-19°C, and 20% chance of rain (i.e. roughly 1 in 5 days), although of course there is no way to predict whether it’s going to be mostly sunny, cloudy or rainy during your stay as the weather here can be quite variable year on year – for example, so far this Summer has been quite hot and dry.
Consulates / Embassies
There are no foreign representations in Oxford. You can check the nearest embassy/consulate for your country here.
Crime / Safety
Oxford is a relatively quiet city, with crime rate well below (0.3) the national average, of which violent crime rates below 40%. However, petty crime (e.g. pickpocketing, theft and similar) tends to be more frequent in touristy areas as you might expect. In case of emergency, you should call 999 and/or report any incident to the Thames Valley Police.
Currency
The UK’s national currency is the pound sterling (£). You can change money in your country or in the UK at bureaux de change on high streets, in airports and at major railway stations, banks, travel agents and money transfer services. Normally, it is much cheaper to change your money once in Oxford: the best rates are at Senli in Golden Cross (in the City Centre), who does not charge commission either.
Sometimes banks and bureaux de change in other countries will sell you Scottish or Northern Irish banknotes; while these are the exact same value as English notes, some shops might not accept them. You can exchange them for English notes in any bank, however.
ATM machines are available for withdrawal outside every bank, in shopping centres and some supermarkets. There is one ATM machine on campus (in the Gibbs building, at the back of the main building). ATM’s won’t usually charge you a commission when withdrawing cash, but be aware that your bank could. You can buy cash in most grocery shops as well when paying at the till.
All that said, who uses cash nowadays, right? Visa and Mastercard are accepted anywhere; whereas, AMEX is rarely accepted in the UK (don’t know why). If you have a global account card (e.g. Revolut, Wyse) that will save you time and money.
Driving
If you have a non-UK driving license, you can check here if you can drive with your license. However, remember that we drive on the left-hand side of the road.
Car rentals are available at all airports and in Oxford (although not close to the city centre) and daily rates are fairly accessible.
Speed in the UK is measured in miles per hour (mph) as opposed to Km/h. Speed limits in Oxford are 20 mph (30 Km/h) in most local area streets, and 30 mph (50 Km/h) on high streets and major road arteries.
Free parking is a rarity in Oxford, and public parking is usually by apps or (less and less frequently) park metres operated either by card or (less and less) cash. Hourly parking fare tend to be quite expensive: £3-4 per hour when it’s cheap. For more details, see the Travelling by car and parking section of the website.
Electricity
The voltage in the UK is 220/240 AC, 50 Hz. Electrical plugs have three rectangular pins and fuses of 3, 5 and (most frequently) 13 A. If you come from abroad, you will need a suitable adaptor for appliances such as laptops and phone chargers. Most hotels will have two-pronged European-style sockets for shavers only.
Medical care
Hopefully you will never need this; however, should you suffer a serious incident or a potentially life-threatening condition that require an ambulance you should call 999 immediately by phone or even by SMS text (112 works too, but it simply redirects you to 999).
In case of minor injuries, you should call 111 instead – basically whenever you need urgent medical help or advice but your situation is not life-threatening.
Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) is a world-renowned centre of clinical excellence and one of the largest in the UK, including four hospitals. If you are in an emergency and need to be seen urgently, the A&E (Accidents and Emergencies) is located at the John Radcliffe Hospital (aka “the JR” by everyone in Oxford).
Delegates from the EU and Switzerland can still use a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to access necessary, state-provided (i.e. not private) medical care in the UK. Basic services like accident and emergency (A&E) or other urgent or medically necessary treatment that cannot wait until you return home are free, but other treatments may require the card to avoid direct charges.
Delegates from all other countries should check their own insurance covers (travel and health – most universities include both when travelling for work).
Pharmacies are identified by the green cross and are normally open 9-5.30 from Monday to Friday and on Saturday morning until 12 noon (although Boots in the city centre has a pharmacy too, which stays open until 7pm on weekdays, and is also open on Sunday until 4pm). You will be able to purchase over-the-counter products for which a prescription is not required. Most common over-the-counter medicines (e.g. ipuprofen, paracetamol) are also widely available in supermarkets and grocery shops. If you are on any prescribed medication, though, we strongly recommend you bring with you all that you need during your stay in the UK. Usefully, pharmacies also offer medical advice for minor health issues.
Finally, if you are unexpectedly taken ill during the conference, do seek help from our trained first aider (Paolo) and call either 999 and/or the campus security services. A defibrillator is available in the conference building.
Opening hours
Most shops (including those in the historic Covered Market) are generally open Monday-Saturday from 10 until 5.30. However, it is not unusual for some shops to open on Sunday as well, from 11 till 4.
Big shopping centres (e.g. Westgate) are normally open until 9 or 10 pm. The Covered Market remains open in the evening on Thursday, Friday and Saturday although limited to dining outlets.
Smoking
Smoking in workplaces and enclosed public spaces is illegal in the UK and is not permitted anywhere at the conference venue.
Telephones
The UK country telephone code is +44. Oxford local area code is 01865 but you don’t need to dial the 0 if calling from abroad. And remember that public telephones are essentially non-existent.
Visitors from the EU/EEA might still be able to use roaming services on their mobile phones without additional charges but it’s always best to check with your provider.
The UK network uses either the 900 or 1800 GSM system. Although most recently issued iPhones and smartphones are compatible, it is always a good idea to check yours is as well. You may also need to inform your network operator in advance of your trip so the “roaming” facility can be enabled.
Time difference
The time zone in the UK on the conference dates will be GMT/BST or UTC+1 (DST – Daylight Saving Time – is in use from end of March to end of October). There are many websites and apps available to check the time difference with your country.
Tipping
Tipping is not usually expected in the UK as all staff must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage and employers are banned from topping up wages with tips from customers. Although not necessary, if you feel like tipping anyway, it will be appreciated. For example:
Hotel porters: £2
Taxi drivers: round up the fare to the nearest pound, especially if the driver helps you with your luggage.
Restaurants: often (although not always) a service charge will be added to your bill. If not, a tip of around 10% is fairly standard. But if you don’t tip, nobody gets offended.