Oxford Covered Market

Had a nostalgic trip back with my kids having lived here for several years pre-​children. Taking 1 star off for being packed… not the market’s fault, just want to alert any claustrophobes out there. It was 3 days before Christmas so the whole of central Oxford was packed. It’s fun to window shop, actual shop, eat, people watch, good tourist souvenirs (my 12 year old is proudly walking around wearing an Oxford University sweatshirt… guess that means she’s never going to be an actual student there!) This may sound weird but the butcher’s and pie shop are spectacular to look at and buy from. My slightly delicate California kids were a little alarmed to see whole pig, deer, pheasant carcasses (spelling?) strung up outside but that’s what travelling is all about, right: new sights, sounds and smells.

One of the nicest markets I have frequented, along with the Guildhall Market in Bath. A plethora of shopping opportunities that makes it kind of easy to part with your cash. It caters for all aspects of shopping ie fish, fruit, veg, traditional clothing and if your into PIES, then try Pie Minister.
20÷12÷12
A late entry. just to say that ONE of the pleasures of returning to Oxford at this time of year is the wonderful feeling and decoration in the market. It just smacks of goodwill and an abundant ambience of bustled peace! THE only place to be. for me.

Une vraie valeur sûre, ce marché couvert, en plein centre.
C’est là que j’allais ravitailler mon estomac de continentale, régulièrement. Parce que les supermarchés, en Angleterre, ça peut être moyen
Je me souviens qu’une fois, une fillette de moins de 10 ans y faisait seule la mendicité, pendant les heures de cours.
La réponse n’avait pas tardé à sa main tendue: Mais tu n’as pas honte, tu sais bien qu’à cette heure-​ci, tu devrais être en classe !. La petite blondinette n’avait apparemment jamais entendu quelqu’un lui parler de cette façon !

Great place to wander around, grab a gooey stodgy bit of heaven from Ben’s Cookies, have a coffee or bite to eat. Buy a new pair of shoes, or a quick banana.
If in Oxford well worth a wander. Also some good shops on the outside of the market though in the same city block accessed from the street so don’t miss them out.

I love the covered market in Oxford so many little shops, food, clothes
always can find a neat bargain or something special loving it if your Oxford you def. should go here.

Lovely city centre market in oxford. One of the nicest of these kind of markets that I have been to, but a traditional sweet shop/​stand of some sort and a bit more variety to the food options (sandwiches…everywhere!) would improve it to a 5 star.

The Covered Market in Oxford, though perhaps not on every tourists ‘must visit’ list, is perhaps as unique as some of the more famous buildings around town. You can spend hours wandering around the variety of shops available. There is a definite preponderance towards food shops, one’s I would definitely recommed are:
Ben’s Cookies — Their cookies are far better than the mass produced fare available elsewhere
Moomoos — Slightly further along from the above, milkshakes available in the flavour of every chocolate you could imagine!
Chocoholics — Chocolate, of all sorts! Excellent for presents
Ricardos — One of the nicer small sandwich shops.
As well as this there are a number of tourist shops, jewelry and bag shops, cobblers, keymakers, vegetable stalls and other traditional stores.
Make sure you visit it during the day, as it closes at 5pm and is not open on Sundays.

Interesting place and i love the food outlets.
always surprised thats its closed on Sundays

I absolutely love browsing the little shops and stalls here. It feels exotic yet quintessentially English, stylish but down-​to-​earth, just very different from the noise of the high street and the everyday shops of Cornmarket Street.
The best places:
Ben’s Cookies — warm, soft, melting cookies.
Moo Moos — milkshakes with any combination of sweet things you could imagine.
Hot Chocology — specialist chocolates from around the world and hot chocolate to die for.
The Cake Shop — just peek through the window to see the most amazing cakes and decorations being crafted.
(Warning: don’t do all of these in the same visit unless you’re incredibly sweet-​toothed!)
There are some great delicatessen type shops, as well as a leather shop, a retro household goods store, a lovely dress shop and a slogan t-​shrit shop. Prices range from about average to almost designer boutique, all adding to the great mix and out-​of-​this-​world feeling.

Oxford’s covered market is excellent, with interesting little mini shops selling all sorts of odd stuff along with nice little cafes and food stalls to tempt your wallets and purses from their safe hiding places.
This is however, the more sophisticated end of the covered market world and seems geared more for tourist interest.
Everything is neat and sanitised and resembles a quaint shopping mall with individual shop premises, rather than a vibrant and bustling market place.
(If you want the sights and smells of the real old fashioned covered markets, with the banter of dyed in the wool market people, then probably find good examples around the country, such as those at Cardiff or Swansea or the Bullring in Birmingham.)
This one definitely recommended though, for its own qualities.