Oxford Street

Known for its fashion, technology, beauty, and entertainment hubs, Oxford Street happens to be one of the largest shopping streets in the entire world. With more than 300 budget and branded stores, this street offers its visitors approximately 1.5 miles of unmatched shopping experience. If you're considering Europe tour packages, be sure to include a visit to Oxford Street in your itinerary to indulge in a shopping spree like no other.

Running from Marble Arch Station on the West to Tottenham Court Road Station on the East, this popular street is home to best high-street brands like Topshop, River Island, John Lewis, and many more. Whether you are a shopaholic, a foodie, or an entertainment seekers, Oxford Street has it all.

With a number of iconic pubs and bars standing on its platform, this place also boasts an amazing nightlife. In addition to all these, the street also has pretty corners that can offer the fashionistas the chance to click some stunning Instagramable pictures.  

Oxford Street is frequented by shoppers with all budgets. That said, the smaller departmental shops are mostly located towards the Tottenham Court Road while the bigger departmental shops are situated mostly between the Oxford Circus and Marble Arch.

From Tottenham Court Road to Oxford Circus, one can find shops such as American Apparel, Next, and Topshop while the area between Bond Street and Oxford Circus is covered with more big-named shops such as Debenhams, Zara, Gap, and H&M.

From Bond Street to Marble Arch, it is the area of a few more popular and eminent shops like Marks & Spencer, Selfridges, Primark, and New Look. From Denmark Street and Charing Cross to the extreme south-east one can spot shops dealing in musical instruments and books while on Edgware Road one can find shops specializing in electronic goods.

• Oxford Street London is the busiest shopping street with more than 300 shops.
• Marble Arch and Tottenham court road station are located on both sides of the street, and the street is dissected halfway via Regent Street, where you can explore famous Nash terraces and the new Apple store.
• Oxford Street houses big department stores like Debenhams, House of Fraser, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, and various flagship stores like Topshop stores, Adidas, H&M, and Nike.
• You can also explore small stores where they can find food & drinks music, sportswear, games & toys, electrical goods, jewellery, shoes, and clothes.
• Various hotels are conveniently located within walking distance on the street where you can eat, shop and explore. Oxford Street is also home to more than 500 restaurants and you can easily find a good restaurant within 5- 10 minutes of walking. Visitors will have plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner choices. You can take your pick from various luxurious hotels to alfresco dining at the St. Christopher’s Palace.

History Of Oxford Street

In the time of Shakespeare, today’s world famous Oxford Street wasn’t even considered to be a part of the London city. Then known as Tyburn Road, the street connected the city to Tyburn village, which was the source of water for London. 

Condemned prisoners used to be driven to Tyburn Road from Holborn with huge crowds throwing rotten eggs at them. The prisoners were finally executed roughly at the place where today’s Marble Arch rests. In the bygone times, today’s Oxford Street happened to be the primary Roman trail leading westwards from London city, and was actually the route to Oxford.

However, this is not how the street got its present name. Until the eighteenth century, the street represented London’s northmost periphery, with fields on the northern side leading toward Mary le Bone village. These open fields were owned by the earl of Oxford, Edward Harley. It was actually for Harley that the street got its present name back in the year 1739.  

In the nineteenth century, Oxford Street became a hub for independent traders and shoppers. The street was dotted on both sides with small shops selling wares including homeware, clothing's, and accessories. 

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Travelers' Tip Before Visiting Oxford Street

- Some stores on Oxford Street do not let visitors enter with suitcases and backpacks. So, avoid carrying them here. 

- When strolling through Oxford Street, make sure you take a walk across some of the side lanes since these lanes are packed with several stunning architectural marvels.

- If you wish to experience Oxford Street without the huge crowds, consider visiting the place at 9 AM, just after the important shops open. Avoid visiting the street from 6 PM to 7 PM and from 11 AM to 1 PM as the place remains very crowded during these periods of the day.

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By Bus :Take bus via route 159, 139, 137, 113, 98, 94, 88, 73, 53, 25, 23, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, and 3.

By Train: The nearest train station near Oxford Street London is Paddington, and it takes about 30 minutes to walk from there to reach the Oxford street. The tourist can hire a cycle or a cab to reach there from the station.

By Tube: Oxford Street boasts of five different underground stations within the walking distances. These are Bond street via Central and Jubilee lines, Oxford circus via the Bakerloo, Central, and Victoria line, Piccadilly circus via the Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines, Tottenham Court Road via the Central and Northern lines and Marble Arch via the Central line.

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