Reviewing my recent travel itinerary with a friend, she expressed surprise when I mentioned having spent 4 nights in Oxford. "What's there to do there?" she asked with surprise. She'd limited her trip there to a single day, leaving before sundown. I didn't ask whether she'd visited Oxford's Covered Market but most who come to Oxford seem destined to make a stop here. I mean: how often does one have the opportunity to go to a historic market hall dating back to 1774? In truth, Oxford's Covered Market was a bit less interesting than the market I'd enjoyed in Swansea, where the vendors and offerings were quirkier. But Oxford's has cute shops, lots of places to enjoy food and drink, and if you look up, some cool suspended Alice in Wonderland-themed art (Alice's creator and Alice herself hailed from Oxford). With all there is to see and do in Oxford, do give yourself more than a single day and during that time I'd recommend a visit to their historic Covered Market where I ran into the only other people I knew in Oxford. (See, everyone does come here). read more

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I was really impressed with the range of restaurants offering ethnic foods as well as very competitive prices. I ventured around over lunch time. One Hong Kong cafe place was selling gizzards, other innards, bits of stomach and it was very busy indeed. The diners were all young people and all were oriental with all attaching offal with chopsticks. Many of the kids were wearing their university gowns. As I passed by there was a whiff from some of their food so likely some of it is an acquired taste. I've had sheep's brains, various sweetbreads, fish eyes, heads and lips, chicken's feet, and duck's web but I find as I age I'm reverting back to what I grew up with. It's a closed in marketplace on ground level and there's no spare space. It could be a pickpocket heaven. They also have butcher's shops and they sell a lot of meat pies in the market. I enquired from a few sellers and the pie casing is now vegetable oil - based rather than lard to meet changing tastes. I decided against. It always surprises me for such a small island with some of the finest fish in the ocean around it that fish is not more in demand. If you are nearby it's sure worth an hour. read more

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I love how many places in the UK have these types of markets - makes for a fun way to explore, shop, and eat all under one roof in this case. We were here on a bank holiday so many stalls were not open, but the ones that were were high quality, friendly, and unique. Got myself some gelato and a panini to enjoy while listening to some local musicians. This is a relatively small market, but it does have good variety. read more

Oxford is known for many things - its prestigious university, its buildings with their famous 'dreaming spires' and its beautiful parks and gardens. A lesser-known treasure - tucked away off the main streets - is the historic Oxford Covered Market. Opened in 1774, it's still full of unique and vibrant shops and stalls. After reading the above on line, it was on my list of things to see whilst in Oxford, and it did not disappoint. It is undercover (great if it happens to be raining) and is very historical with lots of cute shops, offering lots of alternative items than the regular shops on oxford high street. A lovely intimate atmosphere. read more

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If your eyes get a little weary from all the museums or collegiate buildings, then the Oxford Covered Market is a great place to check out. It is a mixture of shopping, food stalls, bakeries, and fresh meat and vegetable markets. The variety is huge but you could expect your typical clothing, soap, and jewelry stalls. I really enjoyed staring at all the fresh meats, vegetables, and snacks. I didn't try anything but I do love seeing what is available to the locals and knowing what their cultural foods are. I did buy something from the Helen & Douglas House. It's a second hand store with designated areas for kids, adults, and gift items. I bought a tiny toy robot which I gave to my niece. I think it was less than 3 pounds (currency) and was a steal. One thing not to miss at the Oxford Covered Market is the bakery where you can watch them decorate all kinds of mini cakes. The artwork is really fun and very creative and cute. read more

A nice market old school market to walk through, window shop, and maybe have lunch here. There are plenty of different types of shops to see. Located in the city center it is a good place to relax in between walking around town seeing the sights. It is also a good location to meet up if your part of a large group. read more

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The Covered Market is one of my favorite places to go in Oxford! It's got such great unique shops, cafes and food stalls, including my favorites: Bonners Fruit and Veg and The Natural Buzz. They also have a super cool chocolate and ice cream shop, iScream, and the very popular Moo Moos milkshakes. Bonners has the freshest, sweetest produce that I just can't find in the States. Their peaches have forever ruined all other peaches for me. The Natural Buzz is all vegan, offering smoothies, juices and raw treats. Highly recommend their energy balls, which I had almost every day, and their cakes if you want a healthy alternative for something sweet! Jeong's Dosirak is a cute little Korean lunchbox shop where you can pickup pre-made meals or request one to be made; they prepare the meals fresh everyday though. It's no fancy Korean restaurant, but a great place to grab a meal on the go while sampling a variety of simple Korean staple foods. I feel like I should also mention The Cake Shop, where you can watch them decorate the cakes and cupcakes from outside- the best kind of window shopping! read more

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Amazing atmosphere and so much to do in such a small place. Definitely recommend getting gelato from iScream Gelateria, even in the cold. read more

Oxford Covered Market - Dark chocolate gelato and strawberry sorbet - Farmers Market Near Me - Oxford, OXF

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. read more

This one of my favourite markets ever, I remember visiting for the first time as a young teenager and thinking how cool it was. I like that a lot of the dining selection is pretty standard rather than super fancy and there's a great combination of proper food stalls (butchers, fishmongers etc) with eateries and some shops selling bags, jewellery etc that are genuinely nice and not just overpriced tat. Also is perfect for a rainy day! read more

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. read more

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. read more

Not exactly a new place to see in Oxford, I believe the covered market has been around since 1773. It's a lovely example of a traditional city market, with some great butchers and grocers. If you like meat, the butchers are pretty good (I recommend the sausages, in particular the ones with boar or venison). The only shame for me is that the more traditional stalls have been gradually replaced by modern, slightly touristy outlets. But still a great place to visit if you are in the area. read more

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

One thing i hate about shopping in oxford is that its the same old same old, and you might as well visit Mk Centre to get some real retail therepy. HOWEVER, the covered market is one place i dDO like to go. There are lots of quaint little one of shops and boutiques - and it has a sense of the old fashioned about it. There is a key cutters, a cobblers, an engravers and endless fresh meat butchers and fish mongers. It is not for the faint hearted! I have often seen headless cows or even deer hanging from unforgiving hooks oh and live lobsters and crab at the fish market! If this doesnt take your fancy though, just walk past and go straight to the pie shop (freshly baked pies and they are to die for) or go and look in the window at the cake shop. Those guys have really learnt their trade well! Have fun here :) read more

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. read more

This is a must if you're in Oxford for a few days - visit this little market for the best of Oxford's charm. This has been around for a long long time and now is home to a fantastic variety of shops and cafes - nip in for lunch and a browse around. If you're after food, this is the place to come. There's several butchers selling every kind of meat (try the sausage specialist for a treat!), a cheese specialist, grocers, a fishmongers with crabs and lobsters in tanks and a bakery that does great scones. You can get a great lunch at a variety of cafes or grab a snack - cookies, smoothies, milkshakes and more. Have a good look in the window of the cake decorating shop. Also great for shopping - many clothes shops, jewelery, nick-nacks and flowers. Put an hour aside to have a good look! read more

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. read more

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. read more

I love the Covered Market. It's not necessarily that I buy anything - but just walking around the narrow lanes of the covered market, gazing into the windows of the various shops, takes me back to a much older time, before McDonalds and the chain-stores took over Cornmarket and every other High St in the country. The butchers are hugely evocative, there are beatiful jewellers (I dribble at the Breitling watches), t-shirt shops, knick-knacks and the inevitable cobblers. Oh, and the cafe in the Covered Market does a really good Full English, and sitting there reading the paper is much more enjoyable than sitting in a generic Starbucks. Go there. Whether you live there or not. Don't necessarily expect bargains - most of the stores are pretty expensive - but do enjoy a throwback to past times, drink in the sights and sounds and enjoy a really quirky and irreplaceable part of Oxford. read more

Ecclectic mix of shops, some expensive but also has a Helen House charity shop and some pretty cool cafes. The fish stall is worth a visit just to see the live lobsters! read more

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. read more

The Covered Market is a delightful place to visit - at least so long as you're not a vegetarian, as the dead animals hung outside the butcher's shops are off-putting. It's nice to find lots of little shops which are different from the usual High-Street brands, and there are some nice cafes to stop for a coffee and a panini, to say nothing of Ben's Cookies. I like the jewellry shops the best, with rows of displays arranged by colour, lots of unusual stones and settings. There are also interesting 'ethnic' clothes at Next to Nothing. I enjoy browsing the different shops, and because I usually get lost, it seems different every time! read more

Oxford covered market is like a blast from the past, very old world, very traditional and very quaint, it has a great selection of products on sale through out and lots of delicious eating/drinking places! read more

Brilliant little market full of great shops, both brand and independent. If you're hungry, i recommend Pie Minister - the best pies i've ever tried read more

Oxford Covered Market - Farmers Market Near Me - Oxford, OXF

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very nice place to shop cafe in market mortens cafe nice spaces to walk babys buggys throu to and nice town read more

Very quaint a traditonal market area of old plenty of veg stalls butchery and fish mongers but unfortunately it's getting taken over by coffee shop and sandwich places there are only so many you need in an area so small. You must visit at christmas it's gorgeous. read more

a amazing location in the centre of oxford offering a wide range of shops mostly modern but there are shops there that have been there for many years and have a very local loyal trade to them there really is something for everyone in this covered market i remember when working nearby sitting on most lunch times in the little cafe on the corner of the market this market has a great , warm friendly atmosphere and is a truely unique location that any visitor should visit as much as the locals do, this location has been shown on tv many times a truely amazing location that you must visit . read more

a must see in oxford. many original stores and coffee shops to be discovered.

The covered market is a great place to stroll through, especially when it's raining. Some of the shops are a bit expensive, but there are also things there that you can't get anywhere else in Oxford. Most noteable are Ben's Cookies, where the cookies are always warm, with a moist centre and crunchy outside, and Pie Minister, which makes the most amazing pies I've ever had. I'd personally recommend the mushroom and asperagus one to absolutely anyone! The Mr. Porky and Heidi (featuring sweet potato and goat's cheese) are also particularly spectacular, although I've never been disappointed by any of their selection. These are true English pies, served up right with gravy, mash, and mushy peas, and are a must for anyone visiting from outside the UK. read more

Traditional indoor market with large range of stalls, both toursity and useful. The various produce stalls (Fruit and Veg, several butchers, cheese, fish) all stock good quality products and often you'll find that little something special. A couple of florists that are especially busy around exam time. Then multiple clothing, jewellery and gift shops along with several cafes. read more

This is a really eclectic little market that my daughter and I love to visit. Lots of lovely things you don't need but just want! The food side of it is excellent too, lots of lovely produce to take home and cook with, and fabulous coffee to grab whilst you're there! read more