Oxford's retail runs on two tracks: a 125-shop modern centre at Westgate, and lanes of independents that have traded for centuries. This three-day route works the Covered Market, Jericho and Cowley Road first, saving antiquarian prints and stationery for last.
Trading since 1774 under a listed roof, four lanes hold 40-odd traders: Ben's Cookies (founded here in 1984, about £2.20 each), Cardew's loose-leaf teas, Hamblin Fine Foods cheeses and Nothing But Antiques.
A sunken square behind the bus station: Wednesday is antiques and flea, Thursday and Saturday bring 70-plus stalls of secondhand books, retro denim, silver, vinyl and street food from around 08:00 to 16:00.
A single-room hardware shop at 6 Market Street stocking well-made everyday tools: Japanese kitchen knives, Sheffield scissors, horsehair brushes, beeswax candles, enamelware and hand-forged garden implements from small makers.
TOAD works out of the old South Park depot on Cheney Lane, distilling from heritage rye and wheat grown on Oxfordshire farms. The bottle shop sells Physic Gin, Ashmolean Dry and Oxford Rye Whisky.
A 200-metre parade running from St Giles' to Walton Street, lined with independents rather than chains: Uncle Sam's vintage Americana at No. 25, clothing boutiques, gift shops and delis, with pavement tables outside most of them.
At 94 Walton Street, the counter carries British and continental cheeses cut to order, plus chutneys, crackers and cured meats. Toasted sandwiches are made on the spot and the staff will vacuum-pack for travel.
Run by the founders of Truck Festival at 101 Cowley Road, this record shop stacks new and secondhand vinyl across indie, jazz and electronic, hosts in-store gigs, and sits among Cowley Road's charity shops and delis.
Opened in October 2017 on the old Westgate site, it holds roughly 125 shops over three levels with John Lewis as anchor, plus a rooftop terrace of bars and restaurants above the shopping floors.
Open since 1879 at No. 48-51, its Norrington Room holds around three miles of shelving in a basement dug under Trinity College — once listed as the largest single room selling books anywhere.
At 83 St Aldate's, the sweet shop Alice Liddell actually visited and that Tenniel drew into Through the Looking-Glass. It now sells Wonderland chess sets, pocket watches, prints and editions in a room barely five metres wide.
Antiquarian prints and maps at 104 High Street, dealing since 1940: engraved city plans, college views, botanical plates and satirical prints, with unframed sheets browsable in plan chests. Antiques on High sits a few doors along.
A cramped, candlelit room at 3 Turl Street stacked with Venetian marbled paper, leather journals, wax seals, glass dip pens, fountain pens and masks — the closest Oxford gets to a Florentine cartoleria.