Oxford Pub Tour

Oxford thinking applied to drinking!
Fun and interesting history of ale and Oxford pubs, dating back to 1242
Oxford drinking traditions explained along with why a pub has over 4,000 ties on it’s wall’s!

The Footprints Ale Trail provides a fun spin on Oxford pub tours, where you will visit some of the oldest pubs in Britain and learn their history, as well as the history of ale itself, including how beer has been blessed by Catholic popes, built the pyramids of Egypt, developed technology, and ultimately, saved the world.  Like all aspects of British history, a wealth of tradition and old fashioned customs render these pubs and their stories as rich and unpredictable as the drink itself.  We present the tour in the style that Footprints has become famous for, and we promise that you will think about ale in a totally new way after taking this Oxford pub tour!

Don’t know where to find the best Oxford pubs down Oxford’s quiet, winding roads and alleyways? Our English Ale Trail tours the best traditional Oxford pubs around the city centre, visiting some of the oldest pubs in England. During the tour we provide you with an insight into “real ale”, how it is made, and how this process has changed over time. Being Footprints, we also include the important quirky aspect of its history, talking about some of the bizarre rituals attached to its consumption.

No history of ale can be complete without talking about where we drink it. During our Oxford pub tours we make sure to visit Oxford pubs with the sort of medieval architecture you would expect. The stories attached to the development of these pubs are as diverse and rich as the history of the town itself. We also include stories surrounding a few drunken episodes of famous graduates.

You must book in advance and be aged 18 or older (sorry!)