Oxford has prestige written all over it. This is the oldest university in the English-speaking world, and over the course of nearly 1000 years, it has educated some of the most influential players in Western civilization. Students around the world aspire to join the ranks of Adam Smith, Oscar Wilde, Stephen Hawking, and Bill Clinton—not to mention 26 British prime ministers and 12 saints.

But if you can’t join ’em, you might as well visit ’em. The city has plenty to entertain travelers of all persuasions: stunning college courtyards, centuries-old pubs, leafy river paths, rowdy clubs, and shops galore. During term time, rub shoulders with Oxford’s thousands of students; in the summer, the colleges empty, and the city is filled with tourists and summer-school students. Unlike Cambridge, though, once you get outside of the center’s ancient streets and medieval architecture, Oxford feels surprisingly like a modern city. Don’t limit yourself to the sights you’ve seen on postcards and in Harry Potter; the city rewards those willing to take the short trek to the more outlying neighborhoods or venture down its tiny side streets (well, maybe not the Knockturn Alley-esque ones).