LondonOxford
City Stories Index · United Kingdom · 2026 edition

London vs Oxford

Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, London leads 3–0 (1 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: London is the city of kings and crowds; Oxford is the city of spires.

Change the matchup

VS
  • Places with a story

    spots where a route tells you what happened there

    London

    594

    Oxford

    26

    London leads

  • How often you pass a story

    metres from one story to the next; fewer is better

    London

    273

    Oxford

    268

    Tie

  • Historical figures

    real people you meet in its stories

    London

    184

    Oxford

    9

    London leads

  • Instagrammability

    score /100, on the index’s fixed scale

    London

    31

    Oxford

    London leads

  • Group outings

    of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+

    London

    14

    Oxford

    12

    London leads

  • International visitors

    % of player reviews written in a foreign language

    London

    8

    Oxford

    London leads

Differences under 5% count as ties. Sample sizes and definitions on the methodology page.

What their stories are about

How many places with a story each city has per theme: London in orange, Oxford in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.

LondonOxford
141 places
arts & culture
7 places
111 places
faith & churches
9 places
104 places
royalty & nobility
7 places
95 places
crime & dark history
2 places
74 places
parks & leisure
1 place
70 places
legends & myths
4 places
68 places
guilds & trade
0 places
57 places
industry & modern era
0 places

London scorecard →

The city of kings and crowds

Oxford scorecard →

The city of spires