Banbury

By car

Due to the building of the M40 motorway, Banbury is now a town with good industry. It is now one of the major commuter towns for London, Oxford, Solihull and Birmingham. The M40 also provides local residents access to the Midlands and the southeast.
Hennef Way (A422) was upgraded to a dual carriageway easing traffic on the heavily congested road and providing better links to north Banbury and the town centre from the M40.

By bus

Banbury has an intra-urban bus service provided by Stagecoach Group which feeds the outlying villages and provides transport to places such as Oxford, Chipping Norton and Brackley.

By train

Banbury station has rail services run by Chiltern Railways to London Marylebone, Warwick, Kidderminster and Birmingham Moor Street/Snow Hill via the non-electrified Chiltern Main Line.
It also has direct services run by First Great Western to Oxford, Reading and London Paddington.
Services to other parts of the country are provided by CrossCountry via Birmingham New Street, to Cardiff, Bristol, Gloucester, Leicester, Stansted, as well as direct services to other cities across England and Scotland.

There are many local taxi companies and a public bus system.

• Castle Quay Car ParkAn inexpensive car park that is part of the Castle Quay Shopping Centre. Valeting is also offered. Parking can be paid via cash or card.

• Banbury CrossA memorial erected in 1859 at the centre of the town of Banbury, Oxfordshire, to commemorate the marriage of Victoria, Princess Royal (eldest child of Queen Victoria) to Prince Frederick of Prussia.

• The CanalApparently the oldest dry dock in Britain.

• Banbury Museum

  phone: +44 1295 753752
  address: Spiceball Park Rd, OX16 2PQ

• Upton House and Gardens

  phone: +44 1295 670266
  address: OX15 6HT

• Broughton Castle

• Banbury United

  phone: +44 1295 263354
  address: Spencer Stadium, OX16 5AB

• Canal Boat-trips

  phone: +44 1295 272917
  address: Tooley’s, Banbury Museum, Spiceball Park Road, OX16 2PQ
  Tooley's Boatyard does a variety of narrowboat services and also offers boat trips down the canal.

• MFA Bowl

  phone: +44 843 290 8938
  address: Cherwell Centre, George St, OX16 5BH
  Has a restaurant and an amusement arcade.

• Odeon Cinema

  phone: +44 333 006 7777
  address: Horsefair, OX16 0AH
  The town's small cinema.

• Spiceball Leisure Centre

  phone: +44 1295 257 522
  address: Cherwell Drive, OX16 2BW
  A leisure centre with a large swimming pool and gym. It also offers activities such as roller disco.

• Spiceball ParkThe town's park. Has amenities such as a large playground and ramps for skateboarding or BMX.

Local Markets

• Banbury Charter Market

  address: Market Pl, OX16 5LG
  Has 30 different stalls selling fruit and vegetables, clothing and shoes, tools, greeting cards and garden plants. Available every Thursday and Saturday.

Shopping centres and retail parks

• Castle Quay Shopping Centre

  phone: +44 1295 256296
  address: Castle St, OX16 5UN
  A large shopping centre with most of your big name shops somewhere. Has a large Debenham's and M&S, along with a GAME, Waterstone's, H&M, Accessorize, etc.

• Banbury Cross Retail Park

  address: Lockheed Cl, OX16 1LX
  A retail park with an Argos, Currys/PC World, Pets at Home, DFS, Costa Coffee and Tesco's.

• Banbury Gateway Shopping Park

  address: Acorn Way, OX16 3ER
  Newer retail park with a large M&S, a 24-hour McDonald's, Poundland, Primark, Fat Face, New Look, Costa Coffee, Starbucks and other chain stores.

Supermarkets

Three of the big four supermarkets:

• Tesco Extra

  phone: +44 345 677 9030
  address: Lockheed Cl, OX16 1LX
  Banbury's largest Tesco branch is part of the Banbury Cross Retail Park. It has a cafe, clothing section and a petrol station nearby.

• Tesco Express

  phone: +44 345 674 6354
  address: 23 High St, OX16 5EG

• Tesco Express

  phone: +44 345 671 9485
  address: 1-2 Blacklock House, Middleton Rd, OX16 3QT

Sainsbury's

phone: +44 1295 275130

address: Oxford Rd, OX16 9XA

Large branch with a cafe, petrol station, pharmacy and clothing.

Morrison's

phone: +44 1295 276170

address: Swan Cl Rd, OX16 5AQ

Large branch with a cafe, petrol station and a garden centre.

The town's own delicacy are the Banbury cakes – small, flat pastry cakes filled with currants, zest and spices.

• The Granary

  phone: +44 1295 250628
  address: 6 Butchers Row, OX16 5JH
  Cafe that does Banbury cakes and other British teatime classics.

Chinese

• Chen's Cottage

  phone: +44 1295 264675
  address: 45 High St, OX16 5LA

• A1 Chinese Restaurant

  phone: +44 1295 266067
  address: 80-84 Warwick Rd, OX16 2AJ
  Restaurant and takeaway.

Thursday nights in Banbury are the well-known "Student Night", but have declined in popularity. Banbury is still busy with a slightly older crowd on a Friday, and is always generally busy on a Saturday.

Clubs

• MooMoo Clubrooms

  phone: +44 1295 275057
  address: 49-50 High Street, OX16 5LA

• Fever

  phone: +44 1295 275057
  address: 49-50 High St, OX16 5LA

• Sound Exchange (Bliss)Renovations left the club half its former size. Still relatively busy on weekends.

• Sound Exchange (Toko)Often quiet, past its glory days.

Pubs and bars

Many of the town's recommended pubs and bars are found on Parson's Street.

• The Wine Vaults

  phone: +44 1295 261281
  address: 5-6 Parson's St, OX16 5LW
  Wine bar with friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere, great prices.

• Also Known As

  address: 54-56 Parson's St, OX16 5NB
  A "trendy" bar, live music on a Friday.

• Ye Olde Reindeer Inn

  phone: +44 1295 270972
  address: 47 Parson's St, OX16 5NA
  Live music on Saturdays.

• The Old Auctioneer

  phone: +44 1295 270492
  address: 44 Parson's St, OX16 5NA
  Pub that was an auction house. Apparently the town's third oldest building.

• The Exchange

  phone: +44 1295 259035
  address: 49–50 High Street, OX16 5LA
  Wetherspoons pub.
• The Bar With No Name- No one is ever in this bar.
• Wetherspoons Sound Exchange. Underneath 2 of Banbury's clubs, good location.

• Hanwell House Bed & Breakfast

  phone: +44 1295 263001
  address: 2 Lapsley Drive, OX16 1EJ
  This bed and breakfast is a modern three-storey home, boasting character and charm, quietly situated on the Hanwell Fields estate just off the Southam Road. Offering en-suite accommodation in a luxurious and comfortable environment. Hanwell House bed & breakfast is privately-owned and operated with a beautiful landscaped garden, a fishpond and private parking for guests. All rooms have private facilities with tea, coffee and hot chocolate facilities, bottled water, flat screen televisions with Freeview and DVD player, clock radios, hairdryers and quality toiletries. A small library of DVDs is also available for guests.

• Premier Inn (M40, J11)

  phone: +44 871 527 9458
  address: Ermont Way, OX16 4AE

Map of places with Wikivoyage articles nearby

• Oxford, the heart of the county and the home of the oldest English-speaking university
• Bicester, market town, most well known for its Bicester Village outlet
• Chipping Norton, an ancient market town
• Woodstock, home of Blenheim Palace, 'the English Versailles' and the birthplace of Churchill
• Stratford-upon-Avon, the home of Shakespeare.