How to take a rail journey from London to beautiful Oxford

Final Destination: Oxford

All trains also call at: Bicester Village for the designer outlet retail park and Oxford Parkway

A Chiltern Mark 3 train is used for the 18:10 departure on Monday to Friday.

Book early and save: Yes

The cheaper 'Advance' tickets tend to be available from around 10-11 weeks ahead of the travel date, but tickets can be booked up to 12 weeks ahead.
So if you look up a journey more than 10-12 weeks ahead and can't see any 'Advance' tickets, it will mean that they haven't been released for sale yet - it won't be because they have sold out.

The two disadvantages of booking an 'Advance' ticket is that they can only be used on the specific departure you select when making a booking; and then if you don't take that train, because you change your travel plans or don't get to the station on time, they can't be refunded.

The big plus of booking an 'Advance' ticket is the price, they can be more than £14 cheaper than the alternative Off-Peak and Anytime tickets.

Though the cheaper 'Advance Ticket's won't USUALLY be available at all on the busiest departures, so trains departing London between 17:00 and 19:00 tend to be more expensive

There can also be limited availability on certain travel dates, and these restrictions are listed on the Chiltern Railways website - the lack of 'Advance' ticket availability is usually indicative that services will be disrupted on those dates due to works on the railway.

Booking at the station:

The Advance tickets won't be available if you book tickets last minute at the station, but if you will making a day trip and booking tickets last minute at the station, look out for the 'Off Peak Day Return' tickets; particularly if you will be using ticket machine.
Those Day Return tickets cost only 10p more than an Off Peak single ticket.

Though if you will be making a London to Oxford day trip by train, it can pay off to book online in advance.
Typically if you can book just a couple of days ahead, two single Advance tickets for each way of the journey can save £10 compared to the price of an Off-Peak Day Return ticket.

Seat Reservations:

Chiltern Railways doesn't offer seat reservations on its trains, so aim to be at Marylebone at least 10 mins before departure to absolutely ensure you have a seat.
Though in ShowMeTheJourney's experience seats will be available on the overwhelming majority of departures on this Marylebone to Oxford route.
Although that being at the station early advice, particularly applies if you will be leaving London between 16:30 and 18:30.

Final Destination: Oxford or Worcester or Great Malvern or Hereford

The new Intercity Express trains operate virtually all trains from Paddington station to Oxford - incuding all those which continue to destinations beyond Oxford, but be aware that these other trains may still be used on occasional departures, particularly at weekends.

Book early and save: Yes

The cheaper 'Advance' tickets tend to be available from around 10-11 weeks ahead of the travel date, but tickets can be booked up to 12 weeks ahead.
So if you look up a journey more than 10-12 weeks ahead and can't see any 'Advance' tickets, it will mean that they haven't been released for sale yet - it won't be because they have sold out.

The two disadvantages of booking an 'Advance' ticket is that they can only be used on the specific departure you select when making a booking - and then if you don't take that train, because you change your travel plans or don't get to the station on time, they can't be refunded.

The big plus of booking an 'Advance' ticket is the price, they can be more than £14 cheaper than the alternative Off-Peak and Anytime tickets.

Though the cheaper 'Advance Ticket's won't USUALLY be available at all on the busiest departures, so trains departing London between 17:00 and 19:00 tend to be more expensive.

Also worth knowing is that on this route, Advance tickets will only be available until 18:00 (6pm) on the day before travel.

The Day Return tickets

If you will be making a day trip to Oxford and don't set off from London before 09:00 on Monday to Friday, Off-Peak Day Return tickets will be available.
But if you can book ahead, then two x Advance single tickets for the journey each way can be cheaper than the Off-Peak Day Return tickets, but you will need to do the math.
Also keep in mind that if you can save, you will will be committing to taking a specific train back from Oxford if you book an Advance ticket.
In contrast the the Off-Peak Day Return tickets can be used on any departure.

Booking at the station:

The Advance tickets won't be available if you book tickets last minute at the station, but if you will making a day trip and booking tickets last minute at the station, look out for the 'Off Peak Day Return' tickets - particularly if you will be using ticket machine.
Those Day Return tickets cost only 10p more than an Off Peak single ticket.

Though if you will be making a London to Oxford day trip by train, it can pay off to book online in advance.
Typically if you can book just a couple of days ahead two single Advance tickets for each way of the journey can save £10 compared to the price of an Off-Peak Day Return ticket.

Seat Reservations:

Book an Advance ticket for these GWR trains and not only will you save money, but you will also have a complimentary seat reservation.

In contrast if you book Off-Peak tickets, singles or Day Returns, your seat(s) won't be assigned.