Watch my short films on the University of Oxford's YouTube channel.
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Buy the Book!!
Available online click here and at all good bookstores - or direct from the author via the contact page. More than 4,500 copies sold!!
Are you visiting Oxford for the first time? Or are you an avid walker interested in taking a stroll around Oxford’s scenic and famous sites?
Be guided to the most famous areas and lesser known corners of Oxford with City Walks Oxford by Victoria Bentata Azaz, including:
• 15 short walks around Oxford from the academic heart of the city to the palatial grandeur of Blenheim
• Dozens of intriguing tales and fascinating histories told in each walk
• Simple route description and easy-to-follow map
• Key features and viewpoints for each walk
• Walk statistics including distance and estimated time
• Accompanying colour photographs
• Recommended refreshment stops
Review of the Second Edition:
Perfect little guide. a variety of walks with lots of historical details. delightful! Liliana Leopardi, USA - August 2019
Reviews of the First Edition:
Excellent book - just right to start you off exploring a city you didn't know. The first walk was just the right length for our first afternoon and set us up to do further discovering in depth the following day. --Pydar - 1st November 2017
Excellent series of walks, well chosen, as are the accompanying photographs which pick out the visual highlights. Good annotated maps too. So good that this is our second copy and hope they'll extend the series to cover more cities --Cosher - 17th February 2016
Really good book, only wished we had been staying in Oxford longer so that we could try a few more walks. This book is an excellent way of taking the sites of Oxford, love the fact you can have a very short walk or if you are energetic like our party, you can add on a couple of the walks together to make a longer route. --Paula Needle - 5th May 2015
(First edition cover - below)
Available online click here and at all good bookstores - or direct from the author via the contact page. More than 4,500 copies sold!!
Are you visiting Oxford for the first time? Or are you an avid walker interested in taking a stroll around Oxford’s scenic and famous sites?
Be guided to the most famous areas and lesser known corners of Oxford with City Walks Oxford by Victoria Bentata Azaz, including:
• 15 short walks around Oxford from the academic heart of the city to the palatial grandeur of Blenheim
• Dozens of intriguing tales and fascinating histories told in each walk
• Simple route description and easy-to-follow map
• Key features and viewpoints for each walk
• Walk statistics including distance and estimated time
• Accompanying colour photographs
• Recommended refreshment stops
Review of the Second Edition:
Perfect little guide. a variety of walks with lots of historical details. delightful! Liliana Leopardi, USA - August 2019
Reviews of the First Edition:
Excellent book - just right to start you off exploring a city you didn't know. The first walk was just the right length for our first afternoon and set us up to do further discovering in depth the following day. --Pydar - 1st November 2017
Excellent series of walks, well chosen, as are the accompanying photographs which pick out the visual highlights. Good annotated maps too. So good that this is our second copy and hope they'll extend the series to cover more cities --Cosher - 17th February 2016
Really good book, only wished we had been staying in Oxford longer so that we could try a few more walks. This book is an excellent way of taking the sites of Oxford, love the fact you can have a very short walk or if you are energetic like our party, you can add on a couple of the walks together to make a longer route. --Paula Needle - 5th May 2015
(First edition cover - below)
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Here is my latest book, published 2022.
Discover hidden gems around Oxford with 20 walking routes.Featuring 20 walks in and around the city, including lesser-known circuits and details on popular walks. Accompanied by guided walking instructions and written by a local expert, A-Z Oxford Hidden Walks is the perfect way to explore the city in a new light. Small enough to fit in a bag or pocket, this handy guidebook is ideal for tourists or locals looking to discover more about the city. Each route varies in length from 1 to 6 miles, and is clearly outlined on detailed A-Z street mapping. * 20 walking routes with instructions and maps * Full-colour photographs of hidden gems and city attractions * Key sights and locations clearly marked on map * Information such as start/finish points, nearest postcodes, distance and terrain included Blog: https://collins.co.uk/blogs/a-z-blog/oxford-walking-guide-how-to-get-the-most-out-of-a-2-hour-route |
Here are some articles about Oxford I have written for the University of Oxford's alumni magazine Oxford Today:
In Search of the Scholar Gypsy
Oxford's Emergence
Destination Oxford
Oxford's Early Russian Connections (you can now find this on this website's blog)
Oxford's Recent Russian History
In Search of the Scholar Gypsy
Oxford's Emergence
Destination Oxford
Oxford's Early Russian Connections (you can now find this on this website's blog)
Oxford's Recent Russian History
See also my article in Jewish Renaissance Magazine October 2019
www.oxfordjewishheritage.co.uk/images/stories/pdfs/JR_Passport_Oxford/PG_16-17_PASSPORT_OXFORD.pdf
www.oxfordjewishheritage.co.uk/images/stories/pdfs/JR_Passport_Oxford/PG_16-17_PASSPORT_OXFORD.pdf
And here are some comments from my customers:
Of a recent tour for the Bodleian Library:
Great overview tour: Victoria was great. Victoria was a wonderful guide. She covered a lot of ground in the 120 minutes allotted but it never felt rushed. She was very knowledgeable but also had a delightful sense of humor. And I never felt she was feeding us a lot of embellished tosh.
This is an excellent tour for giving you an overview of the university, its history, and its relationship with the town.
Victoria did an absolutely wonderful tour. She personalized everything, and the breadth of her knowledge was amazing.
Morning Victoria, Rave reviews about the tour as usual! AD
Dear Victoria,
I should like to thank you for the wonderful guided tour that you gave us recently.
We really feel we know Oxford much better now....
Thanks again for a memorable day, GK
I am glad that as a professional guide, Victoria had a mic - helped with social distancing but even without that need it might have been hard to hear. She is very engaging and knowledgeable - importantly a speaker who is lively and interesting for people with little or more knowledge about the subject in hand.
Hi Victoria. Just to say we enjoyed this afternoon very much - thank you.
Kind regards. S & L
Dear Mrs Bentata
Thank you so much for taking us on the city tour today. Oxford is a beautiful city and you really brought it alive for us.
We could not go home without letting you know how much we have enjoyed our visit. Kindest regards S&T
Dear Victoria
A note to thank you so much for a fascinating afternoon. As you probably gathered, we all enjoyed it enormously and I’m very grateful to you for making it all so easy from my point of view. It was nice to meet you after so many emails and I do hope that our paths may cross again at some stage in the future.
Dear Victoria
I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your tour of Oxford on Friday. It is amazing what one never sees and I do look forward to the next instalment. S
Hi Victoria, thanks again for letting me join the walk- I really enjoyed it and there was lots of complimentary chat amongst the walkers at the end. Hope to see you another time.
Best wishes, M
Dear Victoria,
Thank you for organising such a splendid tour this morning.... it was very informative and interesting- so thank you.
Best Wishes, H
Hi Victoria,
We totally enjoyed your tour and your perspective made it a highlight of our 2 weeks in England. Thank you for the book signing and letting us get to know you.
SF, Atlanta, Georgia
Dear Victoria
Thank you very much for yesterday's tour. The delegates were very happy about that. A
Hello Victoria,
We're just back to France and we wanted to thank you so much for guiding us for a fascinating tour of Oxford.
We were captivated by your explanations and all the anecdotes you shared with us and really learnt a lot.
We were also very impressed by your French !
We will all remember the visit ! A de B, Lille
Dear Victoria,
I would like to thank you again for the visit we had with you last week.
All of us we enjoyed it a lot and when I brought the kids yesterday in the Alice's shop she was surprised not to see a sheep!
I will come back to you and Marie Alice for other french visits!
We wish you a very happy new year.
Take care. A de P
I just wanted to say that your guides ... did a fantastic job with our Finnish visitors last week. I was in Victoria’s group and it was really thoughtful that she had prepared some background information on Finns / and journalists at Oxford. Both groups were enthusiastic about the tours.
Victoria
Thank you very very much for showing me around a small part of Oxford just now. I enjoyed it hugely... I found your presentational style had the right combination of informality and learning. I was especially fond of of the high up features, all those heads of beasts and venerable respectable people.
As one of my friends in archaeology would say "Great stuff!" TK
Zeer deskundige gids met ongelofelijk geheugen. Victoria Bentata heeft ons een zeer goede rondleiding in Oxford gegeven. Haar kennis over veel zaken is indrukwekkend. We konden haar geen vraag stellen of ze wist erover te vertellen. We hebben vooral geleerd hoe het systeem van Oxford verschilt van het Belgische systeem.... De rondleiding heeft 2 uur en half geduurd en is voorbij gevlogen.
[Translation:Very knowledgeable guide with incredible memory. Victoria Bentata gave us a very good tour in Oxford. Her knowledge about many things is impressive. We could not ask her a question that she couldn't answer. We especially learned how the Oxford system differs from the Belgian system.... The tour lasted 2 hours and a half and it flew by.]
Just a quick email to say a huge thank you from us all for our tour yesterday, it was a huge success and I know that everyone really enjoyed the guided walk and your wonderful knowledge, stories and anecdotes - and the weather held out too! KD, Bristol.
Thank you so much for meeting up with our CCJ Bournemouth & Wessex Group yesterday at lunch time - it was absolutely fascinating hearing all you shared with us about the Jewish people in Oxford over the years; you kept us spell-bound with your incredible knowledge and fascinating stories... Your lunchtime talk made our CCJ visit to Oxford perfect! With kind regards LD on behalf of CCJ Bournemouth & Wessex
Rating 6/6 We could not be more pleased. [Victoria] was knowledgeable both about details and more general points of interest, was responsive to our many questions and helped us deepen our appreciation of history and modern change. It was exactly what we had hoped.
Rating 6/6 Victoria was a fantastic history teacher, able to keep the interest of both the kids and adults. She adapted the tour to our interests and was even able to get us into areas “closed” to the general public. We only had one morning in Oxford and our time was maximized thanks to our guide.
Just to say I thought yesterday's walk was one of the best. I spent most of my early life in Oxford but had virtually no knowledge of the Jewish heritage. I will certainly be visiting the places we missed at some time. Thanks Alan.
Thank you so much, our cohort thoroughly enjoyed looking around Oxford and learning about the history. I did your tour last year and felt like I learned new things! Excellent experience. EI
It was fantastic having you, thank you for your work and expertise on both days! Emma
Rating 6/6 Victoria was wonderful!!!! She catered to our every whim, question and cafe stop along the way.
Our local guide, Victoria was superb. So much information in brief and humorous segments. Highly recommended.
Good Morning Victoria, We had so much fun on the walking tour, fantastic ! Libby
Merci beaucoup Victoria.
On a tous été ravi de faire votre connaissance et d'avoir suivi cette belle et enrichissante visite d'Oxford.
Bien cordialement
C & famille
Muchas gracias por el tour y la paciencia que tuviste con nosotros, que me imagino no fuimos un grupo fácil. De todas maneras disfrutamos un montón y fue súper interesante. P y familia
Great overview tour: Victoria was great. Victoria was a wonderful guide. She covered a lot of ground in the 120 minutes allotted but it never felt rushed. She was very knowledgeable but also had a delightful sense of humor. And I never felt she was feeding us a lot of embellished tosh.
This is an excellent tour for giving you an overview of the university, its history, and its relationship with the town.
Victoria did an absolutely wonderful tour. She personalized everything, and the breadth of her knowledge was amazing.
Morning Victoria, Rave reviews about the tour as usual! AD
Dear Victoria,
I should like to thank you for the wonderful guided tour that you gave us recently.
We really feel we know Oxford much better now....
Thanks again for a memorable day, GK
I am glad that as a professional guide, Victoria had a mic - helped with social distancing but even without that need it might have been hard to hear. She is very engaging and knowledgeable - importantly a speaker who is lively and interesting for people with little or more knowledge about the subject in hand.
Hi Victoria. Just to say we enjoyed this afternoon very much - thank you.
Kind regards. S & L
Dear Mrs Bentata
Thank you so much for taking us on the city tour today. Oxford is a beautiful city and you really brought it alive for us.
We could not go home without letting you know how much we have enjoyed our visit. Kindest regards S&T
Dear Victoria
A note to thank you so much for a fascinating afternoon. As you probably gathered, we all enjoyed it enormously and I’m very grateful to you for making it all so easy from my point of view. It was nice to meet you after so many emails and I do hope that our paths may cross again at some stage in the future.
Dear Victoria
I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your tour of Oxford on Friday. It is amazing what one never sees and I do look forward to the next instalment. S
Hi Victoria, thanks again for letting me join the walk- I really enjoyed it and there was lots of complimentary chat amongst the walkers at the end. Hope to see you another time.
Best wishes, M
Dear Victoria,
Thank you for organising such a splendid tour this morning.... it was very informative and interesting- so thank you.
Best Wishes, H
Hi Victoria,
We totally enjoyed your tour and your perspective made it a highlight of our 2 weeks in England. Thank you for the book signing and letting us get to know you.
SF, Atlanta, Georgia
Dear Victoria
Thank you very much for yesterday's tour. The delegates were very happy about that. A
Hello Victoria,
We're just back to France and we wanted to thank you so much for guiding us for a fascinating tour of Oxford.
We were captivated by your explanations and all the anecdotes you shared with us and really learnt a lot.
We were also very impressed by your French !
We will all remember the visit ! A de B, Lille
Dear Victoria,
I would like to thank you again for the visit we had with you last week.
All of us we enjoyed it a lot and when I brought the kids yesterday in the Alice's shop she was surprised not to see a sheep!
I will come back to you and Marie Alice for other french visits!
We wish you a very happy new year.
Take care. A de P
I just wanted to say that your guides ... did a fantastic job with our Finnish visitors last week. I was in Victoria’s group and it was really thoughtful that she had prepared some background information on Finns / and journalists at Oxford. Both groups were enthusiastic about the tours.
Victoria
Thank you very very much for showing me around a small part of Oxford just now. I enjoyed it hugely... I found your presentational style had the right combination of informality and learning. I was especially fond of of the high up features, all those heads of beasts and venerable respectable people.
As one of my friends in archaeology would say "Great stuff!" TK
Zeer deskundige gids met ongelofelijk geheugen. Victoria Bentata heeft ons een zeer goede rondleiding in Oxford gegeven. Haar kennis over veel zaken is indrukwekkend. We konden haar geen vraag stellen of ze wist erover te vertellen. We hebben vooral geleerd hoe het systeem van Oxford verschilt van het Belgische systeem.... De rondleiding heeft 2 uur en half geduurd en is voorbij gevlogen.
[Translation:Very knowledgeable guide with incredible memory. Victoria Bentata gave us a very good tour in Oxford. Her knowledge about many things is impressive. We could not ask her a question that she couldn't answer. We especially learned how the Oxford system differs from the Belgian system.... The tour lasted 2 hours and a half and it flew by.]
Just a quick email to say a huge thank you from us all for our tour yesterday, it was a huge success and I know that everyone really enjoyed the guided walk and your wonderful knowledge, stories and anecdotes - and the weather held out too! KD, Bristol.
Thank you so much for meeting up with our CCJ Bournemouth & Wessex Group yesterday at lunch time - it was absolutely fascinating hearing all you shared with us about the Jewish people in Oxford over the years; you kept us spell-bound with your incredible knowledge and fascinating stories... Your lunchtime talk made our CCJ visit to Oxford perfect! With kind regards LD on behalf of CCJ Bournemouth & Wessex
Rating 6/6 We could not be more pleased. [Victoria] was knowledgeable both about details and more general points of interest, was responsive to our many questions and helped us deepen our appreciation of history and modern change. It was exactly what we had hoped.
Rating 6/6 Victoria was a fantastic history teacher, able to keep the interest of both the kids and adults. She adapted the tour to our interests and was even able to get us into areas “closed” to the general public. We only had one morning in Oxford and our time was maximized thanks to our guide.
Just to say I thought yesterday's walk was one of the best. I spent most of my early life in Oxford but had virtually no knowledge of the Jewish heritage. I will certainly be visiting the places we missed at some time. Thanks Alan.
Thank you so much, our cohort thoroughly enjoyed looking around Oxford and learning about the history. I did your tour last year and felt like I learned new things! Excellent experience. EI
It was fantastic having you, thank you for your work and expertise on both days! Emma
Rating 6/6 Victoria was wonderful!!!! She catered to our every whim, question and cafe stop along the way.
Our local guide, Victoria was superb. So much information in brief and humorous segments. Highly recommended.
Good Morning Victoria, We had so much fun on the walking tour, fantastic ! Libby
Merci beaucoup Victoria.
On a tous été ravi de faire votre connaissance et d'avoir suivi cette belle et enrichissante visite d'Oxford.
Bien cordialement
C & famille
Muchas gracias por el tour y la paciencia que tuviste con nosotros, que me imagino no fuimos un grupo fácil. De todas maneras disfrutamos un montón y fue súper interesante. P y familia