I've been living in Oxford for four years now. It's a great town, msall enough to get round on foot and big enough to have good night life and restaurants. The main drawback to Oxford is access - you're well advised to leave your car in the park and ride and travel in by bus. Most of the Oxford University colleges are open to the public at certain times and are well worth a look. The open top bus tour is a good starting point as it helps you get your bearings and work out what you want to explore. Shopping is OK, but Oxford loses out to Reading and Milton Keynes in the mall stakes.