Autumn open days cluster tightly — most universities run theirs on Saturdays between mid-September and late October, often with two or three different institutions holding their day on the exact same weekend. That's good for comparing options in one trip, but it also means trains fill up, campus car parks cap out early, and the usual "we'll just drive over" plan doesn't always hold up. A taxi removes some of that uncertainty, but only if you plan the day around how open days actually run rather than how a normal visit would.
Why open days are harder to reach than they look
Open days are usually the one Saturday in the term when a campus expects several thousand extra visitors, and the transport around it is built for that, not for spontaneity. Weekend train timetables on smaller lines near newer campus universities are often reduced compared to weekdays, so the train that looks fine on a normal Tuesday may not exist on the Saturday you need it. Campus parking for open days is commonly capped and pre-bookable only — turning up with a car doesn't guarantee anywhere to leave it, and overflow parking can be a long walk from where the day actually starts. Shuttle buses from the nearest station run on a set schedule too, so missing one means waiting for the next rather than just walking to a taxi rank.
Can you actually visit two universities in one day?
Because so many open days land on the same handful of Saturdays each autumn, it's tempting to compare two campuses back to back. It's realistic if the two are within about an hour of each other by road and neither day fills a full morning-to-afternoon programme. A taxi between the two is genuinely useful here, since it removes the dependency on a connecting train or coach timetable that may not exist between two university towns. The part people underestimate is slack: open days routinely run past their advertised finish time once talks, tours and Q&As overrun, so build in more buffer between the two visits than the published schedule suggests you need.
What time to actually leave
Registration and the first talks typically start between 9 and 10am, and campus security or sign-in queues can add another 15–20 minutes on a busy day. Work backwards from the actual start time rather than the headline "open day" time on the university's website, and add extra allowance if the route passes through the city centre on a Saturday morning, since weekend road and rail engineering works are common in university towns during term time.
Booking for the whole family, not just the applicant
Open day visits are often more than one person — a parent or two, the prospective student, sometimes a sibling along for the ride. If that's more than four people, it's worth mentioning group size when booking rather than assuming a standard car will do, since fitting everyone in one vehicle matters more here than luggage does. For a single applicant visiting on their own, a standard booking is straightforward either way.
What to tell the driver when you book
Give the specific building, department or entrance name rather than just "the university" — larger campuses spread across a city can have several plausible drop-off points, and the one nearest the registration desk isn't always the same as the main campus entrance a satnav defaults to. If you're not sure which entrance the open day uses, the university's own open day page usually names it, and it's worth including that detail in your booking notes.
If you're comparing more than one city this term
Historic university towns bring their own access quirks that are worth knowing before the day — narrow one-way systems in Cambridge and Oxford restrict where a car can actually set down near the colleges, and both cities are worth checking ahead of an open day rather than on the morning of one. If this visit goes well and the same campus becomes the actual destination in September next year, our university move-in guide covers the very different logistics of that trip — more luggage, less time pressure, and a fixed address rather than a building you're seeing for the first time.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Do universities provide transport from the station on open days? A: Many run a shuttle bus from the nearest station on a fixed schedule, but the timings are set by the university and won't match every train, so a taxi is often the more flexible option if you have a tight itinerary.
Q: Can I park on campus for an open day? A: Some universities offer open-day parking but usually ask you to book a space in advance and cap the numbers, so it's worth checking before assuming you'll find a space on the day.
Q: How early should I book a taxi for an open day? A: Weekend mornings in university towns get busy quickly once several open days land on the same Saturday, so booking the day before is worth doing rather than arranging it that morning.
Q: Should I book the return taxi in advance too? A: It's usually better to wait until you have a firmer idea of when the day's sessions actually finish, since open days often run past their advertised end time — book the outbound leg in advance and arrange the return once you know your finish time.
Q: Is it worth visiting two universities in the same day? A: It's realistic if the two campuses are within about an hour of each other and neither open day fills the whole day, but build in slack — sessions overrunning is the norm, not the exception.
Q: What if the prospective student wants to look around without the rest of the family? A: That's fine to arrange as a smaller booking — just give the driver the specific building or entrance name rather than just the university, since larger campuses can have several possible drop-off points.