The Divinity School in the Bodleian Library, looking down the length of the hall beneath its carved stone vault, tall windows on both sides — The Divinity School, begun in 1424: the first room on the tour.

fol. 1rBodleian Library · Oxford

Stand beneath the vault where Oxford first examined

From €39 per visitor

Over 400 carved crests crowd the Divinity School ceiling, and Duke Humfrey's Library waits upstairs.

Fourteen people at most on each tour. We book your place on the library's own ticketing.

fol. 2rThe one fare

One tour, four rooms, fourteen places

We book a single tour: the library's 60-minute guided visit of the Old Library, from the Divinity School up to Duke Humfrey's Library. Every visitor aged 11 or over needs their own place.

The tour we book

60-minute guided tour · Ages 11+

One place for each visitor aged 11 or over

Who can comeAges 11 and over, and children must come with an adult. Children under 11 cannot join this tour, so there is no child place to buy.

Your place includes

The Divinity School, Convocation House, Chancellor's Court and Duke Humfrey's Library
A guided group of 14 people at most, led in English
Your date and tour time, booked on the Bodleian's own ticketing
Written translations of the tour, on request from the guides
Your e-ticket sent to you by email

€39per visitor

Choose a tour time

Every tour is limited to 14 people, and the library itself warns that its tour tickets often sell out online.

How we look after the booking

Bought on the library's own ticketingYour place comes from the Bodleian itself, then we email it.
Priced once, in your own moneyThe figure on the fare is the figure at checkout.
Money back if the library cancelsIf the Bodleian calls off your tour, you are refunded in full.
Questions answered by a personAsk about ages, stairs or timing before you book.

fol. 3rHow release days work

Twice a month, at nine o'clock in Oxford

The library does not sell this tour months ahead. It opens a fortnight of dates at a time, and the good ones go quickly.

The 1st and the 15thAll 60-minute tour tickets go online at 9am UK time on the 1st and 15th of each month, each release covering about two weeks of dates.
Often gone onlineThe library itself says its tour tickets often sell out online, and that it cannot reserve places for anyone.
Some days, no tour at allUniversity ceremonies, private events and filming close the rooms on certain days. Our calendar greys those dates out.

The release calendar

On sale, 9am UK time	Tour dates released
On sale now	Tours up to 14 November
Sunday 1 November	15 – 30 November
Sunday 15 November	1 – 14 December
Tuesday 1 December	15 – 31 December
Tuesday 15 December	1 – 14 January

Worked out from the library's published rhythm, the 1st and 15th of every month.

A long aisle of Duke Humfrey's Library, shelves of old books on both sides beneath a painted ceiling — Duke Humfrey's Library, opened in 1488.

Date not on sale yet, or sold out?

Hold it with us. There is nothing to pay until a place can actually be booked.

Hold your datePick the day and a preferred time. No payment and no card details.
We watch the releaseWe check the library's ticketing on the morning your date goes on sale, and for places that come back on sold-out days.
Pay only when bookedWhen we can book, you get a secure payment link by email. Once you pay, we buy your place.

If nothing opens on your date, we tell you and suggest the nearest days with room. You are never charged for a tour we cannot book.

Choose a date

fol. 4rThe four rooms on the tour

From a Gothic hall to Bodley's reading room

The guide takes the group through four rooms in turn, on the ground floor first and then up the stairs into the library built above them.

The far end of the Divinity School, its carved stone vault above dark wooden benches — The Divinity School, where the tour begins.

Convocation House, with dark panelled benches facing each other beneath a pale stone fan vault — Convocation House, the University's parliament house.

Duke Humfrey's Library, oak bookcases beneath a painted ceiling, looking along the reading room — Duke Humfrey's Library, where the tour ends.

i
The Divinity School

1424–1488

The University's oldest teaching room and first examination school, with over 400 crests and other images carved into its stone ceiling. Film fans know it as the infirmary in Harry Potter.
ii
Convocation House

17th century

A parliament house under a stone fan vault, where the University's governing bodies met for over 300 years and Charles I's parliament sat during the Civil War.
iii
Chancellor's Court

1630s dock

The University's old courtroom, with an oak-panelled dock where students were tried. Oscar Wilde was summoned here in the 1870s over unpaid bills.
iv
Duke Humfrey's Library

Opened 1488

The Bodleian's oldest reading room, under painted ceiling panels, with a reading booth built for Charles I. Readers still work here, so voices drop.

Four centuries, briefly

Duke Humfrey's Library sits on the first floor of the Old Library, built over the Divinity School for the manuscripts given by Humfrey, Duke of Gloucester, and opened in 1488. Within 60 years the books were gone, some burnt. Sir Thomas Bodley refitted the room from 1598 and opened it to scholars on 8 November 1602, which is why the whole institution carries his name.

Bodley kept building. In 1610 he struck an agreement with the Stationers' Company for a copy of every book registered at Stationers' Hall, and the shelves outgrew the room: Arts End went up in 1610–12, Selden End in 1634–37. Nothing was lent. In 1645 even Charles I was refused permission to borrow a book.

Four centuries on, the Bodleian Libraries hold more than 13 million printed items, and Duke Humfrey's is still a reading room. That is why the tour is small, quiet and only 60 minutes long: you walk through rooms where people are still working.

fol. 5rPlanning your Oxford visit

The hour at the centre of a good day

The Old Library sits in the middle of Oxford's oldest academic quarter. Most of what you will want to see is within five minutes' walk of the meeting point.

The Radcliffe Camera, a round domed library of golden stone, against a blue sky — The Radcliffe Camera, a minute's walk from the tour.

Getting there

By train: Under an hour from London or Birmingham. Oxford station is a 15–20 minute walk away; Oxford Parkway, served from London Marylebone, is four miles north.
By coach: The Oxford Tube runs regularly to and from London.
By car: Use the Park and Ride. Oxford's traffic filters fine cars without a permit, and parking near the library is very limited.
On foot: About five minutes from Carfax Tower, through the Great Gate on Catte Street.

A few minutes' walk

Radcliffe SquareThe domed Radcliffe Camera, 1737–49, a minute south of the quadrangle.
Sheldonian TheatreWren's 1660s theatre behind the Divinity School, with a cupola you can climb.
Weston LibraryFree exhibitions, the café and the shop, across Broad Street.
Bridge of SighsHertford College's covered bridge of 1914, along New College Lane.

Timing the tour

Day trip from London: take a late-morning tour and keep the afternoon free.
Blackwell Hall in the Weston Library is busiest from 11am to 2pm, and calmer on weekday afternoons.
Allow two hours for the Weston Library, the tour and Radcliffe Square together.

fol. 6rHouse rules

A working library asks a few things of you

These are the library's own rules for the tour, set out plainly so nothing surprises you at the Proscholium doors.

Aged 11 and overNobody under 11 can join, and children come with an adult.
One ticket eachEvery visitor shows their own ticket, on a phone or printed.
Stairs, no liftDuke Humfrey's Library is up a flight of stairs with no lift.
Photos without flashPersonal photos are fine; no flash, tripods, selfie sticks or video, and no photos of readers or staff.
Small bags onlyNever leave a bag unattended, and the library has no storage for large luggage.
Voices lowFollow the quiet signs. In Duke Humfrey's, people are reading.

Looking through an archway into the Old Schools Quadrangle towards the Proscholium doors and a bronze statue — Through the Great Gate on Catte Street, towards the meeting point.

On the day, in detail

Meeting pointRead

The Proscholium, the entrance hall of the Divinity School. Come in through the Great Gate on Catte Street into the Old Schools Quadrangle; the glass doors are behind the bronze statue.

AddressRead

Bodleian Old Library, Catte Street, Oxford OX1 3BG. The Weston Library, with the café and free exhibitions, is across the road on Broad Street.

AgesRead

Everyone on the tour must be 11 or over, and children must come with an adult. Children under 11 cannot join, whatever the ticket.

Your ticketRead

One ticket per visitor. Show it on your phone or bring a printout; with a pre-booked ticket you go straight to the Old Library.

Stairs and accessRead

The tour includes stairs and there is no lift. The Divinity School, Convocation House and Chancellor's Court are wheelchair accessible; Duke Humfrey's Library is reached only by stairs.

PhotographyRead

Photos for personal use are welcome. No flash, no tripods or selfie sticks, no video cameras, and please do not photograph readers or staff.

LanguageRead

The tour is spoken in English. The guides keep written translations in other languages; ask before your tour begins.

Running lateRead

If you cannot make your tour, let us know as early as you can so the library can be told and the guide does not wait.

fol. 7rQuestions

Before you choose a date

The Old Schools Quadrangle of the Bodleian, honey-coloured stone ranges around a paved courtyard under a blue sky — The Old Schools Quadrangle, built 1613–1624.

What does the Bodleian Library 60-minute tour include?

Four rooms with a guide: the Divinity School, Convocation House, Chancellor's Court and Duke Humfrey's Library, where the tour ends. The group is 14 people at most and the tour is spoken in English.

Can children join the tour?

Only from age 11, and children must come with an adult. The library says the content does not suit children aged 10 and under, and Duke Humfrey's is a working library where noise is kept low. Children under 11 cannot join, so there is no child place to book.

How many people are on each tour?

Fourteen at most. The library keeps groups small so readers are not disturbed and the old rooms are protected, which is also why tickets run out.

When do Bodleian tour tickets go on sale?

At 9am UK time on the 1st and 15th of each month. The 15 October release, for example, covered tours on 1–14 November, and the 1 November release covers 15–30 November.

My date is sold out or not on sale yet. What can I do?

Hold the date with us. You pay nothing now; we check the library's ticketing on the release morning and for places that come back, then send a payment link if we can book. If nothing opens, you are not charged.

Can I see inside the Bodleian Library without a tour?

Not the Old Library. Duke Humfrey's and the other historic rooms are only open on a guided tour. The ground floor of the Weston Library on Broad Street, with its exhibitions and café, is free to walk into.

Does this tour go inside the Radcliffe Camera?

No. The Radcliffe Camera is a separate working library with its own tours. You will walk past it in Radcliffe Square, a minute from the Old Library, but the 60-minute tour stays in the Old Library buildings.

Where does the tour start?

In the Proscholium, the entrance hall of the Divinity School. Walk through the Great Gate on Catte Street into the Old Schools Quadrangle; the glass doors are behind the statue in front of you.

Do I need to print my ticket?

No. Show it on your phone, or print it if you prefer. Every visitor needs their own ticket, so a party of three shows three.

Can I take photos on the tour?

Yes, for personal use. Flash, tripods, selfie sticks and video cameras are not allowed, and you should not photograph readers or library staff.

Is the tour suitable for wheelchair users?

Only in part. The Divinity School, Convocation House and Chancellor's Court are wheelchair accessible, but Duke Humfrey's Library is up stairs and there is no lift. Tell us before booking and we pass your needs to the tours team.

Can I change or cancel my tour?

The library treats tour tickets as non-refundable, so check your date before booking. If the library cancels your tour, you get a full refund from us.

Do Oxford students or Bodleian reader card holders need a ticket?

Yes. The library asks everyone on a tour, including University members and reader card holders, to hold a tour ticket.

Why are there no 60-minute tours on some days?

The rooms are still used for University ceremonies, private events and filming. On those days the library runs no 60-minute tours, and our calendar greys the dates out.

Was the Bodleian used in the Harry Potter films?

Yes. The library says the Divinity School was the infirmary in the films, and Duke Humfrey's Library is widely recorded as the Hogwarts library. Both are on this tour.

What language is the tour in?

English. The guides keep written translations of the tour in other languages; ask for one before your tour starts.

Is this the official Bodleian Library website?

No. We are an independent booking service. We buy your tour place on the library's own ticketing system and email you the ticket; our price includes that service.

A few more

Is there a cloakroom for luggage?

No. The library has no storage for large bags, so leave suitcases at your hotel or a left-luggage service before you come.

How early should I arrive?

Be in the Old Schools Quadrangle a few minutes before your tour time so you can find the Proscholium doors calmly. If you want coffee first, the Weston Library café is across Broad Street.

Can I join the tour with a pushchair?

The tour climbs stairs with no lift, so a pushchair cannot come along, and children must be 11 or over in any case.

Will readers be working while we visit?

Often, yes. Duke Humfrey's is still a reading room, so the group keeps its voice low there and does not photograph readers.

Sources: Bodleian Libraries: 60-minute library guided tour · Bodleian Libraries: tour FAQs · Bodleian Libraries: plan your visit (hours, closures, visitor guidelines) · Bodleian Libraries: getting here · Bodleian Libraries: accessibility · Bodleian Libraries: spaces to visit · Bodleian Libraries: history of the Bodleian · Bodleian ticketing terms and conditions · Duke Humfrey's Library (Wikipedia) · Divinity School, Oxford (Wikipedia) · Bodleian Library (Wikipedia) Last checked: October 19, 2026

fol. 8rFurther reading