Quick Facts
The Bodleian is the main research library of Oxford University, founded 1602. With 13 million printed items, it's one of Europe's oldest and largest libraries. Receives a copy of every book published in the UK.
- Address: Broad St, Oxford OX1 3BG
- Tour costs: £9-£25 depending on length
- Booking: bodleian.ox.ac.uk
- Closed: Sundays except for tours
Tour Options
- Mini Tour (£9, 30 min) — Divinity School only
- Standard Tour (£18, 60 min) — Divinity School + Convocation House + 18th-century library
- Extended Tour (£25, 90 min) — all of above + interior of Radcliffe Camera
- Children's Tour (£10, 60 min) — themed for ages 7+
- Hogwarts Highlights (£18, 60 min) — focused on filming sites
Free Entry
- Divinity School entrance — free to walk through to Schools Quad
- Bodleian Shop — free, sells official memorabilia
- Weston Library exhibitions (across Broad St) — free, rotating exhibits with rare books and manuscripts
- Sheldonian Theatre exterior (next door) — free to admire
Highlights
- Divinity School — 1488 fan-vaulted Gothic ceiling (Hogwarts infirmary)
- Convocation House — 17th-century carved oak panelled chamber
- Duke Humfrey's Library — 1488 reading room (Hogwarts library scenes)
- Radcliffe Camera — 1748 circular reading room (Hogwarts establishing shots)
- Schools Quadrangle — 17th-century, beautiful
- Tower of the Five Orders — features all five classical column orders
Booking Tips
- Book online — same-day tours often unavailable
- Extended tour (£25) sells out fastest, book 1+ week ahead
- Combined with Christ Church + lunch = full day
- No photography in reading rooms (Duke Humfrey's, Radcliffe interior)
- Bring photo ID for entry
📚 Make-a-pilgrim: Buy a copy of an Oxford book at the Bodleian Shop and you're technically contributing to a library that has copies of every book published in the UK.