A trip to Oxford is incomplete without a visit to the world-famous Bodleian Libraries.
The Bodleian Library dates back to 1488, and the library as it stands today was opened in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley.  Generations of famous scholars have studied in its reading rooms through the ages, including monarchs, Nobel Prize winners, British prime ministers and writers such as Oscar Wilde, CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien.
We offer several guided tours of the Bodleian Library. The Old Library and Radcliffe Camera are working libraries, and guided tours are the only way to go inside these spaces.
Book library tour tickets
Most tour tickets are only available to buy in person on the day of the tour – visit the information desk in the Weston Library. Tickets often sell out quickly during peak periods (e.g. weekends, and July–August).
We release a limited number of tour tickets online in advance. These go on sale exactly 1 month in advance of the tour. For example, a tour on 5 August at 10am will go on sale on 5 July at 10am.
Learn more about booking tours on our tour information page. For upcoming closures, please check our Plan your visit page.