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The domed Radcliffe Camera, part of the Bodleian Libraries, Oxford

No. 14 Top Landmarks & Attractions 2026

Bodleian Library

Oxford, United Kingdom · City guide: Oxford

Oxford's great library: medieval reading rooms, the Radcliffe Camera and free exhibitions.

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Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

The Bodleian Library is No. 14 in Tripadvisor's Travelers' Choice Best of the Best 2026 ranking of the top attractions in the world. The main research library of the University of Oxford is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. Sir Thomas Bodley refounded it and it reopened in 1602, in rooms that date back to the 15th century.

Today the Bodleian Libraries hold millions of books and manuscripts and are a legal deposit library for the UK and Ireland. Visitors can see several of the historic buildings on guided tours. The Weston Library, across Broad Street, has free exhibitions of treasures from the collections.

The fan-vaulted ceiling of the Divinity School, Bodleian Library
The fan-vaulted ceiling of the Divinity School, Bodleian Library. Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Best time to visit

Tours run all year, but university events can close some spaces. Book tours ahead in summer. Weekday mornings are usually quieter.

Highlights

  • 1

    Divinity School

    The university's oldest surviving teaching room was completed in 1488 and has a spectacular vaulted stone ceiling. It has appeared in films, including the Harry Potter series.

  • 2

    Duke Humfrey's Library

    The medieval reading room above the Divinity School, with its painted ceiling and rows of antique books, can be seen on guided tours.

  • 3

    Radcliffe Camera

    James Gibbs's domed rotunda of the 1730s and 1740s is a reading room open to readers, but some guided tours go inside.

  • 4

    Old Schools Quadrangle

    The courtyard of the Old Bodleian Library, with its Tower of the Five Orders, is free to walk into.

  • 5

    Weston Library

    The renovated library, reopened in 2015, has free exhibition galleries, a shop and a café.

Getting there

The Bodleian is in the centre of Oxford, about 15 minutes' walk from the railway station. Trains run from London Paddington and London Marylebone, and coaches run from central London and from Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

Practical tips

Tours & tickets
Book guided tours online in advance. There is a charge to enter the Divinity School; the Weston Library exhibitions are free. Check the official website for times and prices.
Rules
It is a working library. Readers need their own library card, and some rooms can only be seen on a tour. Follow the guidelines on photography and noise.
Time needed
From 30 minutes for the Divinity School to about 90 minutes for the longer tours.
Currency
Pound sterling (GBP). Cards are accepted almost everywhere.
Visa & entry
Many visitors, including citizens of the US, Canada, Australia and EU countries, now need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling. Check gov.uk for the current rules.

Official information: Visit the Bodleian Libraries (official website). Check opening hours, prices and entry rules there before you go.

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