Breathtaking, stunning buildings. Beautiful ambience and vibe.£8.75 for family of four to see the divinity school. Kids should be free seeing as they dont really understand, parents have no choice but to take them in with them, therefore we have to pay for them only for them to sit there.

A legal deposit library that is entitled to have a copy of every book published in the UK, Bodleian is largely operated as a reference library, meaning books and other resources cannot be loaned out.I am told that the five buildings that made up the library are connected by a network of tunnels. Books are being transported from their shelves to the reading rooms through the underground tunnels. I am also told that the small windows were designed to restrict the amount of sunlight and the indoors lighting is deliberately yellow rather than white to protect the fragile copies of some classical text. Not sure how true they are so please correct me if I am wrong.

Amazing building, so beautiful with great history

A fascinating icon! The facade drips history!

It was super and we will be back for a proper tour

Not to be missed, first time I heard a group of people go quiet and go “wow” at the same time.The guides are very knowledgable and had great stories about the rich history of the library and the surrounding buildings.

Fascinating tour around the oldest parts of this library dating originally from the 1500s.

I took my family to see the Tolkien exhibition at the library. It was a Sunday so most of the sections were closed. I can only say that the exhibition was fantastic and the overall atmosphere was warm and welcoming. If I can visit in safer times and explore the rest I can then amend my rating.

The main library of University of Oxford located in the centre of the campus. This unique building is often used by visitors for taking a photo outside library..Must visit for oxford visitors.

Absolutely stunning library. The Duke Humphrey reading room is possibly the most spectacular reading room in Europe, and it would be a real mistake to visit Oxford without going. Its right in the heart of the city and next to popular spots such as the Rad Cam and the covered market.

We only went in one room which was pricey 2,50 a trow to sit in a room, not very exciting but photographic

Dreadful experience. What a waste of money if you want to see the library. Our guide (Kay) was possibly the worst guide ever, with a limited vocabulary of “however” “well” and “where was I”. The building / architecture is superb, sadly the idea of seeing a world renowned library less so. Save your money!! You won’t see the books!!!

Venue for my Daughters wedding, could not ask for any more.. every member of staff absolutely fantastic, could not of wished for anything better..Would give more stars if possible!!

Amazing place. So inspiring and I was only able to see Divinity room and quads. The audio guides are highly recommended.

Wonderful peaceful happy place love going here.

Whether you are a Harry Potter fan or scholar or rare book fan, theres something here for you. The Divinity School Gothic hall is amazing. Be warned, however, that photos arent allowed upstairs where the book are.

Absolutely amazing enjoyed this place so much.

Fascinating, amazing, could have spent all day there.. our guide was informative and truly interested in what she was talking about.

Make sure you look up the times of the tours, because you can’t just look around the library without a guided tour, and the tours only run at certain times. Best to stop by in the morning, get your tour time, then come back. Lovely building, worth a visit if in Oxford

There are a lot of books inside the library. I love the culture of Oxford

Sian gave us so much information about the place and was certainly a great staff member- the building was also very beautiful

The place is awesome and rich with history!

Very nice place

Divinity room is a beautiful room, location for more than one Harry Potter movie, but theres not a lot to it (beyond its epochal gothic architecture) once youre in it.

This library is one of the most incredible feats of human dedication I have ever seen. Truly a wonder how so many books from over 1000 years ago, up until present day, are stored in this spectacular place. Definitely worth visiting.

It was nice meeting the staff there and are very helpful

I paid a visit to the Bodleian Library during a visit to Oxford and was very impressed with its architectural splendour. It is a truly wonderful building that stands in the centre of Oxford and imparts a magnificent view to visitors to Oxford. Inside it was even more beautiful than out and you could look through the old windows and see the Radliffe Camera as many others would have seen it through the distortions caused by the old glass panes. The guides are very good and can tell you so much about it and when you leave and walk through the nearby Radcliffe square you actually feel humbled.

A wonderful little gift shop. Sad they charge to see the inside of the library.

J. R. R. Tolkien exhibition. Fantastic exhibition with many of his sketches and scribblings.

Beautiful and huge library.

Nice place to go for a walk.

Where the Intellectual elite go to get educated.

Excellent guided tour

I loved this visit. Unfortunately I was only able to do the standart tour but even then O lived every second of it. I would advise you to invest on an extended tour (I believe it is worth it). Warning: buy your tickets online and before you get to Oxford or youll be at risk of not being able to book a tour.

A good historical place when you can look at books from a distance, but you’re not allowed to read or even touch (if you are not a student). Kinda defeats the purpose. The library is closed to public, the exhibition is unimpressive.

This place is a wonder. I love the quietness and how peaceful is in there. A must if you are in Oxford. Cannot be miss.

Majestic place, though you do have to buy tickets to go inside now

Amazing historical place, it would be nice to go inside but we don’t have enough time to do that

Lovely building, one of the most famous landmark at Oxford

I paid for the 30 minute tour (its £9 pp but there must be a minimum of 3 people per tour, so you pay a price of £27 overall) however, since I was alone, I simply just paid the £27 in full. Did not feel that was over priced since it is something I desperately wanted to see (Divinity School & Duke Humfreys Library) so personally, I was happy to spend the money.I had the most wonderful tour guide (even better that it was more personal since it was just my guide and myself) who was friendly, helpful and informative and I felt I had a lot of historical information handed to me.Both the School & Library were wonderful to visit, as a history nerd, I couldnt have wanted anything more. And after my 30 minutes, I could wander about the Quadrangle & other nearby buildings at my own leisure.Definitely will come back again and discover the other tour options/ buildings you can visit.Also, a plus side, with your ticket you can get a 10% discount in the Bodleian shop.

Only to say: Extraordinary and Excellent!

Visited this beautiful building as part of another tour and wish we had taken a specific Bodelian tour to see and learn more.

This is a really beautiful place and you can see why they chose this spot for some scenes in famous movies. I did the 60 minute tour and while our guide was really lovely and knowledgeable, we spent most of the time in the two rooms he said wasnt that interesting. Its not really a walking-around tour. The best part was going upstairs to the actual library, but if you can do that with the 30 minutes tour, just go ahead with that. For some people the library might be worth it all.

Immensely privileged to be able to study in such a place.

Great tour, magical place, very charming. It’s definitely worth-visiting, especially for Harry Potter fans. During the day you can see students learning there, in the late evening it’s dark, quiet, and empty which makes this experience quiet different.

We went for a tour of the Bodlian Library and as two history buffs and book obsessives, this was WONDERFUL! Seeing all those old books brought tears to my eyes I absolutely loved it! I wish I could have held them and opened them, but I understand why it was forbidden. Truly magical experience and our tour guide was great!

The Library card application personnel is great, but the two young ladies working at Bodleian library on June 25th afternoon 2019 were the rudest people that Ive ever met, having experienced many libraries in the world. They do not deserve to work in a world class library and their presence is a bad sign that the great culture created and maintained on this campus had its future well behind it.

Worth the tour (only did the shorter 30 min tour).

The tour was really nice.But I either lost my hat or someone took it because you should leave your clothes in the box before going in.The stuff wasnt helpful at all. Really rude lady

This library is absolutely amazing and contains almost every book ever published do you will never be disappointed in the amount of choice. Another thing is that is is a national treasure and has so much history behind it, anyone wanting to know about the history of Oxford should definitely visit.

You can only see the Divinity School/hall by paying a fee; you can either join a small tour for a small fee, OR, if the Divinity School is all youd like to see (or have time for), then you can enter by paying £1.While there is not much happening inside, the place is magical. It helps that the room served as the backdrop for quite a few scenes in Harry Potter (which fans will be well aware of) but the ceiling is as incredible as the pictures make it out to be. Along the edge of the room, there are actually signs which tell visitors which scenes feature the room in the Harry Potter films. There is no room quite like the Divinity School in the world!!

The main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 12 million items, it is the second-largest library in Britain after the British Library. Known to Oxford scholars as Bodley or the Bod, it operates principally as a reference library.

This is an astonishing place with long and complex history. I highly recommend the 30 minutes guided tour (6 pounds/person). Our guide, Niomi, was an excellent story teller, and her vivid explanation really took us back in time.

The library tours are definitely worth it: you get the chance to sit in the old Divinity School, see the University court and the incredible reading rooms. Go early and book your tour - they are very popular and difficult to get on at busy times.

1602 The Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford is opened to the public.

Would love to leave a review about the actual library but this is aimed at the information provided by their website. Made the two and a half hour trip to Oxford primarily to visit the Bodleian Library only to find that despite the website saying it opened at 12 midday (checked before we left) it in fact wasnt open at all. NOT HAPPY!

One of the most beautiful buildings in Oxford. Stunning architecture.

The library is surrounded by old beautiful building, with magnificent architectures. I really enjoyed every bit of the tour in the library.

Only looked at the outside architecture well worth a view

Bodleian Library is such a really beautiful place to visit it was our first time visiting Oxfordand we saw this . if we get to return anytime would call back here .

Even through the queue for buying the tour guide is long, this place is still one of the greatest libraries I have visited in the world. The tour guide and the staff were very knowledgeable and helpful. After the guide find out that I brought the wrong ticket, she brought me to the ticket office and help myself to switch the right one. Although the tour is in English, they offered a transcript in Mandarin about the tour for us (you can ask a one in your own language too).The interior of the library is amazing. Too get a guided tour, the only way you can visit the inside of the library, make a RESERVATION at least 2 weeks in advance in the web, or go to the ticket office on the early morning.

Nice place

Beautiful place

Pretty on the outside AND inside.

I did the standard tour which was very interesting. Excellent tour guide and the buildings are just stunning. Would highly recommend a visit.

The Tolkien exhibition is a great one to visit, with a mix of JRRTs own notes, sketches and drafts, interactive maps, his chair and pipe, and some fan letters. If you are a fan, make time for this.Tickets are free, but have to be booked in advance; we dropped in about 10:00 and got a pair for 12:30.

One of the highlights of a visit to Oxford. If you want to visit on your own you can only see the Divinity Hall. Otherwise you need to join a 30, 60 or 90 mins tour costing £6, £9 or £12 which, depending on the tour length will gain you access to the rooms you can’t see on your own.

Nice but not so visitor-friendly.

I took the 60-minute tour and thought it was very good. The guide was very knowledgeable and gave a very informative tour of the library. This tour allows you to see places in the library that cannot be seen to the general public so that was really interesting.

Great architecture. Fantastic library.

My reivew and 5 stars are for the library tour (60m and 90 mins).Without a doubt this has to be on the top of your list for things to do in Oxford. Harry Potter fan or not you get to start in the Divinity Hall (Sick Bay), the tour guide will go though the rich history of the hall in exquisite detail. You will then spend time in the Convocation House and the Chancellors Court. The highlight Duke Humfreys medieval library (The Restricted Section) is amazing, nuf said. If you are on the 90 minute tour you then get to enter the Radcliffe Camera -what a sight. Do not miss it.

Beautiful building to walk around with visually stunning period architecture. Excellent reference library.

So very beautiful

This has to be the quintessential University library. It feels like an honor just to be able to stand within this building knowing how much knowledge is contained therein and how influential it had been in the academic history of the world.

The five quid, 30-minute tour was definitely worth it. The library is beautiful. Wish more areas were accessible, but I completely understand why they are not.

Go there only if you join their tour or want to appreciate the library from the outside most parts not open to public. Not really worth visiting. Go there as a tourist only if you happen to be in the area.

Didnt get to go inside but it is really beatiful even from the outside. You need to pay tour to visit the grounds I believe. Its definitely not free.

Paid 6£ for a guided tour and all I got to see was one single corridor with old books which we were not allowed to touch. No possibility to see (let alone use) the rest of the library, not even for non-Oxford UK students (it might be possible if you register on a weekday, but apparently not during the weekend). The content of the guided tour was trivial and drowsy. Very disappointing.

Im an actual student at Oxford, and believe me, its most certainly not the best library. How many libraries do you know that are closed on Sundays? For a busy researcher, its a ludicrous and detrimental situation to have to deal with every week. As far as online searches go, there are not nearly as many available journals as I was able to find at Leicester University. The Bodleian Library is a nice historical monument. It needs improving, not mere entitlement to praise because its old.

The famous library of Oxford. Just walking in there leaves you with the impression of the rich history of the place.

A must visit when in Oxford - such a great place for research - kinda puts wiki in its place!

Very nice unbelievable. Or you can the best in the world you should see it

One of the greatest libraries in the world. It is a pleasure to work in these beautiful buildings: almost everything I need to know is right here.

We took the 1/2 hour guided tour and learnt so much about the history of the library. Our guide was knowledgable and enthusiastic. Beautiful buildings, would highly recommend.

The magnificent Bodleian Library, the property of the Oxford University, was built in 1602 and contains more 12 million books. I would add that when I saw the building that houses it, I did not guess it was a library.

Great library. Unfortunately it is not allowed to wander here by yourself. There is a short guided tour with some information about the times that Harry Potter scenes were recorded here.

Its a nice looking building but was close when we went.Better check before coming to make sure its open on the day.

Have been there today for an exhibition of Tolkiens drawings and maps - absolutely amazing!

Bodelian library is the main library in the Oxford. Also the oldest library in the Europe. It is one of the few libraries in Britain to receives a copy of every book and magazine published.Its a must visit in Oxford with old vintage fabulous architecture. Every part of Bodelian has a story attached to it.You have to take a guided tour to see the library which takes place for about an hour. The fee is very nominal. You can take the extended tour as well if you wish to see other parts of the library for eg Radcliffe camera.The guides are pretty amazing and will brief you about some fascinating history of BodelianAll in all we enjoyed the tour.

Very quiet when we went. Beautiful ornate carvings.

WOW WOW WOW what a place. I booked into the 60min standard tour best time to go is definitely on a Sunday as the library has little to no students in the Duke Humpfrey library so the tour guide took us to the very bottom of the library a great experience. The history is overwhelming. Be aware that bags and shopping and cameras are locked away in a secured box as they take security very seriously. Also cameras arent allowed with the flashes of the cameras on the books and the camera noises disturbing students and individuals studying. Try getting to the library at about 10.45 to start queuing by the ticket booth the queue heads from the booth and stretches into the quad and not into the road that has the bridge of sighs running off it. Get a souvenir guide book they are 4.99 as a keep sake. This is another film and TV buffs dream. Harry Potter, Mary Queen of Scots, The favorite, A discovery of witches, Morse, Endeavour, Lewis and Belle have all been filmed in or around here.

Ive been there for a school trip. Its a very magical place, especially if you love books and people who love them too, besides being one of Oxford most historical sites. The guide was friendly and answered to all our questions. Its definetly a worth-time experience!

One of the finest places to be in Oxford. And this place is so special because Harry Potter was filmed here...

Beautiful location in Oxford and a must for any book lover in the world. I would highly recommend the Extended tour of the Reading rooms, just the Duke Humphreys Reading room is worth the price of entry.

Wonderful place for a visit and a guided tour, architectural design of the courtyard is amazing.

We was overwhelmed. Even the kids loved this visit. I would like to come as a reader. All this old books.

Great experience. Apart from the Harry Potter experience, the library has more to offer in terms of an interactive guided tour about the history of the library.

Wonderful library with a fantastic atmosphere. A timeless hush makes you realise what a special place this is.

Every Harry Potter fan must visit this library!

Wonderful library fantastic divinity school. Must do.