Library Tours

The Bodleian Libraries are not open to visitors as a rule, but they do offer fascinating tours that last 30, 60, or 90 minutes; tickets can be booked in advance or bought on the day.  They also offer an audio tour and a ten-minute tour of the Divinity School, and a History Trail for children aged 5-11. Full details are available here. 

Museum Tours

GOOD TO KNOW: Most museums in the UK are closed on Mondays, and can have odd or surprising opening times; be sure to check online before visiting using the handy links on our list of museums page. The majority of Oxford museums do not offer guided tours, but many have excellent self-guided tour materials available for free. 

Ashmolean Museum: Highlights Tour, Saturdays, 11am-12pm (free), tokens available from 10am. 

Oxford University Press Museum: 30-minute tours by appointment only, 10am-4pm. More details here, or call 01865 353527 for an appointment. 

Oxford Town Hall: tours on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. More details here, or check their What's On page for specific dates and times. 

Tours of Oxford

GOOD TO KNOW: As the tourism industry in Oxford goes from strength to strength, there are seemingly countless options for tours of the city, and the choice can be overwhelming. Many are themed (Alice in Wonderland, literary Oxford, Harry Potter, Pubs, Influential Women, Endeavour/Morse, etc.), and there are tours of all sizes, aimed at all different age groups. It is worth checking online before committing to a tour: TripAdvisor can be particularly useful for narrowing down your choice to well-reviewed and trustworthy tour guides, both private and official. While there are many freelance guides who are easy to spot as you walk along Broad Street, we have listed two large organisations below who offer "official" tours, which is a good place to start. 

City Sightseeing offers an Oxford Sightseeing tour by bus (hop-on, hop off), which also gives entry to the Bodleian Library, the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford Castle and Prison, and other key locations around the city. 

Experience Oxfordshire's offers walking tours of the city.