A Bodleian Library tour is the practical way in, because the Old Library is shown on guided visits and not as a walk-in museum. I compared three Bodleian Library tours that include the Divinity School: two Oxford walking tours at $47 each and one 10-hour day trip from London at $200. Below you will find the route, group size, languages, meeting point and what reviewers say about each one. If you only want to know what the entry itself costs, my guide to tickets for the Bodleian Library covers every option, including the Bodleian’s own.
What a Bodleian Library Tour Adds Over a Plain Ticket
The Bodleian sells its own tours, so a GetYourGuide listing has to add something. The official tours page lists a 15-minute Divinity School slot from £3, a 30-minute guided tour from £12.50 and a 60-minute tour from £17.50. Those are tours of the library alone. The listings below wrap the Divinity School in a wider route through the colleges, they let you cancel free up to 24 hours ahead, and one of them sells the transport as well.
Be clear about what none of them is. Not one gives you the reading rooms, which are for readers, and none promises the interior of Duke Humfrey’s Library. The Visit Oxford Tours listing says that part can be booked directly with the Bodleian. A Bodleian Library tour from these operators is a guided walk that includes the Divinity School, and I would book it with that expectation.
Oxford Walking Tours With the Divinity School
Two of the three Bodleian Library tours are walking tours led from central Oxford, and they differ in more than the logo.
The Footprints Harry Potter walking tour is the most reviewed, with 4.7 stars from 1,822 reviews, and it costs $47. It is led by an Oxford University student guide and includes entrance to the Divinity School, entrance to New College and a Harry Potter quiz. It runs in English only. The duration reads 1.5 to 10 hours because the listing bundles several variants, and the meeting point changes with the option, so confirm both in your booking. Christ Church and gratuities are not included. One warning in the listing matters: it says that in peak season, June to August, Divinity School access is extremely limited because of frequent closures and may not be included, and it describes itself as an unofficial tour not affiliated with Warner Bros. I appreciate that candour.
Footprints Tours
Harry Potter Walking Tour Including New College
★4.7 (1,822 reviews)
1.5 - 10 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: The most reviewed Bodleian Library tour: $47, 4.7 from 1,822 reviews, New College as well as the Divinity School, English only.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Guide
✓ Entrance to Divinity School (subject to availability during peak season)
✓ Entrance to New College
✓ Harry Potter quiz
Not included / not suitable
✕ Gratuities
✕ Entrance to Christ Church
Meeting point: Meeting point may vary depending on the option you select. Check availability for more details.
Languages: English
Duration: 1.5 - 10 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Mikayla did a very great job! It was awesome, can totally recommend the tour!” – GetYourGuide review
The Visit Oxford Tours Harry Potter Insights tour is also $47 and runs about 1.5 hours to 105 minutes. You meet the guide, who wears a red lanyard or a Harry Potter gown and hat, by the red sign outside the tourist information centre at 15 Broad Street. It has the widest choice of languages of the three: English, French, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, German and Spanish. The operator says its groups are usually under five people outside high season, which is its own claim, though reviewers back it up: several write that it was just their couple or family on the tour. The £3 Divinity School entry is part of the price. New College and Christ Church are not visited inside.
Visit Oxford Tours
Harry Potter Insights Divinity School Group Tour
★4.7 (794 reviews)
1.5 hours - 105 minutes
Free cancellation
My pick: The Divinity School specialist: $47, nine languages, 4.7 from 794 reviews, small groups, but check the closure dates.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Guide
✓ Detailed map of Oxford city centre colleges, attractions and sights
✓ Entrance to the Divinity School film site at the Bodleian Library is included in the cost of the tour
Not included / not suitable
✕ Visit to the interior of the Duke Humfrey's Library inside the Bodleian Library (can be booked directly)
✕ Entry to the New College film site or Christ Church film site
✕ Note that on these dates, Divinity School is closed all or part of the day. On days that it's closed during the tour schedule, we can arrange to book later entry time eg usually at 3.30pm, to see inside the Divinity School, after the tour ends
✕ Please see notice of 2026 published Divinity School closures below- on all the following dates, tickets for this tour have been removed from sale but you can instead book our separate New College tour on any such dates below
Meeting point: Meet your guide wearing a red lanyard and/or Harry Potter gown & hat, by our red sign, outside Oxford tourist info centre, 15 Broad Street, OX1 3AS. 15 Broad St, Oxford OX1 3AS, UK
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Absolutely brilliant. Matais was so lovely. Interesting full of facts. Really enjoyed. Perfectly paced Highly recommend Thank you !” – GetYourGuide review
Divinity School Closure Dates and What Happens Then
This is the part of a Bodleian Library tour that can change your day. The Visit Oxford Tours listing names the dates when the Divinity School is closed: 30 and 31 October, 1, 6, 7, 13 and 14 November 2026, and 23 January, 27 February, 6 March, 14, 15 and 22 May 2027. It says tickets for the Divinity School tour are removed from sale on those dates and that you can book its separate New College tour instead. Elsewhere in the listing it says that on closed dates the tour enters New College and the price is raised automatically, because New College charges £12 per person. It also says it can sometimes arrange a later Divinity School entry, usually around 3:30 pm, after the tour ends.
I could not confirm these dates against the Bodleian itself, so treat them as the operator’s statement and look at the Bodleian’s own pages for your date. My Bodleian Library opening hours guide lists what the official site says.
A Bodleian Library Tour From London
The third Bodleian Library tour is a different product. The Footprints day trip costs $200 for 10 hours, and 4.7 stars from 65 reviews is a small sample next to the walking tours. It includes return transport in a Mercedes minibus, a guide who is an Oxford University student, entry to the Divinity School only, entry to Christ Church College, entry to an additional college and free time to explore. The group is capped at 16. You meet outside Gloucester Road Underground station, at the corner of Gloucester Road and Courtfield Road in South Kensington. Tips are not included.
Footprints Tours
Oxford Tour with Christ Church & Bodleian Library
★4.7 (65 reviews)
10 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: The no-planning day out: transport from London, a student guide and three entries for $200, from 65 reviews at 4.7.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Return transport from London
✓ Guided tour by Oxford University student
✓ Entry to Bodleian Library (Divinity School only)
✓ Entry to Christ Church College
✓ Entry to an additional Oxford College
✓ Free time to explore at your own pace
Not included / not suitable
✕ Tips
Meeting point: Meeting outside the London Underground station at the corner of Gloucester Road and Courtfield Road. Gloucester Road, Underground Ltd, Gloucester Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 4SF, UK
Languages: English
Duration: 10 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Our day in Oxford was great! Really enjoyed the knowledgeable guide.” – GetYourGuide review
The reviews are the most useful thing about it. Most praise the drivers and guides. A few 4-star reviewers say there was no lunch break in the tour, that they waited an hour for the Great Hall at Christ Church, or that they did not get into a Bodleian library room, which fits the listing: it says the Divinity School only. At four times the walking-tour price, you are buying the journey and two extra entries, so I would only choose it from London.
Do Reviewers Agree on Bodleian Library Tours?
On the walking tours, yes. Across the review texts I read, the praise goes to the guide: knowledge, pace, and patience with children. One parent describes a guide who held the attention of a 6- and an 8-year-old. GetYourGuide’s own summary says travellers sometimes want clearer detail about which interiors are included and about the amount of Harry Potter content, which is the same advice I give you.
“Sue was an excellent guide with 30 years of personal history about Oxford.”
— GetYourGuide reviewer
The complaints are about expectations, not quality. They are the day trip’s lunch gap and the missing library room. I take that to mean the guide matters more than the operator, and that you should read the included list before you book.
Guided Bodleian Library Tour or Ticket Only?
There is no plain ticket among the products I compared, so the honest comparison is with the Bodleian’s own tickets. The £3 slot is a 15-minute visit to the Divinity School with no guide, and the 30-minute guided tour is £12.50, both per the official tours page. They are in pounds and the listings are in dollars, so I will not claim an exact gap, but $47 for a walking tour with a guide, the Divinity School and a college is a different product from a 30-minute library tour. The official site says its tickets are non-refundable, while all three listings here cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.
If the building itself is the point, start with the official tickets. If you want Oxford explained, a Bodleian Library tour from the listings is the better buy, and my page on Bodleian Library tickets explains how to combine the two.
Small Group, Private or Standard Bodleian Library Tours
The listings show part of this split. Visit Oxford Tours says its groups are usually under five outside high season, and Footprints caps the London day trip at 16. The Footprints walking tour does not state a size, though one reviewer describes a group of eight. I did not find a private Bodleian Library tour among the three, and the Visit Oxford Tours listing mentions private guides only to say they cannot take you into the medieval library upstairs.
How I’d Choose a Bodleian Library Tour
First visit, Harry Potter fans: the Footprints walking tour at $47, for the 1,822 reviews and the extra college.
A language other than English: the Visit Oxford Tours tour at $47, in nine languages.
Small groups: Visit Oxford Tours, whose groups are usually under five outside high season.
Starting in London: the $200 Footprints day trip, accepting that it covers the Divinity School only.
Duke Humfrey’s Library: book that with the Bodleian directly.
I think so if you want the Divinity School and a guide to the colleges around it. The two Oxford walking tours cost $47 each and rate 4.7 stars, from 1,822 and 794 reviews, and reviewers praise the guides far more than the building. The $200 day trip from London is worth it only if you want the transport and Christ Church in the same booking.
Can you go inside the Bodleian Library on a tour?+
You can enter the Divinity School on all three tours I compared. The Visit Oxford Tours listing says private guides are not allowed to take you to the medieval library upstairs, and that the Duke Humfrey's Library interior can be booked directly with the Bodleian. Two reviewers of the London day trip say they did not get into a library room.
How long is a Bodleian Library tour?+
The Visit Oxford Tours walking tour lists 1.5 hours to 105 minutes. The Footprints Harry Potter walking tour lists 1.5 to 10 hours because the listing covers several variants, so read the option you pick. The Footprints day trip from London takes 10 hours including the journey.
Which Bodleian Library tour includes New College?+
The Footprints Harry Potter walking tour at $47 includes entrance to New College. On the Visit Oxford Tours listing New College is not included, but on dates when the Divinity School is closed the listing says the tour enters New College instead and the price rises to cover its entry fee.
Is the Divinity School closed on some dates?+
Yes. The Visit Oxford Tours listing names 30 and 31 October and 1, 6, 7, 13 and 14 November 2026, plus 23 January, 27 February, 6 March, and 14, 15 and 22 May 2027. Tickets for the Divinity School tour are removed from sale on those dates, so check your day before you book.
Can I cancel a Bodleian Library tour?+
All three listings say you can cancel up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund. The Bodleian's own tour tickets are described on its site as non-refundable, so that flexibility is one of the things the GetYourGuide listings add.
