Opening Times
Magdalen College is open every day from 2 January to 18 December between 10am and dusk or 5.00pm, whichever is the earlier, with the exception of July, August and September when the college will close at 6.30pm.
The college will be closed on Saturday June 28th, Friday September 26th and Sunday October 5th 2025.
The Chapel will be closed to all visitors from Monday Sunday July 6th to Tuesday July 8th inclusive.
The Chapel will be closed to all visitors from Monday August 18th to Friday August 22nd inclusive.
(These are subject to occasional change which will be advertised on this website, or our noticeboard outside the main entrance. The College will be closed to all visitors on 19 December – 31 December, all dates inclusive, but see below for New Year’s Day 2026).
Admission Charges
Adults: £10.00
Over 65s, children, students: £9.00
Family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children aged 7 or over): £28
Free admission is available to:
- Children under 7
- Alumni
- Those who live locally and one guest
- Those who hold an Oxford University card, an OUP card, or an alumni card and one guest
- Prospective students and their families
- Pathway to Success alumni
- Carers of disabled visitors
Joint tickets for Magdalen and the Oxford Botanic Garden are available at either location for:
Adults: £15
Concessions: £13 (family and group joint tickets not available). These tickets remain valid for one entry at the each venue within 12 months of purchase.
Tickets can be bought online or on the day of the visit.
Payment will be by card only, no cash. For details of charges and times for Guided Tours please see the section below on Summer Tours. Where applicable, prices include VAT. The last admission is 30 minutes before closing time.
Groups
We welcome groups subject to a maximum of 20 people, larger groups may be split over consecutive time periods. Groups should book in advance using the group admission form. Please note, groups of under 21-year-olds must be accompanied by a responsible person throughout their visit at a ratio of 1:20
You may wish to consider arranging your own qualified guide. For details, please see the Oxford Guild of Tour Guides.
Or, to book on a scheduled public tour, go to the Bodleian website.
If you are booking on behalf of a fee-paying programme, eg. international schools, summer schools or languages courses, you will be asked to pay for admission, regardless of whether there are prospective applicants in the group.
If you have any enquiries about your group visit booking, please email groupbookings@magd.ox.ac.uk, or telephone the Lodge at 01865 276000.
If you are booking on behalf of any UK school (excluding fee-paying programmes), then please contact outreach@magd.ox.ac.uk prior to booking your visit. If you are booking for a UK state school in one of our outreach link regions (Brent, Westminster, Nottingham/Nottinghamshire, Sheffield, Barnsley or Rotherham), please visit the Outreach section of the website.
Printed Information
You can download a map from our website here.
Leaflets with a map and illustrations are provided at the Porter’s Lodge in several languages. Copies can be purchased at 50p each.
An illustrated short history of the College is available at the Porters’ Lodge, price £5.
Access
You are asked not to enter staircases, College rooms and areas marked as private. The Hall may be closed over lunchtime. Dogs, except guide dogs, are not allowed in the College. Please do not walk on the grass or picnic in the grounds. In the interests of security, random bag searches may be carried out; CCTV is in use throughout the grounds. Supervised children are welcome. We regret we are unable to provide parking.
Drones may not be used anywhere in the College grounds. Wedding and engagement photography is not permitted, except when the ceremony is taking place in the College.
Please read our accessibility information for disabled visitors. Smoking is only permitted at seven designated smoking areas in the college grounds; the locations can be found on the Smoking Areas Map. Smoking is not permitted inside any of the buildings, cloisters, or elsewhere in the grounds. E-cigarettes and vaping may not be used in public rooms.
Open Days
The University’s Open Days for prospective undergraduate applicants will be on 2nd and 3rd July and 21st September 2025.
To see Magdalen’s Open Days timetable and to request support with accommodation or with travel expenses, please see our Open Days page.
Bed and Breakfast
Magdalen College offers Bed and Breakfast accommodation. Please visit speedybooker.com to check whether a room is available.
Summer Tours
On some days in the summer hours period (see above), a Guided Tour is offered at 11am and 3pm, subject to a minimum of 4 persons and a maximum of 20. There is a charge of £13 for this, which includes the admission fee – the tour includes areas of the College, such as the Longwall Library Quad, which are not open to the general public. Tickets can be booked online or may be available on arrival.
Refreshment
Refreshments, including morning coffee and snacks, light lunches and afternoon teas are available in the Old Kitchen Bar and Riverside Terrace Monday-Saturday from 10am to 5.30pm (closed on Sunday). Recordings of the College choir, various publications on the College, and some items of College merchandise are available to purchase from the Visitors’ Desk.
Alumni Visits
Old Members of College should visit our useful information for alumni page.
Special Opening Times
New Year’s Day: On Thursday1 January 2026 the college will be open to the public from 10am to 3.30pm. There will be no admission charge. The Old Kitchen Snack Bar will not be open.
National Gardens Scheme: On Sunday 13 April 2025 the College and Grounds will be open for the National Gardens Scheme. Charges are as above; as all proceeds go to the NGS there are no free admissions on this day. The Old Kitchen Snack Bar will be open for light lunches, refreshments and teas.
Oxford Open Doors: On Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September 2025 the College and Grounds will be open as part of the Oxford Open Doors weekend. There is no charge for admission. The Old Kitchen Snack Bar may be open as usual. Various events may be organised and information will be provided here nearer the time.
