Take a tour of the Folger led by an experienced guide. We offer one-hour group tours priced at $25 per person, with discounts for school groups, which must be booked at least two weeks in advance. See below for details about how to request your tour.
Below you’ll also find information for taking a self-guided tour of the Folger’s exhibition halls and historic spaces, including visiting hours for the Reading Room.
All Folger tours are booked through folger.edu. Please note that if you have booked a tour through a separate organization or website, the tour is not an official Folger experience, and your tour cannot be guaranteed. We cannot accommodate charter buses on their arrival day; all tours must be reserved in advance through the Folger website.
Group tours
Cost
$25 per person
All tour bookings include admission to the Folger; timed entry passes do not need to be booked separately.
Group size
Minimum: 6 people
Maximum: 40 people
Groups of 40 will be split into two separate tour groups of 20 people each.
Available days and start times
Tuesdays– Fridays: 11:30am–4:30pm
Saturdays: 11:30am–2:30pm
Bringing a group of students? Explore our options for Student Tours and Experiences
Tour highlights
Your tour will take you through the Great Hall and other historic spaces, along with new areas added by the building renovation.
About our building and grounds
Exhibition Halls
Each tour will feature our exhibitions, whose highlights include the Folger’s world-famous collection of First Folios and a replica 17th-century printing press.
Elizabethan Theatre
The Elizabethan Theatre may be closed to visitors during rehearsals and performances, but will otherwise be included as part of your tour.
The Reading Room
Since researchers are using this space during weekdays to work quietly, only the final tour of the day (starting at 4:30pm) will include the Reading Room.
Student visits to the Folger
Student Experiences and Tours are Folger field trips tailored to your students and what you’re studying in class. Take a guided tour of the Folger’s exhibition halls and historic spaces, and if you have more time, pair it with an interactive, up-on-your-feet Folger Method workshop to bring Shakespeare’s language off the page and into action. Add a Collections Focus for an extended, up-close experience with materials from our collection.
Bus groups
The Folger welcomes bus groups to experience the exhibitions and the building. We ask that groups plan their visit in advance, as the Folger cannot accommodate charter buses for a same-day visit.
To reserve a self-guided experience for your group
Please email FolgerTours@folger.edu with the date of your visit and expected number of attendees.
To reserve a guided experience for your group
Please submit a request form for a guided tour or a student experience. These requests need to be submitted a minimum of four weeks in advance of your visit.
Any other questions or inquiries can be sent to FolgerTours@folger.edu.
Self-guided tours
You are welcome to take a self-guided tour of the Folger’s exhibition halls and historic spaces. Please note that the Theatre may be closed to visitors during rehearsals and performances, and that the Reading Room has limited visiting hours (see below for more details).
Our friendly Visitor Experience Experts (VEEs) and Gallery Guides are stationed throughout the building to answer questions.
When you visit, check in at the Welcome Desk to pick up a 20-stop self-guided tour booklet, or use our free digital guide, available through Bloomberg Connects.
Free digital guide to the Folger
Explore the Folger with the help of our digital guide, available for free through Bloomberg Connects.
Visiting the Reading Room
For many visitors, the Reading Room is a must-see, with its beautiful stained-glass windows, enormous chandeliers, carved oak paneling, and high trussed roof. During weekdays, the Reading Room is a quiet space for researchers to work with Folger collection materials.
To see the Reading Room as part of a group tour, you must book the last available tour of the day, which starts at 4:30pm.
Visitors are invited into the Reading Room on weekday evenings and on weekends during these hours:
- Friday: 5pm to 8pm
- Saturday: 11am to 5pm
- Sunday: 11am to 5pm
Days and times are subject to change. Please see the Plan your visit page for the most up-to-date information about partial or full-day building closures.
Information for researchers:
Use the library
Learn more about our Reading Room hours, paging schedule, and more for planning an in-person research visit.