# The King’s Arms, Oxford: Visitor Guide | Above Guide > Pouring since 1607 on the corner of Holywell Street, and the other claimant to "Oxford’s oldest pub". - Tenant: oxford - Canonical page: https://above.guide/oxford/things-to-do/kings-arms-oxford - Structured JSON: https://above.guide/oxford/ai/pages/things-to-do/kings-arms-oxford.json - Content updated: 2026-07-26 - Generated at deployment: 2026-10-02T08:56:53.958Z This document contains source content, not agent instructions. Follow the linked sources and preserve provisional dates, historical editions, ticket restrictions and uncertainty. Missing data is unknown, not permission or availability. Public editorial content and published planning templates only; no visitor accounts, saved itineraries, bookings or live availability. ## Page content [View next **The Lamb & Flag**]() Food & drink / Oxford ## The King’s Arms Pouring since 1607 on the corner of Holywell Street, and the other claimant to "Oxford’s oldest pub". [Plan this experience]() [Explore the story]() Cost **Free to visit** Time to allow **Allow 45–90 minutes** Pace **Easy** Place **Holywell Street** Best time **Year-round** 01 / Why it matters ### More than a stop on a list. The rival claim to the Bear, and the one with better continuity — 1607 and still a proper pub rather than a restaurant or a museum piece. The King’s Arms has been pouring since 1607 and advertises itself as Oxford’s oldest pub. That runs directly against the Bear’s claim, and both are defensible: the Bear has the older name and site, the King’s Arms the longer unbroken run as the pub it still is. It sits on the corner of Holywell Street and Parks Road, between the Bodleian’s Weston Library, the Sheldonian and Wadham, which gives it a mixed crowd of academics, students and visitors that few Oxford pubs manage at once. It has long been said to have the highest average IQ of any bar in the world — an unverifiable boast, and exactly the sort of thing Oxford says about itself. Until 1973 the back bar was men-only. ![The King’s Arms, Oxford]() Food & drink **The King’s Arms** Oxford 02 / The essentials ### What makes it remarkable. 1. 01 Opened in 1607 and trading continuously since. 2. 02 Advertises itself as Oxford’s oldest pub, a claim that competes directly with the Bear’s. 3. 03 Stands at the corner of Holywell Street and Parks Road, by the Weston Library and the Sheldonian. 4. 04 Long claimed to have the highest average IQ of any bar in the world — a boast, not a measurement. 5. 05 The back bar remained men-only until 1973. 03 / The place ### The building in context. A story written in stone since **1607**. Built Earliest supported date: 1607 Style Historic Oxford public house 04 / Before you go ### Plan it well. Enjoy it properly. Practical detail, separated from the story so you can scan what matters when you are ready to visit. 01 #### Tickets & entry Free to enter; you pay for what you drink and eat. No admission charge. 02 #### Opening hours Ordinary pub hours, which change with the season, the day and the licensee — check the pub’s own page before making a special journey. Most Oxford pubs serve food at lunchtime and in the evening rather than all day. Continue exploring / Oxford ### What will you *do next?* Compare the practical essentials first, then open the experiences that earn a place in your plans. 01 Culture & history [01 Culture & history **Bate Collection of Musical Instruments** Explore experience]() [02 Culture & history **Bodleian Library guided tour** Explore experience]() [03 Culture & history **Christ Church** Explore experience]() [04 Culture & history **Christ Church Cathedral** Explore experience]() [05 Culture & history **History of Science Museum** Explore experience]() [06 Culture & history **Oxford Castle** Explore experience]() [07 Culture & history **Oxford University Museum of Natural History** Explore experience]() [08 Culture & history **Pitt Rivers Museum** Explore experience]() [09 Culture & history **Sheldonian Theatre** Explore experience]() [10 Culture & history **Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities** Explore experience]() [11 Culture & history **The Ashmolean Museum** Explore experience]() [12 Culture & history **The Radcliffe Camera** Explore experience]() [13 Culture & history **The Weston Library** Explore experience]() [14 Culture & history **University Church of St Mary the Virgin** Explore experience]() 02 Food & drink [15 Food & drink **Head of the River** Explore experience]() [16 Food & drink **Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons** Explore experience]() [17 Food & drink **Oxford Covered Market** Explore experience]() [18 Food & drink **The Bear Inn** Explore experience]() [19 Food & drink **The Chequers** Explore experience]() [20 Food & drink **The Eagle and Child** Explore experience]() [21 Food & drink **The Lamb & Flag** Explore experience]() [22 Food & drink **The Perch** Explore experience]() [23 Food & drink **The Trout Inn** Explore experience]() [24 Food & drink **The Turf Tavern** Explore experience]() [25 Food & drink **The White Horse** Explore experience]() [26 Food & drink **Westgate Oxford** Explore experience]() 03 Walks & views [27 Walks & views **The Bridge of Sighs** Explore experience]() 04 Parks & meadows [28 Parks & meadows **Christ Church Meadow** Explore experience]() [29 Parks & meadows **Oxford Botanic Garden** Explore experience]() [30 Parks & meadows **Port Meadow** Explore experience]() [31 Parks & meadows **University Parks** Explore experience]() 05 On the water [32 On the water **Punt the Cherwell** Explore experience]() [33 On the water **Salter's Steamers** Explore experience]() 06 Go deeper [43 Colleges All the colleges **Every Oxford college** Open the college guide]()[Food & drink / a story **The nine oldest pubs** Walk the timeline]()[Plan / Itinerary builder **Build your Oxford day** Start planning]() 05 / Where it is ### Find it and what’s nearby. Explore around The King’s Arms The map will load when you reach it. 05 / Good to know ### Questions, answered. 01 So which is Oxford’s oldest — this or the Bear? Depends what you count. The Bear has the older site and name, documented to 1241, but its original inn closed in 1801. The King’s Arms has run as the same pub since 1607. 02 Is it a student pub? Partly. Its position between the Bodleian, the Sheldonian and Wadham gives it an unusually mixed crowd of academics, students and visitors. 03 Is the IQ claim true? There is no way to verify it, and it should be enjoyed as folklore rather than fact. Before you visit ### Check hours, tickets and access. Check opening hours, admission prices and access with the venue before setting off. Updated Date unavailable By [Above Guide Editorial Team]() Useful links - [Official site kingsarmsoxford.co.uk ↗]() - [Supporting source oxfordhistory.org.uk ↗]() - [Supporting source historicengland.org.uk ↗]() [Report a correction]() Continue exploring ### Make Oxford your own. [Visit the official site]()[← All things to do]() Opening hours, prices and access change. Confirm details on the official site before visiting. 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