Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast on 29 November 1898, and in 2026 his birthday falls on the first Sunday of Advent. For the author of a book in which an enchanted land is stuck in winter for a century and Christmas never comes, the coincidence feels almost deliberate. The natural place to start looking for Narnia locations is right here: in east Belfast, where a bronze Aslan stands in the middle of an ordinary residential area, and in the mountains to the south where young Clive was taken on holiday.
Belfast: Lewis's square and a wardrobe by the library
In November 2016 C.S. Lewis Square opened where two greenways, the Connswater and the Comber, meet. It holds seven bronze sculptures by the Irish artist Maurice Harron based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Aslan, the White Witch, the faun Mr Tumnus, Mr and Mrs Beaver, the wolf Maugrim, the Robin and the Stone Table. Entry is free and open around the clock, with the EastSide Visitor Centre next door. Children usually head straight for the Beavers, and nobody stops them.
A few minutes' walk away, outside Holywood Arches Library, stands another bronze: a man opening a wardrobe door. The sculpture, The Searcher, was unveiled in 1998 for the writer's centenary, and it probably sums up better than anything how Narnia began. Lewis grew up in this part of the city, and local guides are happy to show you the streets of his childhood. From the centre you can reach the square by bus or walk along the greenway in about forty minutes.
The Mournes and Rostrevor: "my idea of Narnia"
As a boy Lewis was taken on holidays to the Mourne Mountains in the south-east of Northern Ireland. Later he wrote to his brother that the part of Rostrevor overlooking Carlingford Lough was his idea of Narnia. How literally to take that is still debated, but the locals have run with it: Kilbroney Park on the edge of Rostrevor has a children's Narnia Trail with a wardrobe door, figures and puzzles along the way. The walk is short and free, and the higher parts of the park look out over that very lough.
Rostrevor is about an hour's drive from Belfast, or longer by bus via Newry. Winter in the Mournes is damp and windy, and snow rarely lingers on the summits, so pack waterproof boots and do not count on a white wonderland. On the plus side there are few visitors, and in January you may have the wardrobe trail almost to yourself.
Oxford: a college, a pub and The Kilns
For almost thirty years, from 1925 to 1954, Lewis taught English literature at Magdalen College, Oxford. The college welcomes visitors daily from 10:00 until dusk or 17:00, whichever comes first; adult tickets are £10, children and students £9, and from 22 to 31 December 2026 the college is closed to visitors altogether. Times and exceptions are published on the Magdalen College website. The ticket also covers Addison's Walk along the river, where Lewis liked to stroll, Tolkien among his companions.
The Eagle and Child, where the Inklings, the literary circle of Lewis and Tolkien, met on Tuesdays, has been closed since 2020. The new owner, the Ellison Institute of Technology, is restoring the building and has promised to keep both the pub and the room where the writers sat, but reopening is not expected before 2027. A photo of the facade is fine; the pint will have to wait.
The Kilns in Headington Quarry, Lewis's home from 1930 until his death in 1963, now belongs to the C.S. Lewis Foundation, and the interior can be visited only by appointment through the foundation. The pond and woodland behind the house, said to have suggested some Narnian scenery, are now a nature reserve with free access. Lewis is buried at nearby Holy Trinity Church, where one window carries an engraving inspired by Narnia. A city bus towards Headington gets you there from central Oxford.
Where Narnia was filmed: New Zealand and the Czech Republic
The 2005 film The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was shot mostly in New Zealand. Aslan's camp was set up among the Elephant Rocks near Duntroon, on a private farm where visitors are usually allowed to wander among the stones. The great battle was filmed around Flock Hill on the South Island and the coronation at Cair Paravel at Purakaunui Bay near Dunedin, with the castle itself added digitally. Ukrainians need a visa for New Zealand, and December there is summer, so do not expect a wintry Narnia.
New Zealand could not supply enough snow, so the crew moved to the Czech Republic for the winter scenes. Lucy's path to Mr Tumnus's home runs through the Tisá Walls rocks above the village of Tisá, Narnia's frozen wastes were shot among the Adršpach rocks, and the snow-covered Pravčická brána, Europe's largest natural sandstone arch, appears on screen with the actors added in later. Ukrainians need no visa for the Czech Republic, which makes it the most accessible "winter Narnia" of all.
Pravčická brána, in Bohemian Switzerland National Park, opens in winter, November to March, on Fridays and weekends from 10:00 to 16:00, with adult tickets at 125 koruna and the schedule kept on the official Pravčická brána website. The arch itself is closed to climbing; you view it from platforms by the old Falcon's Nest hotel. The trail from Hřensko is marked in red, and buses run to Hřensko from Děčín. On the Tisá Walls and at Adršpach winter paths can be icy, so proper footwear is a must. For more on the country, see what to see in the Czech Republic.
Narnia on the map
| Place | Narnia link | Getting there | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast, C.S. Lewis Square | the author's birthplace, 7 character sculptures | fly to Belfast, then a bus to the east of the city | free entry; UK visa needed |
| Rostrevor, Mourne Mountains | the landscape Lewis called his Narnia | about an hour's drive from Belfast | Narnia Trail in Kilbroney Park is free |
| Oxford, Magdalen College | where Lewis taught for almost 30 years | about an hour by train from London | £10; closed 22-31 December 2026 |
| Oxford, The Kilns | Lewis's home, where Narnia was written | city bus to Headington | interior by appointment only |
| Czech Republic: Tisá Walls, Adršpach, Pravčická brána | winter scenes of the 2005 film | train to Děčín, then bus | arch open Fri-Sun in winter, 125 koruna; no visa needed |
| New Zealand: Elephant Rocks, Flock Hill, Purakaunui | Aslan's camp, the battle, Cair Paravel | long-haul flight with connections | visa needed; summer in December |
The UK visa and the route
Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, so Belfast needs the same British visa as Oxford. Ukrainians require a Standard Visitor visa: apply online, give biometrics at a visa centre, and expect a decision usually within three weeks, with a fee of £135, all set out on the UK government page. Flying in via Dublin will not work without a separate Irish visa, even though nobody checks the border between the two parts of Ireland. It is simpler to reach London, then take a domestic flight to Belfast and the train to Oxford.
A week-long winter route looks roughly like this: two days for Belfast and the Mournes, a flight to London, a day in Oxford. The Czech part works best as a separate weekend trip. We checked timetables and prices at the end of October 2026, but British colleges often change their hours at short notice, so look at their websites before you go. For ideas around the rest of England, see our pick of the most beautiful places in England.
