can you visit magdalen college oxford

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Magdalen College

Stepping into Magdalen College’s grounds feels like stepping into a totally different world.

Magdalen College, one of the largest and most famous colleges, is home to an impressive courtyard, gorgeous cloisters and a deer park, hidden in the heart of Oxford. The C.S. Lewis connection makes it even more meaningful especially when you are taking a stroll along Addisons’s Walk trying to imagine him and Tolkien walking the same path.

Founded in 1458 by Bishop Wayneflete of Winchester, the college owns some remarkable buildings, including the famous Gothic Bell Tower from which the college choir sings a Latin hymn on May 1st at 6:00am each year to public crowds below to celebrate the beginning of spring. This old tradition, which began in the late 15th century, has survived until now, meaning the night before is spent dancing and pub crawling while awaiting the sunrise.

Its quiet and tucked away location, far from the hustle and bustle of Oxford, makes Magdalen College the perfect destination for taking a romantic or meditative walk amongst its 100 acres of woodlands. Throughout the different seasons you can enjoy the transformation of its tranquil gardens. In the spring, this is a downright jewel of the city with wildflowers in bloom. Visiting it then you will be able to see why Lewis stayed there for so long…

Take a look at this stunning video of Magdalen College Oxford from Skyvantage on Vimeo.

    You can make the most of a sunny day by having a bite outside by the river in The Old Kitchen Bar, which is the oldest building on site dating from the 1300s, and admire the river that runs behind it while watching people punting.

Want to see more? Visit the full gallery and get to know Magdalen College better.

On your way back, don’t forget to enter the chapel. It’s a small delight with ornate woodwork, lots of original medieval stained glass and an altar painting attributed to Tintoretto. If you are free in the evening you can join one of the evening services starting at 6pm with the choir which gives such a different experience after a day at work.  

Top facts about Magdalen College:

• Magdalen’s bell tower is the tallest medieval tower in Oxford which dates back to 1492.
• Funding for Magdalen College was enhanced by a lavish endowment: 55 manors contributed to its funding (compared with 31 for Merton, 24 for All Soul’s and only 3 for Exeter).
• Magdalen’s famous Deer Park, also known as Magalen Grove, is home to herd of deer who grazed on the college’s grounds since 1700.

  Walk through the cloister and find the majestic hall on the upper end of a steep staircase. This is where students, lecturers and fellows lunch and dine.

There is a lot of confusion around pronunciation of the name of the college. Though nowadays spelt in the biblical and continental way, ‘Magdalene’, the College name is customarily pronounced ‘Maudlyn’.

From its cloisters and beautiful chapel to its expansive and tranquil gardens, Magdalen College is a must visit place but make sure to bring your camera as there will be several nice photo opportunities awaiting you!

  Opening hours: January to late June: 1pm to dusk or 6pm Late June to the end of September: Noon to 7pm October to December: 1pm to dusk or 6pm

Tickets and Prices: Adults – £5.00 Over 60s, children, students – £4.00 Family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children aged 7 or over) – £14.00. Children under 7 years of age are free of charge.

Lunch: Have a coffee and a treat by the river at Magdalen’s College The Old Kitchen Bar, which has an open seating area that looks out over the punting house and part of the canal.

Equipment: Bring binoculars or a zoom lens to see the amusing stone characters that decorate Magdalen College.

Image credits: Magdalen College by Meraj Chhaya and Adrian Scottow .

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Potential applicants and their families are very welcome to look around Magdalen on any day. Simply tell the porter on duty that you are a prospective applicant and you will be admitted free of charge. Here is a link to our  Alternative Prospectus . Please see our general visitor information , including opening hours.

The Open Day is an opportunity for you to get a feel for the College, ask any questions you may have, and for you to meet our tutors and current undergraduate students. The Open Day is designed to help you to decide where you want to study and play no part whatsoever in our selection process.

There will be the opportunity to ask our students, admissions and outreach team and tutors questions on the day.

Oxford’s 2022 Open Days will be on Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 June and Friday 16 September.  Additional information will be posted on the University website as soon as it is available. 

 Open Day Travel Expenses Reimbursement Scheme

If the cost of travelling to and from Oxford is a problem, then we may be able to reimburse some or all of the costs of travel. In order to be eligible, you must be a UK resident attending a UK state school or college and travelling by public transport. We are only able to reimburse travel costs for students.

To apply for this scheme, students must be:

• currently eligible for Free School Meals;
• and/or in local authority care (or previously in local authority care);
• and/or have another reason why it would be difficult to pay for travel to attend an Open Day in Oxford.

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Visiting Oxford Colleges – The Ultimate Guide

Don’t tell me – you’re making a special trip to Oxford to see the Headington Shark right? The towns random piece of art reflecting some emotions of Chernobyl (a giant shark sculpture sticking out of a roof).

NO, OF COURSE NOT – YOU CAME TO OXFORD TO SEE THE COLLEGES.

The one with the famous dining room, the one with that Venetian-like bridge, the one with the wisteria? Oxford has been turning up on tv screens for years and immortalised in books for even longer. It’s the most beautiful city in the UK and I can totally understand why you would want to visit.

Choosing The Best Oxford Colleges To Visit

But, choosing the best colleges to visit in Oxford can be a time-robbing conundrum and if you’re only here for a short period you’re going to need a little help. Let’s face it – you’ll be kicking yourself later if you learn you were literally the other side of a wall or doorway and you missed an incredible piece of Oxford.

But worry not, we have been visiting Oxford for decades and we think we’ve worked out which colleges you ought to be putting on your bucket list.

There are 38 Oxford Colleges in total but we have you covered for the prettiest ones, the ones you can see for free, Harry Potter filming locations and other famous Oxford colleges with impressive alumni or fascinating histories. And to avoid any unconscious walk-by’s we’ve added a map of ‘ Oxford Colleges ‘ at the bottom to make your visit easier – just click the drop-down menu at the top left to save to your device.

Here’s our list of the best Oxford colleges to visit…

pin for later…

Christ Church College

CALLING ALL POTTER FANS…

Many people with a penchant for wizardry make the day trip from London to Oxford just for the Harry Potter locations. This makes Christ Church College the most popular and most recognisable spot in town. The Dining Room inspired the Great Hall at Hogwarts and the cloisters and the Bodley tower were actually used in the filming.

But make no mistake – all this Potter-patter makes Christ Church undoubtedly one of the busiest places to visit in Oxford and if you are interested in stopping by you might want to consider booking ahead. (See their website for details and booking info )

However, even before Harry had us hurrying to investigate, Christ Church has always been a popular place to visit in Oxford for several reasons…

The Dining Room especially stands to impress, with its walls of hung portraits of notable alumni like King Edward VII, Albert Einstein the Winklevoss Facebook twins, John Wesley and over a dozen English Prime Ministers. But as you walk into Christ Church make sure you take note of Tom Tower – the grand entrance designed by Christopher Wren, of St Pauls Cathedral fame. Signalling that the Great Doors are about to close, the Bells of Tom Tower go off 101 times every evening at 9.05pm, and you don’t need to be bound to the building to hear it!

Being one of the wealthiest Colleges of Oxford, Christ Church also has its very own picture gallery with works of art by Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Raphael no less. Amazingly, the students are allowed to borrow certain pieces to hang in their dorm-rooms for their duration – can you just imagine falling over last nights empties and straight into a Da Vinci!?

But my favourite fact of all about this wonderful Oxford college is that the real Alice of Alice in Wonderland lived here! Her family (her father was the Dean) were friends of Lewis Carroll and regularly took trips on the river together, where the tale of Wonderland began and Alice became the main character. Top tip : look out for the Alice stained glass in the dining room.

Just outside of Christ Church College is the sweet shop where Alice bought her sweets as a child ( Alice’s Shop ) and also a cute little cafe called Cafe Loco which gives a little nod to Alice and her far-out friends.

Where is Christ Church College? Tickets can be bought at Meadow Gate on the Broad Walk. At the Magdalen Bridge end of the High Street.

New College

Not new at all actually, unless you’re the type of person who has medieval mead in your amazon basket. New College is one of the oldest colleges in Oxford, completed in 1386, older than the Azteks, China’s Forbidden City and Cher. And, I’ve got to say, if you’re the type of person who writes a tick-list of goals on January the first, or own a clip-board full-stop, in terms of a check-list, this is one of the Oxford colleges to visit that has it all.

For just £5 (the chapel is free to visit) you get to see some of the prettiest insta-worthy Oxford university gardens, Harry Potter locations, a stunning chapel, famous artworks, beautiful architecture and it even has its own mountain. It’s value for money for definite.

Pretty herbaceous borders line the ancient city wall (built 1200’s) and climbers and Wisteria enhance the already gorgeous college buildings – it’s an English-Garden postcard. Head to the New College cloister courtyard quadrangle to see the old Oak tree used as a seat for Malfoy in Harry Potter – The Goblet of Fire.

The ancient dining room is a highlight, Jacob Epstein’s ‘Lazarus’ statue stands in the chapel and so does an original El Greco (St James The Greater) – as far as colleges at Oxford go, this one has so much to take in. Plus, Hugh Grant went here, now what greater reason do you need?

Where Is New College?  Access is by Hollywell Street. See their website for opening times and ticket prices.

Magdalen College

Pronounced Mawd-lin, Magdalen is definitely one of the prettiest Oxford colleges you could visit. If you’re arriving in town via the High Street it’s also one of the first colleges you’ll see on your trip to Oxford. Being one of the wealthiest colleges in Oxford you can easily see why many a notable King or Prince have chosen it as their Bed and Breakfast for the night, it’s pretty impressive!

Magdalen also has a notable literary alumnus: Oscar Wilde, C.S Lewis and J.R.R Tolkein all walked these old cobblestones. In fact, if you take a stroll along the college’s Addison’s Walk it’s just a little bit awesome that you are literally following in the footsteps of good friends Tolkein and Lewis who used to promenade together – how cool is that!

Adjacent to the river, Magdalen often throws out an epic scene of low lying mist across its very own Deer Park. It’s a beautiful picture and if you are visiting Oxford in winter or spring you might want to make this your early morning stop-off for the best chances of seeing this beautiful scene. The deer are more likely to be in the riverside meadows during summer but have been rutting here for over 300 years.

Included in your ticket price (£7) is the opportunity to see the Dining Hall, Medieval Chapel, Old Kitchen Bar and the Cherwell riverside walk. By the way, the Old Kitchen Bar is the riverside seating area you can see from Magdalen Bridge and is a beautiful place to sit and watch the world go by with your beverage – I’m giving you that tidbit for free, it took me years to work out how to get access to that terrace!

Where is Magdalen College?  Entrance is via the lovely Victorian tower gateway on High Street.

Balliol College

Balliol is one of those Oxford colleges where history seems palpable. It reminds me of Christ Church and I’m sure if Christ Church wasn’t available, Balliol would have been the second choice for certain filming locations. It’s grand, it’s beautiful and it’s impressive, but with considerably fewer crowds than others.

Founded in 1263 it’s one of the oldest colleges in Oxford and also a great place to retreat from the crowds out on the pavement – there are more than a handful of nooks and crannies in the Balliol gardens and some very pretty spots amongst the wisterias.

The ticket price is only £2 but it has great Quads, a Great Hall and a great chapel – it’s a handsome all-rounder.

Where is Balliol College? Entrance is on Broad Street.

Which Oxford Colleges Are Free To Visit?

Several colleges at Oxford open their doors to the public for free at certain times of the day or week. They may not be as impressive as some of the ones with a ticket price but some have features that are definitely worth a little peek if you find yourself in the area. Here’s our recommendations and a few reasons why they are worth a visit…

All Souls College

The poet Matthew Arnold once labelled Oxford; 

‘that sweet city with her dreaming spires’

Because from places like Boars Hill, just west of the metropolis, the tall steeples are what fashion the Oxford skyline and All Souls College is the show-stopper.

In order to get in you have to take the hardest exam in the world, or just turn up between 2 and 4pm on week-days (all day on Sunday) and entry is free! 

Access includes a visit to the college front, the Great Quadrangles and the Chapel and it is definitely worth a look as you will more than likely find yourself at this popular Oxford location at some point anyway (it’s next door to the Radcliffe Camera). However, it’s the spires which make it glorious and you’ll get the best views of these from the top of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin across the way. (The church tower makes our list of Top Things To Do In Oxford and you can find out more details here )

The Gothic chapel of All Souls College is a particular highlight as are the unique angles of the Radcliffe Camera through the foliage of the gardens. You might not spend too long here but it’d be a shame to just walk on by.

The main entrance is on Oxford High Street.

Keble College

A little bit controversial, Keble College isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. It’s been called a Zebra, a humbug and a lasagne – but in my books, the latter is definitely not an insult! In any other town though, this Victorian piece of architecture in the Neo-Gothic style would receive the attention it actually deserved. In short, it looks nothing like the rest of the Oxford Universities!

Photo credits; Holly Hayes, Keble College – Flickr

For starters, it’s way younger, but that shouldn’t deter you from a quick peek. You’re more than likely going to be stopping by the Pitt Rivers Museum over the road if you’re visiting Oxford for the day (and if not, why not!?), so you may as well visit Keble.

Check out the Dining Hall and Common Room, both a bit reminisce of a posh grand-mothers house and easy to imagine a soiree with Queen Victoria. However, Keble is anything but stuffy – it’s probably the friendliest college you will visit and the more laid back atmosphere is noticeable. Meal-times are a big deal in this place; the University keeps food prices low and in turn students make it a priority to eat here, including 3 formal dinners a week. Rumour has it that Keble is the envy of other Oxford Colleges when it comes to dining.

The College also has a rather beautiful chapel too. And, all for free – just make sure you plan your visit between 2 – 5pm.

Entrance is on Parks Road, opposite the Pitt Rivers Museum

Exeter College

Exeter is the 4th oldest college at Oxford and has a few famous alumni including William Morris, Tolkein and Roger Bannister of 4-minute-mile fame.

Check out the pretty Fellow’s Garden and the spot where Inspector Morse had his heart attack on the lawn! It’s also a filming location for some scenes in The Golden Compass . The hall and chapel are also great too, the latter where a William Morris tapestry of Christ’s Birth hangs. Open for free between 2-5pm.

Entrance is on Turl Street.

Lincoln College

Worth a stop in Autumn-time just to see the beautiful red Virginia Creeper vines in the Quadrangles. Famous alumni – John Le Carre and Emily Mortimer and John Wesley.

Entrance on Turl Street.

Worcester College

A bit off the beaten path in Oxford, Worcester is a little hidden gem. It’s like a blend of stately home and quaint chocolate-box cottages, all set to a beautiful backdrop of gardens. Throw in a lake for good measure and you’ll find yourself in a city-centre secret place of calm. The college has won Oxford in Bloom a few times over the years – that should tell you something. And don’t miss the mosaics in the church, there’s a distinct Byzantian temple feel to it.

Entrance on Worcester Street, just along from the Ashmolean.

Corpus Christi College

The smallest College of Oxford University but also one of the cutest, Corpus Christi is famous for is annual Tortoise Fair, held in May. Over a thousand fans turn up to see the race between the college tortoises across the gardens. Don’t miss the Pelican sundial in the Quad and the scenic vista’s over Merton’s Field.

Entrance is on Merton Street and it’s open to visitors every day from 1.30 – 4.30pm.

TIPS FOR VISITING OXFORD COLLEGES

Open Doors Oxford is an event which takes place over a weekend in mid-September every year and makes several Oxford colleges open to visitors that usually charge an entrance fee. It’s a good time to visit if you want to see as many colleges as possible.

When you visit Oxford colleges it may be wise to check ahead of time to see if all the areas are open, sometimes libraries or halls are closed for events or other reasons. Also, some Oxford college tours need to be booked in advance.

Here’s our map of Oxford colleges worth visiting. Remember, if you want to save this map just click on the arrow in the top left corner and star or save.

More Places To Visit In Oxford

Of course, there is more to Oxford than the university. The city has a fascinating royal and political past which you can learn more about. Plus, it’s not short on great places to eat and a good handful of historically famous pubs. We’ve come up with a list of the best things to do in Oxford if you’d like to take a read – stuff you really shouldn’t miss if you’re visiting Oxford for a day.

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Magdalen College

Top choice in Oxford

Guarding access to a breathtaking expanse of private lawns, woodlands, river walks and even its own deer park, Magdalen ('mawd-lin'), founded in 1458, is one of Oxford’s wealthiest and most beautiful colleges. Beyond its elegant Victorian gateway, you come to its medieval chapel and glorious 15th-century tower. From here, move on to the remarkable 15th-century cloisters , where the fantastic grotesques (carved figures) may have inspired CS Lewis’ stone statues in The Chronicles of Narnia .

Behind the cloisters, lovely Addison’s Walk loops for just under a mile around the ravishing Water Meadow , a wedge-shaped island in the River Cherwell that’s renowned for its glorious wildflowers. You can extend that walk by continuing to the Angel and Greyhound Meadow – the lush green tract visible from Magdalen Bridge – smaller Bat Willow Meadow , home to Mark Wallinger’s tree-shaped sculpture Y , and the secluded Fellows’ Garden slightly upstream.

Magdalen’s herd of deer usually browse the bucolic Deer Park , north of the main college buildings, in winter and spring, and spend the summer in the riverside meadows.

Notable Magdalen students have included writers CS Lewis, John Betjeman, Seamus Heaney and Oscar Wilde, while other alumni range from Edward VIII, TE Lawrence ‘of Arabia’ and Cardinal Wolsey to Dudley Moore.

The college also boasts a fine choir, which as part of the annual May Day (1 May) festivities sings Hymnus Eucharisticus at 6am on top of the 44m bell tower.

Get In Touch

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Prettiest Oxford Colleges To Visit, Prices + Map

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Thinking of visiting the Oxford colleges? The city is built around 38 of them, each with different entry prices and opening times. Since it’s slightly confusing, I’ll let you in on the prettiest colleges in Oxford as well as the cheaper ones to enter. With almost 800 years of history, the Oxford colleges make the city a captivating place to explore. Stick your head around a door on the High Street and find a whole little world, sometimes with a field of deer or the Harry Potter Great Hall inside. There are many famous Oxford colleges as well as plenty of hidden gems. If you’re spending a weekend in Oxford and want to see the best of the city, you won’t want to miss them. Even if you’re just visiting Oxford as a day trip , you can squeeze a couple into your itinerary. After living and working in the city for years, here are the best colleges to visit in Oxford …

OXFORD ESSENTIALS Oxford & Cotswolds Pocket Lonely Planet guidebook Accommodation:  Booking.com Activities:  GetYourGuide Getting there: Trainline / Busbud

Oxford University colleges map

Check out this Oxford University map which shows you all the Oxford colleges and university buildings spread across the city.

FAQ – are all Oxford colleges open to the public? The answer is no. You cannot freely wander into any college. However, all the ones included in this guide are open to the public. Stick to these and you won’t have any problems, plus they’re the prettiest colleges in Oxford anyway!

Visiting the prettiest Oxford colleges

Unless you have a month in Oxford, you probably won’t have time to explore them all . I’ve collated the most beautiful Oxford colleges to visit including their opening times and entrance fees. Be sure to plan your trip around these. Here’s my full visitor’s guide to the Oxford University colleges…

Want a local hand? Take this Oxford University colleges tour with a local guide !

Magdalen College (#1 prettiest Oxford college)

Magdalen College is one of the most traditional and pretty Oxford colleges to visit. Inside you’ll find an Instagrammable phone box and a whole field of deer inside the massive grounds. For an escape from the busy city, this is the perfect place for a leisurely walk.

Read next: 20 Instagrammable spots in Oxford

Magdalen’s grand nature is because of the ex-Bishop of Winchester who was Lord Chancellor of the University in the 1450s. He desired a grand college with room for 40 fellows and a choir. He got what he wanted: to this day, Magdalen is one of the most impressive colleges to visit in Oxford. Nine Nobel Prize winners and C.S Lewis (author of the Narnia series) have studied at Magdalen. Magdalen College is set slightly away from Oxford city centre, just beside Magdalen Bridge. The 10-minute walk is well worth it since not many tourists stray so far from the centre. When you visit Magdalen College Oxford, you’ll get the grounds almost to yourself!

Where: Towards the end of the High Street, beside Magdalen Bridge Boathouse. Entrance: £6, June-September 1pm-7pm, rest of the year until 6pm.

Balliol College (the second prettiest Oxford college)

Balliol College quibbles with Merton and University College about who is the oldest. While no one is quite sure, it’s known that Balliol was built in the 13th century. People also quibble over which is the prettiest Oxford college. IMO, it’s probably Magdalen then Balliol. Have you seen the wisteria window display? This Oxford college was founded by John de Balliol, a rich landowner from County Durham. It’s of the most famous Oxford colleges because of its alumni including Boris Johnson and John Wycliffe, the man who translated the Bible into English, who was the college master in the 1360s.

When visiting the Oxford colleges, Balliol is a must for its beautiful gardens. In spring months, wisteria wraps its way around golden window frames while daffodils and wallflowers grow below, giving the college a yellow and red colour pop. Balliol College has lots of quirky traditions although many of them have come to a halt in the modern day. It was one of the last Oxford colleges to compete in the annual tortoise race and was previously home to a society that saw students living one day of each term backwards. Balliol’s central location means it’s one of the best Oxford colleges to visit if you’re short of time. If you’re making your way down Broad Street, you can easily pop inside for a quick lap of the quad. Where: The entrance is on Broad Street near to the junction of St Giles and Cornmarket. Entrance: £3, 10am-5pm.

Christ Church College (the most famous Oxford college)

No guide to visiting the Oxford colleges would be complete without a little Oxford Harry Potter history! Christ Church College is the most famous Oxford college to visit, apparently because of a movie about a boy who goes to wizard school? To set the record straight, only a couple of Harry Potter scenes were filmed at Christ Church. The most famous is the scene in the Philosopher’s Stone when Harry, Ron and Hermione are greeted at the bottom of the staircase by Professor McGonagall. However, the dining hall at Christ Church is thought to be the inspiration for the Hogwarts Great Hall in the Harry Potter movies.

Read next: A self-guided Harry Potter Oxford tour

In other Oxford University facts , the real Alice in Wonderland (her father was the Dean of the college) actually lived at Christ Church, as did Alice and Wonderland author, Lewis Caroll. Christ Church is one of the largest Oxford colleges with over 600 students and its own cathedral where you can catch a daily evensong, one of the best free things to do in Oxford during your visit. Like many of the top Oxford colleges, it was male-only for centuries and only started accepting female students around 40 years ago. Where: St Aldates. Entrance: £15, usually between 10am-5pm depending on the season. See Christ Church rates and times . Yup, this is the most expensive college by a long shot.

University College

University College is another of the best Oxford colleges to visit due to its long history and pretty outside quad. The website declares they’re Oxford’s oldest college, however the main University website says they share the title with Balliol and Merton. We may never know the truth! Don’t miss the opportunity to wander the symmetrical quad at University College, knowing that famous alumni Stephen Hawking and Bill Clinton did the same during their studies. You can also pay a visit to nearby pub, the Turf Tavern, where Clinton allegedly smoked a spliff but famously ‘didn’t inhale!’. Where: High Street. Entrance: £2, 10am-12pm and 2pm-4pm outside of uni term time only.

New College

This is another famous Oxford college, full name The College of St Mary of Winchester in Oxford. With a mound island in the middle of the grounds, it makes you wonder how all the colleges fit in such a small city centre.

A little-known fact about New College is that Hugh Grant and Kate Beckinsale both studied there. Who could blame them? It’s easily one of the most beautiful colleges in Oxford. More recently, the TV show His Dark Materials was filmed at New College. Author Philip Pullman studied at Oxford and based the novels in alternative universe Oxford so it only makes sense that the TV adaptation was filmed locally. In episode two, you’ll see the characters take off in airships from what they call Jordan College (a fictional place not named after any real Oxford college). The scene from Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire  where Harry turns Malfoy into a ferret was filmed beside New College Cloisters (the semi-covered walkways around the edge of the college). For fans of Harry Potter and His Dark Materials, New College is a must-visit Oxford college. Where: Enter on Holywell Street or Queen’s Lane. Entrance: Free from 2pm-4pm, October-March (Holywell Entrance), £5 from 11am-5pm the rest of the year (Queen’s Lane entrance).

Worcester College

Built in 1714, Worcester College is practically a brand new Oxford college! Actually, a college has stood on this patch of land since the 13th century but it used to be called Gloucester college, somewhere that no longer exists. Emma Watson, who played Hermione in the Harry Potter movies, studied at Worcester College just a few years ago. There are many contenders for the most beautiful college in Oxford but Worcester College has 26 acres of gardens, a wood and a lake. Who could argue with that? Since it’s just a 10-minute walk from the main bus and train station, it’s an easy Oxford college to visit and enjoy before heading home. Where: The corner of Worcester, Walton and Beaumont Street. Entrance: Free, 2-4pm.

Merton College

Merton College has its own chapel, loads of gargoyles and an apparently ‘haunted’ alley called Dead Man’s Walk. Sound similar to your uni halls? (NOPE).

Merton is another of the oldest and prettiest Oxford colleges, built to house 20 original fellows. During its 750 years of history, it’s hosted famous alumni like American poet, T.S Elliot, and author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R Tolkien. Merton College is hidden away on Merton Street (which runs adjacent High Street) making it one of the quietest and peaceful Oxford colleges to visit. This street is a personal favourite of mine with red and golden leaves lining the walls come autumn. Where: Merton Street. Be sure to check out some of the quirky buildings and doorways along the way. Entrance: £3 from 2pm-4.30pm, Mon-Fri and 10am-5pm at weekends.

Lincoln College

Lincoln College is one of the smallest and cosiest Oxford colleges. It may not be as impressive as Magdalen or Christ Church but it’s still worth popping inside especially since it’s free. Lincoln College can be found on Turl Street, one of the most photogenic streets in Oxford. Bikes lean against grand doorways and golden window frames. Make sure to grab a coffee at the Missing Bean, one of my favourite coffee shops in Oxford , just outside Lincoln College. Where: Turl Street. Entrance: Free, 2-5pm, Mon-Fri and 11am-5pm at weekends.

All Souls College

A final contender for the prettiest college in Oxford is All Souls. Founded by the King of England at the time, All Souls College is one of the grandest and wealthy colleges. Apparently, the entrance exam for students is one of the hardest in the world.

While a visit inside is awesome, I still think the best view is this aerial one from the top of University Church on High Street. Where: Catte Street. Entrance: Free from 2-4pm on weekdays and Sundays.

Tips for visiting Oxford colleges

• In winter, the colleges will shut when it gets dark – even if that’s before closing time.
• Remember that not all Oxford colleges are open to the public.
• Check for closure dates like Christmas on the individual colleges’ websites.
• Christ Church is busy and touristy so plan your visit early or late in the day, especially during summer and weekends.
• Budget more for the more famous Oxford colleges as they have higher entrance fees (listed above).
• Don’t wave a selfie stick around. Even in the prettiest Oxford colleges, the staff and students won’t be impressed!
• The list above isn’t a complete one – for all the colleges you can visit, see the Oxford University website .

Thanks for reading

I hope my guide has given you a good idea of the prettiest Oxford colleges to visit. Remember to use my Oxford University colleges map to navigate around. Have a fantastic trip!

Check out my other Oxford posts:

• Guide to backpacking the UK & spending tips
• How to spend a weekend in Oxford
• The perfect Oxford day trip
• Where to eat in Oxford
• The best restaurants in Oxford with outdoor seating
• A self-guided Harry Potter Oxford tour
• 32 free things to do in Oxford
• Guide to Gloucester Green Oxford Market
• Oxford Covered Market visitors guide
• A guide to the food markets in Oxford
• Cafes and coffee shops in Oxford
• 12 best Oxford pub gardens
• 10 amazing Asian restaurants in Oxford
• My top 20 Instagrammable spots in Oxford
• Neighbourhood guide to Jericho, Oxford
• Jericho food guide, Oxford
• Where to find the best brunch in Oxford

See you next time for more adventures,

For more travel content, follow me on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter and YouTube .

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Magdalen College

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Home > Articles > Literature & Movies Featuring Oxford 

All of Oxford’s Harry Potter Filming Locations and How To Visit Them

If you’re visiting Oxford and you enjoy reading the Harry Potter books or watching the Harry Potter movies, you probably already know the city has been instrumental in the creation of this fantastic world. Why? Well, Oxford didn’t just serve as inspiration for the story (the charm of Hogwarts as an old and well-respected centre for learning, the division into houses, etc). Many of the scenes in the movies were actually filmed here, too!

Wondering about the Warner Bros Studios? Getting to the Harry Potter Studios from Oxford

Was Harry Potter Filmed in Oxford?

Many people wonder if the Harry Potter films were actually filmed in Oxford. If that’s you, you are not wrong! In fact, a lot of Harry Potter scenes were filmed in Oxford University spaces. However, many others, while not directly done there, were inspired by the beautiful colleges, their halls, and their libraries. The great news is: If you’re in Oxford, you can visit all of these Harry Potter filmings locations and inspirations! Well… not just that, but you’ll definitely absorb the fabulous atmosphere that has been inviting visitors for centuries.

Below, you will be able to find all the exact places that were used in Harry Potter scenes, what they were used for, and when it’s best to visit them. As a Harry Potter fan, I’ve seen all of these and can definitely vouch for them. What I mean to say is… you don’t be disappointed. I promise!

Did Oxford Inspire Harry Potter?

Gothic vaulted ceilings and staircases, old libraries with chained books, and wonderful great halls. These places are closely linked to Harry Potter and the aesthetics of Hogwarts. And many of them were filmed here in Oxford!

So, the answer to this question is: Yes, Oxford definitely served as an inspiration for the Harry Potter films . The city has been considered a perfect location for filming, appearing in over two hundred movies and TV series – so this is not exactly a surprise. 

Can you Visit the Harry Potter Filming Locations?

The short answer is: YES . Most of them, at least. The colleges of Oxford University and the streets of Oxford city that inspired the books and movies are all open to the public all year round. You don’t even need to book your visit; you can just drop by, pay a small entrance fee, and be transported right to Hogwarts.

So, let’s go through each of these filming locations, what they were used for in the movies, and the best times to visit them.

You can use this map to find your way:

1. The Staircase, Great Dining Hall, and Hallways

Tere are two Oxford Harry Potter filming locations that are emblematic of the movies. These are the Christ Church staircase and the Great Dining Hall – both of which you can see when you visit Christ Church college . If you are only in Oxford for a couple of hours, this is the place to see if you want to understand why so many Harry Potter scenes were filmed in Oxford. 

Harry Potter Oxford Filming Location I: Christ Church's Staircase

The best place to start your Harry Potter filming locations tour is probably Christ Church College . This college provided the location for many essential scenes of the Harry Potter movies, and it’s also one of Oxford University’s oldest establishments. It was founded in 1546! Today, it’s also the biggest college; it has about 600 students. 

Christ Church College

Christ Church is college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII and is one of the larger colleges.

2. Hogwart's Library and the Restricted Section

The restricted section of the Hogwarts Library contains powerful dark magic and is only available to older students taking up Defence Against the Dark Arts.

In the Harry Potter Philosopher’s Stone movie, however, Harry walks through this area protected by his invisibility cloak.

This scene was filmed in the Duke Humfrey’s Library (or Old Library), which is part of the Bodleian Library . This part of the library is available through private tours but you can book them easily through their website. Bodleian Library cardholders can also use it – so if you’re studying or doing research in Oxford you can actually do so from the restricted section. Be aware, though: The books ARE indeed in chains there!

Where to see this filming location:

Old library (Duke Humfrey’s)

Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, founded the Duke Humfrey’s Library in 1447 after donating 281 books to the library.

3. The Infirmary or Hospital Wing

You might remember the fantastic gothic vaulted ceilings of Hogwart’s Infirmary or Hospital Wing (which is first shown also in Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone).

This scene was filmed in the Divinity School , which is now part of the Bodleian Library . The Divinity School doesn’t actually only appear in the movies as the Infirmary; it’s also been used in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It’s actually the hall where students practice their Triwizard Tournament dances! 

You can visit Divinity School and recreate Ron’s face when McGonagall instructs him how to dance. The fee for entering the school is jus £2 – and you can visit all year round.

Oxford’s Harry Potter Filming Locations: Hogwarts’ Hospital Wing

Remember the scene where Mad-Eye Moody turns Malfoy into a cute white ferret , something McGonagall completely disapproved of (but was probably slightly amused to see)? Malfoy is sitting on a gigantic oak tree.

This famous tree can be found in the New College courtyard quadrangle (don’t be tricked by the name, this college was actually founded in the 14th century!). The college’s cloisters, with arched stone tunnels and impressive architecture, were used for the movies.

Many other scenes were filmed here too, including the one where Harry pushes through students wearing the “Potter stinks” badges to speak to Cedric. 

New College

Founded by William of Wykeham in 1379, New College is one of the constituent colleges that make up Oxford University in the United Kingdom.

Looking for Harry Potter Tours and Experiences?

Are you looking for a more organised way to enjoy Oxford (and London) through some magic lenses? Here’s a small collection of tours and experiences that transport you to the spellbinding realms of wizardry and wonder. Immerse yourself in the magic that inspired J.K. Rowling’s iconic series as you explore the captivating landscapes of Oxford and London, where the wizarding world comes to life:

Can’t see this widget? Use this link instead.

Are There Any Other Harry Potter Filming Locations?

Although quite iconic, these are the only filming locations in Oxford. However, the similarities between the city and its colleges and the fantastic world of Hogwarts don’t end up there . For example, you can explore the streets that will remind you of Diagon Alley – a street where you can even buy a wand! The best way to feel connected to this the magic world is to walk the streets and explore on your own. Oxford contains all sorts of secrets, all there for finding!

Oh, and don’t forget to visit the Shop of Secrets ! Which has one of the largest Harry Potter merch collections around. 

The Shop of Secrets

The Shop of Secrets is Oxford’s chamber of Harry Potter collectibles and merch. A shopping must-to in the city, this is why you should visit.

Books to Help You Explore Harry Potter Filming Locations

If you want to learn more about these filming locations and why the Harry Potter films team chose them, you can get a handy guide. These all include detailed descriptions, photos, and maps to help you locate them if you visit Oxford.

Harry Potter on Location: An Unofficial Review and Guide

Harry Potter Places Book Two -OWLs: Oxford Wizarding Locations

Oxford Film Locations: A Walking Guide to Harry Potter and Others

Oxford for hogwarts houses.

 Depending on your Hogwarts house, there are plenty of activities to suit your unique interests and traits. Gryffindors can embark on thrilling adventures like climbing the tower at the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin or taking a ghost tour of Oxford’s haunted history. Ravenclaws can indulge their love of learning by exploring the Bodleian Library or attending a lecture at the University of Oxford. Hufflepuffs can enjoy nature and community by strolling through the University of Oxford Botanic Garden or volunteering at a local charity. And Slytherins can exercise their ambition and cunning by visiting Oxford Castle and Prison or attending a networking event in the city.

No matter your house, there’s something magical waiting for you in Oxford! Use the images below to learn more.

Oxford for Slytherins

Oxford for Hufflepuffs

Oxford for Ravenclaws

Oxford for Gryffindors

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C.S. Lewis Walking Tour of Oxford Centre

(Prepared by Kim Gilnett with assistance from Stan Mattson and Michael Ward)

Please be aware that this is an outdoor walking tour, and NOT a tour of the interiors of the locations you’ll be seeing. The buildings on the tour may not be open and available to the general public.

General Recommendations

Distance: 3 1/2 Miles Time Required: 2 Hours

• Start this walking tour in the early afternoon so your arrival at Magdalen College will be during visiting hours, 2:00pm to 6:15pm daily.
• Wear good, comfortable walking shoes.
• Wear light, but waterproof, clothing. We can’t promise anything about the weather except that it will be varied.
• Stop along the way when anything catches your interest. There is a great deal to see in Oxford.

Recommended Route

1. Begin this walk in front of the world-famous Blackwell’s Bookshop on Broad Street, directly across the street from the Sheldonian, Oxford’s most illustrious meeting hall designed by Christopher Wren. (You’ll love Blackwell’s!)

2. When facing Blackwell’s you will notice a tiny pub on your left. The White Horse, which seems almost part of the shop. A short distance to your right, beyond the traffic lights and on the corner, you’ll see The King’s Arms pub.

Humphrey Carpenter, in his excellent book, The Inklings , reports that Lewis and his friends used to meet in these two pubs during the war (and at the Mitre on the High Street) because of a beer shortage “caused largely by thirsty American troops waiting for D-Day.” The shortage meant that the Inklings could not always rely on their favourite haunt, The Eagle and Child (also known as “The Bird and Baby”) to provide refreshment.

From the diary of Major Warren Lewis (C.S. Lewis’s brother), we read of the death of Charles Williams on Tuesday, May 15, 1945:

“I felt dazed and restless [at the news of Williams’ death], and went out to get a drink: choosing unfortunately the King’s Arms, where during the winter Charles and I more than once drank a pint after leaving Tollers [J.R.R. Tolkien] at the Mitre, with much glee at “clearing one’s throat of varnish with good honest beer” as Charles used to say. There will be no more pints with Charles: no more “Bird and the Baby”: the blackout has fallen, and the Inklings can never be the same.”

3. Continue on past The King’s Arms along Holywell Street. As you proceed down one of the most wonderful streets in Oxford, notice a little side street called Bath Place. If you wish to take a short detour, stroll down this lane to the renowned and ancient pub, The Turf Tavern. It is one of the few places where you can order the old English drink, Mead.

4. Back on Holywell Street, notice the Holywell Music Room across the street. Built in the 1740’s, it is the oldest surviving building in Europe designed exclusively for concerts.

5. Continue walking down Holywell Street until you come to the corner of Mansfield Road. Turn into Mansfield and stop by the first house on your right. It was here that Lewis spent his first night in Oxford in December 1916.

From Surprised By Joy , by C.S. Lewis:

“My first taste of Oxford was comical enough. I had made no arrangements about quarters and, having no more luggage than I could carry in my hand, I sallied out of the railway station on foot to find either a lodging-house or a cheap hotel; all agog for “dreaming spires” and “last enchantments.” My first disappointment at what I saw could be dealt with. Towns always show their worst face to the railway. But as I walked on and on I became more bewildered. Could this succession of mean shops really be Oxford? But I still went on, always expecting the next turn to reveal the beauties, and reflecting that it was a much larger town than I had been led to suppose. Only when it became obvious that there was very little town left ahead of me, that I was in fact getting to open country, did I turn round and look. There behind me, far away, never more beautiful since, was the fabled cluster of spires and towers. I had come out of the station on the wrong side and been all this time walking into what was even then the mean and sprawling suburb of Botley. I did not see to what extent this little adventure was an allegory of my whole life. I merely walked back to the station, somewhat footsore, took a hansom, and asked to be driven to “some place where I can get rooms for a week, please.” The method, which I should now think hazardous, was a complete success, and I was soon at tea in comfortable surroundings. The house is still there, the first on the right as you turn into Mansfield Road out of Holywell. I shared the sitting room with another candidate, a man from Cardiff College, which he pronounced to be architecturally superior to anything in Oxford. His learning terrified me, but he was an agreeable man. I have never seen him since.”

6. Walk a short distance along Mansfield Road and then turn right into Jowett Walk. (Benjamin Jowett was a famous 19th Century Oxford figure and Master of Balliol College). Proceed to the end of Jowett Walk, stop and look ahead and to your left. There you will see one of Oxford’s forgotten treasures, St. Cross Parish Church. Built on an ancient foundation as the parish church of the Holywell Manor, the chancel arch of the Church of St. Cross dates from the mid-12th Century. It is the setting of the wedding between Harriet Vane and Lord Peter Wimsey in Dorothy L. Sayers’ mystery, Busman’s Honeymoon.

NOTE: St. Cross is a Special Collections Centre of Balliol College and is not open to the general public without prior appointment. See their website for information and visit here for their enquiry form .

Make sure you take time to visit the adjoining St. Cross Cemetery. As you enter, notice a small map that will lead you to the graves of Hugo Dyson, Austin Farrer and Charles Williams, all members of Lewis’s circle of friends. Also you can find the resting place of Kenneth Grahame, author of the classic children’s book, The Wind in the Willows.

7. Upon leaving the cemetery, go back towards Jowett Walk and continue past it (the pavement becomes very narrow). You are now in Longwall Street. On your left, you will find a substantial section of the old city wall. Behind that wall is the Magdalen College Grove with its unique deer park. You will see it better when you enter Magdalen College.

8. Continue to the very end of Longwall Street where it meets the busy High Street. Turn left and walk past the entrance of Magdalen College on to the center of Magdalen Bridge, which spans the River Cherwell.

9. As you turn to face Magdalen College, you will find one of the most beautiful sights in all of Oxford, the glorious Magdalen Tower. Built between 1490 and 1510, it is more than 150 feet high.

10. Looking down from the bridge, over the parapet, you will very likely see a number of punts on the Cherwell River. This is a great place to rent a punt for an afternoon on the slow-moving river.

11. Retrace your steps to the entrance of Magdalen. There is a small fee for visiting. It is highly recommended that you pay a little more for the guided tour. These tours are generally given by current students who can often take you into areas to which you would otherwise not be allowed. We also recommend that you purchase one of the guidebooks. It will give valuable information on Magdalen College. Allow at least 45 minutes to visit the college.

12. During your visit to Magdalen, don’t miss:

“You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England.”

” September 1931 He [Hugo Dyson] stayed the night with me in College… Tolkien came too, and did not leave till 3 in the morning… We began (in Addison’s Walk just after dinner) on metaphor and myth – interrupted by a rush of wind which came so suddenly on the still warm evening and sent so many leaves pattering down that we thought it was raining…. We continued on Christianity: a good long satisfying talk in which I learned a lot…. October 1931 Now what Dyson and Tolkien showed me was this: that if I met the idea of sacrifice in a Pagan story I didn’t mind it at all: and again, that if I met the idea of god sacrificing himself to himself…. I liked it very much… provided I met it anywhere except in the Gospels… Now the story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us in the same way as the others, but with tremendous difference that it really happened…. Does this amount to a belief in Christianity? At any rate I am now certain (a) that this Christian story is to be approached, in a sense, as I approach the other myths; (b) that it is the most important and full of meaning. I am also nearly sure that it happened…. “

” My big sitting room looks north and from it I can see nothing, not even a gable or a spire, to remind me that I am in town. I look down on a stretch of ground which passes into a grove of immemorial forest trees, at present coloured autumn red. Over it stray deer. They are erratic in their habits. Some mornings when I look out there will be half a dozen chewing the cud just underneath me, and on others there will be none in sight — or a little stag (not much bigger than a calf and looking too slender for the weight of his antlers) standing and sending through the fog that queer little bark which is these beasts’ “moo.” It is a sound that will be as familiar to me as the cough of the cows in the field at home for I hear it day and night.”

• The Hall (included on guided tour only): Notice the fine woodwork of the screen. It dates from the end of the reign of Elizabeth I or the beginning of James I.
• The Chapel: After Lewis’ conversion to Christianity in 1931, he used to attend weekday services in the College chapel.

13. After completing your tour of Magdalen College, step out of the Porter’s Lodge and cross the road. In front of you is the Botanic Garden, open to the public. This is the oldest garden of its kind in England and contains many rare and interesting specimens. It is built on an ancient Jewish burial-ground as is Magdalen College.

14. As you face the Botanic Garden, turn right and walk back towards the center of Oxford along the High Street (known to many simply as “the High”).

15. Continue along the High until you reach the Eastgate Hotel, which is on the corner of Merton Street. Since Tolkien was a Fellow of Merton College and Lewis of Magdalen College, the Eastgate was a convenient place for them to meet.

C.S. Lewis in a letter to his brother, November 1939:

” On Thursday we had a meeting of the Inklings — you and Coghill both absent unfortunately. We dined at the Eastgate. I have never in my life seen Dyson so exuberant — “A roaring cataract of nonsense.”

16. If you wish, you may take a detour down Merton Lane to Merton College. If you do, be sure to come back to this point to resume your tour.

17. As you return to the High, turn left and continue along the High. You will immediately find the Examination Schools on your left. Here and in other venues, Lewis, Tolkien and Williams presented their lectures to Oxford students.

C.S. Lewis in a letter of February 1940:

“On Monday Charles Williams lectured, nominally on [Milton’s] Comus but really on Chastity. Simply as criticism it was superb-because here was a man who really cared with every fibre of his being about “The sage and the serious doctrine of virginity” which it would never occur to the ordinary modern reader to take seriously.”

18. Carry on along the High Street, passing Logic Lane on your left, and you come to University College. It was here that the young C.S. Lewis arrived on April 26, 1917 to begin his academic studies as an undergraduate.

His rooms were on staircase XII, Room 5 of the Radcliffe Quad. When the young Lewis interrupted his studies to join the army, he had the good fortune to stay in Oxford and train at Keble College. He often would return to University College (known as “Univ.”) for weekends.

C.S. Lewis in a letter of July, 1917:

“You can’t imagine how I have come to love Univ., especially since I left. Last Saturday evening when I was sleeping alone, I spent a long time wandering over it, into all sorts of parts where I had never been before, where the mullioned windows are dark with ivy that no one has bothered to cut since the war emptied the rooms they belong to.”

Lewis was to take a double first in Literae Humaniores (more commonly known as “Classics”); he completed his studies with a first in English in 1923.

19. Leaving Univ. through the Porter’s Lodge, cross over the High Street, walk back towards Magdalen for a short way and you will come to Queen’s Lane. Turn left down Queen’s Lane and, as you pass St. Edmund Hall (“Teddy Hall”) on your right, notice the church of St. Peter’s-in-the-East. Now converted into the Teddy Hall Library, this church was attended often by Lewis (on Wednesdays) for Holy Communion.

20. Continue along Queen’s Lane, noticing how quiet it becomes. On your right is New College. On your left is The Queen’s College and then All Soul’s College. You will pass under a bridge which is where Queen’s Lane becomes New College Lane.

21. Continue along New College Lane until you pass under another bridge which connects two buildings belonging to Hertford College. This bridge is sometimes called “the Bridge of Sighs.” Stop here and look to your left and you will see what is perhaps the most impressive architectural view in all England: the square tower of the Bodleian Library, the round dome of the Radcliffe Camera and, beyond that, the soaring spire of the University Church. Begin to walk past these buildings.

22. To your right is the famous Bodleian Library (the main library of Oxford University) where Lewis spent many hours reading and studying. The Radcliffe Camera is part of the Bodleian and contains mostly books on theology and English.

The University Church of St. Mary the Virgin (you’ll find the best view of Oxford from its tower!) is where Lewis delivered his famous war-time sermon, “The Weight of Glory.”

23. Walk past University Church and out onto the High Street. Turn right. You may wish to visit Hall Brothers Tailors and Merchants at 119 High Street. Established in 1860, they are the perfect place to purchase a silk bow tie which was required for high table dinner in college. Halls is one of the finest clothiers in England.

24. You will pass Brasenose College on your right and, as you advance along the High Street, you will reach the Mitre Hotel (also on your right). This was another favorite spot for C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and friends.

25. Carry on up the High Street until you reach a cross-roads. Pause for a moment. In front of you is Carfax Tower, so-called from the French “carrefour,” meaning crossroads. In contrast with the quiet Queen’s Lane, this area is one of the busiest places in Oxford.

26. Turn right into Cornmarket Street and walk past all the shops until you come to Broad Street. Ahead of you and on your right you will see St. Mary Magdalen’s Church. Lewis used to frequent this church for confession.

27. Walk alongside the church (known as “Mary Mag”) and you will come upon the Martyrs’ Memorial, built in remembrance of the 16th century martyrs, Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley, who were burned at the stake nearby. Cross the street (carefully). On your left you will see the Randolph Hotel, a wonderful place for high tea (reservations recommended).

28. Continue to your right past the famed Ashmolean museum, down the wide, tree-lined road called St. Giles (so named after St. Giles’s Church at the far end). On your left you will come to the most famous Lewis pub, The Eagle and Child (also known as “The Bird and Baby”). It was here that the Inklings met informally every Tuesday morning to drink and to discuss the books they were reading (and writing). In 1962, after a remodeling of the Bird and Baby (one of many), they moved across the street to The Lamb and Flag.

From Lewis’ Out of the Silent Planet:

“[Ransom, after arriving back on earth,] contrived to get into a lane, then a road, then into a village street. A lighted door was open. There were voices from within and they were speaking English. There was a familiar smell. He pushed his way in, regardless of the surprise he was creating in the bar. “A pint of bitter, please,” said Ransom.”

29. This seems like a good place to end the Lewis tour, unless, of course, you have the time and energy for one of Jack’s favorite walks. A late afternoon walk to The Perch (a quaint, thatch-roofed pub on Binsey Lane across the Port Meadow) for a pint and conversation, followed by a stroll along the Isis River to The Trout (the most glorious of pubs) for dinner.

30. If you can’t take the walk from The Perch to The Trout, do go directly to The Trout via taxi or auto. You’ll not regret it. In any and all events, do take your time. Enjoy yourself and, by all means, return!

Note: This guide does not include information on a visit to The Kilns (Lewis’ long time home in nearby Headington) or to his parish church and grave site at Holy Trinity Church in Headington Quarry.

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Sand, Sea and as Much Serenity as You Could Ever Want

The bluffs, dunes and lagoons of the Magdalens, a colorful yet tranquil island chain north of Prince Edward Island, are far from everywhere. That’s the point.

Old Harry Beach in the Magdalens, an archipelago of eight Canadian islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Credit... Nigel Quinn for The New York Times

Supported by

By Richard Rubin

• May 26, 2024

They tell a story in the Magdalen Islands about a winter so bitter that they were completely cut off, with no way to guide their boats through the frozen harbors.

Running out of supplies and desperate, they penned letters detailing their plight, sealed them in an empty molasses cask, affixed a tiny sail to it and cast it into the sea. Two weeks later, it washed up on the mainland, the Canadian government dispatched icebreakers, and the people of “the Maggies” were saved — as in a fairy tale.

Except it really happened. In 1910, an errant ship severed the undersea telegraph cable connecting the islands to the world; a tiny, bobbing barrel really did save them from disaster.

But not obscurity. As I drove across the border from Maine into St. Stephen, New Brunswick, the Canadian agent, inspecting my passport, asked me where I was going. When I responded, “The Magdalen Islands,” he narrowed his eyes, cocked his head and said, “The what?”

NEWFOUNDLAND

Detail area, below

PRINCE EDWARD

NOVA SCOTIA

St. Stephen

Gulf of St. Lawrence

Old Harry   

Pointe-aux-LoUps

Grande-Entrée

Cape Alright

Entry Island

HAVRE-AUBERT

A place apart

The Magdalens — Les Îles de la Madeleine in French — are an archipelago of eight islands, seven inhabited, six connected by bridges, causeways and sandbars, the whole shaped like a fish hook, or maybe a question mark, both fitting. Altogether, they comprise less than 80 square miles and have a population of about 12,000.

They sit in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, far from everywhere but closer to the Maritimes and even Newfoundland than to Quebec, to which they formally belong. There’s one small hospital, which looks as if it may fall into the sea before too long — the islands’ sandstone cliffs are eroding in some places as fast as a meter per year — and a movie theater, which looks as if it could tumble in any day. The only chain restaurant, a Tim Hortons, was closed when I visited last summer.

Madelinots, as the locals call themselves, fish and farm and hang their laundry out to dry in the islands’ strong winds exactly as they have done for more than two centuries. They live atop garnet-colored cliffs, surrounded by sapphire water and emerald grass. They keep their houses tidy and paint them turquoise, orange, cherry red, lime green, bright yellow and every shade of purple. (I saw more purple houses on the Magdalens than I have everywhere else put together.)

Visitors kayak, kitesurf and parasail in lagoons and on the sea; ride bicycles, scooters, motorcycles and trikes around treeless plateaus speckled with equally treeless buttes. They seek out bluffs and lighthouses, sun and swim at expansive beaches, eat locally made cheese, locally smoked herring, locally bred beef and even locally hunted seal.

A shopkeeper told me that 95 percent of the islands’ visitors come from Quebec, the rest from the Maritimes. When I asked her how many she’s encountered from the United States, she said, “You’re only the second since … well, ever.” People come for the place’s striking beauty and comforting calm, and, in some cases — like mine — because they spotted the islands on a map and wondered what they must be like, sitting by themselves way out there in the middle of nothing.

‘We come from the sea’

To reach them, drive about as far north and east as you can in the continental United States; then drive several more hours through New Brunswick; cross the eight-mile bridge to Prince Edward Island; drive about as far north and east as you can in that province; board a ferry with hundreds of other cars, scores of R.V.s and motorcycles, and dozens of semis; then sail five hours into the unbroken blue.

You can fly to the Maggies from Montreal or Quebec City, too, although that would deprive you of a pleasant experience and some critical context. A woman I told about my visit to the islands’ ocean-themed museum smiled and said: “Now you know where we come from. We come from the sea.”

She wasn’t waxing poetic. Everyone and everything here comes from the sea. A great many Madelinots are descendants of people who washed up on shore in shipwrecks. A lot of the houses and churches on the islands were built with wood salvaged from those vessels.

As you approach the islands by ferry, the buildings and terrain spread themselves out before you like a living diorama. Up close, the buttes are particularly irresistible: Every one seems to have a well-worn footpath through tall grass, sometimes no more than a single leg wide. Up top, you can see it all: east shore, west shore, cliffs, dunes, lighthouses, steeples, houses, shops, fishing boats, clotheslines and, depending on the butte, most of the other islands in the chain.

Shipwrecks and hidden treasures

As one young man there told me, “Each island has its own personality, even its own accent.” The fact that he appended an H to the start of that last word only underscored his point. About 95 percent of people in the Magdalens are Francophone, though a few islands are primarily English-speaking.

The two largest, in area and population, sit at the bottom of the archipelago. The southernmost, Havre Aubert, where most residents speak French, is also known as Amherst Island.

The village of La Grave is a hub of culture, with the sea museum and lots of inviting arts-and-crafts shops in little shacks. It’s also the oldest settlement on the islands. The Indigenous Mi’kmaq people visited the Magdalens for centuries before Europeans first spotted them, but didn’t stay. The first settlers in the islands were French-speaking Acadians, expelled from Nova Scotia by the British in the 1760s during England’s war with France, but invited to settle in the islands.

It wasn’t benevolence: The British needed Acadians to establish fisheries. More than two centuries later, their culture and language remain dominant on most of the islands; even the brightly painted houses are an old Acadian custom.

The next island up is Cap-aux-Meules, also called Grindstone, after the rock-faced butte near the ferry landing. This mostly French-speaking island seems to buzz more than Amherst, with many shops and restaurants, parks and lighthouses, and hidden treasures like shoreline caves you can explore by kayak, as well as a shipwreck, the Corfu, which sits on Corfu Beach on the western shore.

Buzzing doesn’t mean busy; nothing on the islands ever seems very busy, even when there are a lot of people around. Crowds are even rarer on Havre-aux-Maisons, the next island up, which is home to the airport. More bucolic yet than its southern neighbors, it’s seemingly all cliffs, buttes, capes and lighthouses, including one, at Cape Alright, so charming it could brighten even the darkest heart.

Heading north, you cross onto the most unusual of the linked islands, Pointe-aux-Loups, which to my untrained eye appeared as little more than a 14-mile-long sandbar, barely wider than a two-lane road, sea on one side and lagoon on the other. It was like an eerie no man’s land, complete with a salt mine, the product of which sprinkles North American roads every winter.

Faith, fishing and heavy sweaters

Pointe-aux-Loups, quiet as it is, provides a nice transition from the lower islands to the upper ones. The latter have fewer people, and though their cliffs are just as red and their grass just as green, the colors seem more muted.

The first, Grosse-Île, has no English name, which is curious because almost everyone who lives there is Anglophone. The same is true for the next two communities, East Cape and Old Harry. In all, the Magdalens have about 600 English-speaking residents, and almost all live up here. Their houses are white, gray or brown; their churches are Anglican, not Roman Catholic like the Acadians’. Many are descendants of shipwreck survivors from England, Scotland and Ireland who were on their way to somewhere else when nature intervened.

If you go past Old Harry to Grande Entrée, a favorite of outdoor adventurers, you can see what the Maggies were like a century ago. None of the islands had electricity until the 1950s; these northern ones didn’t get it until even later. One woman I met at their old schoolhouse museum recalled that she got power only in 1970, after her father installed his own poles.

Harvesting the sea’s bounty was, and is, everything there. It started with walruses, once believed to be the largest colony on the planet — Magdalen walrus oil is said to have lit the streets of Paris for 100 years — and though they were all wiped out by 1799, you can still find their bones on the beaches. Cod, haddock and shellfish dominate now, as does a wry sense of humor. One woman shared a local axiom: “When the fishing is done, that’s when the weather will get nice.”

There is evidence everywhere of how hard life was, from the cemeteries, which betray a startling rate of child mortality, to the Church of St. Peter’s by the Sea, which doubles as a memorial to the many islanders lost at sea. It, too, was built with lumber salvaged from a shipwreck.

I didn’t meet a somber soul there, though; faith and fishing seem to keep them moored. You could say the two are inextricable: The whitewashed Holy Trinity Church has a stained-glass window depicting Christ as a fisherman, complete with a rod and a heavy wool sweater. Madelinots refer to the image as “Jesus in rubber boots.”

A vanishing way of life

The Magdalens are disappearing. Erosion used to be checked by winter ice, which climate change has diminished greatly. Tourists come up every February to gawk at newborn harp seal pups on the ice, but there’s been so little ice in recent winters that the cows have gone elsewhere to give birth. Rock formations that were landmarks crumble every winter; new ones appear each spring. One red cave was renamed “the cathedral” after its roof collapsed into the sea, opening a gaping hole in the campground above.

But there are other kinds of erosion, too. Take a ferry to Entry Island, the final inhabited piece of the archipelago, and you’ll see more dramatic red cliffs and treeless expanses but not many people. The population, which was 270 in 1980, is now 50. Last winter it dropped to 23. The man piloting the boat said that because the island has no police officers, it’s not uncommon to see young children driving pickups.

Entry Island is English-speaking, settled originally by farmers. Craig Quinn, who is in his 70s and grew up there — his father was the lighthouse keeper for a while — told me that in 1964, the local school had 72 students. It closed in 2015, when that number fell to two. A woman who works at the museum that now occupies the building told me her son was one of them.

If the place is dying, though, it’s dying well. Every person I met there agreed with the woman working at the island’s tiny grocery store/post office, who told me, “I would never want to be anywhere else.” Entry Island is the Magdalens’ Magdalen: dazzling and soothing, the kind of place that dislodges the clutter in your head and then sweeps it clear.

Back on Grindstone one evening, I was in line at a poutine shack when the gentleman ahead of me, a local who’d spotted my foreign license plate, asked, “What brought you to the Magdalens?”

Before I could answer, his friend chuckled and said, “He got lost.”

He’s right; I did. But only once I was already there.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

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