Tolkien Lewis Walking Tour, with Magdalen College visit, + Alice!

5.0 (18 reviews) 2 h 30 min Free cancellation

out of 5

18 reviews

5.0

Tolkien Lewis Walking Tour, with Magdalen College visit, + Alice! — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

at Magdalen College — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Explore the fascinating world of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis on this guided walking tour through Oxford. See iconic locations such as Exeter College, the Sheldonian Theatre, the Bodleian Library, and Magdalen College, where the Inklings met. Discover how these writers inspired and helped one another. Enjoy a visit to Magdalen College, where Lewis spent nearly three decades. This tour provides a unique insight into the lives of these authors and the city that inspired them.

2.5 hour guided walking tour of Oxford’s literary landmarks
Visit Magdalen College, where Lewis worked from 1925 to 1954
Suitable for teenagers and adults; private tours are also available for families with young children
Learn from an expert guide about the lives of Tolkien and Lewis and their friendship
Learn how Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) met the young Alice Liddell at Christ Church College and how she inspired him to write Alice in Wonderland!
Avoid the crowds - maximum group 12 people

Private and Luxury Historical Tours Art Tours Walking Tours City Tours Literary Tours Small Group Excellent Quality

At a glance

Duration: 2 h 30 min
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Up to 12 people
People per booking: 1–12
Guide: English
Operated by: Contrada Tours - walking tours of Oxford

Ages: Infants (0–4 years) · Children (5–12 years) · Youth (13–17 years) · Adults (18–64 years) · Seniors (65–120 years)

What is included

Included

Included: Your Personal Guide - Contrada Tours uses only experienced local guides
Included: After the tour you are free to visit the riverside café and Addison's walk and deer park.
Included: Entry to one College of the University, usually Magdalen College. The entry ticket is included.
Included: At Magdalen College, we can usually visit the chapel, dining hall, cloister, café and gardens.

Not included

Not included: Please note: the colleges are usually closed between 21 Dec - 3 January and over Easter.
Not included: When it is not possible to visit Magdalen college, we will visit another suitable college.
Not included: Please note, Colleges are working academic institutions. Some areas may close at short notice.
Not included: Crowds! Our maximum group size is 12.
Not included: The Eagle and Child pub - it is closed for restoration work until 2027.

Itinerary

Broad Street

10 min

Your guide will meet you here and will give you an introduction to the tour.
University of Oxford

10 min Admission not included

Learn about the workings of the University of Oxford, where Tolkien and Lewis were students and where they taught for most of their careers.
Stop 3

10 min Admission not included

See the pub where the Inklings met. The pub is currently closed for repairs and can be viewed from the outside only (2025).
Sheldonian Theatre

10 min Admission not included

See the Sheldonian Theatre, where Tolkien and Lewis matriculated and graduated and attended many other events of importance in their Oxford careers.
Bodleian Library

5 min Admission not included

See the world famous Bodleian library.
Stop 6

5 min

See the original site of Oxford's Ashmolean Museum, where Tolkien worked as a lexicographer on the Oxford English Dictionary. Hear about his time there.
Exeter College

10 min Admission not included

See the College where Tolkien was an undergraduate. Learn about his time in Oxford. We view Exeter College from the outside - internal visits are not normally permitted.
Stop 8

5 min Admission included

See the famous Mitre Inn (now also called Gusto), where C.S.Lewis met T.S.Eliot. Hear about their stormy relationship!
Radcliffe Camera

5 min Admission not included

See the iconic Radcliffe Camera - a great spot for some memorable photos
Stop 10

5 min

Visit Radcliffe Square and see the iconic Radcliffe Camera, Brasenose College, All Souls College and the University Church of St Mary.
Oriel College

5 min Admission not included

See this lovely small college where Tolkien and Lewis sat their scholarship examinations before coming up to Oxford as students.
Stop 12

10 min Admission not included

See the Canterbury gate of Christ Church College. Learn how Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) met the young Alice Liddell at Christ Church College and how she inspired him to write Alice in Wonderland. Learn also about recent developments at Christ Church including the new Alice collection.
Merton College

5 min Admission not included

See the College where Lewis and Tolkien first met in the 1920s, and where Tolkien was Professor of English during the 1940s and 1950s when he was working on the Lord of the Rings.
Stop 14

5 min

Walk down beautiful Merton Street, often used as a backdrop when films are made in Oxford
University College

5 min Admission not included

See the college where C.S.Lewis was an undergraduate and where we worked as a tutor from 1925 - 1947.
Magdalen College

45 min Admission included

The tour includes a visit inside Magdalen College, one of Oxford's most beautiful and historic colleges. See the chapel where Lewis worshipped daily after he became a Christian and the College dining hall where he ate. See the New Building where the Inklinks met. If you have time you can walk around Addison's Walk which is a beautiful circular walk around an island on the River Cherwell within the grounds the college. You can recreate the walk which Lewis, Tolkien and Hugo Dyson did in 1931 and which had such important consequences for Lewis. The College also has a Cafe by the river Cherwell serving drinks, light lunches and tea.