Skip to main content

Oxford CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien Walking Tour

Recommended by 93% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Oxford, England
Popular pick
Booked 5+ times last week!
  • 2 hours (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Walk in the footsteps of two of the most famous authors from Oxford: CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien. Learn about the authors’ lives and works as you walk around past key sites in their lives, including Exeter College (where Tolkien studied), University Church (where Lewis preached) and the Eagle & Child Pub (where the two met weekly as part of The Inklings).
  • Guided walking tour focused on CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien
  • See where they lived, studied, preached and worked
  • Also pass by Bodleian Library, Radcliffe Camera and Ashmolean Museum
  • Learn about Oxford’s rich literary history

What's Included

  • Guided walking tour
  • No College entrances are included

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • 23-25 Broad St, Oxford OX1 3AX, UK

    Outside entrance Cool Britannia Gift Shop on corner of Broad St and Turl St, OX1 3DH What3Words ///visit.blues.text

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Exeter College (Pass By)

1

Bodleian Library

5 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

2

University Church of St. Mary the Virgin

5 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

3

Radcliffe Camera

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Not Included

Merton College (Pass By)

4

St Giles'

5 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology (Pass By)

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Infant seats available
  • Not recommended for travelers with back problems
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Stroller accessible
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Most travelers can participate
  • Strollers and buggies may need to be left at the Porter's Lodge during the college visit
  • Wheelchair accessible college visits can be arranged if customers contact us in advance on 01865 686 441 please
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.8
based on 80 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

So fun; Richard was...

Virginia_F, Jul 2026
So fun; Richard was wonderful and incredibly knowledgeable; we learned so much and even met the King!

Response from Host, Jul 2026

Thanks for the review of your walking tour. We are pleased you enjoyed the tour and appreciate the kind words about your guide Richard. Glad you also had the opportunity to meet the King!

Wholeheartedly recommend

Flavia_R, Apr 2026
Richard was a wonderfully nice guide, he was flexible toward what we were most interested in and gave very detailed and interesting information. We got to see the most relevant places of interest in Oxford and helped decide what we would visit next.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Hi Flavia, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, we really appreciate it. Richard is a great guide and certainly knows a lot about CS Lewis & JRR Tolkien. We will pass on the kind words!

Great general tour of...

noelle_r, Apr 2026
Great general tour of Oxford with lots of specific information about Tolkien and Lewis. Our guide Harvey was fantastic- extremely knowledgeable and told many entertaining and humorous stories

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Hi Noelle, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, we really appreciate your kind words! We will pass them on to our guide.

Excellent Oxford Walking Tour

Lisa_Z, Aug 2025
Our guide — Harvey was excellent. He was engaging and we all enjoyed others who had tidbits of information !

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Hi Lisa, Thanks for the review! Harvey is a great guide, we're glad you enjoyed the walking tour with him. We'll pass on the kind comments.

No show

Nicole_P, Jul 2025
Well I can’t really review this experience because the tour guide never showed up nor did they explain their absence. Quite disappointed.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Hello Nicole, We are very sorry for the experience you received on Saturday. We value our customers highly and never want to let them down. We did contact you on the day to keep you updated on the situation once we were aware the guide did not arrive. Please email us on officialtours@experienceoxfordshire.org if you did not receive the message. We want to do everything we can to make this up to you. For bookings made through Viator/Trip Advisor we only have a trip advisor email address which messages are sometimes not seen. Again please feel free to email us so we can process a refund and offer you some other options. Sorry again for the inconvenience caused.

Too Little

Michael_F, Jun 2025
We felt there was not enough said about C.S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien during the walking tour around Oxford.

Response from Host, Jun 2025

Hi Michael, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We're sorry to hear you were disappointed by our walking tour. We will review our Lewis/Tolkien content and endeavour to improve.

Enjoyable, entertaining and informative

Thomas_S, Jun 2024
I enjoyed he additional background knowledge of Oxford and how CS Lewis/ Tolkien have played their part into its history.

From $46.04

per person

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

Book ahead!
On average, this is booked 29 days in advance.

Compare Similar Experiences

1 / 3
Current
Oxford CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien Walking Tour


2 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$46.04
Tolkien Lewis Walking Tour, with Magdalen College visit, + Alice!


2 hours 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$74.48
Oxford On Screen Walking Tour


2 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$47.40
Ominous Oxford Oxford's Ghost Walking Tour


1 hour 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$28.42