How to Get to Heaven from Belfast filming locations: If Knockdara is real and how to find its real-life historic lighthouse
From Belfast to 'Portugal', this is everywhere the new Netflix series was filmed
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is a hilarious, chaotic odyssey across Ireland – and if you want to know where it’s filmed (and if you can actually visit Knockdara), you’re in the right place.
The new Netflix series comes from Lisa McGee, the creator of Derry Girls. It follows Saoirse (Roísín Gallagher), Robyn (Sinéad Keenan), and Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne), three pals who reunite in the wake of their childhood friend Greta’s death.
They end up in Knockdara, a remote, quiet town in Donegal. Things quickly take a weird turn, and the trio set out to figure out exactly what happened to Greta.
This takes them across Ireland, back to London, and even abroad – so, we’ve taken a closer look and rounded up How to Get to Heaven from Belfast’s main filming locations.
Where is How to Get to Heaven from Belfast set?
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast mainly takes place in three locations: a small town called Knockdara, Belfast, and London.
Saoirse ‘lives’ in London (Robyn says she actually lives in Belfast, and it’s an argument throughout the series). We get a peek at her life there, with scenes filmed along the city’s South Bank.
Excluding a trip to Portugal (which we’ll get to later), the series is predominantly filmed across Ireland.
“I’m really glad we did it, but I’m going to write a studio sitcom after this, with a coffee machine and a nice chair,” McGee joked in an interview with Reach, admitting that while she’s “glad” they shot in Ireland, it was “freezing”.
“It’s a stunning country and it changes so much. We can go an hour down the road and the landscape’s completely different. It’s just gorgeous,” she added.
Is Knockdara a real place?
No, Knockdara is a fictional town made up for How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.
In real life, Donegal (in County Donegal, obviously) mostly stood in for its scenes, while Carnlough’s Harbourview Hotel was used for the town’s hotel (run by Ardal O’Hanlon’s eccentric manager).
“I like all the scenes in Donegal, I like the twisty-turny roads. I had this thing in my head that the journey should represent the story. You’re going down all these little paths, so that was quite cool,” McGee said.
Curiously, this isn’t the first time a drama has used Knockdara for a fictional location. Channel 5’s The Deceived (which also starred Emmett J. Scanlan and co-written by McGee) was also set in Knockdara in Donegal.
Are they connected? Probably not, given Killough stood in for most of its scenes – although, Killough is connected to another major filming location from How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast filming locations: Where is the lighthouse?
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast also filmed several scenes at St John’s Point in County Down, home to a yellow and black lighthouse.
The lighthouse is a pretty pivotal location in the story, as it’s connected to Greta and the larger truth of what happened to her. No spoilers though!
It’s the tallest lighthouse in Ireland (if you exclude the offshore Fastnet Lighthouse), standing at 40 metres high. Killough is its nearest village, while it’d take you just under 30 minutes to drive from St John’s Point to Donegal.
If you like the cutting breeze of the Irish coast, you can stay in one of the lighthouse keepers’ cottages.
What about Heaven’s Veil, aka Caille Neamh?
Heaven’s Veil (also known as Caille Neamh) becomes an important location towards the end of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.
Don’t worry, we won’t spoil anything – but, sadly, it’s not a real place either. County Antrim, in Ulster, was used for these scenes, as well as County Donegal.
Where else was How to Get to Heaven from Belfast filmed?
There will be a few other places you’ll recognise in How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, and perhaps even locations you’ll want to visit yourself. We’ve included two below, so you know exactly where they are.
Cathedral Quarter
Towards the end of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, the main trio can be seen walking along a stunning street, with pubs on either side and beautiful lights and decoration around them.
This is the Cathedral Quarter in Belfast, home to all sorts of trendy bars, restaurants, and clubs.
Titanic Studios
The Titanic Studios building pops up a few times in How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.
If you’ve heard of it, it’s probably because it’s the home of Game of Thrones (and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms). It’s one of the most famous and renowned film studios in Europe (not to mention one of the biggest).
Derry Girls mural
In episode 8, Booker and Feeney have an ice cream near the Derry Girls mural in Derry.
You can find it on the side of Badger’s Bar and Restaurant, opposite the Foyleside shopping centre. As you (hopefully), it was painted as a tribute to the sitcom.
Is Calmas Águas Azuis a real hotel?
There are a few scenes (and the majority of one episode) that seemingly take place in Sagres, Portugal. Why? We can’t say, but it involves Greta and someone from her past.
However, if you try to look up the hotel they stay in, you’ll probably be a bit confused. Not only is Calmas Águas Azuis a made-up resort, but the show was actually filmed in Malta!
It’s unclear exactly which hotels the production used. The credits note that it was filmed on location in Malta and at the Malta Film Studios, so it’s likely that it isn’t a specific hotel, but a combination and some scenes filmed in a studio.
Read more: How to Get to Heaven from Belfast ending explained: What happened to Greta?
