Locations in eight counties in Ireland, two hotels in Malta and London feature in the Netflix series How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. The production spanned over 100 sites across Ireland, London, and Malta, but these are the standout ones highlighted in coverage.
- Belfast: The starting hub and name of the series, features prominently for the friends’ initial reunion, clubbing nights (The Duke of York pub), Titanic Quarter cameos, and various interiors like the Grand Central Hotel (standing in for London restaurant scenes) and Lyric Theatre (for BAFTA moments). Urban energy, old pubs, and chaotic city vibes drive much of the backstory and parallel plots.
- Carnlough (as Knockdara): The picturesque seaside village in County Antrim that doubles as the fictional small town of Knockdara (set in Donegal in the story); site of Greta’s wake, early mysteries, cow-induced traffic jams, and the central hotel antics.
- Harbour view (Knockdara Hotel): The real Harbourview Hotel in Carnlough, County Antrim; transformed into the quirky Knockdara Hotel run by eccentric innkeeper Seamus. A key gathering spot for boozy reunions, arguments, clue-hunting, and wild nights, now famously Ireland’s first ‘whiskey hotel’ post-production.
- Murlough Bay: Dramatic coastal pass on Donegal’s north coast; location for the tense, western-style first standoff with the gun-toting Booker. Stunning, less-touristy cliffs and scenery add intensity to the thriller elements.
- Saint John’s Point Light house: The remote, striking yellow-and-black lighthouse in County Down; pivotal moody spot for Booker’s getaway, key revelations about Greta’s fate, and improvised dramatic moments. Windswept isolation symbolizes pursuit of truth.
- Galboly Hidden Village: The secluded, stone-walled abandoned village in the Antrim Hills (famous from Game of Thrones and other productions); site of the climactic final showdown in episode 8. Remote, spectacular, and ambitious, deep in the hills for high-stakes resolution.
- Clandeboye Estate: Wooded area near Belfast; used for flashback scenes of the mysterious burning cabin near the girls’ school. A custom-built set was torched over multiple night shoots in the vast estate’s woodland for dramatic effect.
- Dockers Club (Belfast disco scenes): Belfast nightclub standing in for the Knockdara Hotel’s disco; wider space captured the friends’ drunken dancing antics with sleight-of-hand editing.
- South Bank (London exteriors): London’s South Bank for Saoirse’s ‘Murder Code’ TV production exteriors; brief day shoot capturing big-city stresses and egotistical star drama contrasting the Irish chaos.
- Dublin (airport and Late Late Show): Dublin locations for airport scenes (doubling for both Dublin and Belfast airports) and RTÉ Television Centre; Saoirse’s disastrous accidental appearance on The Late Late Show adds comedic embarrassment.
- Christ Church Cathedral: Historic Dublin cathedral; used for solemn or reflective scenes, providing urban historic contrast to the mostly rural/northern settings.
- Mal-ta resorts (posing as Portugal/Algarve): Sunny hotels like Westin Dragonara and Salini in Malta; stand in for the Algarve resort of Sagres where the trio’s search leads to absurd poolside/seaside encounters, heat-fueled twists, and another clash with Booker.
- Motel (County Louth): The disused Park hotel in Omeath, Co Louth transformed into an American-style motel run by the unsettling Norman. Hard-to-find Americana vibe for later episodes’ eerie check-in and tension.
Movie locations county by county
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
