if you are a fan of Harry Potter then there is plenty for you to do and see in London.
We are here to point out the key Harry Potter London locations to visit.
Platform 9¾ Kings Cross station
This is the most iconic of London’s Harry Potter locations.
As all fans of the JK Rowling books and films know Platform 9¾ is where the young trainee wizards and witches board the Hogwarts Express train to Hogsmeade.
And at Kings Cross station you can enact the experience and get a memorable photo of yourself pushing a trolley that disappears into the station’s wall.
Be warned though the attraction is very popular and you may have to queue.
Nearby is also a Harry Potter Wizarding shop where you can buy all your Harry Potter themed memorabilia.
Also, if you are lucky enough to be in London in September be sure to be at Kings Cross station for Back to Hogwarts day.
Every year on September 1st Potterheads from across the globe gather at Kings X to celebrate Back To Hogwarts day where they gather round the station’s departure board which shows a train bound for Hogsmeade at 11am.
At 11am exactly a British voice will announce on the station’s tannoy: “May I have your attention please. The Hogwarts Express is now departing from platform 9 and ¾. All students are kindly reminded to stick to your ticket and board the carriage at once. All aboard.”
It’s an occasion not to be missed.
Other Harry Potter London locations:
St Pancras station
Platform 9 3/4 may have been filmed inside Kings Cross Station but this majestic gothic station, which is right next door to Kings X station, was used as the exterior.
It features in “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”, in the scene where the Weasleys park their flying car.
Leadenhall Market – Diagon Alley & the Leaky Cauldron
This beautifully ornate indoor market in the City of London was the location for Diagon Alley. All the exterior shots of Diagon Alley were filmed here.
Top tip: Find the Glass House optician’s shop. This was used as the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron in “Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone”.
Borough Market – the Leaky Cauldron
As the Harry Potter films got darker, Leadenhall Market was replaced by Borough Market as the site of Diagon Alley.
Borough market’s gloomier railway arches were used to replace the bright ornate architecture of Leadenhall.
Top tip: Find Chez Michele, a flower shop. This was used as the new entrance to the Leaky Cauldron in Prisoner of Azkaban”. It makes its appearance on the big screen after Harry gets off The Knight Bus.
Great Scotland Yard – The Ministry of Magic
This street, just off Trafalgar Square, was used as the exterior of the Ministry of Magic.
Australia House – Gringotts Wizarding Bank
The imposing Australia House building on the Strand, home of the High Commission of Australia in London, was where the interiors of the Gringotts Wizarding Bank were filmed.
The building is closed to tourists but you can sneak a peek through the large glass door to catch sight of the building’s chandeliers and ornate interior of the iconic goblin bank.
Millennium Bridge
Millennium Bridge, the most modern of London’s bridges, was destroyed by the Death Eaters in the opening scene of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”,
St Paul’s Cathedral
Just across the Millennium Bridge is St Pauls’ Cathedral. It was here in this Christopher Wren architectural masterpiece that a scene from “Prisoner of Azkaban” was filmed. The cathedral’s “Divination Staircase” can be seen when Harry and Ron are leaving Professor Trelawney’s classroom.
Tottenham Court Road
This central London street is where Harry, Ron, and Hermione apparate to escape an attack from Death Eaters.
London Zoo
Visit the Reptile House of London Zooand see if you can hear the snakes talking to you! If you can, maybe you too are the chosen one, as it was here that Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, discovered his gift for talking with reptiles.
House of Minalima – Harry Potter and the Fantastic Beasts design store
If you have been enchanted by the design of the JK Rowling based films, this shop on Wardour Street is well worth a visit.
Both a gallery and a store, House of Minalima showcases the graphic art of the film franchise and gives you an incredible insight into the attention to detail that the films’ designers employed.
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Many of these locations can be visited as part of a Harry Potter Bus tour or Harry Potter walking tour.
Also remember that there is a Harry Potter theatre play in London’s West End.
