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Harry PotterHarry Potter filming locations in London: places to visit
Several scenes from the Harry Potter film series were shot in real locations across London. King's Cross station, Leadenhall Market, Piccadilly Circus, the Millennium Bridge and London Zoo are just some of the places where visitors can still recognise settings seen on screen.
The good news is that many of these Harry Potter filming locations in London can be visited for free and are easy to reach on foot or by public transport. Others are located elsewhere in the United Kingdom, particularly in Oxford, Northumberland and the Scottish Highlands.
This guide brings together the main Harry Potter locations in London and across the UK, distinguishing genuine filming locations from attractions created after the films. To plan a trip entirely focused on the Wizarding World, you can also read our Harry Potter guide to London.
Short on time? King's Cross, Leadenhall Market, the Millennium Bridge, Borough Market and Piccadilly Circus make an excellent selection for a first Harry Potter day in London. A guided tour can link several locations together while providing useful filming stories and background information.
Which Harry Potter filming locations can you visit in London?
| Location | In Harry Potter | Access |
|---|---|---|
| King's Cross | Departure point for the Hogwarts Express | Free |
| Leadenhall Market | Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron | Free |
| Borough Market | The Leaky Cauldron and the Knight Bus arrival | Free |
| Millennium Bridge | Death Eater attack | Free |
| Piccadilly Circus | Harry, Ron and Hermione's escape | Free |
| Westminster | Journey to the Ministry of Magic | Underground journey required |
| Claremont Square | Exterior of Grimmauld Place | Free |
| London Zoo | Snake scene | Paid |
| Australia House | Gringotts interiors | Exterior visible for free |
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King's Cross and Platform 9¾
There is no better place to start. In the Harry Potter universe, King's Cross station is home to the legendary Platform 9¾, where students board the Hogwarts Express for their journey to Hogwarts.
King's Cross is not only a fictional location from the books. The real station was used several times during filming. The platforms seen on screen do not correspond to an actual Platform 9¾, however, and some scenes were filmed between platforms 4 and 5.
Today, the most popular Harry Potter spot is located inside the station concourse. A luggage trolley appears to disappear into the wall beneath a Platform 9¾ sign, creating one of London's best-known Harry Potter photo opportunities.
Our dedicated guide explains exactly where to find Platform 9¾ at King's Cross station.
Nearby, you will also find the official Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9¾, selling Hogwarts house merchandise, wands, clothing and other items inspired by the series.
The photo point can become very busy. For a quieter photo, visit early in the morning or later in the day rather than around midday.
Leadenhall Market and the Leaky Cauldron
With its covered walkways, cobbled streets and Victorian architecture, Leadenhall Market is one of the most recognisable Harry Potter filming locations in the City of London.
The market appears in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone when Harry explores London with Hagrid before entering the wizarding world. It forms part of the setting used to represent the area leading towards Diagon Alley.
The detail to look for is in Bull's Head Passage. A doorway now incorporated into a business was used as the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. Its current appearance is different from what is seen in the film, but the location is still easy to identify.
Leadenhall Market is also worth visiting independently of Harry Potter. Much of its present-day architecture dates from the Victorian period, and the market now contains shops, restaurants, cafés and pubs.
Access to the market is free. For better views of the architecture and easier photographs, avoid weekday lunchtime if possible, when the area becomes particularly busy with City workers.
Borough Market and the Leaky Cauldron
Borough Market also appears in the Harry Potter film series, but contrary to a common misconception, the market does not simply represent Knockturn Alley.
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry arrives in this area aboard the Knight Bus. The entrance to the Leaky Cauldron used for this film is located on Stoney Street, immediately beside Borough Market.
The location is easy to include in a Harry Potter walking route because it is close to London Bridge and within walking distance of the Millennium Bridge. It is also one of London's best-known food markets, making it a convenient place to stop for lunch during the route.
The Millennium Bridge
The Millennium Bridge appears in one of the most spectacular London sequences in the Harry Potter films. At the beginning of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Death Eaters fly over London and destroy the bridge using the film's visual effects.
In real life, this pedestrian bridge crosses the River Thames between the City and Bankside. It offers an excellent view towards St Paul's Cathedral on one side and leads towards Tate Modern on the other.
Crossing the bridge is free and it fits easily into a Harry Potter itinerary between Leadenhall Market and Borough Market.
Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus appears in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1. After suddenly leaving Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding, Harry, Ron and Hermione find themselves in the heart of Muggle London.
The scene clearly shows Piccadilly Circus and the busy streets of the West End. The modern urban surroundings deliberately contrast with the older and more mysterious settings usually associated with the wizarding world.
Piccadilly Circus is free to visit and can easily be combined with Leicester Square, Covent Garden and the Palace Theatre, where Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is performed.
Westminster and the Ministry of Magic
Several locations around Westminster are associated with journeys to the Ministry of Magic in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
One of the easiest filming locations to recognise is Westminster Underground station. Harry travels through the station with Arthur Weasley on the way to his disciplinary hearing. The station was even temporarily closed during filming.
A walk around the area also gives you the chance to see Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey.
The famous red telephone box used as an entrance to the Ministry of Magic in the film is not a permanent attraction to look for around London. It was created as part of the film set.
Claremont Square and 12 Grimmauld Place
In the series, 12 Grimmauld Place is the home of Sirius Black and later becomes the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. For the exterior, the films used the appearance of the houses around Claremont Square in Islington.
The square is much quieter than King's Cross or Leadenhall Market. It is primarily a residential area. No house actually carries the fictional address 12 Grimmauld Place and there is no Harry Potter attraction on site.
Claremont Square is a residential area. Stay in public spaces, avoid photographing residents and do not approach private entrances to recreate scenes from the films.
London Zoo and the snake scene
London Zoo appears as early as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. During a day out with the Dursleys, Harry discovers that he can communicate with a snake before the glass in front of its enclosure suddenly disappears.
The sequence was indeed filmed in the former Reptile House at London Zoo. The historic building no longer serves this purpose today, however. The reptiles and amphibians have moved to newer facilities and the former Reptile House has since been redeveloped.
The zoo therefore remains a genuine Harry Potter filming location, but visitors should not expect to find the Reptile House exactly as it appeared on screen.
Australia House and Gringotts Bank
The impressive interiors of Australia House on the Strand were used to represent Gringotts Bank in the first film.
The building houses the Australian High Commission in the United Kingdom, so it is not a Harry Potter attraction that visitors can freely explore. Its exterior can nevertheless be viewed from the street.
For an accessible Gringotts set, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London is the better option, where a spectacular recreation of the wizarding bank forms part of the permanent exhibition.
Can you visit the Harry Potter filming locations on foot?
Yes, although it is better to divide London into several areas rather than trying to connect every location on foot.
In the City and around the River Thames, a particularly good route is to start at Leadenhall Market, continue towards St Paul's Cathedral, cross the Millennium Bridge and then walk on to Borough Market. This entire section can easily be completed on foot.
King's Cross, Claremont Square, London Zoo, Westminster and Piccadilly Circus are further apart. The Underground is the easiest way to complete the itinerary without losing too much time.
If you want to see as many locations as possible without planning the route yourself, a guided Harry Potter tour in London can be particularly worthwhile. Some tours link several filming locations while explaining how London's streets and landmarks were transformed for the films.
What about the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London?
The streets of London represent only part of the locations used to create the Harry Potter films. Many of the interior sets and special effects were produced at Leavesden Studios, north-west of the capital.
The Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter now allows visitors to explore many original sets, costumes and props, including the Great Hall, Diagon Alley, Gringotts, the Hogwarts Express and 4 Privet Drive.
This is therefore not simply a Harry Potter-inspired attraction. The Studio Tour occupies the site where all eight Harry Potter films were produced.
Harry Potter filming locations outside London
Several of the most spectacular locations from the films can be found elsewhere in England and Scotland. They generally require a dedicated day trip or several days of travel.
Oxford
The University of Oxford contains several locations genuinely used during filming.
At the Bodleian Library, Duke Humfrey's Library was used as the Hogwarts library, while the Divinity School became the hospital wing. Several scenes were also filmed in the cloisters of New College.
Christ Church also has an important connection with the films. Its staircase appears in the early films and its famous dining hall is often associated with the Hogwarts Great Hall. There is, however, an important distinction to make: the Great Hall seen in the films was not filmed directly inside the Christ Church dining hall, as a dedicated set was built at the studios.
Access conditions for Oxford colleges and libraries vary depending on university activities. If you are travelling specifically for Harry Potter locations, check opening arrangements and book the relevant sites in advance, especially during school holidays.
Alnwick Castle
In Northumberland, Alnwick Castle was used as Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films.
The Outer Bailey is particularly recognisable from Harry's first flying lesson with Madam Hooch. The courtyards and several parts of the castle also appear in scenes showing students around Hogwarts.
The castle openly celebrates its film history today. Filming tours are available, while its well-known Broomstick Training sessions give visitors the chance to try flying a broom in the same area where Harry's first lesson was filmed. These activities depend on the schedule and conditions on the day.
Glenfinnan Viaduct
In the Scottish Highlands, Glenfinnan Viaduct has become inseparable from the journey to Hogwarts. It appears in several films as the Hogwarts Express travels through the Scottish landscape.
The viaduct can be viewed from several walking viewpoints. To recreate some of the atmosphere of the films, some travellers also choose to take a steam train running along the West Highland Line and crossing Glenfinnan.
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Never approach or walk onto the railway tracks to photograph the train. The best viewpoints over the viaduct can be reached using designated walking paths.
Glencoe
The dramatic landscapes of Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands were used in several Harry Potter films, particularly from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban onwards.
The area is especially associated with the landscapes surrounding Hogwarts, Hagrid's hut and the covered bridge. The sets built for filming were not left in place, so visitors now come to Glencoe mainly to recognise the natural landscapes seen on screen.
The area works particularly well as part of a Highlands itinerary combining Glencoe, Fort William and Glenfinnan.
The Forest of Dean... and Bourne Wood
The Forest of Dean plays an important role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when Harry, Ron and Hermione hide while searching for the Horcruxes.
It is important, however, to distinguish between the location in the story and the actual filming location. Some scenes supposedly set in the Forest of Dean were in fact filmed at Bourne Wood, near Farnham in Surrey.
This distinction is useful for fans who want to visit genuine filming locations rather than places mentioned only in the story.
Which Harry Potter locations should you choose if you are short on time?
For a first visit to London, prioritise King's Cross for Platform 9¾, followed by Leadenhall Market, the Millennium Bridge and Borough Market. The last three can easily be combined during the same walk through the City and along the River Thames.
With an additional day, add Piccadilly Circus, Westminster and possibly London Zoo. Fans who are mainly interested in original sets, props and behind-the-scenes filmmaking will get more from spending a full day at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London.
Oxford is one of the easiest day trips from London for continuing the Harry Potter experience. Alnwick, Glenfinnan and Glencoe are much further away and are better included as part of a wider trip through northern England or Scotland.
Summary
London contains several genuine Harry Potter filming locations that can be visited for free, including King's Cross, Leadenhall Market, Borough Market, the Millennium Bridge and Piccadilly Circus. Other locations, such as London Zoo, require an admission ticket.
Some of these locations can be explored on foot, particularly around the City and Borough Market, although the Underground is useful for connecting the different areas of London. A guided tour is a convenient alternative if you prefer not to organise the itinerary yourself.
Beyond London, Oxford, Alnwick Castle, Glenfinnan and Glencoe are among the main UK locations associated with the films. To see the original sets created for the productions, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London is the natural complement to this filming-location itinerary.
Sources and useful links
Official sources
- Filming at King's Cross - Network Rail
- Harry Potter at Leadenhall Market
- Former Reptile House at London Zoo
- Harry Potter filming at the Bodleian Library
- Harry Potter at Alnwick Castle
- Harry Potter filming locations in Scotland
- Harry Potter filming locations in English forests
- Australia House and Harry Potter
Planning your trip? These are the tours and tickets travellers book most.
