Harry Potter is mostly set in London because the entire story on the books happens, well, in London. This means almost everything you watched in the movies can be found here and you can brag to whoever about how you visited platform 9 ¾. It’s doesn’t matter if you are not a fan, you still can live the magic of this city and spice it up.
London has a massive number of things to see if you are a tourist. But, if you are also a Potterhead, you can revive most of the books and movies. Some of the biggest stores are here in London. You can visit many of the places where the movie was filmed. These spots are also iconic places in London that you can’t miss.
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Visit King’s Cross
Every single Harry Potter fan knows why king cross is a must-go. Since the first book, King Cross is a recurrent place in the series, and some major things have happened here. Even though platform 9 ¾ isn’t a real place; you can still have a picture of the wall you have to cross to get to Hogwarts every year.
The platform has changed a lot since the first book release. It has grown to become one of the favourite places – because is a free picture too – for many fans. You have to do a line most of the time but it’s worth it. Since the first book, they upgraded the sign of 93/4. And now is bigger and there is fake luggage you can pose with.
Here you can find staff that will help you with your picture and will give you scarves from your Hogwarts house, giving you one of the best experiences regarding Harry Potter in London. In case you are more of a muggle – please read this other tour guide – you can enjoy the architectural richness King’s Cross has and, maybe you can try to take a picture at the platform 9 ¾ just because.
After all the pictures and the fun, you can go to the platform 9 ¾ Harry Potter shop. Like in all the other Harry Potter shops, here you can buy clothes with the colours and the shield of your house wants and themed treats.
Walk in the millennium bridge
This is one of the most incredible places in London and a favourite photo spot for many tourists. You can picture this as a place with a majestic view but this is also one of the iconic places that appeared in the Harry Potter movies. If you don’t recognize it, this is the same bridge that the Dead Eaters destroyed at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
In case you want a whole view of the bridge you can go to the rooftop observation deck on the top of the Tate Modern. In this spot, you will get a magnificent whole view of the bridge and part of the city.
Take a Studio Tour
Because it was filmed in London, the main studio for harry potter is also here and it’s possible to book a tour of the complete set. You can visit some famous places that appeared in the movie in the city, of course. But on the set tour, you can explore the real places near Hogwarts and inside Hogwarts too.
On the set tour, you can visit the Diagon Alley, The Forbidden Forest, and many more places from the franchise. We recommend you to try to do this visit during some holiday, this way you will see the set fully decorated. Enjoy a magical Christmas or an incredible Halloween in the streets and celebrate it with a special dinner in the Great Hall, like the ones in the books.
If this is not enough for you, you can also get a close-up of the costumes, a lot of beasts that appeared in the movie, and the movie’s props exposition. Finally, the biggest attraction of this tour is getting a picture with the actual Hogwarts Castle model.
Meet the Leaky Cauldron and what inspires the Diagon Alley
Visiting the set might not be enough for you; maybe you want an experience that involves the city. The creators did gain their ideas from the city; this means you can visit the entrance in the muggle world, near to the Leaky Cauldron. This name should ring some bells because this is near the entrance to the Diagon Alley.
Located in the Leadenhall Market, one of the oldest markets in London is the shop that was first used as the front for the Leaky Cauldron. This market is almost stuck in time and can be on its own a magical experience, however, you can also take a picture in the front of this iconic place in the movies, and it’s still looking the same as in the first movie.
After this picture you can visit the market, there’s a lot to do there if you want to know more about London too. There are a lot of restaurants that serve traditional food and many second-hand bookshops if you might be interested in buying the Harry Potter books in case you don’t have them.
Get potions and magical tea
Before the cursed child – if you could get the tickets – you can prepare yourself for the magical evening with a more magical afternoon. Near the Palace Theatre, there is a bakery with a Potion Room ready to serve you everything you can imagine. Harry, Ron, and Hermione drank in Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop.
The Potion Room, a bakery in Soho, turned their basement into a safe haven for all of the wizards travelling around London and is a must-go if you want to have a magical treat. Themed as one of the Potion Rooms in Harry Potter, here you can mix your favourite beverage and experience a tasty class without the Snape glaring at you if you are not a Slytherin.
Stay in a room of the castle
You can stay in a real Hogwarts room, how? In a Harry Potter-themed hotel room. Have a complete Potterhead trip and book a real Wizard room in the Georgian House Hotel. The whole room is decorated like the castle rooms, even the beds are comfy. Another pro is that most of the rooms include a magical breakfast with a Hogwarts letter and everything.
The details in every room are on point too in case you are a hardcore fan. In the hallways you can listen to audiobooks from the saga and part of the ost, the beds are decorated with the Hogwarts houses colours. You can even find a Horrocrux mug in every room.
See Harry Potter and the Cursed Child On Stage
Some fans might not agree but this honorary book is the last one of this incredible saga and the performance on stage is amazing. As a two-part play, this could be long but you won’t notice, you will be busy watching what happens 19 years after the Second Wizard War. The play is at the Palace Theater in Soho, so you can’t miss it.
This play broke records since the day it opened, it’s one of the biggest evens about Harry Potter in London, and since its first show in the West End, many fans have given it a try. The cast changed yes, but their performances are brilliant, you can also know what happened with our heroes. With one ticket you can see both parts, and you can see them consecutively if you go to the first on Thursday, because the second part plays on Friday.
Try a quiz in a pub or a themed escape room
After the play, you could go to some bar in the west end and put to test how much you know about harry potter. Many bars in London are aware that some wizards might be around and, from night to night they do a Wizardly Quiz Night. Get a beer and prepare yourself – maybe with us? Check this article – to compete with other wizards in a knowledge duel.
A beer might not be enough action, if this is the case you can go to a themed escape room and test your senses instead of your knowledge. Near Liverpool Street, you can find Enigma Quest, a themed escape room interactive place, where you have to escape from Voldemort before it’s too late, and you will need your intelligence, your friends, and some magic.
Buy some Harry Potter goodies
Some of the biggest harry potter themed shops are in London. The Harry Potter is one of the biggest and one we recommend you to go if your trip is about to end and you want some Harry Potter goodies to remember everything you did. We mentioned before some shops, but the one on the Warner Bros Studio is the biggest and has everything you might want.
You can find candies, clothes from every house, wands, and many collectables to feel the magic everywhere. Another place where you should go if you want to buy collectables and more specific goodies is the House of MinaLima. This shop is run by two members of the graphic design team. Meaning you can have a lot of posters, maps, and many more collectables.
