16 Harry Potter London locations: best routes, locations and scenery to find in the city
London is full of places that served as the setting for the "Harry Potter" films - read on to discover them!
Platform 9 and 3/4 | © Diogo Nunes
If you are a big fan of the "Harry Potter" saga you can take advantage of your visit to the British capital to spend a different day doing an original tour through its streets with which you can visit the most famous locations of the films.Book the Harry Potter tour in London, grab your wizard hat and your wand and go out to discover the most magical side of the city!
1. King's Cross Station is Platform 9 and ¾ mile from the station
One of the most famous places in the Harry Potter saga is Platform 9 and ¾ of King's Cross Station which gave access to the platform where the "Hogwarts Express" was taken to the famous school of witchcraft and wizardry.
You will find Platform 9 and ¾ right next to the entrance to access platforms 9 to 11 inside King's Cross Station. There you can take a picture with the props trolley that appears in the movie and next to it is one of the official stores of the Harry Potter saga, where you can buy all kinds of souvenirs about the movies. I recommend you to take a look there because they have very curious things although there are also other Harry Potter stores in London that are really cool.
- Address: Euston Rd, London N1 9AL, United Kingdom.
- How to get there: By subway, Circle, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines.
2. Borough Market is The Leaky Cauldron
In the movie "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", the tavern and inn for wizards The Leaky Cauldron was located in Diagon Alley represented at that time by Leadenhall Market. However, for the third film of the saga "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" the tavern was represented in another location, Borough Market, in the premises that is now a florist.
- Address: 8 Southwark St, London SE1 1TL, UK
- How to get there: By subway, London Underground station, Jubilee and Northern lines.
3. Leadenhall Market is Diagon Alley
The Victorian architecture of Leadenhall Market was perfectly suited to represent the famous Diagon Alley in the first movie "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", dedicated to the sale of magical products. Here young Harry has his first contact with the world of wizardry.
- Address: Gracechurch St, London EC3V 1LT, UK
- How to get there: By subway, Monument station, Circle and District lines.
4. 25 Claremont Square is Sirius Black's residence.
At 25 Claremont Square is this Georgian-style house that represents the residence where Sirius Black lived at 12 Grimmauld Place, which appears in the fifth film "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix".
- Address: 25 Claremont Square
- How to get there: By subway, Angel station, Northern line.
5. The facade of the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel is the entrance to King Cross Station.
In the second movie "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is the facade of St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel representing the entrance to King Cross Station when Harry and Ron take Mr. Weasley's flying car to get to Hogwarts on time on the first day of school.
- Address: Euston Rd, London NW1 2AR, United Kingdom.
- How to get there: By tube, King's Cross St. Pancreas station, Circle, Metropolitan, Piccadilly, Victoria, Nothern and Hammersmith & City lines.
6. The Australian Embassy is the inside of Gringotts Bank
The spectacular interior of the Australian Embassy in London was used to recreate the famous and impregnable bank of the wizarding world administered by goblins in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", which was accessed through Diagon Alley. As it is the diplomatic headquarters of a country, visits for browsing are not allowed but at least you can take a souvenir selfie outside.
- Address: Strand, London WC2B 4LA, UK
- How to get there: By subway, Temple station, Circle and District Lines.
7. The South African Embassy is the entrance to Gringotts Bank from the outside
The curious colonnaded facade of the South African Embassy in London was another of the locations used to recreate Gringotts Bank in this magical universe. You will find this striking building in Trafalgar Square, in the heart of London.
- Address: South Africa House 9 Duncannon Street Trafalgar Square London (London) WC2N 5DP UK
- How to get there: By subway, Charing Cross station, Bakerloo and Northern lines.
8. The townhouses in Claremont Square are the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.
In the fifth installment of the saga, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the townhouses featured in the film represent the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix and are those in Claremont Square. However, it is said to be inspired by the larger London public square called Lincoln's Inn Field.
- Address: Claremont Square
- How to get there: By subway, Angel station, Northern line.
9. A red telephone box is the entrance to the Ministry of Magic
In the movie "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", one of the typical red phone booths scattered throughout the city is the guest entrance to the Ministry of Magic that Harry and Mr. Weasley take to enter.
However, the booth from the movie you won't find on the streets of London as it was made specifically for that installment. However, you can have your photo taken in any other phone booth, for example the one on Parliament Street. Who knows... maybe you will discover another access door to the Ministry of Magic.
- Address: Parliament Street.
- How to get there: By subway, Westminster station, Circle, District Line and Jubilee lines.
10. The reptile terrarium at London Zoo
The London Zoo is located in Regent's Park, one of the royal parks of the British capital. In the reptile terrarium is where in the first movie "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" Harry discovers that he can speak Parseltongue with snakes and give his nasty cousin Dudley a good scare.
- Address: Outer Cir, London NW1 4RY, UK
- How to get there: By tube, Regent's Park station, Bakerloo line.
11. Millennium Bridge
This bridge appears in the saga on several occasions. Both in "The Philosopher's Stone" and "The Order of the Phoenix" as in "The Half-Blood Prince" but it is in the latter when it serves as the setting for a spectacular scene.
In "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" the Millennium Bridge is blown up when Voldemort's Death Eaters destroy it in retaliation against the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.
- Address: Thames Embankment, London, UK
- How to get there: By tube, Blackfriars station, Circle and District Lines.
12. Tower Bridge and London City Hall
In this same scene of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" when the Millennium Bridge is destroyed you can also see in the distance Tower Bridge and London City Hall, Trafalgar Square or St. Paul's Cathedral, among others. An accelerated and somewhat calamitous review of the various monuments in the center of London.
- Address: Tower Bridge
- How to get there: By subway, London Bridge station, Jubilee and Northern lines.
13. Westminster Station Underground Station
When in the fifth film "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" the young wizard has to go to testify at the Ministry of Magic, he takes the subway with Mr. Weasley to get to Westminster Station, the closest station to the Ministry of Magic.
In the scene Mr. Weasley is amazed with the subway and the functioning of the turnstiles. So you do not make a mess like him when using this transport, do not miss this Practical Guide to the London Underground that will be very helpful for your travels.
- Address: London SW1A 2JR, United Kingdom.
- How to get there: By subway, Westminster station, Circle, District and Jubilee lines.
14. Piccadilly Circus
In "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1", the protagonist trio escapes the attack of Death Eaters during a wedding celebration and is teleported to Piccadilly Circus, in the heart of London, where they are about to be run over by one of the typical red buses of the city. A place always full of tourists and Londoners where they can camouflage themselves well among the people without attracting attention.
Also between Picadilly Circus and Regent's Street another action scene from the movie "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1" was filmed in which the young wizards have a confrontation with some Death Eaters in a coffee shop in the area.
- Address: London W1J 9HP, United Kingdom
- How to get there: By tube, Piccadilly station, Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines.
15. Diagon Alley shop windows at Cecil Court
To recreate Diagon Alley in the movies, the inspiration was taken from different streets of London being one of them Cecil Court. And is that the colorful windows of this place, full of curious objects and books, somehow reminiscent of the mythical alley of the Harry Potter films.
- Address: Cecil Court
- How to get there: By subway, Leicester Square station, Northern and Piccadilly lines.
16. Surbiton Railway Station
After the Death Eaters attack Millennium Bridge in the movie "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" Dumbledore meets Harry at a train station located in Surbiton, about 20 minutes by train from central London.
If you're in the area it's quite a curious thing to see but if not, I really don't think it's worth the trip to this location.
- Address: Victoria Rd, Surbiton KT6 4PE, UK
- How to get there: By train from London Waterloo Station