Harry Potter in London: The Top Harry Potter Filming Locations in London

Jess and I are both fans of Harry Potter. Jess has already written the definitive guide to Harry Potter locations in Edinburgh and in Scotland, and on a recent trip to London we decided we should do the same for London.

Hence this post, which aims to be a comprehensive guide to finding Harry Potter in London, listing Harry Potter London filming locations, Harry Potter London walking tours and even the film studio where the majority of the Harry Potter films were shot!

Unlike Edinburgh, London was actually used as a filming location for many of the scenes from the Harry Potter movies, so you can visit actual sights that appear in the Harry Potter movies. Which is pretty cool!

Before reading further, be aware that this post does contain some minor spoilers for the Harry Potter movies and books. So if you’ve somehow not read the books or watched the films, now would be a good time to catch up. Otherwise, let’s wave our wands and get on with our guide to finding Harry Potter in London!

Table of Contents:

Which Harry Potter Movies were Filmed in London?

Every Harry Potter movie has scenes that were filmed in London. Locations range from Leadenhall Market (the entrance to Diagon Alley) through to Kings Cross Station (home of platform 9 3/4 and boarding point of the Hogwarts Express).

As you can imagine therefore, there are a lot of locations from the movies that you’ll find across the city, and our guide will help you do just that!

Guide to Finding Harry Potter in London

Below are some of our favourite places and ways to find Harry Potter in London, including the majority of the major filming locations for the Harry Potter movies.

Some of the locations will be instantly recognisable to fans, others might take a bit of imagination, but we think they’re all worth tracking down!

1. Walking Tour or Bus Tour of Harry Potter London Locations

One of the most popular ways to find Harry Potter in London, if you don’t want to figure it all out yourself (or don’t have the time to do so), is to take a guided walking tour of the Harry Potter filming locations like this.

While this won’t include everything in the list below, it will include many of the highlights, and the guide will bring the locations to life with still images of the scenes and information on how it was transformed for the filming, to help you visualise everything better, and really see Harry Potter in London.

There are a few companies offering Harry Potter walking tours of London. This is a well rated Harry Potter walking tour option that covers many of the major Harry Potter locations in London, and is worth checking out.

If you’re thinking of getting a London Pass for your time in London, then we recommend checking out the Harry Potter tours offered by Brit Movie tour (the walking tour is currently free with the London Pass) and London Walks (discounted with London Pass).

2. London Zoo – Reptile House

In the heart of Regent’s Park, a little way north of central London, is London Zoo – the world’s oldest scientific zoo. But you’re not here for history – you’re here to know what the Harry Potter connection is.

Well, of course, it was in the Reptile House at London Zoo that Harry sets a Burmese python free in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. This scene was filmed on location in the Reptile House, and the actual enclosure used is home to the zoo’s black mamba. Which you probably don’t want to try and set free. Note that whilst you do have to pay to get into London Zoo, you can get in for free if you have a London Pass.

3. Lambeth Bridge: The Knight Bus Bridge

Remember when Harry Potter takes the awesome triple decker night bus in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban? As well as handy features that you don’t get on other London buses, including beds, candles, instant hails and super-fast speeds, the Knight Bus is also able to compress itself so as to avoid muggle traffic.

In one notable scene, the Knight Bus squeezes itself between two standard double decker buses. And this scene takes place on Lambeth Bridge, which is the bridge upstream from Westminster Bridge.

4. Leadenhall Market: Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley

Whilst much of the Diagon Alley scenes were shot in a studio, a number of real life London locations were also used as Diagon Alley filming locations, and you can visit these quite easily.

The first of these Diagon Alley filming locations was Leadenhall market, a beautiful old covered market in the City of London, which actually dates from the 14th century, making it one of the oldest markets in the city.

Leadenhall Market was used as the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. More specifically, the door to an opticians shop in Bulls Head passage was used as the Leaky Cauldron entrance.

5. Borough Market: Also Diagon Alley!

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban, the entrance to Diagon Alley’s Leaky Cauldron moved from the real world location of Leadenhall Market to Borough Market. Well, it is magical after all!

In the film, after his ride on the Knight Bus, Harry disembarks in Borough Market at what is in real life the “Chez Michele” flower shop, and walks into the Leaky Cauldron pub.

The remainder of the scenes for the Leaky Cauldron were filmed on a set at the Warner Bros Studio. While you’re at Borough Market though, pick up something to eat – there are lots of excellent food vendors here where you can get something to suit all palates!

6. Scotland Place: Harry Potter’s Ministry of Magic

Whilst it is a bit tricky as a non-wizard to get into the Ministry of Magic, you can still visit the location in the films where magic wielders would enter this Ministry. This is found in Westminster, snuggled up against real-life government buildings, which seems appropriate.

The location is the intersection of Scotland Place and New Scotland Yard. In the movie Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Harry and Mr Weasley enter a phone box which serves as the entrance to the Ministry of Magic. Unfortunately, this phone box was just a prop and never existed at this location in real life.

Still, you can imagine it being there, and you’ll most likely spot some of London’s Harry Potter walking tours here.

7. Australia House: Harry Potter’s Gringotts Bank

Gringotts! Who wouldn’t want to visit a goblin run wizard bank with vaults guarded by a dragon? Well, sadly, that’s not quite possible. As it is, you can take a look at the building that was used for Gringotts – the grand Australia House, which sits on the Strand and was where the interior scenes of Gringotts were filmed.

Australia House, as the name hints, is home to the Australian High Commission, and unfortunately you can’t actually go inside. Still, you can look at it from the outside and know that just beyond the doors is a magical world of marble, chandeliers and goblins, which Harry visits in a number of movies, including Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and in the dramatic scenes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

8. Westminster Tube

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry and Mr. Weasley travel through Westminster tube station, with Mr. Weasley getting somewhat confounded by the Muggle ticket barriers at the station.

These scenes were filmed over a whole day at Westminster tube station, necessitating it being closed for the full day. Given how busy this station is, that must have caused quite the disruption!

9. The Millennium Bridge: The Harry Potter Bridge in London

The death eater chase sequence in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was filmed across a great many London locations, with shots including the River Thames and the London Eye.

Most memorable perhaps though is the sequence which has the Millennium Bridge being ripped apart and tossed into the river.

Thankfully, this was just a piece of movie magic, and the Millennium Bridge still stands, and it is a pedestrian footbridge which links St Paul’s Cathedral with the Tate Modern Museum.

Of course, when the first books were written this bridge didn’t actually exist, (it opened for the Millenium, as the name suggests), but it was in existence by the time the movies and later books were published.

10. Kings Cross: Harry Potter’s train station in London

How do you get to Hogwarts? Why, you take a train from Platform 9 and 3/4 at Kings Cross station of course! The scenes from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets were filmed on location at Kings Cross station, actually between platforms four and five.

Of course, you’ll struggle to actually find a real Platform 9 and 3/4 at Kings Cross station today. For a long while there was a trolley located in the wall near platforms nine, however, as it became so popular, it was moved, and can now be found in the main concourse of Kings Cross station, next to a Harry Potter store.

You can have your photo taken pushing the trolley “through” the wall, although be aware that as this is probably the most famous Harry Potter location in London, queues can be lengthy! Lines can be 1 hour to 2 hours long to take a photo so be prepared.

Don’t panic if you don’t get your shot here though, if you happen to visit the Warner Bros Studio tour (see below), they have a row of trolleys stuck in walls, just ready for you to get the perfect photo!

11. St. Pancras

Those film makers are tricky folks. When Harry arrives at “Kings Cross” to catch the Hogwarts train, the exterior shots are actually of St. Pancras, which just happens to look a bit nicer.

St. Pancras was also where the magical Ford Anglia takes to the skies in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It’s just next door to Kings Cross, so worth the wander across.

12. Claremont Square, Islington: Harry Potter’s Order of the Phoenix HQ

Whilst you’re in the Kings Cross area, you might want to take the ten minute walk up to Claremont Square.

This was the setting for 12 Grimmauld Place, which any Harry Potter fan will of course recognise as being the home of Sirius Black, and the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix & Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

13. Piccadilly Circus

Continuing with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Piccadilly Circus was a key location in the film when Ron, Hermione, and Harry narrowly avoided being hit by a London bus.

If you want to be specific, it’s the route 19 bus, with the location being where it enters Picadilly Circus from Shaftesbury Avenue.

Piccadilly circus is of course a hugely busy and well-known location, which made for a challenging real world filming location. Definitely a must on your tour of Harry Potter filming locations in London!

Note, while you are exploring the area around Picadilly Circus, you might as well head to Leicester Square. This was not a filming location for Harry Potter, but is where the films had their cinematic debut in the UK. There’s even a Harry Potter statue here which is worth checking out.

14. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Whilst not a filming location, the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play is a very popular attraction for Harry Potter fans in London.

This has been showing in London’s west end since 2016 at the Palace Theatre. It has since expanded to locations around the world, including Broadway in New York.

The play is set nineteen years after the events of the final movie in the series, and tells the story of Harry Potter as an adult, and his son Albus, who is just starting at Hogwarts. The play is told over two parts, each of which is over 2.5 hours long. It is recommended that you book tickets for both parts consecutively.

The show has won multiple awards and is hugely popular, making tickets tricky to come by. If this is on your to-do list, you will definitely want to book your tickets in advance, which you can do on the official site here.

15. House of MinaLima

The House of MinaLima is a gallery which showcases a lot of the graphic art that features in the Harry Potter world. So whilst this also isn’t a filming location, it is definitely worth a visit.

MinaLima is the the design team made up of Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima. They started collaborating in 2002, and were responsible for creating the graphic style that featured in all the Harry Potter movies, as well as the later Fantastic Beasts movies. They have also worked on pieces for the Wizarding World theme park.

They have opened their gallery in SoHo, London, as a gallery where you can explore some of the art they created. It’s free to visit, and they also run free guided tours (no booking required) on Mondays and Tuesday.

See more about MinaLima and their opening hours, here.

16. The Real Birthplace of Harry Potter

If you search for the birthplace of Harry Potter, you will come up with a range of locations. There’s even a cafe in Edinburgh which has long claimed to be the birthplace of Harry Potter.

Thankfully, the rumours about where Harry Potter was born, or at least, was first penned, were laid to rest by JK Rowling herself. In 2020, she stated that she first put pen to paper on the first Harry Potter book in a private flat near Clapham Junction train station. You’ll find this in the district of Battersea, London.

Currently there is nothing to mark this flat, which is above some shops on a high street. You can see the location here on Google Maps. Eagle eyed fans will also notice that a nearby lane is called “Severus Rd”, which may be the inspiration for the Professor of Potions first name.

It’s not really worth the visit, but hey, if you are a true fan wanting to tick off all the locations, be my guest.

17. The Warner Bros. Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter

Last on our list of Harry Potter filming locations in London is the Warner Bros Studio, home of the Warner Bros Studio Tour. This is actually a little way outside the city, near Watford Junction, but as it’s such a fabulous place to visit we definitely wanted to include it in our list. If you only do one thing related to Harry Potter in London, make it this.

This film studio was where all eight of the Harry Potter films were actually filmed, and they have retained a great many of the sets, clothing, and props from the movies. You can visit the Great Hall, the railway station, numerous filming locations from inside Hogwarts, the Forbidden Forest, and even Diagon Alley.

You’ll learn many of the secrets of how the films were made, have the opportunity to drink Butterbeer, and generally get all the Harry Potter magic you could imagine. There are also places to stop and eat and a giant gift shop full of all things Harry Potter.

As I said, if you only do one thing on this list of Harry Potter things to do in London, we definitely recommend making it this one – we really enjoyed our visit and learning all about how the films were made.

The visit lasts for about three hours and is largely self-guided, so you can take as much or little time as you like. There’s lots to see and do though, so we’d suggest three to four hours is a good amount to plan for, not including travel time.

Speaking of travel time, you have a number of options for getting to and buying tickets for the Warner Bros Studio London Tour.

The easiest option is just to book a tour from central London. This handles all your return transport from central London as well as admission entry to the Warner Bros Studio itself. See prices and book your trip here.

Alternatively, you can make your own way to the studio. Before you do that, you have to buy tickets in advance as tickets are not available on site. Also be aware that the tour times can book up well in advance, so advance booking is essential.

You have a couple of options for getting to the Harry Potter studio tour from London: you can drive yourself, or you can take public transportation.

If you are driving yourself or taking public transport, you’ll need to book your ticket directly on the official website. Then if you are driving, it is free to park at the studio as long as you already have your booking confirmation.

If you are taking public transport to the Warner Bros Studio Tour, the easiest (and cheapest) way is to get to Euston station in London and then take the train to Watford Junction.

From Watford Junction train station there’s a regular shuttle bus to the studio which takes around fifteen minutes, and is included in the price of your Studio Tour ticket.

If you have an Oyster Card or contactless payment card you can use this to travel from central London on any train departing from London Euston that stops at Watford Junction.

See our guide to buying and using the Oyster card in London, and our guide to paying for public transport in London for more on that.

Note that the Oyster card cannot be used beyond Watford Junction so don’t go any further!

Again, if you’d prefer to not have to figure out the transport yourself, you can book a tour that includes both your studio tickets and your transport from central London.

We’d suggest this tour or this tour. Both are well reviewed and include your entry fee and return shuttle bus transport. This is not too much more expensive than doing it all yourself and is certainly hassle free.

You can read more about visiting the studio and tips for making the most of your day in our guide to taking a Harry Potter Studio Tour.

Map of Harry Potter London Locations

To help you out with planning your route around all these locations, we’ve put together a map of all the key Harry Potter filming locations in London. This map has all the Harry Potter filming locations we know of except the film studio, which is a little out of town, but if you click here you can see everything on Google Maps.

Where to Stay in London

London has a wide range of accommodation options, ranging from hostels through to self catered apartments and seriously upscale hotels.

There’s something to suit every budget, with en-suite double rooms starting from around $80 a night. Here are some tips for getting the best deal on your accommodation, whatever your budget.

Our favourite way to find the best deals on accommodation is booking.com. They’re easy to use, usually have the best prices, and have everything from hotels to apartments. Here are their London listings for you to take a look.

For examples of properties at different price points that are centrally located, here are some options:

The Walrus Bar and Hostel – A well reviewed centrally located hostel
The Z hotel in Shoreditch – excellent value in a lively and popular part of London with great dining options
The Resident Victoria Hotel – a well reviewed and centrally located hotel offering excellent value for money
The Savoy – true luxury as close to the city centre as you can get!

If you prefer an apartment, then we recommend either Plum Guide or Vrbo.

Plum Guide carefully curate their listings so their options tend to be of a very high quality whilst still being available at a range of price points. We’ve stayed at a number of their properties around the world, and you can see our review of the Plum Guide here. See their listings for London here.

If you can’t find what you want from the above choices, or you want some new options to try out, we wrote a whole post on the best alternatives to AirBnB which you should check out!

Between these options, you should find the best prices and places to stay for your trip, as well as a good selection of reviews and feedback to help you make an informed decision.

We also have a complete guide to where to stay in London. That has over 60 recommendations for where to stay across a number of areas in London for all budgets. It also has tips on which neighbourhoods to stay in and things to know before booking a property. Well worth a read.