On the hunt for Harry Potter filming locations in London?

My friend, you have definitely come to the right place. As a die-hard Harry Potter superfan, I’ve made it a mini-project of mine in recent months to track down every HP filming location possible, a hefty feat that required plenty of coffees, bloodshot eyes, and repeat screenings of every. single. film.

From the Cotswolds to Durham, Harry Potter’s production team has covered a large portion of the English map… but of all the cities that HP has filmed in, none have as many filming locations to visit as beautiful London, England.

SO, below you’ll find a full list of Harry Potter filming locations in London, split into sections: the ones I think are worth visiting, and the ones that I think you can skip. I know what you’re thinking: “ones to skip? HOW DARE YOU!!!” But I have to admit, even a rabid superfan like me has limits, and there are honestly some Harry Potter filming locations in London that are fun to know, but not worth going out of your way for.

So anyways, I hope you enjoy this roundup… let’s get started!

PS: If you’re looking for a full list of fun Harry Potter themed things to do in London, click here to read my full list!

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A Map of All the Harry Potter Filming Locations in London

If you want a handy map with all the London locations used in Harry Potter that I list out below, feel free to steal mine here:

Harry Potter Filming Locations in London Worth Visiting

Let’s start with the Harry Potter locations in London that I do actually recommend visiting. The good news is, a lot of the filming spots used in the eight Harry Potter movies are actually famous attractions in London on their own, which means you can geek out while getting all the necessary sightseeing in! Here are my top HP-themed must sees:

1. The Actual Harry Potter Film Sets of Diagon Alley, the Great Hall and More

Real Life London Location: The Warners Bros Studio in Leavesden

Appeared in: ALL THE HARRY POTTER MOVIES

We have to start with the obvious. If visiting filming locations for Harry Potter during your London trip is a top priority, the #1 place you MUST go is the Warner Bros Studio, home to an epic tour that takes you through a magical assortment of iconic sets, props and costumes used during the filming of ALL the Harry Potter films.

I’m talking the sets for Diagon Alley, the Great Hall, the Gryffindor Common Room, various offices/classrooms, Gringott’s, the actual Hogwarts castle facade, and more. You can even buy butterbeer to drink here – it’s pretty glorious.

You can click here for my full guide to visiting the studios, but be sure to book your tickets ASAP because they sell out quickly. You might cringe at the hefty pricetag, but trust me when I say it’s worth every penny! It was so great I cried.

… Yup.

2. King’s Cross Station

Appeared in: All the Harry Potter films (I think)

Next up, I have to say: as a Harry Potter fan, you really can’t visit London without stopping by King’s Cross.

I mean, this is where the magic happens. Literally.

You see it in pretty much every film, and while it is a functional (and busy) train station in real life, it actually is home to a few must-sees for Harry Potter fans, including a fun Platform 9 3/4 photo opp where you can get your photo taken for free, with amazing props like Hogwarts house scarves available for you to borrow, free of charge!

There’s also a gift shop close to this photo opp where you can feel free to empty your wallet while sobbing. I’m sure the staff there are used to it.

3. The Station Where the Ford Anglia Takes Off

Real Life London Location: St Pancras Station

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

When Ron and Harry miss the Hogwarts Express at the start of Chamber of Secrets, they’re forced to do as every rebellious teen does: steal the family car! The Ford Anglia of course takes off just outside of the picture-perfect St Pancras station, truly one of my favourite buildings in London (and steps away from King’s Cross).

We get a brief glimpse of the station again during one of the films’ final scenes ever in Deathly Hallows Part 2 – they pan to it just before we see all the next gen kids head off to Hogwarts for the first time.

Anyways, I feel like this spot is well worth visiting, not just because it’s a popular transit hub but just because it’s so lovely and pretty. LOOK AT IT:

4. The Entrance to the Leaky Cauldron (from Philosopher’s Stone)

Real Life London Location: Leadenhall Market

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 

While not really the best spot for shopping in my opinion, I think Leadenhall Market is one of the prettiest little spots in London, and well worth a visit, especially since it appears in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone when Harry and Hagrid are on their way to Diagon Alley via the Leaky Cauldron!

A small side street just off of the market (called Bull’s Head Passage) is where they walk into the Leaky Cauldron. Unfortunately, instead of a magical wizard pub, there’s an optometrist in that place, but still a cool spot to check out, certainly for the market’s grand architecture!

5. The Leaky Cauldron Entrance (from Prisoner of Azkaban)

Real Life London Location: Borough Market

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The entrance of the Leaky Cauldron changed set locations in the 3rd movie, over to Borough Market, and mmm mmm what a delicious change!

While this HP filming location is only glimpsed briefly (when Harry gets dropped off by the Knight Bus, we see him get off on Stoney Street between Park & Southwark), I highly recommend you come here for an equally magical reason: the food!

Borough Market is widely recognized as one of the best food markets in London, and while it gets insufferably busy during peak lunch hours, it’s still one of my favourite places in London to grab a bite. You’ll be spoiled for choice here, with food options from around the world, all for a reasonable price. My go-to is always the Ethiopian food stall, I have it pretty much every time I visit London. Otherwise, grilled cheese lovers must also stop by Kappacasein Dairy for a genuinely life-changing grilled cheese sandwich:

6. The Bridge that the Death Eaters Destroy During Their Rampage

Real Life London Location: Millennium Bridge

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Remember that bridge that just snaps and breaks during the opening scene of Half-Blood Prince, you know, during that Death Eater rampage?

Well that famous Harry Potter bridge is Millennium Bridge! And I highly recommend you stop by because it’s just along the Thames, flanked on either side by two main London attractions: the St Paul’s Cathedral and the (free) Tate Modern museum, which also has a lovely skyline view from its terrace.

7. The Bridge Along the Knight Bus Route

Real Life London Location: Lambeth Bridge

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Speaking of bridges, another lovely one to keep an eye out for is Lambeth Bridge, seen in Prisoner of Azkaban when the Knight Bus is charging across a bridge and has to compress itself to fit between two red double decker buses. It also makes a cameo appearance in Order of the Phoenix when the squad is flying over the Thames.

Sure, it’s just a bridge, but it’s a very pretty one, located close by major London attractions like Big Ben.

8. London City Hall

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

As you’ll recall, just before we witness that scary Death Eater rampage, there’s an opening shot showing businesspeople looking out the window. This scene was shot in the London City Hall, right on the Thames. While there’s not much for you to do at City Hall as a tourist, I love this piece of London because it offers some of the best views of beautiful Tower Bridge. During the summer, there’s also plenty of cool pop-up food trucks and bars, and opportunities to lounge in the grassy green areas.

9. Trafalgar Square

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The famous Trafalgar Square is one of the main tourist hubs in London, housing important attractions like the National Gallery, and in recent years, loads of buskers and street artists.

Well, you can kill two birds with one stone when you come here, because it also happens to be a Harry Potter London filming location, spotted briefly during the Death Eater rampage in Half Blood Prince. They’re shown flying above this square, then onwards to Charing Cross Road, past Leicester Square Tube Station and through an alley that brings them to Diagon Alley. Definitely take some time to check out the National Gallery while you’re here – it’s a beautiful museum!

10. Piccadilly Circus (and the area around it)

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Following Bill and Fleur’s erm… eventful wedding in Deathly Hallows Part 1, Harry, Ron and Hermione find themselves in Central London, specifically at Picadilly Circus in front of the GAP Store.

To be honest with you, this isn’t my favourite part of London. It’s always SO crowded and covered on all sides by tacky souvenir shops, cheesy attractions and chain stores (like GAP) that you can find anywhere else in the world.

Nonetheless, Picadilly Circus is a very famous part of London that is usually part of any visitor’s itinerary, so I’ll include it! Just don’t get your hopes up too high – there are far lovelier parts of London to enjoy.

If you want to follow in the exact footsteps of our Fab Three in this scene, they start off in Picadilly Circus in front of the GAP store, then they walk down Shaftesbury Avenue (where the Grangers enjoyed theatre outings), before going down an alley where we meet Hermione’s magical bottomless purse. They then sit down at a cafe near Tottenham Court Tube Station where they run into two Death Eaters, before walking down a covered arcade (which was apparently in London Trocadero, a complex that unfortunately closed in 2014).

11. Other Iconic London Landmarks

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Last but not least, there are a handful of popular London landmarks/attractions spotted when the Order of the Phoenix come to rescue Harry and they go for a joy ride over the Thames, many of which are worth adding to your London itinerary!

Among these attractions are Canary Wharf, the HMS Belfast (and Tower Bridge in the background), and the Palace of Westminster. You also see the London Eye during the aforementioned Death Eater rampage too!

Other Harry Potter Filming Locations in London (That I Wouldn’t Go Out of My Way to See)

Trying to stretch your itinerary too thin is one of the biggest mistakes you can make in London as a first-time visitor! This is why I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to accommodate ALL of the city’s Harry Potter filming locations……. because honestly, a lot of them are pretty dull and not particularly special. Below is my list of Harry Potter filming locations in London that you can probably skip, along with the reasons why.

Dudley’s Big Birthday Celebration Spot, AKA the Reptile House at London Zoo

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Let’s bring things back to the very first movie – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone!

Before Harry’s entire world is turned upside down by the whole magic thing, he is first forced to celebrate Dudley’s birthday in a most average and muggle way – at the London Zoo. This is a scene that shot on location at the zoo’s Reptile House. As you’ll recall, Dudley knocks Harry over to look at the Burmese Python, Harry’s anger magically gets the glass to disappear and Dudley falls in/gets trapped inside the snake pit. So wonderful.

Unless you were planning to visit the zoo anyway, this isn’t an activity I would purposefully add to my itinerary just because of the Harry Potter connection. After all, it’s still just the zoo….. but hey, if you are planning to visit, grab your ticket in advance here for the least stressful trip.

Gringotts Bank, AKA the Inside of Australia House

Appeared in: Multiple Harry Potter movies, whenever you see Gringott’s!

Getting to see the inside of Gringotts would be SUPER cool, except you can’t really do it at Australia House…

That’s because this is an actual government building, and it’s not open to the public.

BUT, don’t worry, if you want a full-on Gringotts experience, in 2019 they introduced a Gringotts section to the Warner Bros Studio Tour, which is already home to the Diagon Alley facade of Gringotts, so be sure to head there and leave those poor Australians alone.

The Railway Cafe where Harry gets mercilessly hit on, AKA Surbiton Railway Station

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Of all the melodramatic love-themed scenes in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the one I always found most cringey was at the start of the film, when Harry is hanging out at a train station cafe when he gets hit on by his server and she wants him to tell her “all about that tosser, Harry Potter”.

Of course, Dumbledore creepily appears across the tracks and hijacks those plans, but the place where all of this was shot was Surbiton Railway Station, a train station outside of London with nothing noteworthy besides the fact that this scene shot there. I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to visit this specific HP filming location because even the cafe is just a Nero Express now, so there’s nothing magical waiting for you here. Except maybe an average cappuccino? I guess?

The Tube Station Where Harry and Arthur Use, AKA Westminster Tube Station

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Odds are you’ll end up at Westminster Tube Station at some point during your visit in London. This is the stop closest to important monuments like the Elizabeth Tower/Big Ben.

So, if you do end up here, you’ll be delighted to know that this is the station in Order of the Phoenix that Arthur Weasley and Harry use to get to the Ministry of Magic for Harry’s trial.

If your travel plans don’t bring you here, I wouldn’t be too heartbroken… after all, it’s just a tube station, and quite similar to most others!

The Ministry of Magic Entrance

Real Life London Location: The intersection of Great Scotland Yard and Scotland Place

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

The intersection of Great Scotland Yard and Scotland Place is where you’ll find the supposed magical entrance to the Ministry of Magic (you know, with the red phone booth that transports you).

We see it in both the Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows Part 1 (when the gang mobs those poor innocent workers and steals their identities for a hot minute). For what it’s worth, this is one of those Harry Potter filming locations that are very distinctive and recognizable, but I wouldn’t advise going out of your way to see it because it’s pretty boring and there’s nothing to see there. Even the red phone booth was added just for filming, so you can’t even try to break into the ministry yourself!

The Entrance to Diagon Alley (as seen during the Scary Death Eater Rampage)

Real Life London Location: 12 Great Newport Street

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The opening scene of the Half-Blood Prince was a pretty terrifying few minutes that documented the Death Eaters’ trail of destruction around London.

WELL, 12 Great Newport Street marks the exact spot where the Death Eaters enter Diagon Alley. This would be pretty cool if Diagon Alley actually existed, but sadly the full set is at the Warner Bros Studio. In real life, a gate even bars the entrance to this area, so I definitely wouldn’t get my hopes up about visiting this particular spot. That said, it’s pretty close to other main attractions so a stop-buy wouldn’t be terribly inconvenient.

Professor Flitwick’s Charms Classroom

Real Life London Location: The Fourth Form Room at Harrow School

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 

The Fourth Form room of Harrow School is the real life London counterpart to Professor Flitwick’s charms classroom, you know, site of the iconic Hermione line “it’s leviOsa, not levioSAAAA”.

While the school is technically in London, and it’s possible to see the rom through an organized tour, it’s definitely far out of the way of central London, and not necessarily worth the trouble of taking an entire school tour for.

BUT fun fact: the walls of this classroom have carved signatures from former students….. including Winston Churchill.

12 Grimmauld Place

Real Life London Location: 23-29 Claremont Square, London

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The real life London location of 12 Grimmauld Place (minus the cool moving walls and whatnot) is a pretty little square in Islington called Claremont Square. Harry is brought here for the first time in Order of the Phoenix.

The Divination Tower Stairwell

Real Life London Location: St Paul’s Cathedral Staircase

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The magical spiral staircase of Hogwarts was always one of my favourite architectural features of the school, and eager superfans will be happy to know that one of the stairwells at St Paul’s Cathedral was actually used to represent the stairs to the Divination Tower in Prisoner of Azkaban then in Goblet of Fire as the stairs to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

St Paul’s is a beautiful cathedral you’ll likely pass in London, but the reason I say this is a Harry Potter filming location you should probably skip is because it’s not easy to just get access to this stairwell, and it isn’t open to the public except on very special occasions and circumstances.

The Granger House

Real Life London Location: 16 Heathgate, Hampstead Garden

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

The real-life house that stood in as the Grangers’ fancy pad is actually is located in the well-to-do London suburb of Hampstead Garden. You’ll remember this house from that very sad scene at the start of Deathly Hallows Part 1 when Hermione works the Obliviate charm to erase herself from her parents’ memories.

Anyways, this is a residential neighbourhood (although a gorgeous one!) that’s located outside of central London, and probably not worth the long trek to visit just to stalk someone’s home.

Fun fact: the house went on sale a few years back with an asking price of £2,400,000.

 

 

The Ministry of Magic Gentleman’s Toilet

Real Life London Location: Horse Guards Avenue & Whitehall

Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

While the actual toilet/signs for it were added into Deathly Hallows Part 1 with the help of some movie magic, the background location of the special Ministry of Magic Gentleman’s toilets (you know, where all the workers flush themselves down to get to the Ministry) is clearly recognizable as the intersection of Horse Guards Avenue and Whitehall.

This is a frequently missed Harry Potter filming location in London, largely because it only appears briefly in an establishing shot, but nonetheless it’s a fun one to keep in mind when you’re walking around London (as it’s quite close to several other big attractions).

Other Harry Potter Attractions and Experiences in London

If you’re hoping to finish off your Harry Potter London bucket list, I have just the post for you! From HP-themed afternoon teas to magical Potions-inspired cocktail classes, here is a full list of Harry Potter things to do in London. Click here to read it!

Did I miss any of your favourite Harry Potter locations in London?

Let me know in the comments below! I hope you enjoyed this guide to various set locations for Harry Potter in the great city of London. Have a magical trip!