Once a Harry Potter fan, always a Harry Potter fan. No matter how much older you get, our love of the wizarding world only grows with us. So now as adults we can watch the movies on repeat, we have our own money to spend in the Harry Potter store and we have the freedom to travel and see all the wonderful locations around the country where they filmed the series. We have rounded up the top places in Britain that every Harry Potter fan should visit at some point in their life.
Diagon Alley
Diagon Alley is stretched out across two locations: Victoria Street/Candlemaker Row in Edinburgh and Leadenhall Market in London. Victoria Street and Candlemaker Row served as J.K.Rowling’s inspiration for Diagon Alley and has the plaque to prove it! Whereas Leadenhall Market is where they filmed the exterior shots of the Leaky Cauldron.
Platform 9 ¾: King’s Cross Station
What was originally such a small reference in the movies has now become an iconic feature of, not just the series, but of King’s Cross Station itself. This was so influential that the station renumbered platforms 4 and 5 as 9 and 10, then they placed a 9 ¾ sign with a luggage cart disappearing into the wall. The quirky display makes for a perfect photo opportunity.
Hogwarts
Unfortunately, Hogwarts Castle is not a real place so the location in the movie is made up of various different castles across the UK all brought together to create the idyllic setting for the wizarding school. The most well-known is Alnwick Castle in Northumberland where Harry had his first flying lesson but filming also took place at Durham Cathedral and Oxford University.
Millennium Bridge
The Millennium Bridge is an important London landmark that you have probably seen featured in a number of other films and TV shows as well as in that iconic scene in the Half-Blood Prince where the death eaters wreak havoc on London. An interesting fact is that on the Millennium Bridge’s opening day it swayed side to side as the influx of people clamoured over it causing it to be closed immediately.
Hagrid’s Hut
Likely to become a very popular tourist destination following the unfortunate death of actor Robbie Coltrane, Glencoe was the filming location for all your favourite Hagrid scenes from the Prison of Azkaban. Unfortunately, all trace of Hagrid’s hut has been removed but it is still worth it for the breathtaking views of Torren Lochan and the Signal Rock forest.
London Zoo
We will never forget the iconic scene in the first Harry Potter movie when Harry discovers his Parseltongue skills in the Reptile House. You can recreate this scene at the snake enclosure at London Zoo, just look for the commemorative plaque marking the exact location where a young Daniel Radcliffe had a chat with a snake.
Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour, Leavesden
Last but not least, we have every Harry Potter fan’s dream – Harry Potter world at the Warner Bros’ Studios where you can see all the props and costumes on display and explore the life-size sets such as Diagon Alley or Snape’s potions class.
