When I watched the Harry Potter films for the first time I feel in love with them. The universe of Harry Potter is wonderfully magical and imaginative, taking you into a world like no other. These films and books are allow people to escape into the wondrous places and triumphs Harry Potter lives through. One of the best parts about the Harry Potter films is being able to visit the actual places in which movie scenes were filmed at.
My family and I went to London this past summer and we saw loads of Harry Potter scenic locations, things mentioned in the movies, and we also visited the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Watford, England. As a Harry Potter fan, I couldn’t imagine not seeing these places while I was in London, especially since they are around so many famous locations you will want to see as a tourist anyways.
The Lambeth Bridge crosses the River Thames in direction towards central London. This bridge has been a location in two Harry Potter universe films including Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald film. In the film. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban the Lambeth Bridge is shown while Harry Potter is traveling to the Leaky Cauldron on the Knight Bus. In this scene the bridge is shown when the Knight Bus squeezes between two London double-decker buses in order to not crash. Another time the Harry Potter universe has seen this bridge is when Newton Scamander and Albus Dumbledore apparated from the Victoria bus station to discuss details regarding Newton’s travel ban and young Dumbledore’s inability to find Credence (this took place in the film Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald).
One of my favorite Harry Potter places in London we visited was the Leadenhall Market. This is the location of the the Leaky Couldron and entrance to Diagon Alley. First of all the Leadenhall Market itself is a gorgeous little spot to be, it has cute little cafe shops, pubs, and small shopping stores which we walked around. This place was definitely the most Harry Potter themed location we visited. It gave such a magical vibe when you walked around, making it feel as thought you were in the movies yourself. The Leaky Cauldron shop that was used in the film is the only bright blue store around which Harry and Hagrid walked into to get to Diagon Alley.
Another bridge that was important to the Harry Potter universe is the Millennium Bridge, leading directly towards St. Paul’s Cathedral crossing the River Thames. In the film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the death-eaters flew around the bridge in a spiral motion which lead to the collapse of the bridge and death of muggles. Not only was it an important scene, attracting lots of tourists all year long, but the Millennium Bridge itself is gorgeous. The view is stunning from both ends allowing you to see St. Paul’s Cathedral and the London Bridge from a distance.
All of these places I mentioned so far are in the films of Harry Potter; however a famous Harry Potter location not in the films is Trafalgar Square. This square is the location of the final Harry Potter film world premiere, that took place during the summer of 2011. Hundreds of people gathered in this square to watch the actors come through, listen to speeches, and celebrate the wonderful Harry Potter universe. On top of the square’s beauty and history, it is a great spot to shop and walk around.
Ultimately the most important place you must see as a Harry Potter fan is the Harry Potter Studio Tour. This is located in Watford, England which is about a 25 minute train ride from London and so completely worth it. Outside the entrance to the tour is some of the characters wands in large form, in all their details. Once you get into the building everything is beyond detailed and perfect. The waiting room before the tour has images on the walls, music from each movie playing, and a gigantic store (which we spent about 45 minutes in). While you’re waiting for the tour the walls each have photos from each film with detailed information you most likely didn’t know about the Harry Potter films. Once you have passed the first few surprises (I won’t spoil) you get led around to the actual sets of the films. Anything you see along the tour was used in the films by the actors which is the best part. Some of the objects and pieces you see are even moveable, making the film truly come to life in front of you.
The tour is broken up into two parts because it has so many details. We asked someone who worked there if you read and did everything inside the tour how long it would take, they said it would be about 6 hours total (which we did not have time for). One of the best parts of the tour was the outdoor section where you were able to get close up photos with pieces used in the film and even see Harry Potter’s Privet Drive home. This was the halfway point of the tour and included a food court with the outside props and photo areas. We were even able to get some Butterbeer from the food court just like in the movies! After that break you get led into the creation rooms, which show you how they created the goblins, Voldemort, and all the creatures of the films. It was really cool to see the blueprints and layouts of how the movie came together.
Then you are able to walk through some of my favorite parts of the films including Diagon Alley, Gringotts Bank, Lestranges vault, the Forbidden Forest, Platform 9 ¾, and their final surprise of the tour. I could not have loved this experience more and I would go back if I ever go to London again. A bonus of the studio tour is that all the workers know so much information about the films, props, and characters so you can ask any questions the entire time. This tour was outstanding and made me appreciate the films much more.
The last place we saw, before we left London, was The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9 ¾. Right outside the store at 8:00am a cart is placed in front of the 9 ¾ sign so you can line up to take a photo. Also in between the stations 4 and 5 at the brick wall, the scene was filmed from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. I thought this was an another really awesome spot to be able to see from the films. When you plan your trip to London make sure to add all these filmed locations to your tourist attraction stops!
I wish I had known about these places when I visited London–I guess it gives me an excuse to go back soon! 🙂