If you are a Harry Potter fan traveling to London, you need to add this list of Harry Potter filming locations to your itinerary!

From visiting Harry Potter filming locations in London to taking day trips to the Studio Tour and Lacock Abbey, the Harry Potter films are a great source of inspiration for your London Itinerary!

Harry Potter Filming Locations:

Table of Contents

This list is divided into three parts: Harry Potter filming locations outside London – these are easy day trips to take from London, Harry Potter filming locations in London – that are right in the city center, and other things for Harry Potter fans to do in London – these are can’t miss things to do that aren’t filming locations.

Harry Potter Filming Locations Outside London:

WB Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter

The studio where all of the Harry Potter movies were filmed is a quick 40 minutes from London. The studio is where you can see the major sets created for the films, including Hogwarts’ Great Hall, Diagon Alley, the Weasley’s Burrow, Hagrid’s Cottage, and the Enchanted Forest.

Getting there: You absolutely must book tickets in advance, this sells out weeks – if not months – in advance. It takes about 40 minutes to get there from the London Euston Station, first take a train to Watford Junction, and then a bus will take you to the WB studio.

Lacock Abbey

Lacock Abbey is a Harry Potter filming locations that is an easy day trip from London (which pairs nicely with Castle Combe). The abbey was originally home to an order of Catholic nuns, and it later became a private home after England broke ties with Catholicism.

Snape’s classroom is in the downstairs of the abbey, the cloisters were used as Hogwarts’ hallways, and the room where the mirror of the erised was is in the abbey too!

Although Lacock Abbey has strong ties to Harry Potter, the tour focuses on the history of the building and it’s most famous owner, inventor William Henry Fox Talbot.

Getting there: Take the Great Western Railway train from Paddington Station to Chippenham. From Chippenham take a taxi to Lacock.

Harry Potter Filming Locations in London:

Platform 3/4 at King’s Cross

The platform at Kings Cross that Hogwarts students used to get to the Hogwarts Express exists in the muggle world. There are also Platform 3/4 luggage carts at the Studio Tour, which is where the above photo was taken.

Getting there: Take the tube to the King’s Cross St. Pancras Station (the Victoria and Piccadilly lines will get you there), and then walk to the King’s Cross Rail Station. Platform 9 3/4 with the luggage cart going through the wall is at the back of the station, beside a Harry Potter shop.

Leadenhall Market

The Victorian covered market in central London was used as the location for the Leaky Cauldron in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The storefront that was used for the Diagon Alley pub is actually Hawkes & Wainer, an opticians office/shop! It’s off to the side of the market, off of Bull’s Head Passage and the address is 57 Leadenhall Market.

According to J.K. Rowling, the Leaky Cauldron is the oldest pub in London and dates back to the early 1500s.

Getting there: It’s a short walk from the Bank, Monument, and Aldgate tube stations.

Piccadilly Circus

Harry, Hermione, and Ron rush through Piccadilly Circus in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1 after Death Eaters attacked Bill and Fleur’s wedding. In the scene, Hermione specifically says that they are on Shaftesbury Avenue. Chances are you will find yourself in Piccadilly Circus when you visit London, it’s hard to miss.

Getting there: Just take the underground to the Piccadilly Circus stop. The Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines will get you there.

The London Zoo

The Reptile House at the London Zoo is where Harry Potter first speaks with a snake, in the first Harry Potter film and novel.

Getting there: The London Zoo is located within Regent’s Park. The closest tube station in the Camden Town stop on the Northern Line. Oh and if you want – you can stay overnight at the zoo – I can’t get over how cool this is!

More Things for Harry Potter Fans to do in London:

House of MinaLima

Not a Harry Potter filming location, but rather an exhibit of the graphic design works and illustrations created for the Harry Potter films. The multilevel space has a shop on the ground level, and three floors dedicated to exhibitions. Visitors quickly realize the massive amount of work that went into creating all of the details for the films.

Getting there: The House of MinaLima is located at 26 Greek Street in Soho and is open 12-7 daily, and it is free to visit. I highly recommend this.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

This isn’t a filming location, but it is something that any Harry Potter fan will love. The two part play is simply incredible – and seeing it in London is more affordable than seeing it in New York. Book this in advance as tickets can be hard to get.

Getting there: The play is showing at the Palace Theatre. You need to book tickets in advance, and you will definitely want to see both parts. The theater is a short walk from the Covent Garden Station (Piccadilly Line), Leicester Square Station (Piccadilly and Northern Lines), Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly and Bakerloo Lines), and the Tottenham Court Road Station (Central and Northern Lines).