23 Magical Harry Potter Locations in London
Looking for magical Harry Potter film locations around London? Here’s all you need to know.
The Harry Potter series may be set in a fictional world, but there’s lots of magic to be found around Muggle London for Harry Potter fans.
From grand staircases that featured as the interiors of Hogwarts to historic London monuments, there are plenty of real-life Harry Potter filming locations woven through the city (and across the rest of the UK) just waiting to be discovered.
I’ve visited every Harry Potter filming location in London (many multiple times), and this guide shows you exactly where to go, what’s worth it, and how to plan your route.
If you’re eager to experience a little bit of that on-screen magic for yourself, wandering through these real London spots used throughout the films might just be the closest thing to stepping into the wizarding world (short of receiving a very late Hogwarts letter – I’m still waiting!).
The best part is that almost all of these locations are open to the public and completely free to visit, meaning you can save your Galleons for Butterbeer, souvenirs, or perhaps a new wand you definitely don’t need (but will absolutely buy anyway!).
Map of Harry Potter Locations in London
Harry Potter Film Locations in London
I’ve created 3 different clusters of Harry Potter filming locations in London that are easy to walk to one another.
However, if you only have time for one route, I’d recommend Walking Route 2, which includes some of the most recognisable Harry Potter filming locations in London.
Harry Potter Locations near King’s Cross (Walking Route 1)
We’ll start the Harry Potter tour at King’s Cross, which is fittingly where the Harry Potter stories also begin. If you’re coming to London to explore all the Harry Potter locations, you’ll likely be coming into this station.
Inside King’s Cross Station
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
I love it when the Muggle and Wizarding Worlds collide in Harry Potter, and the fact that the magical Hogwarts Express departs from the very busy Muggle train station, King’s Cross, is a detail I love.
You can visit the real-life King’s Cross Station in London, though you probably won’t be able to get onto any of the platforms without a ticket.
It’s such a well-known Harry Potter film location in London, however, that there is a Harry Potter shop inside called Platform 9 3/4, and there’s a wall with a luggage trolley sticking out of it that you can take photos with.
Fair warning: there is often a VERY long queue to take pictures here, and if you’re also planning a visit to the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour, then I’d recommend that you wait until you get there to take this iconic Harry Potter photo.
Outside St Pancras Station
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone / Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The outside of the St Pancras Station, the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, is seen a few times in the Harry Potter films, but most notably when Harry and Ron miss the train back to Hogwarts at the beginning of the Chamber of Secrets.
Ron then has the ingenious idea to fly themselves to school in his Dad’s flying Ford Anglia (my Dad’s old car too!). As the car rises (shakily) up into the sky, it’s seen flying up and over the clock tower at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel – one of the most stunning buildings in London!
Claremont Square
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Claremont Square in Islington is lined with classic London townhouses – elegant, slightly weathered, and full of that Georgian charm so typical of this part of the city. But for Harry Potter fans, this quiet residential square is instantly recognisable as Grimmauld Place, the ancestral home of Sirius Black and the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.
The filmmakers used the exterior of these houses as the basis for Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, digitally inserting the hidden townhouse between the existing buildings.
Remember this is a residential street and the houses here are all inhabited by regular people so be respectful of their privacy and do not trespass on the steps outside their homes.
Harry Potter Locations in the City & South Bank (Walking Route 2)
From King’s Cross station, you can take the Northern line to Borough tube station, where there is another cluster of Harry Potter locations waiting to be explored.
Leadenhall Market
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Leadenhall Market is a covered market located in the heart of the Square Mile in London. More importantly, it’s one of the first few scenes in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone film and where Harry reads through the list of items that he needs to buy for his first year at Hogwarts.
Harry innocently asks, “Can you find all of this London?”, to which Hagrid coyly replies, “If you know where to go”.
If you want to visit without hordes of Gilet-wearing finance bros hovering outside the watering holes in this market, visit earlier in the day when the area is a bit quieter.
The Glass House, 2-3 Bull’s Head Passage
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Just one minute from Leadenhall Market is an unassuming little optician’s shop that you’d never guess was once a Harry Potter filming location.
This curved shopfront was used as the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, marking Harry’s very first step into the wizarding world.
Although the exterior looks quite different today (it has a bright, white exterior), fans with a sharp eye will still recognise the distinctive rounded doorway from the film.
Imagine it painted entirely black with the windows boarded up, too.
Tacos El Pastor, Borough
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
A brisk walk across London Bridge will take you to Borough Market, another popular tourist destination in London that was once a Harry Potter film location.
The taco restaurant El Pastor was also used as an entrance to the Leaky Cauldron pub in the later Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban film.
The Knight Bus pulls up on the curb side underneath a bridge and throws Harry out onto the street in a dark passage with a solitary dramatic arch.
That’s right here.
It doesn’t look anything like what it does in the films, so you’ll have to close your eyes and imagine the scene!
Geometric Staircase, St Paul’s Cathedral
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Geometric Staircase at St Paul’s Cathedral is my favourite Harry Potter film location in London, for obvious reasons.
It is, quite simply, stunning.
This staircase appears a few times in the Harry Potter films. Firstly, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as the Divination Stairwell.
The students make their way out of their first Divination class and down this spiral staircase. Ron complains about Hermione lamenting that she’s always been mental, but now it’s out there for everyone to see. Partway down, Harry notices the orb that rolled out of Divination class and takes it back up to Trelawney.
The staircase appears for a second time in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when the students exit Mad Eye Moody’s traumatising Defence Against the Dark Arts class. Neville Longbottom is seen looking distressed on the staircase, before Moody takes him away for tea.
To visit, you’ll need to book onto the Triforium Tour at St Paul’s Cathedral. This is quite pricey as you need to pay the entrance fee of £26 (adults) and then a further £15 for this special tour.
The tour is only run a few times a week, always on weekdays, and the tours are very small, so places book up quickly.
It’s definitely worth it though, so check the St Paul’s Cathedral website to see when the next available tour is!
Find out more and get your tickets here.
Millennium Bridge
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Millennium Bridge is one of London’s most striking modern footbridges, offering incredible views of St Paul’s Cathedral as you stroll across the Thames. Its sleek steel design and slightly swaying structure make it a memorable walk even without any wizarding context.
But for Harry Potter fans, it’s impossible not to think of its dramatic appearance in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when the Death Eaters sweep through London and the bridge is violently torn apart.
The cables snap, the walkway buckles, and the entire structure twists unnervingly over the river – one of the franchise’s most memorable opening scenes.
Every time I walk across it, I can’t help but picture that moment and find myself wondering (only half-jokingly) just how sturdy it really is.
Tower Bridge
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Tower Bridge makes an appearance in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix during the sweeping flight sequence where Harry and the members of the Order soar over the River Thames.
As they race through London on broomsticks, they swoop dramatically under the bridge’s iconic twin towers on their way to Grimmauld Place.
It’s one of the most recognisable bridges in the world, and spotting it in the film is always a fun “I’ve been there!” moment for the born and bred Londoner inside of me.
Harry Potter locations in Westminster & Central London (Walking Route 3)
You can then either walk or take the Jubilee Line from London Bridge to Westminster to the next cluster of Harry Potter locations in London.
Inside Westminster Tube Station
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Westminster Tube Station appears in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix during the scene where Harry and Mr Weasley make their slightly chaotic journey to the Ministry of Magic.
It’s the perfect setting for Mr Weasley’s enthusiastic (and hilariously baffled!) attempts to navigate the Muggle underground, complete with ticket barriers, escalators and a lot of confused commuters.
The station was actually closed for an entire day to allow filming and considering Westminster is one of the busiest stations in London, the logistics (and cost) of shutting it down must have been monumental!
Every time I pass through this station and see the circular lights on the escalators, I think of that Harry Potter scene.
Great Scotland Yard
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Great Scotland Yard appears in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as the filming location for the visitor’s entrance to the Ministry of Magic.
In the film, this unassuming London street is where Harry and Mr Weasley step into an old red telephone box, dial 62442 (“MAGIC”), and are whisked down into the Ministry.
The phone box itself was a prop created for the production, so you won’t find it here today, but it’s fun to imagine one’s daily commute involving an enchanted lift!
Lambeth Bridge
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Lambeth Bridge makes a brief but memorable appearance in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban during the chaotic Knight Bus sequence.
As the triple-decker purple bus hurtles through London traffic, it squeezes impossibly between two iconic red buses while crossing the bridge.
Although the scene is filmed at night, you can still spot the distinctive red ironwork of Lambeth Bridge in the wide shots.
Trafalgar Square
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince / Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Trafalgar Square briefly appears in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when dark, smoky trails swirl down from the clouds as the Death Eaters swoop ominously over London. They race past Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square and head towards the National Gallery and beyond.
For many fans (myself included), Trafalgar Square is most iconic for a different reason. On 7 July 2011, it hosted the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2), the emotional finale of the film series.
Tens of thousands of fans filled the square and surrounding streets, creating one of the most powerful, unforgettable premieres London has ever seen.
And I was right at the very front of the barriers.
I’d never skipped a day of school in my life, but this was the one exception my parents allowed because they knew exactly how much the wizarding world meant to me.
My friends and I slept on the floor in the square the night before, surrounded by other equally obsessed fans, buzzing with excitement and running on pure adrenaline.
Several cast members even signed my well-worn copy of The Deathly Hallows, which remains one of my most treasured possessions.
And the craziest part?
A clip of me (front row, screaming and whooping with pure joy!) made it into the introductory film at the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London.
Every time I visit and see that tiny moment flash on screen, it gets me emotional all over again.
Houses of Parliament
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Houses of Parliament make a brief appearance in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix during the night-time broomstick flight across London.
As Harry and the members of the Order soar above the Thames on their way to Grimmauld Place, they sweep past the illuminated Gothic towers of Parliament.
Seeing the building lit up at night in the film feels undeniably magical, and it’s even more impressive in person.
It’s a simple stop, but a fun one, especially if you’re tracing the Order’s route along the river.
Piccadilly Circus
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
In the penultimate Harry Potter film, what is supposed to be the happy occasion, the marriage between Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, takes a horrible turn as Death Eaters show up to the Burrow.
The main trio urgently need to find safety, and Hermione transports the three of them to central London. They narrowly avoid getting squashed by a bright red London bus, arriving amongst the bright lights of Piccadilly Circus.
Additional Harry Potter Locations in London
These Harry Potter locations in London are located a little way away from the above clusters of filming locations, but are still well worth a visit if you are a Harry Potter superfan.
Reptile House at London Zoo
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
One of the most iconic moments in the entire Harry Potter film franchise takes place right at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, when Harry unintentionally makes the glass vanish at the snake enclosure.
It’s the first time we get a real glimpse of his magical abilities, and, of course, it leads to Dudley taking an unexpected (and thoroughly deserved) tumble into the pit before the glass magically reappears.
This scene was filmed in the Reptile House at London Zoo in Regent’s Park. You can stand in the exact place where Harry chatted with the boa-constrictor, admire the architecture of the historic building, and imagine Dudley whimpering right in front of you.
This is one of the few locations on this list that you actually have to pay to enter. It’s a little pricey with tickets for adults currently costing £30.50 and tickets for children costing £21.35 (if booked online in advance). Children under 3 years old go in free.
This probably isn’t worth visiting for the Harry Potter location alone, but a day out at London Zoo is a wonderful way to spend a day in London with kids, and you can make a little magical side quest to the Reptile House.
Find out more and get your tickets here.
Hampstead Garden Suburb
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
This is a much more niche Harry Potter location in London, but given it’s in my area and being the Harry Potter fan that I am, I couldn’t not visit it!
One of the most memorable and heartbreaking scenes in the Harry Potter film series for me is when Hermione has to erase her parents’ memories before she leaves with Harry and Ron to hunt down the remaining Horcruxes.
She stands behind her parents as she casts the spell, and you see Hermione slowly being erased from all the photos in their house. I cry every time!
This house is actually located in Hampstead in London. Because of course, Hermione Granger’s parents, middle-class dentists, would live in Hampstead!
The exact house they used in filming is located at 8 Heathgate, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London NW11. You see Hermione walking down the street away from this house, and there’s a church visible in the distance.
Please be mindful that this is a residential street where muggles still live today, so be respectful of people’s privacy and don’t disrupt the street.
Harrow School
Harrow School, a historic private school made famous by its many notable alumni, including Winston Churchill, Lord Byron and Richard Curtis, has also served as a Harry Potter film location.
Whilst there are no magic lessons here, the school itself feels pretty magical, especially the Four Form Room pictured. The entire room is panelled in dark wood with the names of boys who studied here etched into the wood.
Doesn’t it look like something you’d find at an ancient, magical school?
This room was used for the iconic ‘swish and flick’ scene as Harry and his new friends experience their first ever Charms class with Professor Flitwick.
This one is generally not open to the public as it is a working school, but they do open the school to visitors a very small number of times each year.
Extra Harry Potter Locations near London
Warner Bros Studio Tour
Whilst there are lots of Harry Potter film locations in London and around the rest of the UK, the vast majority of filming took place in the Warner Bros Studio in Leavesden.
Today, the filming lots are open to the public as part of the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour, the best immersive Harry Potter experience for Harry Potter fans in London.
The Leavesden Studio Tour is on the outskirts of London, so it’s best to visit as a day trip (or half day at the very least).
I’ve visited countless times (almost 10!) and highly recommend this to any Harry Potter fan visiting London.
You can read my in-depth review of the Studio Tour and what to expect here:
READ MORE: Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour London
Surbiton Station
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Just outside of London is a relatively unremarkable town called Surbiton. And this station is where Dumbledore finds Harry at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Just outside London sits the fairly ordinary suburban town of Surbiton – the sort of place you’d never expect to find a moment of wizarding significance.
It’s here, in the midst of everyday commuters and takeaway coffees, that Dumbledore appears to collect Harry at the very beginning of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Harry sits in a café on the platform, reading a newspaper, making eyes at the waitress, before Dumbledore suddenly materialises beside him.
Other locations worth visiting for Harry Potter fans
Cecil Court
Cecil Court is a hidden gem in London located just moments away from busy Leicester Square. It’s an alleyway lined with bookshops and antique shops and walking down this street will make you feel like you’ve been transported back in time.
Cecil Court is not actually featured in the Harry Potter films at all – there’s a rather amusing sign nailed to a wall on the street confirming the street has nothing to do with Harry Potter. However, many people have noted that this street reminds them of Diagon Alley, and it’s well worth a visit regardless.
Australia House
Australia House, home to the Australian High Commission in London, has an interior so grand and gleaming that it looks like it stepped straight out of the wizarding world.
Its entrance hall is lined with tall gilded columns, patterned tile floors, and ornate chandeliers and is the kind of place that feels magical even before you add any magical creatures.
And while Harry Potter wasn’t actually filmed inside Australia House, its magnificent entrance hall served as the real-life inspiration for Gringotts Bank in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
The filmmakers used it as a visual reference when designing the set, recreating the bank’s doorway and marble grandeur at the Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden.
Today, you can see a full recreation of the Gringotts set at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour. It’s one of the newer additions, as they had to rebuild it especially for the exhibition after the original set was destroyed years ago.
It’s breathtaking in person and easily one of the tour’s standout moments.
Goodwin Court
Goodwin Court isn’t actually featured in the Harry Potter films, but this narrow, lantern-lit alleyway in Covent Garden feels uncannily like Knockturn Alley brought to life. With its bowed windows, creaking signs and slightly eerie atmosphere, it’s one of those hidden London corners that instantly sparks the imagination.
Leicester Square
Leicester Square has long been the home of London’s biggest film premieres, so it’s no surprise that every Harry Potter premiere from the early, wide-eyed days of Philosopher’s Stone to the emotional finale of Deathly Hallows (Part 2) took place right here.
The square would transform into a sea of banners, spotlights, and screaming fans, with the cast walking the iconic red carpet just a few steps from where tourists now queue for cinema tickets and popcorn.
To commemorate the series’ deep connection to the square, there’s a charming statue of Harry Potter perched on his broom, arm outstretched as he reaches for the Golden Snitch.
It’s part of the “Scenes in the Square” sculpture trail.
For more Harry Potter fun, check out these blog posts:
A Guide to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London
Harry Potter Weekend in London
Harry Potter Filming Locations in Oxford
Harry Potter Filming Locations in Lacock
Goathland Station: Harry Potter Train Station
Godric’s Hollow Filming Location – Lavenham
A Guide to Harry Potter in Edinburgh
Harry Potter Graveyard in Edinburgh
A Guide to Harry Potter in York
