Harry Potter in London: Studio Tour & Filming Locations
London is the home of Harry Potter — from the real sets at the Warner Bros. Studio to the streets that stood in for Diagon Alley. Here is how to plan a full wizarding day, with the studio tour, walking tours of the filming locations and the tickets to book before they sell out.
At a glance
- 1Warner Bros. Studio Tour
- 2Platform 9¾ at King's Cross
- 3Leadenhall Market & film spots
- 4Locations bus tour
The Warner Bros. Studio Tour
The Making of Harry Potter studio in Leavesden, about 20 miles northwest of central London, holds the original Great Hall, Diagon Alley, the Forbidden Forest and the Hogwarts Express. Plan on three to four hours inside. Tickets are sold with return coach transport from central London from around £99, and dates sell out weeks ahead in school holidays — book this first and build the rest of your day around it.
Filming locations on foot
Back in the city, a guided walking tour covers the locations the films actually used: Leadenhall Market as the way into Diagon Alley, Australia House behind Gringotts, the Millennium Bridge destroyed in Half-Blood Prince, and the Platform 9¾ trolley at King's Cross. Tours run about two to two and a half hours, cost from around £16, and guides fill in production stories you would walk straight past on your own.
Bus tours and going further
A locations bus tour links the spread-out film sites without the walking, useful with kids or on a tight schedule. Dedicated fans can push on to the filming locations beyond London — Oxford's colleges doubled as Hogwarts interiors and the village of Lacock appears in the early films. Whatever you choose, pair one studio experience with one locations tour: they cover completely different ground.
Book the experiences in this itinerary
Top-rated tours for exactly what this plan recommends in London — prices per person.
