The Ultimate Harry Potter Travel Guide: England & Scotland Edition
🧒 Harry: “Can you get all of this in London?”
🧔 Hagrid: “If you know where to look.”
Turns out, you can get some of it in London—but if you want the full magical experience, you’ll need to venture through England and Scotland!
This guide takes you through the best Harry Potter filming locations, tours, and wizard-y experiences in the UK!
✨ Before You Go: What to Know About This Itinerary
Car Rental: A car is super helpful outside London (Oxford, Gloucester, Lacock, Scottish Highlands). Public transport is possible, but it’ll eat up a ton of time. And if you rent a car, be sure to set your GPS to avoid tolls (speaking from experience where I forgot to do this, but thankfully a lovely man let us go without having to pay).
Itinerary Details: This isn’t a strict day-by-day itinerary—just a list of magical stops you can mix and match.
Overview of Itinerary:
England
London
St Paul’s Cathedral
Harry Potter Walking Tour
King’s Cross Station
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Warner Bros Studio Tour
Oxford & Surrounding Areas
New College Cloisters & Courtyard
Bodleian Library
Christ Church
Gloucester Cathedral
Lacock Village & Abbey
Scotland
Edinburgh
Greyfriar’s Kirkyard
Victoria Street
Museum Context
Edinburgh Castle
Harry Potter Walking Tour
Alnwick Castle (Day Trip from Edinburgh)
Highlands
Jacobite Steam Train
Loch Shiel
Dumbledore’s Grave
Steal Falls
England 🏴
London
If you’re a Potterhead, London is the best place to kick off your magical journey!
Not only is it where many of the most famous filming locations are found, but it’s also home to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour—basically the Mecca of Harry Potter fans.
From the spiral staircase at St. Paul’s Cathedral to the wobbly Millennium Bridge destroyed by Death Eaters, the city is sprinkled with spots you’ll instantly recognize from the movies. Add in West End theater magic (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and a chance to wander real-life Diagon Alley vibes on a walking tour, and London feels like stepping through Platform 9 ¾ into Harry’s world.
🪜 St. Paul’s Cathedral Staircase
This gorgeous spiral staircase inside St. Paul’s was transformed into the staircase leading to Professor Trelawney’s Divination classroom. You’ll feel like you’ve stepped into Hogwarts.
🚶♂️ Harry Potter Walking Tour (Tour for Muggles)
This 2-hour walking tour is SO fun. A knowledgeable, witty guide leads you to multiple filming spots across the city—including the wobbly Millennium Bridge, which was destroyed by Death Eaters in Half-Blood Prince. Along the way, you’ll also pick up quirky Harry Potter trivia and hidden connections you’d probably miss on your own.
Bonus: None of the money goes to J.K. Rowling or the official franchise, so you can enjoy the magic responsibly. Be sure to book tickets in advance!
🚂 Kings Cross Station
You can’t do a Harry Potter trip without stopping at King’s Cross.
Head inside the station to find the famous Platform 9 ¾ photo spot, complete with a trolley disappearing into the wall. There’s usually a line, but it moves quickly, and staff are on hand with house scarves so you can take your perfect wizarding shot. (pls don’t judge my pictures - this is from 2015 when phone camera’s weren’t the best😅)
Right next door you’ll also find the Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9 ¾, packed with souvenirs, wands, and Butterbeer treats.
Fun fact: the exterior used for King’s Cross in the movies is actually St. Pancras International (picture below), the grand Gothic-looking station right next door.
🎭 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
This award-winning 2-part play picks up following the next generation at Hogwarts. Even if you’re not a big theater fan, the special effects are mind-blowing.
The show runs from 1PM–8PM with a dinner break in between, so this does take up a whole afternoon/evening.
🎥 Warner Bros. Studio Tour
The holy grail of Harry Potter experiences. Here you’ll explore actual film sets like the Great Hall and Diagon Alley, peek at original props and costumes, sip Butterbeer, and even walk through the Forbidden Forest. Plan at least 3–4 hours, but honestly, you could spend all day here.
Getting There:
Bus tour: Includes tickets + round trip bus ride, but limits your time inside.
Train: Train to Watford Junction + shuttle bus (included in ticket). Flexible and affordable.
Personal Note: We took the bus tour there, but once we got there we realized we wanted to take way longer than the bus was going to allow so we took the train back into London so we weren’t stressed on time!
Car: Perfect if you’re heading straight to Oxford afterward
Oxford
Oxford is packed with actual filming locations, but plan carefully. We accidentally went on “Open Day” when all the colleges closed to tourists—rookie mistake. So with that said, be sure to double-check dates before you go!
🏰 New College Cloisters & Courtyard
Featured heavily in Goblet of Fire, this courtyard is where students mocked Harry with “Potter Stinks” badges, and where Moody (aka Barty Crouch Jr.) famously turned Malfoy into a ferret under the old oak tree. It feels like walking straight into the movie.
📚 Bodleian Library
Used as Hogwarts’ library in Sorcerer’s Stone, this atmospheric room was the “Restricted Section” where Harry sneaks around under the Invisibility Cloak. Tours are required, but you’ll leave feeling like you’ve actually prowled the stacks with a lantern in hand.
🏫 Christ Church College
If you only visit one Harry Potter spot in Oxford, make it Christ Church. The grand staircase was used when Harry and the other first-years enter Hogwarts for the very first time in Sorcerer’s Stone. The Great Hall inside also directly inspired the design of Hogwarts’ Great Hall—it’s not an exact replica, but the resemblance is jaw-dropping. Walking through here honestly feels like you’ve just been sorted into Gryffindor.
💡 Tip: Some sites require guided tours, so book ahead!
Day Trip from Oxford: Gloucester & Lacock
🏰 Gloucester Cathedral
This medieval cathedral provided the backdrop for some of Hogwarts’ most memorable corridor scenes. Think Moaning Myrtle flooding the bathroom, the bloody “Chamber of Secrets has opened” message on the wall, and the door to Gryffindor Tower. The cloisters are breathtaking in their own right—stone passageways that look unchanged since the monks lived there.
No official HP-only tours, but their highlight tours include filming spots.
🏡 Lacock Village & Abbey
An absolute gem. Lacock Abbey’s cloisters doubled as Hogwarts classrooms (including Snape’s), while the quaint stone village of Lacock provided exteriors for Harry’s parents’ house and Slughorn’s cottage.
Walking through the cobbled streets here feels like you’ve stumbled into the wizarding world, minus the Dementors.
Scotland 🏴
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is a dream for Harry Potter fans. Not only is it stunningly gothic and dramatic (hello, instant Hogwarts vibes), but it’s also where J.K. Rowling lived while writing much of the series. You’ll find inspiration on nearly every corner.
🪦Greyfriars Kirkyard
This old, atmospheric graveyard looks straight out of a wizarding story. Rowling famously wandered here while writing, and you can spot gravestones that inspired character names—like Thomas Riddell (yep, that Riddle) and William McGonagall. It’s a bit eerie but magical, especially in the evening mist.
🛍 Victoria Street
Colorful, winding, and full of quirky little shops, Victoria Street is widely thought to have inspired Diagon Alley. The cobbled lanes, sloping curves, and stacked storefronts make it easy to imagine wizards buying wands and owls here. Today you’ll find everything from cafés to bookstores to Harry Potter-themed shops.
🪄 Museum Context
If you’re hunting for Harry Potter souvenirs, this is the place to shop in Edinburgh. Spread across multiple floors of a historic building, it’s crammed with wands, robes, chocolate frogs, and collectibles. It’s kitschy and touristy in the best possible way—you’ll feel like you just stepped into Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes.
Pro Tip: I would recommend getting here as soon as they open. Later in the afternoon, it gets so busy that they can only allow a certain amount of people in at a time so you have to stand outside and wait.
🏰 Edinburgh Castle
While not an official Harry Potter filming location, this iconic fortress perched on a volcanic rock is pure magic. Rowling had a view of the castle while writing at local cafés, and it’s easy to see how the imposing structure could inspire Hogwarts itself. Plus, the panoramic city views from the top are breathtaking!
🚶♂️ Free Harry Potter Walking Tour (The Potter Trail)
For the ultimate experience, join The Potter Trail, a free 2-hour walking tour led by enthusiastic guides. They’ll take you through key inspiration spots around the city, share Rowling trivia, and point out hidden details you’d likely miss wandering on your own. It’s donation-based, fun, and one of the best ways to see Harry Potter’s Edinburgh.
🏰 Alnwick Castle
Day trip from Edinburgh (we used Rabbie’s tour).
Located just over the border, Alnwick Castle was Hogwarts in the first two films. The castle courtyard is where Harry and his classmates learned to fly broomsticks for the very first time. Here you can even join a broomstick lesson yourself!
The Scottish Highlands
I would say that driving here was easier than it was in England (but still nerve-wracking for us Americans).
If you’d rather not drive, there are awesome day tours from Edinburgh:
🚂 Jacobite Steam Train (Hogwarts Express) & Glenfinnan Viaduct
Possibly the most iconic Harry Potter filming spot of all: the sweeping viaduct where the Hogwarts Express chugs along. You can either ride the train itself (a full-day trip) or watch it go by from the Glenfinnan viewpoint (arrive early for a good spot). The hike to the viewpoint is short but muddy—bring good shoes.
You can also see it in the afternoon, but it is going to the other way so you don’t get the iconic picture of it coming toward you around the conrner.
This does also only run from April - October and be sure to check timetables here:
🌊 Loch Shiel (AKA the Black Lake)
Right across from the viaduct viewpoint, Loch Shiel starred as the Black Lake outside Hogwarts. It’s especially magical when the mist rolls over the water.
For fewer crowds, head to the second viewpoint above the visitor center—it gives you a panoramic view of the loch, viaduct, and monument all at once.
⚰️ Dumbledore’s Grave
A little farther down the road lies the hauntingly beautiful site used for Dumbledore’s grave. It’s atmospheric and moving, but also very muddy when it rains.
This is just a stop off on the road and isn’t an actual spot for parking. Additionally, tours do not take you to stop here, but you can typically see this from the road or on the train if you take it.
Personal Note: I haven’t managed it myself yet because both times I was there, it was bog-city. Next time, rain boots are going in the suitcase!
🥾 Steal Falls
Visit one of the most dramatic waterfalls in Scotland, and a filming location often seen in the background of Quidditch games!
You do need to hike to reach it—the trail is well-marked and popular, but it’s rocky with steep drops, so good shoes (and a little caution) are a must. Once you arrive, you’re rewarded with jaw-dropping views of the falls crashing into the valley. It feels straight out of the wizarding world.
From the bustling streets of London to the misty Scottish Highlands, the UK is sprinkled with magical filming spots that bring the wizarding world to life.
Whether you’re sipping Butterbeer at Warner Bros., wandering through Oxford cloisters, or chasing the Hogwarts Express across Glenfinnan Viaduct, this trip will make you feel like you’re carrying your own Marauder’s Map.
So grab your wand (or umbrella—it is the UK after all, or maybe both if you’re like Hagrid), and get ready to step into Harry’s world. ⚡️