The Wizarding World might seem like a faraway place, but fans may be closer to the magic than they realize. Shot entirely in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the Harry Potter movies filmed several scenes on-location in some of Britain’s most fascinating environments. So many of these are truly magical places that are worth visiting, regardless of whether someone likes Harry Potter or not.
J.K. Rowling also took loads of inspiration from real-life places while writing the book series, so fans can visit the very locations that kickstarted it all. And don’t worry, fans won’t need a flying car to get to most of these magical locations.
10 Millennium Bridge, London
Built for the turn of the century in 2000, the Millennium Bridge was destroyed by Death Eaters during the opening scenes of The Half-Blood Prince. Funnily enough, the real-life bridge did have some major issues when it first opened, as it buckled from side-to-side during periods of heavy foot traffic.
Thankfully, unlike in the movies, no one was hurt, and the bridge survived. There’s loads more to see around the bridge, too. It connects the iconic St. Paul’s Cathedral to the recreation of William Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
9 London Zoo
Fans may recall the very first time Harry spoke Parseltongue. (It’s been a long time, so long in fact that many wonder how long the Fantastic Beasts film series may go on). It was inside London Zoo’s Reptile House — built way back in 1926 — that the boy who lived spoke to a python before setting it free.
London Zoo of course has much more than just snakes and reptiles. Visitors can see everything from tigers to bears and everything else in between. Or why not feed some gorillas, or even hang out up close and personal with the penguins?
8 Loch Shiel, Scotland
Even though the majority of the Harry Potter cast are English, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry actually resides in the Scottish Highlands. Loch Shiel, just a stone’s throw away from the holiday town of Fort William, was used as the film location for Hogwarts’ Black Lake in several of the Potter films.
However, just because Harry went for a swim in it during The Goblet of Fire doesn’t mean fans should: even in summer, Scottish lochs are freezing cold and pose a risk of hypothermia. But the loch is a wonderful place to soak up the ambiance of the countryside, though fans might want to bring a rain jacket, as the Scottish weather is equally likely to get them soaked, too.
7 Tom Riddle’s Gravestone, Edinburgh
J.K. Rowling wrote the Potter books while she was living in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. The medieval city, with its world-famous Old Town and castle, was the perfect inspiration for the Potter novels. Just around the corner from the cafe where Rowling often wrote (which sadly burned down in 2021), fans can find Greyfriar’s Kirkyard. This Victorian (and older) graveyard has plenty of tales of its own (the most famous being that of Greyfriars Bobby, a dog who never left his master’s graveside).
But Potter fans will be particularly interested to know there’s a real-life Voldemort buried in the kirkyard. As the grave is just a couple of minutes' walk away from Rowling’s favorite writing spot, it is unlikely to be a coincidence.
6 King’s Cross Station (Platform 9 ¾), London
To be honest, King’s Cross is probably one of the least magical real-life places on this list; after all, it’s a bustling commuter train station with more than 4 million annual visitors. But there’s something special here for all the Potterheads out there: Platform 9 ¾, the point of departure to Hogwarts.
The station has set up a plaque, complete with a half-visible trolley sticking out of a station wall. The crew actually shot the Platform 9 ¾ scene between Platforms 4 and 5, but if fans want to visit the real deal, they’ll need to buy a train ticket to get through the turnstiles. But worst case scenario, there’s a Harry Potter gift shop next door.
5 Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
During The Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore takes Harry to a mysterious sea cave, believing that they have discovered the location of one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes. While the interior scenes were mainly CGI, the exterior of the caves were filmed at the famous Cliffs of Moher on the west coast of Ireland, along the Wild Atlantic Way.
Located just over an hour away from the charming town of Galway, the cliffs are a wondrous (and windy) sight to behold. This rugged behemoth stands nearly 400 feet above the ocean in some areas, making it a great destination for Potter fans and nature lovers alike.
4 Glenfinnan Viaduct, Scotland
Remember when Harry and Ron missed the train to school in Chamber of Secrets? That harrowing scene where Harry falls out of Ron’s flying car was filmed alongside Glenfinnan Viaduct in the Scottish Highlands (next door to the Black Lake, Loch Shiel). Filming inside that car alongside Daniel Radcliffe was one of Rupert Grint’s favorite memories of the series, although he did consider quitting now and again.
This massive railway bridge is still in use today and has some decent tourist infrastructure around it, with a trail leading visitors right underneath the viaduct. However, just because there’s a railroad running over the viaduct doesn’t mean visitors should take the train. Access is mainly by car only.
3 The Shambles, York
- Photo by Peter K Burian.
Once a charming medieval street with overhanging upper stories and wobbling rooftops, the Shambles in York is now full of Harry Potter-themed gift shops. Falsely claiming to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley, the Shambles is nevertheless an incredible place to visit because it just looks so unique. While the lovely local character may have diminished, the buildings themselves are a joy to wander about, and York itself — being a Roman, Viking, and Norman trading hub back in the day — has tons of other magical sights to explore.
The real inspiration for Diagon Alley can be found in Edinburgh, Scotland on Victoria Street, just below Edinburgh Castle. Victoria Street is just along from Rowling’s favorite writing spot, too.
2 Scottish Castles
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Hogwarts may be fictional, but its architectural inspirations are very real and still around today (even if they’re just ruins). Set in the Highlands, Hogwarts’ buildings are a mixture of Scottish Baronial and Gothic Revival architecture, both of which can be found throughout the country.
The most easily accessed inspirations can be found throughout Edinburgh’s Old Town (where Rowling wrote the books), particularly along the Royal Mile, as well as at Edinburgh's elite boarding school Fettes College. The medieval University of Glasgow, roughly an hour and a half away, also really resembles Hogwarts, though it wasn't filmed there.
Still, more castles can be found further afield, like Queen Victoria’s Balmoral Castle in the Cairngorm Mountains or Dunrobin Castle in the far north. Honorable mentions go out to Stirling Castle, the ruined Dunalastair House, and Eilean Donan Castle (where Highlander and James Bond were filmed). And with Warner Bros. doubling down on more Wizarding World adventures, there’s plenty in Scotland for them to take inspiration from.
1 Glen Coe, Scotland
Another breathtaking natural beauty spot, Glen Coe is both a Harry Potter film location and an all-around stunning sight for any tourist. Used in Prisoner of Azkaban as the backdrop for Hagrid’s Hut and the wooden Hogwarts Bridge, Glen Coe is a Highland valley running between two sets of mountains, with the famous Three Sisters begging for hikers to summit their peaks.
The remote, solitary nature of the glen is magic enough much of the time. Visitors can go for a hike or simply stop along the roadside at one of several official viewpoints.