London Harry Potter Store Locations: Where to Find the Magic

London contains Harry Potter frivolously. The stories are woven into areas locals go daily: a railway concourse, a footbridge over the Thames, a quiet alley off Charing Cross Road. If you're looking principally for the department stores, the souvenirs, and the dedicated reports, you might plan a day that strings these stops collectively devoid of dashing. What follows is a realistic, lived-in ebook to the London Harry Potter keep panorama, along with wherein to buy legitimate item, where to take the footage that make the purchases think earned, and tips on how to keep away from the wide-spread pitfalls around tickets and timing.

There is not any Universal Studios theme park in London. Many travellers search for “London Harry Potter Universal Studios” and turn out wondered. The great attraction is the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour London in Leavesden, about 20 miles northwest of primary London. It is a in the back of-the-scenes journey on the accurate movie sets, not a trip-heavy theme park. If you would like roller coasters, you need Florida or Osaka. If you choose the Gryffindor favourite room, the Great Hall, and the full-scale Diagon Alley, e book the Warner Bros Harry Potter ride inside the UK.

King’s Cross Station hosts two things worthy it slow: the Harry Potter Platform 9¾ snapshot spot and the adjoining Harry Potter keep at King’s Cross London. The setup is simple. The snapshot region sits within the Western departures concourse close to platforms nine to eleven. A part luggage trolley seems to disappear into the wall, the group of workers give scarves in home colours, and a short photographer line operates day by day. The authentic photographer will take a reliable shot, but you'll be able to also snap your own free of charge. Expect waits of 10 to 25 mins in off-peak hours and up to forty five minutes on weekends and tuition vacation trips. I even have obvious lines clear tons faster while you arrive beforehand 9 a.m. or after 7 p.m.

The shop, styled like a tidy Diagon Alley boutique, is in which many visitors buy their first wand or dwelling scarf. It stocks particular Platform 9¾ goods possible not uncover some other place, like luggage tags, pin badges, and go back and forth-pleasant apparel. If you're buying items, the compact Platform nine¾ workstation and pen units % smartly and expense less than the greater ornate wands. I sometimes steer families to the dwelling beanies whilst the weather is cold; they get used past the go back and forth.

King’s Cross also doubles as a release level for a short, self-guided loop of Harry Potter filming destinations in London. Walk to St Pancras International next door to view the neo-Gothic facade used for exterior pictures of King’s Cross inside the movies. Head south to the British Library piazza for a breather, then seize the Piccadilly line to Leicester Square in case you plan to go to the other widespread save.

There is no single “Harrods of Hogwarts,” yet primary London provides a cluster of dedicated spots inside of a 15-minute walk. If you step off the tube at Leicester Square, you would discover a pair of professional dealers and one deep-reduce gallery that present curious enthusiasts.

House of MinaLima, tucked on a small Soho boulevard, is the photograph layout duo’s gallery-retailer that showcases long-established prints and prop replicas from the movies. It just isn't a mass-industry shop. Think art prints of the Marauder’s Map, Daily Prophet covers, and Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes packaging. Prices range greatly, with postcard-sized prints reasonably priced and restricted variants priced for collectors. It is one of the crucial few London Harry Potter locations that feels calm even in top season, and personnel will fortuitously explain the layout picks in the back of all the pieces you noticed on monitor.

House of Spells, near Cambridge Circus, sells a broad wide variety of fable item. Harry Potter occupies a large share of the flooring, nevertheless one can see different franchises. Inventory shifts fast: one week the Time-Turner necklaces are everywhere, the subsequent week the shelf is full of Hogwarts trunk sets and chocolate frog pillows. If you only have time for one keep in this cluster and you would like breadth, this is a legit prevent.

Leicester Square is likewise dwelling to the most important LEGO Store in the global, which every now and then capabilities Harry Potter brand showcases, and the within reach M&M’s World mostly shares confined-variation Hogwarts-themed packs all the way through sizeable movie anniversaries. Neither is a devoted Harry Potter store, but for those who are traveling with young ones, this arena is an light win before or after a matinee of the London Harry Potter play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, on the Palace Theatre.

The crown jewel is the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour London. It sits in Leavesden, in Hertfordshire, and it is still the definitive Harry Potter ride within the UK. You walk the proper units, see the costumes and props, and spend a shocking amount of time studying placards approximately how the foam bricks of Diagon Alley had been solid or how the creature team outfitted Buckbeak. The in the back of-the-scenes context subjects here, even for casual fans.

Tickets sell out weeks beforehand, surprisingly all the way through university holidays and December while the journey runs its “Hogwarts in the Snow” seasonal overlay. If you might be set on a selected date, buy London Harry Potter studio tickets at least three to 6 weeks upfront. The studio’s reputable website online lists dynamic availability and timed entry slots. Avoid 1/3-celebration resellers except they package delivery and essentially specify the Studio Tour UK in Leavesden, not a ordinary “Harry Potter walking tours London” add-on in town.

Transport from imperative London is straightforward. Take a quick show from London Euston to Watford Junction, then move to the devoted commute bus to the studios. The go back and forth trip is set 15 mins and accepts contactless settlement, not salary. Plan a 4 to five Visit the website hour window for the complete time out, consisting of shipping, and longer if you like to examine all the pieces or desire a leisurely Butterbeer in the Backlot Cafe.

The studio shop is price saving your price range for. It is the widest and such a lot consistent supply of authentic item within the UK. You will in finding real house robes in person and kid sizes, top class wands, particular confectionery, home tasks-fashion tea towels embroidered with Hogwarts crests, and revolving seasonal tiers that infrequently succeed in other retailers. The Backlot keep mid-journey has its own set of exclusives, inclusive of mini prop replicas that vanish as soon as a production-themed exhibition rotates out. If you need to shop purely one immense merchandise, the studio gown exceptional holds up more advantageous than many excessive-highway variants, with thicker fabrics and extra specific space colors.

The city supplies you three ranges. First, professional branded department stores operated by way of, or under license from, Warner Bros. Second, specialist self sufficient sellers that deliver a heavy Potter determination 12 months-circular. Third, mainstream style and toy stores with good Potter corners. This issues whenever you are in search of a extremely one-of-a-kind merchandise, like a Slytherin tie in a coloration that matches the movie palette in place of the book illustrations.

Official: the Harry Potter retailer at King’s Cross and the Studio Tour department stores in Leavesden. These elevate Platform nine¾ exclusives and Studio Tour exclusives, plus middle stages chanced on globally.

Specialist: House of Spells, House of MinaLima, and coffee pop-up retailers around film anniversaries. Stock varies, yet team of workers are regularly hobbyists themselves and can suggest on distinctions among Noble Collection wands and more affordable resin clones.

Mainstream: Hamleys on Regent Street has a committed Harry Potter section with wands, plush Hedwigs, and build-your-very own trunk bundles. Primark close to Tottenham Court Road regularly contains seasonal Hogwarts loungewear which is cost-efficient and incredibly long lasting. Waterstones Piccadilly shares classy home-themed stationery for adults who favor sophisticated nods.

If you're compiling a record of London Harry Potter keep areas for an afternoon’s stroll, anchor it on King’s Cross and Leicester Square, then upload one or two extras established on what you prefer to purchase. A own family searching souvenirs London-wide will disguise greater ground with the aid of combining retail outlets with regional filming websites so the errands double as sightseeing.

Shops are bigger whilst the image for your mobile suits the badge for your bag. A undemanding course we counsel for first-timers makes use of the tube to save the legs clean.

Start early at King’s Cross for the Platform nine¾ snapshot and shop. Walk across to St Pancras for the long-lasting facade graphic that stood in as Harry’s departure backdrop inside the early films. Take the tube to Bank, then walk to Leadenhall Market, the place the common Diagon Alley idea lives less than an ornate Victorian roof. Keep heading south throughout the Thames at the Millennium Bridge, the Harry Potter bridge in London that the Death Eaters attacked in Half-Blood Prince. From there, observe the river west for skyline perspectives, then journey the tube to Leicester Square for the House of Spells and the regional galleries. If it can be a theatre evening, wander to the Palace Theatre for graphics of the winged statue outdoors Cursed Child.

If you choose greater intensity, sign up one of the crucial Harry Potter running excursions London courses provide. The small-institution variants traditionally run 2 to two.5 hours and stop at filming areas in London which you could differently walk previous: Great Scotland Yard used for Ministry of Magic exteriors, the narrow Goodwin’s Court with bow-fronted home windows that feels like Knockturn Alley, and the West End streets where the red buses squeeze due to like nothing ever took place.

There are two different types of tickets you need to concentrate on. Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross is free, with out a reserving required, nonetheless the expert photographer fees for revealed photos and bundles. The Warner Bros Studio Tour London requires timed tickets ahead, complete prevent. On busy weeks, walk-ups don't have any danger.

Third-social gathering London journey Harry Potter programs will probably be important should you desire delivery integrated, mainly should you are vacationing with kids or want a guided day go back and forth. Read cautiously: a few excursions categorised “Harry Potter London day time out” purely assemble a metropolis taking walks tour plus a talk over with to the Platform 9¾ keep. If your target is the studio, be certain that the list says “Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio tickets UK” or “Harry Potter Studio Tour UK” with outlined access time. Prices differ, yet bundles with show transfer from Victoria or Baker Street typically add 15 to 30 kilos according to person over the face cost of the studio ticket.

As for the London Harry Potter play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child runs in two constituents on the Palace Theatre. You can see both portions in a single day with a destroy or on consecutive evenings. Tickets evaporate on weekends. Midweek matinee and nighttime combos are more easy to snag at shorter understand. If you propose a full Harry Potter London day experience outfitted round the play, use the past due morning for department shops and filming spots, then take a seat for the matinee and go back for the night time facet after a speedy dinner close by.

A few pieces go back and forth enhanced than others. Scarves p.c. neatly and get used once again in iciness. Wands seem big on the shelf yet draw questions from airport safety. If you choose a wand, unbox and percent it within the center of your luggage, not the outer pocket. Chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans are enjoyable but soften with ease in summer. House patches and enamel pins have a fine fee-to-pleasure ratio and live on the outing.

The Studio Tour gown is a worthwhile splurge in the event you would like a costume piece as a way to last years. The sewing and weight beat the light polyester editions in lots of central London outlets. On the alternative hand, notebooks branded with Hogwarts crests have a tendency to be ubiquitous; if space is tight, purchase the ones closer to your departure day so that you aren't hauling paper throughout city.

If you prefer diffused portions for the place of job, Waterstones Piccadilly’s Harry Potter stationery and Liberty’s sometimes stocked condominium-coloured silk ties seem sharp devoid of shouting. For adolescents, the lush Hedwig and interactive wands that trigger lights on appropriate reflects make feel in case you plan a go back stopover at to a Universal park, but in London they serve in most cases as toys, now not interactive devices.

It is simple to overdo the posing and lose the drift of the day. A handful of effectively-chosen Harry Potter store London spots beats a scavenger hunt that leaves you exhausted.

The Millennium Bridge is the cleanest movie-area graphic in significant London. Aim for early morning or golden hour while the dome of St Paul’s sits crisp in the back of you. Goodwin’s Court, if that you may to find it, gives you that crooked-window, lantern-lit vibe after dusk. The outdoors of St Pancras Station from the Euston Road area feels grand in all weather, and if you happen to step by using the arch, the courtyard presents you a quieter frame. Cecil Court, with its antiquarian bookshops, nods to Diagon Alley with out ever being a movie situation, and shopkeepers have combined thoughts approximately extensive communities blocking doorways, so be respectful.

Inside the Studio Tour, the Great Hall snap shots are the obvious determination, but the scale of the Hogwarts model at the end of the journey surprises worker's. Set your cell to huge-perspective and brace it on the railing to forestall blur. The Backlot’s Knight Bus and Privet Drive are best possible for family unit shots, and it is easy to modestly coordinate with your products: robes on, scarf tidy, wand sheathed until you are out of the group.

Prices add up quick. A dwelling headscarf runs more or less 20 to 35 pounds relying on subject material and shop, wands selection from 30 to 50 kilos or extra for man or woman replicas, and gowns at the Studio Tour upward push into triple digits for top class types. Snacks and drinks on the studios are relatively priced for a prime appeal, however a household of 4 will realize. If you might be picking out between more items at King’s Cross and one exclusive piece at Leavesden, I continually counsel leaning towards the Studio Tour buy attributable to best and exclusivity.

Time is yet another forex. You can canopy the center London Harry Potter points of interest in a long weekend, yet seeking to squeeze the two the Studio Tour and the Cursed Child two-side play right into a unmarried day will depart you sprinting. Make peace with skipping one or two minimize-priority retailers. The portraits and the memory of a relaxed hour at the Millennium Bridge at dusk will outlast a 5th pin badge.

Do no longer imagine similar-day availability for London Harry Potter studio tour tickets. Even in shoulder seasons, universal time slots disappear. Do no longer confuse “London Harry Potter tours” that promise a “studio feel” with the surely Warner Bros Studio Tour London. If transport companies cancel a educate, your ticket time nevertheless things; deliver yourself a buffer with the aid of journeying by way of rail if you might.

At King’s Cross, move straight to the existing Platform nine¾ set up within the concourse. The original movable trolley every now and then seems in older weblog posts and will lead to confusion. If you might be journeying right through height vacation intervals, pass the queue by taking your personal immediate picture from the side when a family finishes. Staff are aware of rapid handoffs in the event you signal politely and store it relocating.

Finally, watch for overpacking. Buying a Hogwarts trunk in your first morning feels romantic until eventually you fully grasp you could drag it using four tube stations beforehand you determine in. If you might be planning a widespread acquire, time it for past due in the day or the Studio Tour so that you can head straight returned to your accommodation.

Some of the superior Harry Potter London guided excursions integrate small groups with thoughtful routes. Ask two questions sooner than you e-book. First, how many men and women in step with crew? Anything under 15 continues it nimble and helps you to listen the guideline at Millennium Bridge when the wind choices up. Second, is the tour attainable when you've got a buggy or mobility worries? The West End has slim pavements, and portions of Goodwin’s Court can get cramped.

Coach-dependent Harry Potter London travel packages that incorporate Studio Tour access could make feel if you want a unmarried booking. Look for departures from Victoria Coach Station or Baker Street. If you might be blissful with trains, do it yourself. Euston to Watford Junction runs as a rule, and the go back and forth is painless. DIY presents you flexibility to linger over lunch at the studios and do a late browse of the store devoid of sweating a train departure.

Stores are the elementary facet. The thrill has a tendency to come back from the comparison between familiar London and the slivers of magic that peek using. A tuition crew rushes across the Millennium Bridge and also you do not forget the chaos of Half-Blood Prince. A evening bus honks down Charing Cross Road and you flash to the red triple-decker. The most effective days combination these beats with the real looking commercial of tickets and coach times.

If you are making a plan from scratch and wish a sparkling go with the flow, anchor your metropolis day around King’s Cross and Leicester Square, giving yourself time to wander part streets and pause the place London opens up, like the river part at Blackfriars. Put the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour London on a separate day if doable. Buy the London Harry Potter studio tickets early, reserve theatre seats if the play is on your list, and depart white house on your agenda for an unplanned hot chocolate at a cafe you probably did not be aware of existed.

It isn't always a subject matter park town. It is a set of moments. The outlets are dotted somewhat across the center, none more than a quick tube journey apart. Treat each one one as a bankruptcy spoil, now not the whole ebook, and you may come domestic with a handful of things that suppose tied to situation: a shawl that also smells faintly of London rain, a print that catches the gentle the way it did within the gallery, a image on the bridge that reminds you the magic sits just below the floor of an hassle-free walk.