The Harry Potter Tour
Before beginning this trail:
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1. Plan a trip to London and Oxford.
2. Read all the Harry Potter books and also watch all the movies.
The Trail in 9 Steps
King's Cross Station, London
Start your tour at King's Cross Station, where Hogwarts students boarded the Hogwarts Express. It's a treat to imagine yourself as a wizard in the middle of hustle bustle of muggles hurrying around this enormous station with high ceilings just as Potter did in the first book. Look out for platforms 9 and 10 and imagine disappearing into the wall between those two platforms!
The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9 3/4th Station,
King's Cross Station, London
Don't miss strolling (or rather pushing your way, what with the crowds) through the Harry Potter Shop at the station. It's a treat to buy memorabilia here and little knick-knacks such as All Flavors Candy and Slug Candies. There's also a photo booth where you can pose as if you are about to get onto the 9 3/4 platform to board the Hogwarts Express. The official photo costs 9.50 pounds, but if you have someone who will take a photo for you, it's free!
Chez Michele, Borough Market, London
At the Borough Market, check out Chez Michele, which was the location of Leaky Cauldron in the movie. This is the pub that is revisited a number of times in the novel series.
Clink Prison, Borough Market, London
This is the Clink Prison and the alley around it which inspired Rowling to create the dark atmosphere in the various alleys referred to in her books.
Winchester Palace Ruins, Borough Market, London
These are the Winchester Palace Ruins very close to the Borough Market in London. It's easy to miss these ruins while strolling through the Market because the modern and the ancient are all interwoven here. This could have inspired Rowling to come up with the idea of the Fidelius Charm -- a charm which allows a person to hide a secret in his or her soul. The secret can be known to another person only when a Secret-Keeper divulges it to someone else. For example, Gordic's Hollow and Grimmauld Place.
Scotland Yard, London
This is the Ministry of Magic in the Harry Potter movies. At the junction of Scotland Place and Great Scotland Yard, Harry and Mr Weasley enter the phone box in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to get into the Ministry of Magic.
Goodwin's Court, Leicester Square, London
This is the grim and dark alley used in the films as the Knockturn Alley. This is the alley with shops devoted to the Dark Arts.
Cecil's Court, Trafalgar Square, London
Cecil's Court Lane almost right across the Knockturn Alley is the street that inspired Rowling to describe the Diagon Alley with its shops full of antiques, divination books and rare books.
The Dining Hall at Hogwarts, Christchurch College, Oxford
The Dining Hall at the Christchurch College in Oxford inspired the grand dining hall described in the books and shown in the movies. Stunning indeed!
There are a number of Harry Potter Tours available in London and Oxford. My trail is a mix of my own research and the gleanings from my walking tour with
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All the images are mine except the Leaky Cauldron one which is from an online source.