Wondrous Walking Tour
#1
Sorting Hat Says…
Mmmmm… this is a tough one… but the Sorting Hat says… Gryffindor! Or maybe Hufflepuff. Could be Ravenclaw. Possibly even Slytherin!
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You’ve got your letter, you made it to Hogwarts, and now, “Yer a Wizard!” Before your journey through the Wizarding World can begin, you have to be sorted into your house. Every member in your group should put in the magically generated code that appears when you hit “Begin a New Journey” so that you all are grouped together. Then, the Sorting Hat will work its magic and place you into the House that’ll make you the best witch or wizard of your age.
Once you and all your fellow Hogwarts students have been sorted and are ready to go, have the last person that checked in click, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.” The Marauder's Map will open and lead you to your first destination.
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Once you get to the magical location, whether you apparate, fly, or even travel by portkey, you can check in by tapping the location on the Marauder's Map and selecting “Arrived!” Once everyone in your group has checked in, a series of trivia questions about that location and its use in the films will pop up. Whoever answers each question correctly first will earn points for their house. At the end, the house with the most points will be awarded The House Cup.
#2
The Leaky Cauldron
“Wow! Mr. Potter, I can’t believe I am meeting you at last! Welcome back.”
Ah, the good ol’ Leaky Cauldron; one of the most secretive entrances to the Wizarding World, right here in London! Who would have guessed that a local taco shop was where Harry first discovered his true fame, came into contact with Lord Voldemort after 11 years, and journeyed to the famous Diagon Alley with his new best friend Hagrid? Yeah, us either.
A lot of CGI was used to turn this place into an ancient looking wizard pub. But, the makers of the film thought it was the perfect spot, just casual enough to be another restaurant in London, and just magical enough to welcome Harry into his new life in the Wizarding World, so they were determined to make it work. Fun fact: if you look three stories up, you can see Harry’s hotel room that he stayed in for a few weeks before his third year at Hogwarts!
#3
Keep an eye on the staircases…
they like to move.
Imagine being a first year at Hogwarts: you just got whisked away into an entirely new world, put in a House with people you don’t know in a giant castle filled with ghosts and dungeons, and on top of it all, the staircases are determined to get you lost.
St. Paul’s Cathedral was used as the filming location for all the grand stairways and corridors that you see at Hogwarts. The staircases in the actual dome of the structure are the spiralling staircases that lead up to the trapdoor of the Divination room, everyone’s favorite class.
It actually worked out because the cathedral is right across the way from Daniel Radcliff’s old school, so he would often just walk over to the cathedral after class let out to film. He definitely got his steps in on those days. Man, imagine being one of those actors and not getting it on the first take…
#4
Sorry, but Millenium Bridge is still standing...
Millennium Bridge, called Brockdale Bridge in the movies, is famous for its appearance, and more famously for its destruction, in the sixth installment of the films: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. In the film, the Death Eaters fly through London destroying everything in their path, including the Millenium Bridge.
Millennium Bridge is hated by local Londoners because it has been said to wobble when you walk across it, due to it “not being built right”, and therefore has been nicknamed, “the Wobbly Bridge.” When the movie came out, people all across London cheered during the opening scene as the bridge fell. But, don’t take our word for it, go give it a try!
#5
The non-existent Ministry of Magic
While this is simply a street corner, it is known for the iconic scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Trying to get into the Ministry of Magic to steal a horcrux is difficult enough, let alone when you’re the Number 1 Undesirable in the Wizarding World. So, naturally, you just become someone else.
In this scene, Ron distracts a ministry worker by bending down and tying his shoe while Harry stuns her with “Stuptify!” Once they do this with two other workers, Hermione gives them all polyjuice potion that she brewed so that they can get into the ministry undetected to try and find Salazar Slytherine’s locket.
It’s tempting to reenact this scene, but as the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom is just on the other side of the road, anyone you stun would most likely work there, and they probably wouldn’t treat you too kindly for hexing their workers.
#6
The High Commission of Gringotts Bank
If you didn’t recognize this building as Gringotts, we understand. It’s kind of difficult without the giant fire-breathing dragon on top.
This is in fact the High Commission of South Africa. The filmmakers used CGI to make it look a little more crooked and wonky to match the architectural style of the Wizarding World. It’s also in much better shape than the Golden Trio left it at the end of the eighth movie.
The scenes inside of Gringotts, like the Philosopher's Stone and Bellatrix impersonation scenes, however, were filmed at the High Commission of Australia. They even still have a Goblin’s head hanging up in their lobby as a tribute to the films!
#7
Diagonally
Or, more correctly pronounced as Diagon Alley to everyone except Harry Potter.
Whether you travel there by floo powder, tap on some bricks, or stumble across it by wandering into the wrong Vanishing Cabinet, you’ll be happy you did. The most magical place in the world for shopping, Diagon Alley has everything you need for going back to school: Olivander’s Wand Shop, Flourish and Blotts bookshop, Quality Quidditch Supply; and everything you don’t, like Honeydukes sweet shop.
But, don’t wander too far, because you could end up somewhere just diagonally across from Diagon Alley: Knockturn Alley. Then you’re in real trouble.
#8
Excuse me, but do you know where I could find Platform 9 ¾?
“Platform nine and three quarters? Think you’re being funny, do ya?” No sir, we are literally just trying to get to Hogwarts!
Welcome to King’s Cross Station. Lots of muggles, we know, sorry about that. Another famous entrance into the Wizard World can be found right here. In fact, this is where all Hogwarts students catch the train each year on the first of September to school by running through the wall. Unless your Harry and Ron in Year 2… that’s an exception.
The actual scenes in the first two movies were filmed between Platforms 4 and 5 because there was a little more space. Even then, the filmmakers had to use CGI to make it look large enough to push a trunk and an owl through. But, there is a designated “selfie spot” between Platforms 9 and 10 and a sign for Platform 9 ¾.
But do yourself a favor, don’t try running through the wall. The portal is closed… for right now, at least.
#9
The House of Spells
And as always, all tours end in the gift shop. But this one is like THE gift shop. Like stepping right into Hogwarts, you’re welcomed with a wondrous melody of Hedwig's Theme, the Yule Ball, Mischief Managed, or any other of the hundreds of tracks on the brilliant score.
Here, you could buy your House robes, get matched with your wand, buy a trunk to get your stuff to Platform 9 ¾, buy a replica of Tom Riddle’s diary- the list goes on. Be careful, you could spend hours wandering around and not even know where the time went. And unfortunately, the Time Turner they have on display is nonfunctional.
After you’re done grabbing your chocolate frogs, Dobby Is Free socks, Potter Stinks! buttons, and Draco Malfoy fan club sweatshirts, your team should hit the “Mischief Managed!” button to end the game and see which house scored the most points and won the House cup! A code will pop up on the screens of the members of the winning house for 20% off your purchase at The House of Spells.
Thank you!
Thank you for joining us for the Harry Potter Wondrous Walking Tour. We hope to see you again, but in the meantime, remember, don’t let the muggles get you down!