If you have read J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books or watched the movies, your interest in Europe may have been piqued. Many tour companies now offer packages that take tourists to the sites mentioned in the books or shown in the movies. There are major "can't miss" spots so you can design your own Harry Potter tour of Europe while pretending you're Harry, Ron or Hermione.
Travel to London, England. London has numerous worthy attractions, but those that pertain to Harry Potter are as follows. The Kings Cross Tube station is where "Platform 9 ¾" whisked Harry and his friends onto the Hogwarts Express. The London Zoo housed the "talking" snake that Harry freed. Several of the films show aerial views of Big Ben, the Thames River and the Houses of Parliament. Harry and Hagrid walked through Leadenhall Market as they approached the Leaky Cauldron pub. Visit the Gringotts Wizarding Bank scenes in the marble halls of Australia House on the Strand. When Harry rode the Knight Bus, filming took place in Borough Market and on Blackfriars Bridge.
Visit Gloucester, England. Here you will find the famous Cathedral of Gloucester, which is more than 1,300 years old. Visit the scenes of the Hogwarts ghosts (including Moaning Myrtle), the talking portraits and the inscription on the Chamber of Secrets. Next visit nearby Lacock Abbey, and see where the film took place for several of the classroom scenes.
Check out Oxford, England. Visit Oxford University, such as the Hogwarts Castle staircase, dining hall, library, hospital wing, Professor Moody's classroom, a ballroom and the courtyard of Draco Malfoy, who transformed into a ferret.
Drive to Stratford-Upon-Avon. Besides being the home of William Shakespeare, this city is home to Warwick Castle, and you will see the Hogwarts Castle shots.
