Real World Locations Seen In Harry Potter
This article is more than five years old and was last updated in January 2021.
The Reptile House, London Zoo

Of course, Privet Drive isn't a real location. So the first real world place we see in the movie series is London Zoo. Harry goes there on a day trip with the Dursleys in the first movie, 'The Philosopher's Stone'. It's here that Harry first starts to realise he's different to kids after an encounter with a Burmese python in the zoo's reptile house.
King's Cross Station, London

London's mainline rail station, King's Cross, features in several of the Harry Potter movies, including the first movie. The station is where young witches and wizards push through the crowds of muggles to make their way to the legendary platform 9 3/4, where they catch the Hogwarts Express at the start of each term.
St. Pancras Station, London

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Lambeth Bridge, London

Near the beginning of 'The Prisoner of Azkaban', Harry is rescued by the Knight Bus, a triple-decker purple Routemaster, which is invisible to muggles. As it speeds from Privet Drive in Surrey to The Leaky Cauldron in London, it crosses over the River Thames via Lambeth Bridge. It's on this stretch of road, with the Houses of Parliament in the background, that the Knight Bus squeezes between two regular London buses.
The River Thames, London

In 'The Order Of The Phoenix' Harry and his friends fly along the river on their broomsticks, passing by the towers of Canary Wharf, Southwark Bridge, HMS Belfast, London Bridge, and the Houses of Parliament, narrowly avoiding a cruise ship as they fly in the darkness.
Charring Cross Road, London

Millennium Bridge, London

After rushing through the Leaky Cauldron the Death Eaters attack Diagon Alley before flying on past London City Hall and on to the Millennium Bridge. The bridge is seen to be destroyed by Fenrir Greyback and a small group of Death Eaters. In the book it was the fictional Brockdale Bridge that was destroyed. However in the movie adaptation the Millennium Bridge was not used to portray the Brockdale Bridge, but rather as itself. You can hear the words "Millennium Bridge" coming from the radio at the beginning of the movie.
Surbiton Station, Greater London

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Cliffs Of Moher, Ireland

Later in 'The Half-Blood Prince' Harry and Dumbledore go in search of one of Voldemort's horcruxes in an unnamed cave by the sea. The filming location of the cave is at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, so although not specifically named, this could be the real world location that the duo visited.
Piccadilly Circus, London

Harry, Ron and Hermione apparate right in the middle of the bustling tourist spot in central London after the attack on the wedding in 'The Deathly Hallows โ Part 1', narrowly missing a bus as they appear. They then leave the bright lights of Piccadilly Circus and head along Shaftsbury Avenue towards a fictional all-night Italian caffe on Tottenham Court Road. The trio are later seen walking alongside the Trocadero.
Forest Of Dean, Gloucestershire

After Harry, Ron and Hermione's daring mission to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic and steal Voldemort's locket in 'The Deathly Hallows', they set up camp hidden behind protection enchantments at the Forest Of Dean in Gloucestershire.
Second Severn Crossing, Bristol Channel

In 'The Deathly Hallows โ Part 1', while in hiding, Harry, Ron and Hermione are seen walking under a large road bridge. Many websites have incorrectly identified this bridge as the Severn Bridge, it's not. It is actually the Second Severn Crossing. The bridge opened in 1996, thirty years after the first Severn Bridge opened and is located less than three miles along the coast from it. The bridge links England to South Wales, and the trio can be seen walking under its English end in the movie.
High Marnham Power Station, Nottinghamshire

The old cooling towers of a former power station in Nottinghamshire is the backdrop of another of Harry, Ron and Hermione's camp locations. They set up their enchanted tent amongst the rubble and dirt that remains on the site of the now demolished coal-fired power station.
Loch Etive, Scotland

The loch is another location where Harry and friends set up camp while hunting horcruxes. The scene was filmed at the northernmost part of the lake, which is 30km long and located in Argyll, Scotland. It's at this location that Ron leaves the party, he later regrets his actions and returns at the next location on the list.
Malham Cove, Yorkshire

The final location we see the trio camping at is a rocky ledge in the wilderness. This is Malham Cove, a limestone formation near the village of Malham in the Yorkshire Dales. The top of the cove consists of a uniquely shaped rock formation which was made by the river that once ran over it.
Glenfinnan Viaduct, Scotland

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