Magic, friendship and a castle. What is there not to love about Harry Potter?
There are some places every ‘Potterhead’ must visit! Just be prepared to travel because many of these places are overseas.
Might as well start your journey off right here in the States and make your way down to Florida! The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios will make you feel like you are at Hogwarts. You can eat at Three Broomsticks, buy a wand at Olivanders, and drink Butter Beer. While you’re there, you should go ahead and take a ride through Hogwarts, you might even see Harry, Ron and Hermione!
Next up, take a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland. There you will find the Elephant House, which is where J.K. Rowling wrote the first few Harry Potter books. It is a small café with a big reputation. Get a cup of coffee and just enjoy sitting in the birthplace of Harry Potter. Before you leave, check out the bathrooms. There are thousands of handwritten notes to Rowling throughout all of the stalls. Other Harry Potter references in this city are gravestones that inspired Tom Riddell, Professor McGonagall and Mad Eye Moody, as well as the road the inspired Diagon Alley.
The next stop in this Harry Potter journey will be in London. This city is filled with so much of the wizarding world! First up, go to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour. If you’re an extreme Harry Potter fan then this will be an important stop for you! You will walk down the street of Diagon Alley, see the Great Hall, and get to walk around the actual Hogwarts. While all of the big sets are in the studio, so are all of the little pieces used to make the movies, including wands, golden snitches and costumes.
Lastly, you will have to make your way to Kings Cross train station, where you can see Platform 9 ¾. Then go to Charing Cross, where the Leaky Cauldron is said to be. Other landmarks in London are the Millennium Bridge, the London Zoo, Picadilly Circus and the Australian Bank (which is what Gringrotts is based off of).
You may want to grab your broom and fly overseas right away, but in the meantime, get a warm blanket and have a Harry Potter movie marathon. This will just prepare you for your trip even more.