Fly on a broomstick, discover a brand new Harry Potter theme park and go to different lesser-known magical spots all over the world!
Photograph credit score: Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo
The Wizarding World has been a type of escapism for me since my very first guide as a child. And though the final film adaptation got here out in 2011 (sure, 12 years in the past), they’re nonetheless my consolation films of selection to observe on a comfortable day in.
With the most recent Harry Potter theme park in Tokyo, it’s evident that witches and wizards haven’t stopped craving for extra magic. So, I made a decision to search out 11 different horcruxes lesser-known Harry Potter experiences across the globe!
Should you’ve by no means stopped believing magic is on the market, that is for you. Maintain on to your brooms, trigger right here’s the final word Potterhead journey bucket record 🪄
p.s. a printable Potterhead Journey Guidelines lies on the finish!
1) Tokyo Harry Potter Theme Park
Photograph credit score: Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo
Opening on 16 June 2023, The Making of Harry Potter Tour in Tokyo would be the first Warner Bros. Studio in Asia, and the second on this planet (the one different one is in London)!
It’ll have unique units from the Improbable Beasts films which aren’t displayed on the London studio tour — so that you’re assured a special Harry Potter expertise!
Photograph credit score: Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo
The exclusivity doesn’t cease there — the largest Warner Bros. Studio Tour store on this planet can be discovered right here. So relish the enjoyment of buying all of the wizarding goodies in a single place!
*Word: Tickets are on sale from now until 30 September 2023, however do verify the official web site for updates.
*Professional-tip: Comply with the official Twitter account for hints and sneaks concerning the park in case you’re including this to your Potterhead journey bucket record.
Entrance charge: ¥6,300/pax (~S$62/pax)
Opening hours: 8:30AM – 10PM
Handle: Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo, 1-1-7 Kasugacho, Nerima ward, 179-0074 Tokyo
2) Hogwarts Faculty Grounds
Photograph credit score: Alnwick Citadel
A real fan of the Harry Potter films can already hear Hermione’s voice saying, “Moreover, you don’t even know tips on how to fly!”
Alnwick Citadel is a backdrop for a lot of iconic scenes within the films however this was the place our first-year golden trio had their first broomstick classes. And guess what, so are you able to!
Photograph credit score: Good Journey
Whereas broomstick classes are advisable for these aged 6 – 16, communicate to a employees in case your inside youngster wants to do that — you’ll most certainly be accommodated.
Aside from flying on broomsticks, you too can be a part of the Alwick on Location movie tour to see the inside bailey the place Harry and Ron crashed the Ford Angulia. Plus, get a photo-op on the Lion Arch — aka the way in which out and in of Hogwarts!
Earlier than you permit, don’t neglect to flick through unique Alnwick Citadel x Harry Potter memorabilia on the Courtyard Reward Store too.
*Professional-tip: Plan your journey utilizing this route planner in case you’re getting right here by rail or bus!
Entrance charge: From £19.50/pax incl. broomstick classes (~S$28/pax)
Opening hours: Varies (closed throughout winter)
3) Livraria Lello
Mentioned to be frequented by the creator herself whereas she was residing in Portugal, Livraria Lello is a must-add to any Potterhead journey bucket record!
This bookstore is rumoured to be the muse behind Hogwarts Faculty of Witchcraft and Wizardry — and it’s simple to see why. From step one in, you’ll be greeted with attractive structure that screams magic and grandeur. Even the outside seems to be like one of many retailers alongside Diagon Alley.
Though entry was once free, the bookshop has change into considerably of a vacationer attraction now so that you’ll want a ticket to enter. It’s a disgrace we will’t use obliviate on the muggles and skip the queue.
*Professional-tip: Buy an entry ticket on-line — it permits precedence entry and can be utilized to dock €5 off a guide buy 📚. Lunch hour and late afternoons are the perfect time to pop by this bookstore as there’ll be fewer crowds.
Entrance charge: From €5/pax (~S$7/pax)
Opening hours: 9:30AM – 7PM, closed on PH
How you can get there: From São Bento station, stroll about 8mins up alongside Rua dos Clérigos, till you attain Rua das Carmelitas
4) Warner Bros. Harry Potter Tour
Photograph credit score: Klook
The whole solid and crew of the Harry Potter films spent over 10 years on this primary filming website in Leavesdon — making Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London primarily a Potterhead’s holy floor.
Whereas strolling behind the scenes, look out for nuggets of data that may make you an asset on trivia recreation nights. For example, do you know that the classic books in Dumbledore’s workplace are literally remodelled telephone books?
*Professional-tip: Queue in entrance of the Nice Corridor earlier than your tour begins for an enormous shock when the doorways open! In any other case, you’d be tiptoeing on the again wishing you would Ascendio above the crowds.
Photograph credit score: @wbtourlondon by way of Instagram
Having a butterbeer (non-alcoholic) is a should to finish the Harry Potter expertise so don’t neglect to seize a mug (£3.95) on the Backlot Cafe. Butterbeer is a candy concoction of butterscotch and wheat — they now have bottled vegan variations obtainable too!
*Professional-tip: Costume up in your Hogwarts uniform as there’ll be many alternatives to recreate film scenes on the precise units!
Entrance charge: £51.50/pax (~S$85/pax)
Opening hours: Varies
Handle: Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, Studio Tour Drive, Leavesden, WD25 7LR (Spherical-trip bus excursions obtainable from completely different pick-ups round London)
Learn additionally: Harry Potter London Itinerary: The Quintessential Information To 4 Days in London for All Potterheads
5) Gryffindor’s Widespread Room
Photograph credit score: AirBnb
Going to theme parks and iconic places is one technique to recreate the magic. However one other means is to have a sleepover in The Widespread Room — an AirBnb designed to appear to be Gryffindor’s hideout.
This condominium is a haven crammed with reproduction props from the flicks and Harry Potter Blu-ray Discs for a film marathon. The kitchen is well-stocked and free to be used, however there aren’t any home elves to assist with the cooking!
Photograph credit score: AirBnb
With all this magic round, it appears simple to neglect that this unit sits alongside a busy road close to Victoria’s waterfront. So after a day of Muggle watching and casting spells from the balcony alcove, take off your invisibility cloak and whisper to your self ‘Mischief Managed’.
Value: From S$176/evening
Handle: Yates St, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (precise location supplied after reserving)
6) Orlando’s Wizarding World
Photograph credit score: Common Studios
Orlando’s Wizarding World is the one Common Studios theme park that has two Harry Potter-themed areas — Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade! Better part is you may journey on the Hogwarts Categorical that’ll take you from one space to a different.
The Leaky Cauldron, Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, and Knockturn Alley are timeless gems that make Diagon Alley a basic favorite. However with the brand new Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorcycle Journey in Hogsmeade, each themed areas are a must-visit whenever you’re there!
Photograph credit score: Common Studios
Additionally, don’t miss out on the hidden interactive gems inside the park. Hunt down at the least six of all of them round Diagon Alley — from wanting into the Mirror of Erised to talking Parseltongue to the snake at Magical Menagerie!
There are extra secret options in Hogsmeade too, trace: holographic howlers and actual mail service on the Owlery. Have enjoyable with the hunt! And no, muttering revelio gained’t work.
Entrance charge: From ~S$203/pax
Opening hours: Varies
Handle: 6000 Common Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32819
7) Harry Potter Cafe
Photograph credit score: Harry Potter Cafe
As a nod to the extravagance of a Hogwarts Feast, the presentation of meals on the Harry Potter Cafe, Tokyo takes centre stage.
The Harry Potter-themed menu consists of drinks, desserts and primary course meals starting from ~¥1,200 to ~¥2,350. At simply ¥1,400, this Hedwig Cake is without doubt one of the cutest objects on the menu — it’s virtually too fairly to eat!
Photograph credit score: Harry Potter Cafe
Drinks are named after spells or charms (there’s one referred to as Wingardium Leviosa!) However they’re all non-alcoholic so nobody’s getting stupefied right here 😉
There’s additionally a 3.5m-long model of Harry’s wand hanging from the ceiling — good for a photo-op you may’t get wherever else!
Opening hours: 11AM – 5PM for cafe menu, 5PM – 11PM for dinner menu
Handle: Akasaka Biz Tower, 5 Chome-3-1 Akasaka, Minato Metropolis, 107-6301 Tokyo
8) Godric’s Hole
Photograph credit score: AirBnb
Bear in mind within the final film (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Half 1) when Harry and Hermionie have been strolling alongside Godric’s Hole wanting on the Potter’s Home? They have been truly taking a look at this home proper right here!
Named De Vere Home, this magical residence sits alongside the medieval village of Lavenham in Suffolk, England.
Photograph credit score: AirBnb
De Vere Home is now transformed into an AirBnb the place rooms come absolutely furnished, with breakfast and entry to the courtyard. Do observe it’s solely open to these 18 years previous and above although!
I’d think about studying Deathly Hallows right here would give an entire new which means to “I open on the shut”. (Brb, grabbing tissues.)
Value: From £145/evening, min 2 nights (~S$210/evening)
How you can get there: Take a prepare from London to Sudbury. From Sudbury, take bus 753 in the direction of Bury St Edmunds and alight whenever you see The Swan Lodge alongside Excessive St.
9) The Potter Path
Photograph credit score: The Potter Path
The Potter Path is a 75-minute free tour of Edinburgh’s Outdated City that takes one round iconic spots which have influenced or have been influenced by the Harry Potter mania.
Stroll by means of Greyfriar’s Kirk the place the actual Tom Riddle — whose title impressed Voldermort’s — is buried! Or stroll alongside the streets which could have impressed Diagon Alley. Don’t neglect to carry a wand as there’ll be alternatives to good your *swish and flick* alongside the way in which!
Photograph credit score: The Potter Path
The tour may also take you previous the well-known Elephant Home the place the good creator herself spent numerous hours writing the books. Sadly although, the tea home is briefly closed because of a fireplace however reconstruction works are ongoing so verify their web site for updates!
Value: Free
Tour timing: Guide a slot upfront
Assembly level: Statue of Greyfriars Bobby, on the junction of George IV Bridge and Candlemaker Row
10) Hogwart’s Categorical
Photograph credit score: West Coast Railways
From being the primary place the place the golden trio met to being the setting for the final scene in guide seven, The Hogwarts Categorical wants no introduction.
However do you know that the Jacobite is the precise prepare behind the inspiration for the magical locomotive? As an alternative of Platform 9 and three/4 although, the round-trip route begins from Fort William Station earlier than making its means by means of Glenfinnan, Arisaig, and Mallaig.
Enjoyable reality: The scene within the film the place Ron hangs out of the blue Ford Angulia is at Glenfinnan!
Photograph credit score: West Coast Railways
For an immersive expertise, guide the compartment class as a substitute of the primary class! Compartment lessons (class D) are six-person carriages through which Harry, Ron, and Hermoine sit throughout their commute to Hogwarts. However take observe that outdoors meals and drinks are usually not allowed at school D.
*Professional-tip: Deliver some money so you will get meals off the trolley woman from the buffet.
Value: From £57/pax (~S$94)
Timings: Varies
Handle: Fort William Station, Tom-na-Faire, Station Sq., Fort William, Highland, PH33 6EN
11) Hagrid’s Hut
Photograph credit score: North Shire
Hagrid’s Hut has all the time been a spot of refuge for the golden trio. So for these looking for someplace secure to run, why not keep on this Grounds Keeper’s Cottage?
Situated in Yorkshire Coast, this quaint lodging is made up of a residing space, a built-in kitchen and a bed room. And though it’d look small, this residence can match as much as six individuals!
Photograph credit score: North Shire
Plus, the lavatory right here is making my inside Draco Malfoy come to life. These deep emerald inexperienced floor-to-ceiling tiles and dim lighting are simply beckoning for me to Slyther-in that luxurious copper tub.
*Professional-tip: Guide at the least two months forward as slots are sometimes snapped up!
Value: From £195/evening (~S$323/evening)
Handle: Golden Hill Farm, Liverton, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Cleveland, TS13 4TJ
12) Japan’s Wizarding World
Situated inside Common Studios Japan, Japan’s Wizarding World in Osaka is residence to the well-known Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey journey — an immersive expertise that’s clinched the title of the world’s primary journey for 5 consecutive years!
Plus, there’s a recreation of the Black Lake right here which you could’t discover in Orlando — the bushes across the lake are populated with actual owls too 🦉.
Different Harry Potter experiences right here embody magical performances by college students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. Or channel your inside Hermionie Granger and look out for alternatives to attend a Wand Research lesson across the park.
Make a cease at Ollivander’s and get an interactive wand — this may flip the complete park right into a wizard’s playground. With a numbered map, discover areas the place you can also make snowstorm, conjure water with Aguamenti and extra!
Spells take observe and correct enunciation to work — so bear in mind, it’s levi-O-sa not levio-SAR!
*Professional-tip: Use the JR Cross to go to each theme parks in Tokyo and Osaka, which supply Harry Potter experiences.
Entrance charge: From S$86/pax
Opening hours: Varies
How you can get right here: Take the JR Yumesaki Line from Nishikujo station. Alight after one cease at Common Metropolis station.
Learn additionally: 10-Day Japan Rail Itinerary For First Timers Underneath S$900 — Tokyo to Osaka
Epic Potterhead Journey Bucket Checklist
Fireworks above Hogwarts Citadel at Common Studios Japan!
As a real fan, it was thrilling for me to listen to concerning the new Harry Potter Studio in Tokyo. Though, I wasn’t positive if I wished to make a journey to Japan only for that!
However now that I’ve discovered trails of the Harry Potter franchise all around the world, I would simply plan a visit to discover a couple of of those hidden gems . Because it seems, I didn’t want Marvolo Gaunt’s ring to resurrect the Potterhead in me, just a few analysis!
Should you’re additionally impressed to plan a magical journey of your personal, take observe that a few of these places are a bit of out of the way in which from common vacationer sizzling spots! So plan your route correctly by checking the transportation schedule, reserving seats early and factoring in additional time for commuting 😊
Bonus: Harry Potter Experiences Guidelines
Print out our useful guidelines earlier than you go in your journey and tick off the places as you go alongside! Or tack it in your workplace cubicle as a reminder to make that journey occur 😉
Know of every other sights so as to add to our Potterhead journey bucket record? Tell us within the feedback under!
