Visit These 'Harry Potter' Filming Locations to Celebrate the First Movie's 20th Anniversary

Huge fantasy series such as Game of Thrones are known for having a ton of filming locations spanning the entire globe. Be it for cost reasons or attempts to make sets look as realistic and authentic as possible, producing a film or movie can take actors all over the world.

However, the Harry Potter series completely ignored this trend and was filmed almost entirely in the U.K. — and many of the locations are now popular tourist spots!

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of The Sorcerer's Stone, which premiered in the U.K. on November 4, 2001, and in the U.S. on Nov. 16 of the same year, let's revisit the places that made this fictional world come to life on-screen.

If you’re a fan of the series and plan on visiting the U.K. anytime soon, be sure to stop by some of the locations below:

The iconic facade of Hogwarts was filmed in quite a few different locations and sets. Remember where Harry was taught how to fly on his broomstick for the Quidditch game? This and almost all other shots that featured the amazing external view of the school were filmed at Alnwick Castle, which is located in northeast England. 

The Gloucester Cathedral was also used for some of these exterior shots, which is located, crazily enough, in Gloucestershire, England.

Everyone remembers the famous 9 ¾ Platform in King’s Cross Station, where Harry and the gang board the train to Hogwarts at the start of the movies. It was filmed at the actual King’s Cross railway station, located in Central London. 

This station is London’s most well-known railway station, and due to the fame that the movies brought, the station has a special wall on track 9 called the 9 ¾ Platform with a baggage trolley disappearing halfway. 

This is a must-see destination for any Harry Potter fan, just don’t forget your camera!

The magical place where Hagrid took Harry to get all his supplies for his first year at school in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is called Diagon Alley. The interior parts of the alley were filmed in sets created at Leavesden Film Studios, like many assorted set pieces. 

The external sites of Diagon Alley, however, were shot in Leadenhall Market, one of London’s most antiquated and busiest marketplaces, located on streets of Gracechurch.

The place where all the students of Hogwarts have supper and the announcement of the Triwizard championship, which took place in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, is actually just a set made at the studio. That said, the design of the hall took heavy inspiration from the designs of the Great Hall, located at Christ Church College in Oxford. 

Also filmed in Oxford was the library that can be found in a ton of scenes spanning all Harry Potter films. These scenes were filmed at Duke Humfrey’s Library.

The home of Sirius Black, 12 Grimmauld Place, is also known as the Order’s Headquarters in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The exterior shots of the building were filmed on location in Claremont Square, located in Islington, London.

Hagrid’s little hut was filmed in the highlands of Glen Coe, Scotland. Glen Coe is known for having a historic inactive volcano and many scenic views. Scotland was used as the location for a ton of scenes across the entire series, including the train line that the Hogwarts Express train runs on its journey to the magical school. 

Fun fact: The train actually exists! It’s called the Jacobite Steam Train, and if you’re in the area you can go for a ride and take in the full experience of heading to Hogwarts yourself!

So, which Harry Potter scene would you re-create first?