15 magical Harry Potter days out for the whole family

A must-visit for all Harry Potter fans, the Warner Bros Studio Tour London is THE place to see how the books were brought to life on the silver screen. Visit this this film studio in Leavesden, and you can board the Hogwart's Express, try riding a broomstick, sample butterbeer, walk through Gringotts, Diagon Alley and the Forbidden Forest as well as exploring Hogwart's Great Hall on the most immersive and comprehensive day out for Harry Potter fans of any age.
Where: Warner Bros Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter, Studio Tour Drive, Leavesden, Hertfordshire, WD25 7LR

See the eighth instalment in the Harry Potter story: a live theatre show at the Palace Theatre in London. Two decades after Harry, Ron, and Hermione saved the wizarding world, they're back on an extraordinary new adventure – this time, joined by a brave new generation of witches and wizards. With stunning special effects, spectacular spells, and a thrilling race-through-time story, this is theatre show is not to be missed. Perfect for everyone aged 10 and up.
Where: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Palace Theatre, 113 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 5AY

Leave your broomsticks at home; this fantastic tour of magical places and wizarding locations is for groups of muggles on foot only! Run by the 'Department of Magical Tourism' the Tour for Muggles aims to help you discover the magical side of London. You'll see famous locations where the wizarding world and our world meet, hear stories about Ron, Harry and Hermione; and discover secret locations hidden in plain sight. This popular two-hour tour is led by real-life witches and wizards, and is a real treat for fans of the Potterverse.
Where: Tour for Muggles starts at Monument station; finishes at London Bridge station

Fans of the Harry Potter films will love this 3-hour coach tour of the London locations from the films. Plus you’ll also get to see many other familiar landmarks along the way, including St Pauls Cathedral, Big Ben, London Bridge, The Monument, Bank of England and much more. The tour ends at Kings Cross Station, which is where the boy wizard departs for Hogwarts, and where you can pose for a photo pushing a trolley through the wall at Platform 9 3/4.
When: Departs at 2pm on Wednesdays (School Holidays and Feb- Oct) and Saturdays (Jan-Dec)
Where: The Wizards London Bus Tour starts at St Pancras station; ends at Kings Cross

Take a wacky and wonderful two-hour tour of the Wizard Academy on the East Lancashire Railway and become a master of mystery and magic. As well as a return trip from Bury to Rawtenstall hauled by a genuine steam (and spell) powered train, there'll be lessons in the basics of broomsticks, a chance to practise your potion making, be instructed in incantations and learn to talk with a tawny owl. It's the perfect wizarding adventure for everyone, particularly magical students aged between 5 and 12.
When: 27 Oct 23
Where: Bury Bolton Street Station, East Lancashire Railway, 23A Bolton St, Bury BL9 0EY

Go hunting for Horcruxes one more time: part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in Concert is coming to the Royal Albert Hall this autumn. Join the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the English Chamber Choir performing Alexandre Desplat’s epic score as the 7th Harry Potter film is projected onto a giant screen. Join all your favourite characters – and not-so-favourite ones! – as they encounter familiar dangers, new threats, and powerful friendships.
When: 3-4 Nov 23, 1.30pm and 7.30pm
Where: Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, South Kensington, London SW7 2AP

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Leave the busy streets of London behind as you descend downstairs into the potion class at Cutter and Squidge in London's Soho. Get cloaked up, and then take your seat at the school-style desks and await your Potions Master. They will have you whisking up potions and all manner of concoctions in no time.
Where: The Potion Room, 20 Brewer Street, Soho, London W1F 0SJ
Age: The Potion Room is suitable for ages 8+ 

The Jacobite steam train, from Fort William to Mallaig, is said to be the greatest rail journey in the world. This 84-mile round trip takes you past a list of impressive extremes including the 21-arched Glenfinnan viaduct, the location made famous in the Harry Potter films.
Where: The Jacobite, Fort William to Mallaig, Scotland

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Alnwick Castle starred as the magical Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during the first two Harry Potter films. Film fans will recognise the green where Harry first learnt to fly on his broomstick with Madam Hooch; and where the young boy wizard learnt the rules of Quidditch. ​Harry and Ron crash-landed the Weasley family’s flying car in Alnwick Castle's Inner Bailey. Visit and you can try workshops like broomstick training, wand-making, witch pot making, Knight school, see a birds of prey display, and a demonstration of medieval alchemy, depending on the time of year...
Where: Alnwick Castle, Alnwick NE66 1NQ

There's plenty for Harry Potter fans to enjoy at Kings Cross St Pancras in London. Pose for pictures alongside the Platform 9 3/4 sign and a trolley 'stuck' between our world and the wizarding one at Kings Cross. Look out, too, for the The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9 3/4; the store offers Potter souvenirs like pens and pencils themed around the Hogwarts' Houses, as well as books, cuddly toys, clothing and wands. Then head outside and check out the imposing St Pancras station building, recognisable from the Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets film, where Harry and Ron miss the Hogwart's Express, and are forced to fly over and around that impressive clock tower.
Where: Kings Cross St Pancras, Euston Road, London N1 9AL
**FREE**

Check if you have Harry's gift of Parseltongue (speaking to snakes) London Zoo's Reptile House. It is here, in the film of Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, that Harry inadvertently converses with and frees a Burmese Python, and ends up trapping his awful cousin Dudley Dursley in the snake tank instead. (The details are a little different in the books: the snake is a Boa Constrictor and Dudley doesn't end up in the tank.)
Where: London Zoo, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY

Visit the Department of Magic in Edinburgh where you can challenge yourself to a wizard-themed Escape Room (beat the bad guys in the Prophecies Quest, or BE a bad guy in Dark Lord Resurrection!), and then indulge in some tasty magic potions, butterbeer, bubblers and more in the Magic Potions Tavern.
Where: Department of Magic, 9 Blair Street, Edinburgh EH1 1QR

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Select your magic wand, head to your interactive workstation, unlock your puzzle chest and prepare for an amazing feast for all the senses! The Little Wizard's Afternoon Tea is a bewitching afternoon tea experience where you use real magic wands to brew interactive teas and taste fantastical treats.
Where: The Cauldron, 57a Frederick Street, Edinburgh EH2 1LH

You can enjoy the same Little Wizard's Afternoon Tea at the Wands and Wizard Exploratorium in London, plus there are a couple of other treats for Harry Potter fans: head to the Wand Workshop, where you can customise, design and build your own illuminated, working magic wand in this small-group, retail experience. Or take a Potions class, where you'll learn to make cocktails and mocktails in a 1 hour, 45 minute interactive experience.
Where: Little Wizards Afternoon Tea, Wands and Wizard Exploratorium, 26 Greek Street, London, W1D 5DE

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Head to The School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Escape Room in London, and see if you've got what it takes to pass, and escape! Inspired by the classic fantasy world of Harry Potter, you and a team of up to five friends will have just 60 minutes to ace your final exams, with a series of ingenious puzzles standing between you and the coveted 'Outstanding' grade. You'll be tested on six magical subjects, including Potions, Charms, and, of course, Defence Against the Dark Arts. Do you have what it takes?
Where: Enigma Quest School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Escape Room, 2-12 Wilson Street, London EC2M 7LS
Recommended age: 8 and up