I have been a huge Harry Potter fan since I first began to read the famous series at age 8. So when I first heard that Oxford was home to some of the filming locations of the Harry Potter movie series, I was super excited! When I first arrived to the city, I immediately got Hogwarts-vibes, as many of the buildings around Oxford have that same beautiful gothic architecture. Wanting to find out more, I set about compiling a list of a few different Harry Potter locations to visit in Oxford. While the first 6 locations on this list are places where scenes from the Harry Potter series were actually filmed, there are a bonus 3 ¾ that give off Harry Potter vibes, in case you’re looking to escape your muggle-ness for a bit.
1. Christ Church Top Staircase
This beautiful staircase was used during the filming of the first movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The staircase was used in the beginning of the movie when Harry Potter and the other first years meet Professor McGonagall. Fun fact: in the UK, the first book is called Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone!
2. Christ Church Bottom Staircase
This same staircase (but different angle) was used during the filming of the second movie, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The scene filmed here was filmed at the beginning of the movie when Harry and Ron run into Hogwarts after flying a car into the Whomping Willow.
3. Duke Humphrey’s Library
This section of the main Bodleian Library was the inspiration for the restricted section of the Hogwarts library, and rumor has it that a few scenes of the first movie were filmed here. Duke Humphrey’s library certainly gives off restricted section vibes as all of the books have alarms, so if you decide to study here, make sure you take extra caution!
4. New College Cloisters
The cloisters at New College have been used to film a few different scenes throughout the Harry Potter series as hallways in Hogwarts.
5. New College Courtyard
The New College courtyard was used when filming the famous scene where Harry Potter turns Draco Malfoy into ferret! This scene is from the fourth movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
6. The Divinity School
The Divinity School in the main Bodleian Library was used as the filming location for the infirmary at Hogwarts.
7. Christ Church’s Dining Hall
While no filming was done in the dining hall of Christ Church, the beautiful architecture here was the inspiration for the Great Hall at Hogwarts.
8. Vaults and Garden Cafe
If you’ve been studying all day at the library and want to escape to a more magical place, be sure to pop over to Vaults and Garden Cafe where you can enjoy tea and scones in this cozy cafe. You can even order some mince pies (Ron’s favorite)!
9. Bridge of Sighs
This beautiful bridge is famous in Oxford for its distinguishing design. From here, you can see the tree where Harry turned Malfoy into a ferret. Be sure to check this out if you weren’t able to get into the New College grounds!
9 ¾. King’s Cross Station
Oxford is a little over an hour train ride away from London, where a few Harry Potter locations can be found, so this is technically not in Oxford (deeming it only a ¾ location). The famous platform 9 ¾ in King’s Cross Station has certainly been tourist-ed up, with a trolley halfway through the platform, but it can still be fun for pictures!
