The Best of London

To start off our whirlwind adventure, Emily and I spent 5 days in London where we did our best to  hit everything on our wish list and pack in all of the stereotypical sites. Jet lag hit us hard on day one, so it was a pretty slow day with our biggest excursion being Piccadilly Circus. This is essentially London's own Time Square, with neon signs, shops and street performers. (It's also where Harry, Ron and Hermione hide out during the 7th book when death eaters crash Bill and Fleur's wedding.)

Inside the M&M store, dressed as a Queen's Guard

China Town

M&M's at Abbey Road

Day 2 consisted of a full day of site seeing. We started with a visit to Buckingham Palace where we imagined the royal family was inside doing really sophisticated things. We then followed the River Thames towards Big Ben and The London Eye. This walk is known as "The Birdcage Walk" named after a march composed in 1951, but I like to believe it's given that title because there were a multitude of birds everywhere. It got overwhelming despite the quick one mile walk.
We popped out behind Big Ben (formally known as Elizabeth Tower) and made our way south towards The London Eye. Riding this ferris wheel provides a 30 minute rotation with stunning and vast views of London. For more info on the best way to buy tickets, read here.

Buckingham Palace

Classic phone booth shot ft. Big Ben

View from the top of The London Eye

We then followed the river east and got to see the majority of the things on our list. Next was The Millennium Bridge. Originally built in 2000 as a footbridge, it was later destroyed by dementors during the sixth Harry Potter (and then was miraculously fixed the same day because magic is the best.)

Millennium Bridge

Emily is a Shakespeare fanatic, so we stopped off at The Globe, which was originally built in 1599 and was the old stomping grounds of William Shakespeare himself. Once inside you can pay to visit the museum, but it was about to close when we arrived so instead we just spent our time in the gift shop, which had plenty of souvenirs for every Shakespeare lover.
Our last stop was the classic Tower Bridge. Built in the 1890's, this bridge is a functioning passage for both pedestrians and cars, and still opens for ships passing through the River Thames.

The sun was setting and the night was getting chilly as we set out on our last quest for the evening: Platform 9 3/4. I previously visited the platform at King's Cross Station five years ago with my cousin and we spent at least 15 minutes running around the train station just trying to track down the platform, and then once we were there we had the whole thing to ourselves. A lot has changed in the last five years. They've now devoted an entire corner to Platform 9 3/4 that's complete with a queue, a photographer and an employee who gives you the scarf of your choice and a wand to hold during pictures. It will basically make all of your dreams come true, so you should go.











The next day we joined the masses at Camden Markets. In Camden Town there is an area set up overflowing with both indoor and outdoor markets, filled to the brim with clothes, jewelry, souvenirs and food. Even if you're not there to buy anything it's a great place to wander around to check out all of the amazing things on display. Just make sure you bring cash, plastic is not widely accepted. 

Dumbledore's office and costume 

Lastly, the most magical experience ever: The Making of Harry Potter. All eight Harry Potter movies were filmed just outside the city of London, and the makers probably realized that Harry Potter will go down in history for eternity, and they should profit even more off of it! or they just wanted to share the love. Either way, they left behind majority of the sets, props and costumes that were used throughout the various movies and it's all there for paying costumers to gawk over throughout a studio tour. You enter in clumps and then go at your own pace, so it can be as long or short of an experience that you want. If you're interested, here's an entire post dedicated to the beauty of this tour.

The Mirror of Erised and the Fat Lady

Hogwarts model used for overhead and distance shots

London was once again a joy to visit but of course, some weird things happened as they always do when abroad. Following are some random observations.

- Traffic lights turn yellow before turning green, and apparently the Brits take a yellow light to mean go, and they immediately start honking at the cars in front of them. I know this well, because I slept next to a window that looked out onto an intersection. Through all hours of the night as soon as the light turned yellow there was a herd of honking cars ready to drive. 

- There is no pattern to walking in London. It could be the mass amounts of tourists doing their own thing, it could be because Brits drive/walk on the left side whereas most others walk on the right, or it could be a clustered mix of both. Regardless, I have never gotten so frustrated trying to walk down a sidewalk. I walked in zigzags trying to dodge the people coming at me from all angles but still got bumped every few seconds in crowded areas. 

- In a moment of ignorance I used a random ATM at the Camden Markets, which resulted in a $26 fee for taking out money. Lesson learned. 

- They call a bachelorette party a 'hen do'

- We went to a concert at a large indoor arena and upon entering they take off all lids to drink bottles. Supposedly there have been past issues of people throwing full bottles and harming others, so they take the lids to allow liquids to spill before hitting it's target. Makes sense, but it was still rather annoying to have to hold my water bottle all evening. 

How To: London

The Basics of London 

London is split into Zones, starting with Zone 1 in the center of the city, radiating out until you hit Zone 9. The majority of the popular London attractions are in Zones 1 and 2

Tube Map

Oyster Card

The easiest and cheapest form of transportation in London is the tube. To travel via the tube you have to have an Oyster Card, which can be purchased at any underground station. To use an Oyster Card you simply load it with money (easily done at a machine) and you swipe in and out at each station. The longer your trip, the more money that is taken off of your card. Sadly, the London Tube is not as cheap as other city's transportation, and we spent around 60 USD over the course of 4 days. There are weekly, monthly and yearly packages available depending on your stay. Say for example you know you'll only be staying in the first two zones, you could buy a week long pass for zones 1 and 2 and pay a flat fee for unlimited use within those zones. This is definitely the cheaper option if you'll be sticking to limited zones, however, for those traveling throughout all of the zones it's often cheaper to just pay per ride.

Where to Stay

Traveling London on a budget can be a bit of a struggle, but one way to keep your wallet happy is to stay in a hostel. For this recent trip to London I stayed at London Backpackers which I highly recommend. It's located right at the Hendon Central tube stop which made getting into the city a breeze, sometimes not even requiring a change depending on where you're headed. The hostel staff was very accommodating and offered all of the amenities you could need: warm showers, large lockers under each bed (bring your own lock), clean bathrooms, bedrooms and hang out areas, fresh sheets, wifi throughout the hostel, and the best part, free breakfast! They also offered SIM cards for those interested in using their phone with data. However, there are two downsides to this hostel. First, it is located at the edge of zone 3, almost into zone 4. This required a longer and more expensive commute into the city each day. Second, the hostel is situated right at an intersection, which meant loud nights when you're trying to sleep. However, I was easily able to overcome those setbacks and definitely enjoyed my time at London Backpackers.   

Important Sites to See

For a great walk of the city I advise taking the tube to the Westminster stop, which drops you off right at Big Ben and The Palace of Westminster. Cross The Westminster Bridge to the south side of The River Thames and follow the river east. On this walk you'll pass The London Eye, The Tate Modern Museum, The Globe (for any Shakespeare Fan), Millennium Bridge (shown in the sixth Harry Potter), London Bridge and Tower Bridge. The whole walk is somewhere between 2 and 3 miles, but can easily take an entire afternoon or evening depending on your pace and how many shops you stop in along the way. 

Riding the London Eye is a great way to get above the city and gain a better perspective of where you are. You can purchase tickets there, but there's often a long line to do so. To get tickets on the spot you have to wait in a separate ticket building, followed by a wait to in the actual line to ride. That being said, I would advise buying tickets in advance, which can be done here. It costs around $30 USD which at first seemed a little pricy for a ferris wheel, but the views are definitely worth it and it takes around 30 minutes to do a full rotation so you're getting your money's worth. 

The Camden Markets are a great way to spend an afternoon, especially if the weather isn't acting in the most favorable of ways. Located on the Regent's Canal, this area is home to hundreds of tiny shops selling clothes, jewelry, souvenirs and food. The area was originally intended to be temporary horse stalls, but was later refurbished to be a semi outdoor market. The markets run daily from 10-6, but the weekends are by far the most popular because not all vendors are present during the weekdays. Personally, I'm willing to sacrifice a few vendors in order to have a less crowded experience, but either way it's still a fun time. My previous purchases from the markets have included mass amounts of donuts, a vintage book, a watch, dresses, scarves and delicious food. Definitely worth checking out if it seems like your thing. Camden markets are in zone 2 at the Camden Town tube stop.
** Make sure you bring cash! It's hard to find a vendor that accepts plastic

All things Harry Potter

Potterheads, rejoice! London is filled with a multitude of Harry Potter experiences to satisfy your muggle needs.  

The most obvious and popular is visiting Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station. This is the iconic platform where all wizard children board the Hogwarts Express. Simply take the Tube to King's Cross St. Pancras and exit outside and follow signs leading you towards King's Cross Railway Station. Many people get stuck wandering around the tube stop of King's Cross, but you need to make sure you make it out from underground and head towards the aboveground train station. Once inside it's easy to spot the corner set up for Harry Potter fans. The loving people of London have set up a replica of Platform 9 3/4 where you can take pictures and pretend you're running away to Hogwarts. They even have employees stationed there at what seems to be all hours of the day, supplying you with a Hogwarts scarf of your choice and a wand to truly complete the picture. After you have your moment in the spotlight you can head around the corner where they've set up a souvenir shop where you can shop till your heart's content.








Next up is Millennium Bridge, which is featured in the intro to the sixth movie as it's torn apart by the death eaters. It was constructed in 2000 as a pedestrian bridge but is often closed due to high winds causing the bridge to twist too much. The bridge is located on The River Thames near The Tate Modern Museum and The Globe. The closest tube stations are Blackfriars and Mansion House. 


There are many random spots around the city as well that don't play such a glaring role in the movies but still had significance, such as buildings used for filming or architecture that inspired sets. To get the full Harry Potter experience I advise a Harry Potter walking tour. There are many offered throughout the city, but the most informative seems to be run by Muggle Tours.

Lastly, and most magical is the Warner Bros. Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter.  This is where all eight films were made throughout the course of ten years. This is where the actors and over 4,000 staff came together to create the magical world of Harry Potter. After filming was finished they left behind the actual sets, props and costumes used throughout the filming, and they're all laid out for fans to peruse at their own pace. Tickets are $50 USD and must be purchased online in advance. Full details of the tour can be found in my previous post here.

Whether you want to shop, drink, eat or Harry Potter your way through London, there's always something waiting for you at the next tube stop! 

Warner Bros. Studio Tour: Harry Potter

Potterheads, prepare for the ultimate Harry Potter adventure that has ever existed: The Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London. I have done my fair share of Harry Potter related things, such as midnight premiers for both the books and movies, playing quidditch at my high school, and visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida. Now take all of that excitement and combine it, and you still don't have what I felt for the studio tour in London. 

This is where all eight films were made. Where the actors and over 4,000 people came together to create the magical world of Harry Potter. After ten years of filming the staff left behind the actual sets, costumes and props used throughout the movies; and it's all open for visitors to explore and gawk over. I don't think I've ever geeked out so hard.  

Booking and Getting There

Our adventure started by booking our tickets in advance here, which included picking a date and time. Although we picked 5:30pm, out of excitement and lack of knowledge on the UK transport system we showed up an hour early, and were still allowed to enter once we arrived. 

Transportation throughout London is easy once you actually know what you're doing. We were able to take a 20 minute ride on the overground using our Oyster Card, and we got off at Watford Junction. Once outside the train station we easily found the Harry Potter bus, which was a double decker covered in Harry Potter pictures. We paid 2 pounds each for a roundtrip ticket to get us to the actual studio. The bus ride was a quick one, about 15 minutes, and then we were there! As soon as you step off the bus you can hear the magical notes of the Harry Potter soundtrack escaping from the automatic doors. 

The Tour

The Lobby

The lobby welcomes you with headshot of the actors and a few props such as the Weasley's flying car hanging from the ceiling. We quickly joined the queue and somewhat patiently waited in line until it was our turn to enter. They let around 50 people through at a time in 15 minute increments which keeps the whole tour spaced out so you have a chance to get up close to everything you want to see. We sat in a theater and watched a quick film hosted by Daniel, Emma and Rupert where they explain the significance of the studio which practically brought me to tears, and then... the screen rises, and BOOM. the doors to the great hall are right there! Cue hysterical screams (internally of course, gotta keep it cool). It felt like we were really there! (maybe because we were!?)  

The Great Hall, with actual costumes in the background

Dumbledore's robes

Upon entering the great hall there was an employee who gave us a brief description of what would follow, and then we were on our own to explore the magical studio of Harry Potter! I did my best to only take photos of the best and most important things, but overall I had a couple hundred pictures... Following are what I deem important. Enjoy! 

The Mirror of Erised and The Fat Lady

Robes from the Yule Ball

Gryffindor common room with costumes of Hermione and Harry (?)

Throughout the entire studio there were videos playing both from the movie and of interviews from the actors and behind the scenes crew. For example, near the gryffindor common room there was a video on loop that shows the trio hanging out in the common room during one of the films. 

Dumbledore's office and one of his many costumes

The entrance to Dumbledore's office

Various props used during the films 

In order to make the paintings move, many of the frames were actually just green screens

Various sets from the Ministry of Magic

They had an entire area set up with green screens where you got to ride a broom stick while soaring through the streets of London and over the grounds of Hogwarts. Of course you had to pay about $30 to get the actual video, so we just opted for a few quick pics of us on brooms with the green screen (and a robe!) 

King's Cross Station in London has an entire area dedicated to Platform 9 3/4, so we previously got our pictures running onto the platform. But I couldn't resist another one.

All interior shots of the train scenes were shot on a set with a green screen as the window. However, the majority of the exterior train shots were shot with the actual Hogwarts Express that was built for the movies.

The actual statues that were used in the first film during Wizard's Chess

Privet Drive

 

Props, including Dobby's head! 

Diagon Alley

A Hogwarts model was built to be an exact replica of the castle itself, complete with real landscaping and fibre optic lighting. This was used in most overhead and faraway shots of the castle during the movies. 

I could go on and on, but basically all you need to know is that the Warner Bros. Studio Tour is worth your time if you're in any way a Harry Potter fan. It was surreal to see the actual props and costumes and to learn about the making of the sets. I would definitely recommend this excursion to any Potterhead.