Black cab Harry Potter tours run through the real London the films used, from King's Cross to Borough Market. This is not the studio tour, and every route says so — what they offer is a way to join nine film locations up in an afternoon.
Nine film locations in three hours, from King's Cross and St Pancras to Borough Market, with hotel pickup at both ends and clips shown before each stop.
From $479 per group, up to 5
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Four hours with a registered guide and a six-seat cab, taking in Gringotts, both Leaky Cauldron doorways, Platform 9¾ and the stretch of Thames Harry flies down.
From $675 per group, up to 6
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A tour of the real London buildings and streets that appear in the films. It is not the studio tour at Leavesden, where the sets and props are, and both listings here are explicit that they are not official Warner Bros events and are not endorsed by the author or her publishers.
What they are is the only sensible way to see the locations in an afternoon. The stops run from King's Cross at the top of the map to Borough Market south of the river, by way of Cecil Court, Leadenhall Market and the Millennium Bridge, and a walking route joining them up is a long day.
King's Cross and St Pancras in N1C, Cecil Court in WC2, Leadenhall Market in EC3, Borough Market in SE1. On the Underground that is two changes and a walk at each end, repeated.
Five minutes at Cecil Court, fifteen at Leadenhall, five on the Millennium Bridge. That only works if the cab is waiting, because the walk between them would cost more than the stops themselves.
Drivers on both routes carry the scenes on a tablet and show them before you get out, which is what makes a market arcade land as a location rather than as an arcade. It is the detail the reviews return to most.
A seven-year-old will not walk this route. They will sit through it, watch the clips between stops, and get out nine times. That is the difference between a good afternoon and an argument.
They are different days and most families who can do both should. The honest comparison:
| A black cab location tour | The studio tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Real London streets and stations | A studio complex outside London |
| What you see | The places that were filmed | The sets, props and costumes |
| Getting there | The cab collects you | Train and shuttle, or a separate coach |
| Length | 3 to 4 hours | Most of a day |
| Booking | Free cancellation at 24 hours | Timed tickets, often months ahead |
| Fare basis | The whole cab, up to five or six | Per person |
| Suits | A half-day, and children who will not walk | Fans who want the props |
If the studio tour is sold out for your dates, this is the answer rather than the consolation prize: the locations are the city itself, and a driver who has been doing this for years is better company than a queue.
Pick your date and check the passenger cap against your party.
Check AvailabilityYou get a private cab, a guide who knows the films, photo stops at every location, hotel pickup at both ends, and complimentary water on the four-hour route. Both put the geography in an order that works.
You don't get the studio tour, any entry fee, or lunch. The four-hour route lists entry fees, lunch and the guide's gratuity as exclusions, and the three-hour one excludes gratuities and food. Nothing on either route requires a ticket anyway.
Price band. $479 for three hours or $675 for four, for the cab rather than the seat.
Caps. Five on the three-hour route and six on the four-hour one. Check that first if there are six of you.
Timing. Weekends are better for Leadenhall Market, which empties when the City does. The platform trolley at King's Cross has a free queue and it is long, so ask the driver whether it is worth it on the day.
Confirmation. The three-hour route confirms within 48 hours rather than instantly, so book early if your dates cannot move.
Anybody who wants the props. That is the studio tour, and this is not it. Book both if you can; book that one if you can only book one.
First-time visitors to London. Three hours of film locations is three hours not spent on Westminster and the Tower. An open sightseeing run is the better first booking.
Anybody expecting to go inside somewhere. Every stop is a street, a market or a station concourse. Westminster Abbey, on the three-hour route, is seen from outside.
The black cab tours in London are listed with their hours and their caps on Black Cab London Tours.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead on both film-location routes here.
Check Availability