For fans of Harry Potter, Oxford feels like you’ve walked straight into the magical world of Hogwarts. The old buildings of Oxford’s colleges immediately call to mind the magical halls of this School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…and with good reason: many of them were used to film parts of the Harry Potter movies!
So if you’re visiting Oxford and want to explore all these filming locations for yourself on an Oxford Harry Potter tour, you’ll want to either book a guided tour or you’ll need to know all the inside tips on where to go. That’s where this guide comes in!
Whether you plan to visit all the Oxford Harry Potter locations on your own or with a tour, this post will prepare you with all you need to know to enjoy seeing these filming locations for yourself. Here, you’ll find each of the filming locations listed plus a short clip from a scene filmed there. This way you can easily view these clips while you explore the places they were filmed.
As you explore, you’ll likely discover that the city of Oxford is nearly as magical as the world of Harry Potter. So enjoy exploring the Harry Potter sights and all that Oxford has to offer on your Oxford Harry Potter walking tour!
Oxford Harry Potter Self Guided Tour
Curious about what scenes were filmed in Oxford? Thinking of taking yourself on a self guided Harry Potter walking tour? This list of filming locations will help you discover exactly where you should go to experience the best Harry Potter Oxford tour!
1. Bodley Tower Hall Staircase at Christ Church College
To start your Harry Potter tour of Oxford, I recommend first visiting the Bodley Tower Staircase as it is one of the most famous Oxford Harry Potter filming locations.
Quite a few memorable scenes were filmed here, but you may most immediately recognize it from the scene where McGonagall greets the first years (including Harry, Ron, and Hermione) when they first come to Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
However, this staircase also features in other prominent scenes throughout the series including when Harry and Ron enter Hogwarts after their ordeal with the flying car in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and then again during the scenes of Tom Riddle’s memories from Hogwarts.
Because this is one of the most memorable Oxford Harry Potter sites, it is well worth a visit. You’ll find this hall staircase inside Christ Church College…and you’d better believe it’s just as impressive and Hogwarts-y in person as it is in the movies!
Note that to enter Christ Church College you will have to pay a fee of £8-10 per person depending on the time of year you visit. Check opening hours and purchase tickets online in advance to be sure you will be allowed to enter.
2. Dining Hall at Christ Church College
Now that you’ve seen the Bodley Tower Staircase, it’s time to enter the room at the top of the stairs! This room is the Christ Church College dining hall.
If we’re being technical, filming did not actually take place in this room…but it still belongs on any Harry Potter tour in Oxford because it was the inspiration for the design of Hogwarts’ Great Hall. So yes, filming took place in a studio and not actually here, but from the moment you enter the room it is clear that there are echoes of this hall throughout Hogwarts’ dining hall.
For instance, the long tables filling the room are reminiscent of the house tables from the films…and the arrangement is the same in both cases with a head table (where the teachers sit) running perpendicular to the student tables. The architectural styles are also very similar with window placement and window arches.
During my time at Oxford University and eating dinner with fellow students in the Christ Church dining hall, there were (unfortunately) no floating candles or ceilings bewitched to look like the night sky. One can’t have everything in life, I guess! 😂 We did have to wear our academic gowns, though, so it all felt very Hogwarts chic.
Because the dining hall is in Christ Church College, it is included with the ticket you purchase to see the Bodley Tower Staircase. You should be aware, however, that the staircase and dining hall can both be very busy and there are often long lines waiting to get in…so the earlier you go the better if you want to avoid the crowds!
Note that the college also closes this dining hall during breakfast, lunch, and dinner times because it is still a working dining hall for the students at Christ Church College. If you arrive during one of these meal times, you will not be able to enter the hall until they reopen it for visitors.
3. Christ Church College Cloisters
Throughout the films, many different hallways across the UK were used as the hallways of Hogwarts. But the Christ Church cloisters are hallways of note from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
In the first Harry Potter movie, Hermione tells Harry that being a Seeker is in his blood. She then takes him to the Quidditch trophy in the hall that has his father’s name on it and reveals that his father was also a Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. If you look carefully in this scene, you’ll discover that it was filmed in these Christ Church cloisters!
Even though these cloisters might not be the most flashy of filming locations, they’re still lovely little hallways that are worth wandering through on their own merit. And you might as well include them in on your Harry Potter Oxford walking tour, because they’re already included for free with the Christ Church ticket you buy to see the staircase and dining hall! There’s also a cute little gift shop in the cloisters that is a worth a look as well.
4. Duke Humfrey’s Library
Duke Humfrey’s Library should be the next stop on your Oxford and Harry Potter tour. It’s the oldest reading room in the Bodleian Library and was built around 1450-1480, so it’s an incredible place to see for historical reasons as well as being an impressive filming location.
With its floor-to-ceiling books, a primarily wooden interior, and gorgeous painted ceilings, Duke Humfrey’s is one of my favorite libraries in Oxford. It think it’s the perfect place to study…and, as Harry thinks, it’s also the perfect place to sneak in and take a peek at the restricted section!
Duke Humfrey’s was used to film the scene where Harry tries out his invisibility cloak while searching for a book about Nicolas Flamel in the restricted section. Just like in the films, the old manuscripts and the dim lighting inside the library will make you feel like you’re right there with Harry Potter!
To visit Duke Humfrey’s Library, you’ll need to take a library tour (unless you are a student at the University of Oxford or otherwise connected with the university). There are several tour options you can choose from, depending on whether you also want to also explore some of the other amazing Oxford libraries…so check out the official library tour information to book your tickets. You can expect to pay between £6-15 depending on the tour option you choose.
5. Divinity School
On your Harry Potter filming locations tour, you should next head to the Divinity School. This room is also connected to the Bodleian Library (and is actually directly below Duke Humfrey’s) so you won’t have far to go.
The Divinity School has an amazingly intricate vaulted ceiling, but the whole room is so detailed and incredible to see. And you may immediately recognize the room because it was used as the Hogwarts Infirmary throughout several of the films!
Our first glimpse of the Divinity School is when Harry is in the infirmary after his first fight with Voldemort. We get a quite extended scene here, as Harry discusses the sorcerer’s stone and other matters with Dumbledore.
But the Divinity School is also used in many other important scenes, including the time in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when Professor McGonagall teaches the Gryffindors how to dance before the Yule Ball.
If you plan to re-watch all eight films before visiting the Harry Potter Oxford locations, then keep an eye out for all the times this beautiful room shows up. I guarantee there are many famous scenes that use the Divinity School as a backdrop!
If you’re already taking a tour of the Bodleian Library complex to see Duke Humfrey’s, then it is likely that this room is included on your tour. However, if you wish to visit it separately you can buy a ticket to enter just the Divinity School for £2.
6. New College Cloisters
Next up, it’s time visit the New College Harry Potter sights! First, you’ll want to take a minute to appreciate the New College cloisters which were sometimes used as Hogwarts’ hallways, just like the Christ Church cloisters were. You can catch a good glimpse of New College’s cloisters during the scene in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when everyone wears “Potter Stinks” badges and makes fun of Harry.
Entrance into New College costs £5 and you can buy your tickets at the entrance (Porters’ Lodge) on the day you want to visit. Check out the opening times and visitor information so you know when to visit.
7. New College Quad
While you’re at New College, you’ll also want to explore the New College Quad. This quad is enclosed by the cloisters mentioned above, and is another famous filming location from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
You’ll especially want to keep an eye out for the ancient oak tree in the quad, which is now often referred to as the New College Harry Potter tree. This is where Malfoy is sitting when he starts to taunt Harry about the Triwizard Tournament…and where Mad-Eye Moody gets mad at Malfoy and turns him into a ferret, then bounces him up and down in ferret form until McGonagall intervenes.
If you’ve purchased a ticket to New College to see the cloisters, then seeing this quad is also included in your entrance fee. You may also want to take some time to visit some other areas of the college, even the ones that weren’t used in filming, because it really is a beautiful place—and the chapel is an especially remarkable place to see!
8. Bonus: Blenheim Palace Harry Potter Tree
Now that you’ve seen all the Harry Potter filming locations in Oxford’s city center, there is one more bonus place to see just outside the city but still in Oxfordshire. This place is Blenheim Palace, and it’s one of my favorite places to go near Oxford.
For Harry Potter tour reasons, I recommend visiting Blenheim Palace to see one tree in particular that was used in the films. It’s an old tree with a hole in the trunk that can be glimpsed in Snape’s worst memory from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
But Blenheim Palace is also one of the places I recommend everyone go during an Oxford trip, for reasons beyond Harry Potter. It’s a stunning country house with extensive grounds, and it also has incredible historic value. It’s even the ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill so as you can imagine there is a lot of cool history to discover here!
If you think you want to visit Blenheim for Harry Potter reasons or just to see the place, you can read more here about how to get discounted tickets and how to find the Harry Potter tree.
Harry Potter Self Guided Tour Cost
If you’re looking for a free Harry Potter tour of Oxford, I’m sad to break it to you that it’s not really possible unless you’re a student or otherwise affiliated with Oxford University. This is because the various filming locations are part of the University of Oxford and are working institutions that charge for visitors to enter.
However, most of these locations offer entrance for a fairly low cost, and if you are a Harry Potter fan then you will definitely find them worth the price of admission! Here are the items you will need to purchase for each person in order to take the full self guided tour outlined above:
- Christ Church College entrance fee: £8-10
- New College entrance fee: £5
- Library tour: £6-15
- Blenheim Palace entrance fee: £16-27
A few of these places do have a concession fare for seniors, students, children, etc., so if you fall into one of these categories it is a good idea to inquire about a possible discount. But with all of the above included, here are the total prices for a self guided tour:
- £19-30 for Christ Church College, New College, and library tour sites.
- £35-57 for all of the above plus Blenheim Palace admission.
Oxford Harry Potter Guided Tours
While you can take a self guided Harry Potter Oxford tour, it is also possible to take a guided tour of some of the Harry Potter filming locations. This is an excellent option if you’re the type of person who prefers to take a guided tour rather than having to find the locations on your own and going through the hassle of booking all your own tickets. Here are some of the most popular Harry Potter guided tour options in Oxford:
- Harry Potter Locations Tour: This 1.5-2 hour tour takes you to see inside the film sites of New College and Christ Church College, plus the Divinity School when it is open. Included in the fee is entrance to two film location sites, a guide who will help you explore and discover Harry Potter in Oxford, plus a detailed map of the city center.
- Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland Tour: This tour takes you in depth into the world of Christ Church with two iconic favorites: Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland! Included with the ticket is a tour guide as well as entrance to Christ Church and entrance to the Divinity School. You will also receive a free map of Oxford’s city center.
- Harry Potter Studio Tour and Oxford Tour (From London): If you are staying in London but want to visit Oxford on a day trip, this could be a good option for you! Not only do you get to explore Oxford with a professional guide, but you also get to explore the Harry Potter studio near London. Included with the price is transportation, the studio tour, and a professional guided walking tour in Oxford.
Book your Oxford Harry Potter tour now to make sure there’s availability for your travel dates!
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