Premier Inn London County Hall
Why we like it: Two minutes from the London Eye and eight from Westminster. With one adult paying for breakfast, up to two children eat breakfast free.
Duration3 nights
Getting aroundTube and train, no car
Best timeSeptember – December · April – May
Book aheadStudio, theatre, Bodleian
BudgetFrom €600 pp, excluding flights
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for arriving in London on a Thursday evening and returning on Sunday night, without a car, with the hotel in Pimlico, near Victoria. Friday is for the studio; Saturday, for the London filming locations and the theatre; Sunday, for Oxford. Change the order if the performance you want is on another day, but keep the studio and Oxford on separate days.
Thursday
- 118:00Arrival and a night in a wizard's room
You arrive at the Georgian House Hotel, in Pimlico, and go down the candlelit corridor to the room behind the bookcase. Dinner in the neighbourhood and an early night.
Friday
- 109:00Train to Watford Junction and Studio Tour
Tube to Euston, a 20-minute train and a shuttle. The Great Hall, Diagon Alley, the platform with the Hogwarts Express and the castle model, about three and a half hours.
- 212:30Lunch at the Backlot Café
Halfway round, outdoors, with non-alcoholic butterbeer. Back in London mid-afternoon.
Saturday
- 108:30King's Cross and Leadenhall Market
The photo of the trolley first thing, with no queue, and the Northern line to Bank for the Leaky Cauldron market.
- 210:45Millennium Bridge and Borough Market
On foot past St Paul's to the bridge the Death Eaters destroy and, along the South Bank, to lunch at Borough Market.
- 314:30House of MinaLima and Leicester Square
The gallery of the films' graphic design, free, and the statue of Harry on his broomstick.
- 419:00Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The play at the Palace Theatre, 2 h 55 with an interval. Arrive at 18:00 for the security check.
Sunday
- 108:45Train to Oxford and Christ Church
One hour from Paddington. The staircase where McGonagall greets Harry, Ron and Hermione.
- 211:45The Divinity School and lunch at the Covered Market
Hogwarts' hospital wing, 15 minutes for £3, and lunch in the covered market.
- 314:15The New College cloister and the way back
The oak tree from The Goblet of Fire. Train back to Paddington in mid-afternoon and off to the airport.
With three nights in London you see both faces of Harry Potter in England without rushing: the studio where the sets were built and the real places where it was filmed, in the city and in Oxford, with the stage play in between. Everything is done by Tube and train. Three things need booking well ahead: the studio ticket, the performance and, if you want to go up to the Hogwarts library, the Bodleian guided tour.
What does it cost?
| What | How much | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Studio Tour | £58.50 in 2026 · £61 in 2027 | Online only, timed; under-4s free |
| Harry Potter and the Cursed Child | Depends on day and seating area | No fees on the official website; Friday Forty at £40 |
| Christ Church | From about £23 | Timed entry |
| Divinity School | £3 | 15 min; Duke Humfrey's, with a tour from £17.50 |
| New College | Online entry | Guided tours £25 to £30 |
| King's Cross, Leadenhall, Millennium Bridge, MinaLima | Free | No booking |
Where to stay
The Georgian House Hotel, in Pimlico, is the choice for this trip: its Wizard Chambers are family rooms, for two to four, and at weekends it serves a wizard's afternoon tea with 48 hours' notice. If you prefer an ordinary bed and more space, the Premier Inn County Hall, next to the London Eye, or the Citadines Holborn apartments, with a kitchen, suit the three days well.
Where to eat
At the studio, the Backlot Café halfway round; on Saturday, Borough Market next to the bridge; before the theatre, Dishoom Covent Garden, a short walk from the Palace Theatre. In Oxford, the Covered Market, which is open on Sundays too.
With children
The studio works from age 7 or 8, if they have seen the films. The stage play is long and in English: with young children, swap it for another afternoon in the centre and an early dinner. In Oxford, the Divinity School has no minimum age, but the Bodleian guided tour is for ages 11 and over; with the little ones, swap the tower or the tour for the Natural History Museum, which is free.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
London, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to London
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
Direct flight, then a train or the Tube to the centre
London has direct flights from almost all Spanish airports, in a little over two hours from Madrid or Barcelona, to four main airports. None is in the centre, but all have a fast train. In the city you do not need a car: transport is paid for with a contactless card or your phone, and for day trips (Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, Windsor, Brighton) the train leaves from the central stations.
- Getting thereHeathrow (LHR), to the west…
- Getting aroundTube and bus with a…
- Where to sleepPremier Inn County Hall, next…
- ServicesFrom Heathrow to the centre
Getting there
- Heathrow (LHR), to the west: Heathrow Express to Paddington in 15 minutes, the Elizabeth line or the Piccadilly line on the Tube, the cheapest
- Gatwick (LGW), to the south: Gatwick Express to Victoria; Brighton is on the same line
- Stansted (STN), to the north-east: Stansted Express to Liverpool Street; the closest to Cambridge
- Luton (LTN), to the north, with a shuttle to the station and a train to the centre
Getting around
- Tube and bus with a contactless or Oyster card, with a daily cap
- Trains to Oxford and Bath from Paddington, to Cambridge from King's Cross, to Brighton from Victoria
- To the Harry Potter studio, train from Euston to Watford Junction
Where to sleep
- Premier Inn County Hall, next to the London Eye, for the first night with children
- Citadines Holborn, apartments with a kitchen in the centre
Services
- From Heathrow to the centre
- From Gatwick and Stansted
- Oyster and contactless
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're flying
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Hostel
YHA London Central
Why we like it: A hostel with private family rooms, with bunk beds. The cheapest option in the centre: there are few and they sell out early.
Apartment
Citadines Holborn-Covent Garden
Why we like it: An apartment with a bedroom and a sofa bed, ten minutes' walk from Covent Garden. Being able to eat dinner in saves a lot in London.
Georgian House Hotel
Why we like it: A hotel in a nineteenth-century house in Pimlico with themed rooms: the Wizard Chambers, on the ground floor, reached along a corridor with portraits and candlelight. They have stone walls, stained glass, four-poster beds and cauldrons…
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in London
Dishoom Covent Garden
What to order: a dal and a grill dish to share.
Book before 18:00; after that only groups of 6 or more can book, and the other tables are walk-in: expect a queue
Burgers
Honest Burgers
What to order: a burger with its rosemary chips; children's menu with a drink.
Children's menu with a side and a drink · branches in the centre and next to several stations
Halfway round the Studio Tour
Backlot Café
What to order: a burger, wings or a hot dog, and a non-alcoholic butterbeer at the Butterbeer Bar.
Only with a Studio Tour ticket
Takeaway and markets
Borough Market, Southwark
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
From 14 November 2026 to 17 January 2027 the studio sets are covered in snow. If you go in those weeks, buy your ticket as soon as you have your dates: it is the season that fills up first.
We'd skip it
Squeezing the studio and Oxford into the same day with a coach excursion: they are two long half-days in different directions from London, and you see both in a hurry.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need for Harry Potter in London?
Three: one for the studio, one for the city's filming locations and the theatre, and one for Oxford.
Do I need to hire a car?
No. Everything is done by Tube, train and on foot.
What do I need to book beforehand?
The studio ticket, the theatre performance and, if you want Duke Humfrey's, the Bodleian guided tour. Christ Church and New College are best online.
How much does the plan cost?
With three hotel nights, tickets, the train to Oxford and meals, from about €600 per person, excluding flights. The theatre and the hotel are what change the total most.