What to do · London
Platform 9¾ and the Harry Potter shop at King's Cross
Information
- Price
- Free; the photo taken by the shop's photographers is paid separately
- Duration
- 45 min
- Season
- All year · shop Monday to Saturday 8:00 to 22:00 and Sunday 9:00 to 20:00
- Who it's for
- All ages; with children, first thing in the morning
The luggage trolley disappearing into the wall is the most repeated photo in London among fans, and it is free. It is in the station concourse, beside the shop, outside the ticket barriers: you do not need a train ticket.
Was it really filmed here?
Yes. King's Cross is a filming location, not just a set with a sign. According to the Leavesden studio, most of the platform scenes were filmed at this station: the first shot filmed for The Philosopher's Stone and, ten years later, the last of the whole series, in The Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Today the platforms are ordinary platforms, with nothing from the filming. The platform with the red locomotive and the carriages you see inside was rebuilt on a studio set: if you want to board the train, that is at the Studio Tour.
What is in the concourse is something else: a themed corner set up for visitors, with the trolley and the Platform 9¾ sign, and next to it the Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9¾, a shop with five zones, clothing for the four houses, wands, sweets and its own Platform line.
How does the photo work?
You queue in order of arrival, they give you a scarf of the house you choose and you take the photo with your own phone. If you wish, the shop's photographers take one and you buy it printed or digital at the till; it is not compulsory. The trolley is only there while the shop is open (Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 22:00, Sunday from 9:00 to 20:00); outside those hours the Platform sign stays on the wall for as long as the station is open. Groups of more than ten people ask staff for a slot on arrival.
During English school holidays and at weekends the queue gets longer. First thing in the morning, especially on weekdays, it moves quickly.
Tips
- Go first thing or last thing At 8:00 on a Tuesday there is almost no queue; on a Saturday mid-afternoon, a lot.
- Decide the house beforehand The scarf they put on you is of the house you ask for, and there is a lot of arguing in the queue.
- Combine it with the train If you are going to the Studio Tour, the train leaves from Euston, ten minutes on foot from King's Cross.
- Personalisation in the shop They make robes, trunks and the acceptance letter with your name; ask how long it takes before you pay.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to pay for the photo at Platform 9¾?
No. You can take the photo for free with your own phone. You only pay for the one taken by the shop's photographers, if you want it.
Do I need a train ticket?
No. The trolley and the shop are in the concourse, before the barriers.
Is it open at night?
The trolley, only during shop hours. The Platform sign stays in view while the station is open.
Were the platform scenes filmed here?
Most of them, yes, according to the studio. The platform with the train you can visit today is a reconstruction at Leavesden.
With young childrenAs a familyWith teenagers
