All aboard the Hogwarts Express! It’s not everyday a witch or wizard gets to head off to start (or continue) their magical education. Luckily, you can too at Platform 9 3/4 in London! J.K. Rowling made King’s Cross Station famous in 1998 when she described the gateway to Hogwarts. For the muggles (you know, non-wizarding people) out there, Platform 9 3/4 in London is situated between platforms 9 and 10 and you run at the barrier to reach the train to Hogwarts.
NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VISITING PLATFORM 9 3/4 IN LONDON
⋙ IT’S COMPLETELY FREE – Visiting Platform 9 3/4 in London is 100% free, as is taking your own photo! From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. they provide scarves for you to borrow for a photo op. There are also professional photographers who will take your photo for purchase, but you can take your own for free too!
⋙ IT’S OPEN 24/7 – Although the photographers aren’t there 24/7, as long as the train station is open, you can visit Platform 9 3/4 in London any time you want! If you go outside of the hours of 9 a.m. – 9 p.m., you’ll need to be sure to bring your own scarf and camera!
⋙ THERE’S AN ADORABLE SHOP THERE – When the photographers take your photo, you have to go into the shop to purchase the photos they take. In addition to finding photos, you’ll find some of the coolest Harry Potter souvenirs! It was very hard for me to resist purchasing every single one.
⋙ PARTICIPATE IN THE FUN LITTLE CONTESTS; YOU JUST MIGHT WIN – While we were there, they were running a little contest for “the best jump photo”. Matt and I went all out being goofy as heck and we won the contest! What did we win? A one-way ticket to Hogwarts, of course!
⋙ BE PREPARED FOR A BIT OF A WAIT – We waited for about 20 minutes to take our photos. The great thing here is everyone was excited and super patient because you’re so caught up in the magic! The people working there (again between 9am-9pm) make it really fun and make sure it runs super smoothly.
WHERE IS PLATFORM 9 3/4 IN LONDON
Platform 9 3/4 is indeed located in King’s Cross Station. However, it isn’t actually between Platform 9 3/4 because there are just tracks between those two platforms. It is over by Platforms 9 and 10, but just on the wall made to look just like the barrier they created for the film. Here you’ll find a luggage cart half-way through the barrier with a Platform 9 3/4 sign above it for the perfect photo op.
FOUR REASONS TO VISIT PLATFORM 9 3/4 BETWEEN 9 AM + 9PM
⋙ THE PHOTOGRAPHERS – The photographers there know how to perfectly frame the photos. Matt did a great job on and his mom’s and my photos, but us non-professionals might not do so hot. We lucked out that they nailed Matt’s and my couple shot AND they were able to get a group photo of the three of us!
⋙ THE WORKERS IN LINE MAKE IT MAGICAL – The workers at Platform 9 3/4 make the shots magical! Wonder how our scarves look so magical and floaty? There are people behind-the-scenes making the magic happen. They do a countdown and then throw the scarf perfectly for that perfect, magical shot.
⋙ THE PROPS – They have scarves from every house and wands there for you to make the perfect photograph. Of course, you can pack your own props or HP outfits. When we visited Platform 9 3/4 in London it was part of our year-long trip so I didn’t bring my wand(s) (yes, I have more than one) or any other accessories. So, I was very happy to borrow theirs.
⋙ THE SHOP – Like I said earlier, the shop is filled with some of the greatest Harry Potter memorabilia! Mugs, stuffed animals, wands, tees, scarves and so much more!
IS PLATFORM 9 3/4 IN LONDON WORTH VISITING
100% YES! I’m a huge Harry Potter fan and getting to experience this was one of the highlights of my three weeks in London. I think even if you’re just a moderate Harry Potter fan, you’d enjoy this stop. I think one of the things I love most about Harry Potter is the verisimilitude of the wizarding world that JK Rowling created. You just can’t help but get caught up in the magic of anything Harry Potter related. If you’re obsessed with Harry Potter, like I am, this is an absolute MUST.
BE PREPARED FOR ANY HARRY POTTER ADVENTURE WITH YOUR HP GEAR:
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