While growing up, I was heartbroken by a bittersweet fact: all of the Harry Potter films were made entirely in Britain, featuring British actors only. My hopes of playing Hermione were dashed at an early age, let me tell you! Luckily, the Harry Potter films also featured some incredible locations around Britain, including London, the English and Scottish countryside, and even Oxford...

Hogwarts, Scotland, or both? Even if you've never been to Edinburgh, you probably have seen it in your mind's eye – it's one of the primary locations that inspired JK Rowling as she wrote the first Harry Potter book back in the day. Rowling was living in Edinburgh at the time and the evidence of the city's distinct style is evident throughout the Wizarding World...

Despite taking place exclusively in Britain, Harry Potter and his friends rarely have tea. Maybe they're busy in class during afternoon tea times... In any event, Harry Potter fans can certainly enjoy afternoon tea with a magical twist. There are a number of great Harry Potter afternoon teas in London and across the U.K. to choose from...

London is one of the most magical cities in the world, in my opinion – and that's not even taking into account that it's the heart of Harry Potter experiences in the world. Here you can find the places that inspired J.K. Rowling to write the books in the first place and the film locations that brought the books to life on the silver screen...

In some ways, London is the epicenter for all things Harry Potter in the muggle world. In London, you can visit Platform 9¾ and dream of making your own journey to Hogwarts. From London, you can set out on a Harry Potter tour across the U.K. or to the Harry Potter studio tour. London is home to great Harry Potter walking tours and afternoon teas and tons of film locations from all eight of the Harry Potter movies...

If there's one reason I love traveling, it's to discover the magic in the world. And personally, I find some places that are more magical than others... especially Harry Potter destinations around the world – many of which you can visit when you're in London...

If you’ve ever wanted to escape the real world to visit the magical world, I feel you. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet found the real Platform 9¾ or Diagon Alley, but I have done some serious planning and scheming about how you can visit ‘magical’ sites on a Harry Potter tour. And where better to do this tour than in the U.K., specifically England and Scotland? After living in England and visiting many of these sites, I’ve decided to try and put them all together into an itinerary you can use to plan your own Harry Potter tour in the U.K. It’s a little complicated, but worth it to feel like…

Are you still waiting on your Hogwarts letter of acceptance? Me too! I’m about… 25 or so years overdue (yikes!), so I’ve decided to enter the Wizarding World in other ways whenever I can. To that end, I love seeking out Harry Potter things to do in London each time I visit my favorite city, and I’ve put together this Harry Potter bucket list in case you want to do the same...