During lockdown the places you can visit are limited, but that means now you have the time to just wander around London. And what better spots to wander around than those featured in your favourite movies?
Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
Just a two minutes walk from London Bridge Station, you can pass by Bridget Jones’s flat and see where the beloved character lived. Think of the iconic scenes that took place outside of it, like the fight between Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. And while you are there, Borough Market is right across the street, so treat yourself to some nice street food or take home fresh and quality products.
James Bond
Pretty close to Bridget Jones’s flat is Somerset House, which was featured in the James Bond films, Golden Eye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). It’s a lovely half hour walk through London Bridge and then the sidewalk by the river, where you can admire the architecture and occasional historical monuments. Somerset House may be temporarily closed but you can still look at it from the outside and right next to it there’s Embankment tube station, where Javier Bardem escaped Daniel Craig in Skyfall (2012).
Harry Potter
A few minutes walk from Somerset House is Charing Cross Road where one of the pubs supposedly leads to the Diagon Alley, in Harry Potter. Being there also gives you an excuse to walk around the always charming Covent Garden, which for a change isn’t as crowded now. And just a quick tube ride from the station, there’s King’s Cross with its famous Platform 9 ¾ – quite unlike every other year, not packed with muggles. Outside you can see the gothic St. Pancras facade which was the background for the flying Ford Anglia in the Chamber of Secrets (2002).
Notting Hill (1999)
The whole neighbourhood was a movie set, including the lovely Rosmead Garden and the famous street that is right next to the Notting Hill Gate tube station. So grab a coffee to go and take a nice, long walk down Portobello Road while looking out for the blue Travel Book Shop where Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts first met.
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
The music biopic that won several Oscars in 2019 was also filmed in London. By visiting the site, you can see a movie location and a Queen place together at once. Wembley Stadium where the famous Live Aid concert, featuring Queen, took place right next to a park so you can enjoy the last autumn days by wandering underneath red and golden leafed trees.
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Map by Karolina Pracht on Google Maps
Words: Karolina Pracht I Subbing: Ashvin Sivakumar