7 best film walks in London
Ready, set, action! Rachel Mills takes a tour around the best film walks in the UK capital
London has oodles of history and there are world famous landmarks on every corner, so it makes sense that the city stars as a backdrop to so many blockbuster films. Some locations are iconic and impossible to miss, like St Paul’s Cathedral or the riverside Mi6 building, some are fictional, like Platform 9 ¾, and some are inspirational, like Leadenhall Market. Take a guided walking tour to go behind the scenes on your favourite movie and learn how it was brought to life.
Mary Poppins walking tour of London
Both the 1964 Disney musical the 2018 sequel are covered in this two-hour City of London Mary Poppins walking tour. The walk takes in iconic landmarks including St Paul’s Cathedral and the Royal Exchange Building, where you may need more than a tuppence to invest these days.
Paddington Bear walking tour of London
Voted best animated character of all time, Paddington, the bear from deepest, darkest Peru, is a British icon, who even took tea with the late Queen. This family-friendly west London walking tour of Paddington sites starts – of course – at Paddington railway station where the Brown’s first met Paddington, and takes in Mr Gruber’s Antique Shop on Portobello Road. Pack your own marmalade sandwiches.
Sherlock Holmes walking tour
There have been many adaptations of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous fictional detective stories, and you can see his Victorian London on the big and small screen. This walking tour by visitlondon.com, the official guide to London, takes in some of the Robert Downey Jr shooting locations, including Middle Temple Lane and St Pauls Cathedral.
James Bond film location tour in London
007 sightseeing is almost obligatory in London, and this walking tour from Charing Cross to Vauxhall along the Thames takes in some key Bond sites. See the real Mi6 featured in GoldenEye (1995), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Die Another Day (2002), SkyFall (2012) and SPECTRE (2015), as well as Trafalgar Square, the Mall and Whitehall.
Harry Potter’s magical London
J.K. Rowling was inspired by London and many of the city’s famous locations are in the various Harry Potter films. Join this walking tour to relive classic Potter scenes, from Leadenhall Market (inspiration for Diagon Alley and the film location for the entrance to Leaky Cauldron pub in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone), to the Millennium Bridge (which collapsed after being attacked by Death Eaters in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince). Muggles welcome.
Bridget Jones walking tour of London
None of us know how Bridget Jones could afford her own place in central London age 32 on a publishing salary, but on this tour you get to see the door to her fabled flat! Other filming locations include Tower Bridge (for that power walk) and the Inns of Court where the oh-so-attractive human rights barrister Mark Darcy works. The two hours is mostly on foot, but there’s a quick hop on the tube, too.
City on Screen self-guided walk
If you prefer a solo saunter around London to take in as many film locations as you can in one outing, this self-guided walk published by the City of London Corporation takes in a staggering amount of famous film scenes, including Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994).
