Six Filming Locations in London That You Can Visit (+ One Cool Contest to Win Airfare!)

The City of London has been featured in countless films: from historical recreations of the Elizabethan London in Shakespeare in Love, to the Victorian Era flicks such as Sherlock Holmes, to the romantic comedies of Bridget Jones’s Diary, Notting Hill, and Love Actually. And don’t forget the slew of crime films, spy thrillers, science fiction and the “swinging London” films of the 1960s (yeah baby!!).

But truly, the film sites are even more enthralling in person. I’ve picked out six of my favourite filming locations in London, England that you can actually visit. And to win a roundtrip flight to the Big Smoke, keep reading to get the details about Flight Centre Canada’s We Love London Ticket Race on September 22!

1. Aldwych Underground Station
Films: V for Vendetta (2006), 28 Weeks Later (2007), Sherlock (2014), The Good Shepherd (2006), Atonement (2007), and many others

Aldwych Underground Station is one of London’s most mysterious places, holding secrets and memories of the city’s forgotten life and work underground. It opened to the public in 1907 as Strand, but was never heavily used. It closed nearly a century later in 1994, but if you want a tour, book one of the occasional and very popular guided tours with the London Transport Museum.

Nonetheless, visitors are drawn to the tube station for its fascinating history. In WWII, it served as an air during the Blitz, and today, is a popular set for film and TV shoots. The station was featured prominently throughout the film, V for Vendetta. In one scene, the station’s tiled exterior with its original name, Strand, appears in the news broadcasts about chaos in the streets of London.
Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/wgco5

2. The Temple Church
Film: The Da Vinci Code (2006)

In the blockbuster Da Vinci Code, Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) and Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tatou) roam the Temple Church, searching for a knight’s tomb to crack the riddle. This luminous 12^th-century church actually exists between Fleet Street and the River Thames, and truly was the headquarters of The Knights Templar order. Afterwards, visit the iconic Westminster Abbey, where the “knight interred by a Pope” (Sir Isaac Newton) was laid to rest.
Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/YR09T 

3. Bedale Street
Film: Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001)

Walk along Bedale St. to see the entrance to Bridget’s (Renee Zellweger) flat, above The Globe (8 Bedale Street). Nearby, there’s the faux “Greek restaurant” where Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) and Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) get into a brawl. It’s actually a wine shop called Bedales at 5 Bedale Street,but the street and the staircase case are recognizable right away. Then stroll through the Borough Market, where Bridget skulks after busting Cleaver with “Lara, from the New York office.”
Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/y709v

4. Blackfriars Bridge
Film: Match Point (2005)

London is the real star of Woody Allen’s dark thriller, Match Point. Famous city sites flash across the screen, such as the London Eye, the Royal Opera House, the Houses of Parliament, and the London Gherkin (Chris’ office). You can see where Chris throws the incriminating evidence of Nola’s murder into the Thames, located on Queen’s Walk at the end of Hopton Street, just beneath Blackfriars Bridge.

5. Kings Cross Station
Films: Harry Potter (all of ‘em!)

The Hogwarts Express departs from Kings Cross, so the station has appeared in every Harry Potter film. Visit platforms 4 and 5, which were used for filming, and take a photo pushing a trolley through to a magical world at the wall marked Platform 9 ¾. Don’t forget to visit the Harry Potter shop, built to resemble Ollivander’s wand shop.

6. Tower Bridge
Films: Just too many to list!

This iconic landmark provides the dramatic backdrop for many films, such as V for Vendetta, Mission Impossible, Tomb Raider, The Mummy Returns and Thunderbirds. Bridget Jones walks across Tower Bridge in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Shot early one morning, the people walking across the bridge are extras.

Craving a Dose of London? Enter the We Love London Ticket Race!

To celebrate their 20th Anniversary, Flight Centre Canada is giving away 20 roundtrip airfares to London, England! All you have to do is participate in the We Love London Ticket Race – a thrilling, all-day sight-seeing event that takes hopeful travellers on a whirlwind race around the city. It’s happening in Toronto on Tuesday, September 22nd from 9 am to 5 pm, with a clue being revealed every hour.

It’s basically a Scavenger Hunt: hourly clues will be posted on Flight Centre’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. Crack the codes and then rush to the secret Toronto locations, re-created as iconic London experiences. The first person to arrive with the secret word (as revealed on social media) will win roundtrip airfare to London.

Plus, every racer receives a boarding pass to the London-themed after party, where you can sup on British hors d’oeuvres, drink English pints, snap tourist photos and get another chance to win round-trip flights and more great prizes.

As Austin Powers would say, “Smashing, baby!”

For more information about the event, please visit www.flightcentre.ca/ticketrace

Find Flight Centre Canada online:
www.facebook.com/FlightCentreCA
Twitter and Instagram: @FlightCentreCA
#FCLovesLondon