“Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw / If you’ve a ready mind / Where those of wit and learning / Will always find their kind.” Take the Sorting Hat’s word for it—Ravenclaws aren’t only Hogwarts’ resident intellectuals, they’re also a band of curious and singular eccentrics who value standing out from the crowd (think Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw through and through).
Luckily, London offers a wealth of worthy stops for those of an erudite and alternative disposition who’ve already enjoyed a Harry Potter Studio Tour or explored London like a muggle. From atmospheric bookstores with an occult edge to world-class museums and historic pubs known for their literary associations, here’s how to tease your brain and expand your horizons, all while exploring this most magical of cities.
Just steps from the tumult of Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square lies a peculiar little street that’s said to have been the inspiration for Diagon Alley. The pedestrianized Cecil Court (nicknamed Booksellers’ Row)—with its Victorian buildings, second-hand bookshops, quirky antique stores, and vendors of curios—is the perfect place for any visiting Ravenclaw to begin their day in London. Save time to explore the 2-story Watkins Books, where you can browse a range of spiritual and esoteric titles (and stock up on crystals, tarot decks, jewelry, and other supernatural talismans at the same time).
Clever and ever-questioning, Ravenclaws never turn down the opportunity to learn or discover something new. Thankfully, London—home to more than 170 museums—is the perfect place to plan a cultural immersion. From tours that explore art museums such as the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Tate Modern to trips to view the fantastic beasts of the Natural History Museum, there’s no shortage of galleries and exhibitions to provoke your wonder. Don’t skip the stately halls of the British Museum or the miniscule and mysterious Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, either.
Sybill Trelawney, Hogwarts’ resident Divination Professor, is a well-known Ravenclaw—and given how often she prompts students to look for omens in their tea leaves, it’s only right to enjoy a traditionally British afternoon tea as a post-museum refresher. So, enjoy all the bubbly, scones, sandwiches, and sweets that you can scarf down between fortune-telling sessions, whether you pair your tea break with a trip to a royal palace or decide to clink cups aboard a double-decker bus.
Are you a true Ravenclaw if you don’t go in for intellectual debates over a drink or two? London’s historical pubs make fittingly evocative backdrops to such heady pursuits (and are the next best thing to visiting the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade—even if they don’t serve butterbeer), while a literary pub crawl lets you follow in the footsteps of luminaries such as Dickens and Orwell. For another dose of learning, complement your pub crawl with an audio tour of well-heeled Bloomsbury, the London neighborhood that was once frequented by writers including Virginia Woolf, Dylan Thomas, T. S. Eliot, and W. B. Yeats.
It’s lucky that Ravenclaws’ sharp minds aren’t dulled by a pint or two—after the sun sets, London turns positively moody, and it’s worth planning a final excursion to see the city at its most atmospheric. A scavenger hunt is just the thing for those who are always in pursuit of truth and learning—from a self-guided treasure hunt through the neighborhoods of Central London to a Harry Potter–themed exploration game, wrap up your time in the British capital with as much adventure as can be. It’s the Ravenclaw way, after all.