Harry Potter and the Cursed Child London (spoiler-free!)

For Christmas last year Si surprised me with theatre tickets to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London. I'd wanted to see it ever since it opened in 2016. I read the screenplay a few years ago, so I was already familiar with the story. Everyone I spoke to said the play is incredible, and I couldn't wait to experience it for myself.

We caught the train down to London from Birmingham on Wednesday morning and arrived into Euston just before 12pm. This gave us enough time to head to our hotel, drop off our bags and grab a quick lunch before making our way to the theatre for Part One.

If you're not familiar with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, it's actually split into two parts. If you see both parts on the same day, the schedule goes something like this:

• Part One: starts at 2pm and lasts approx. 2 hours 40 minutes (including 20-minute interval)
• Part Two: starts at 7.30pm and lasts approx. 2 hours 35 minutes (including 20-minute interval)

So it's basically like going to see a matinee show followed by an evening show on the same day.

What did I think?

Honestly? It was magical. I was expecting it to be good, but it far exceeded my expectations. It's by far the best theatre show I have ever seen.

I won't share any spoilers (#keepthesecrets) but the story is set 19 years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The opening scene is basically the epilogue of Deathly Hallows, where Harry and Ginny are taking their son Albus Severus Potter to the Hogwarts Express to begin his first year at Hogwarts.

The production was flawless. At times I felt like I was watching real magic. There were certain scenes that made me sit up and go WOW. Our seats were located in the stalls and we had a perfect view of the stage.

If you love Harry Potter and haven't been to see the Cursed Child yet then I 100% recommend it. We re-watched all eight Harry Potter movies before seeing the show, and I'm glad we did because it helped to refresh my memory. If I'd had time I would have re-read the books too. They do reference the films/books in the play, but I don't think it necessary to have seen or read them recently to be able to enjoy the play. As long as you can remember the gist of what happened you'll be fine.

Where to eat

There are plenty of restaurants located within walking distance of the theatre. For lunch, we went for pizza at Homeslice in Neal's Yard. I'd been here once before with my mum and sisters and loved it. I had a slice of the vegan mushroom, pumpkin seed & chilli, while Si had the salami. If you're feeling hungry, they also do whole 20” pizzas, which would easily feed 2-4 people.

For dinner, we grabbed a burger at Byron. We were a bit reluctant at first to eat in a chain restaurant (especially one we have in Birmingham), but we were starving and it seemed the easiest option.

On our way back to the theatre we stopped off for dessert at Udderlicious in Covent Garden. It looked so cute from the outside. I really fancied ice cream and was happy to see they had plenty of vegan options. I had one scoop of the speculoos and another of the vegan rocky road. Both were delicious!

Where we stayed

We stayed at the St Giles Hotel, which is located near the junction of Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street. The location was perfect (less than a 10-minute walk to the theatre) and the room was bigger than I expected considering we were in central London. It was reasonably priced and I'd happily stay there again.

What else could you do while you're in London?

If you've never been to London before then make sure you check out my guide to the best touristy things to do on your first trip to London.

Our train home wasn't until 3.45pm the following day, so we decided to make the most of our time until then. We had a late breakfast at Where the Pancakes Are, then walked over to The Walkie Talkie building, as I'd booked us tickets for the Sky Garden. It's free to visit, but places are restricted so you have to book online in advance.

The Warner Bros. Studio Tour (The Making of Harry Potter) is also well worth a visit if you fancy having a full Harry Potter weekend. It's located in Watford, which is approximately a 15-20 minute train ride from London Euston. Regular shuttle buses then run between Watford Junction train station and the Studio Tour. Check the official website before you travel for more info and prices.

Have you ever been to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child?