London’s famous rom-com filming locations

The season of romantic comedies is finally here, and over the years, London has been the setting of quite a few classics. Here’s a look at where some of the city’s most famous rom coms were filmed.

While many will plan to snuggle up to watch love-filled movies over the next week for Valentine‘s Day, London-based timeless flicks Bridget Jones Diary and Notting Hill are sure to be some of the many go-to options.

The two are just some of the beloved rom-coms that were filmed around the city. Here are a few more movies that used the capital as a setting.

Named after the west London district in Kensington and Chelsea, it’s probably no surprise to hear the area was also used for the filming of the flick. One of the late nineties movie’s most iconic locations was the bookstore owned by Hugh Grant’s character, William Thacker. In the film 142 Portobello Road was where William and famous Hollywood actress Anna Scott meet as she pops by in search of a book.

The famous blue door that led to William’s flat in the movie is also nearby and can be found on Westbourne Park Road. While the flat’s interior was filmed in a studio elsewhere, visitors can still see the iconic outside facade featured in the film.

The capital also featured in the Bridget Jones films and was the location of her London flat. The spot that was used was for her famous abode was in the central city on the doorstep of Borough Market and the pub, the Globe Tavern, on Bedale Street. 

While Sliding Door audiences see Gwyneth Paltrow’s character Helen Quilley contemplate life after getting fired from her job at Embankment station, filming didn’t actually take place there but instead were shot at both Waterloo and Fulham Broadway.

Following Simon Pegg’s character Dennis on a marathon to win back his former fiancée who he previously left at the alter, Dennis trains across the capital from Covent Garden to Canary Wharf before reaching the finish line at St Paul’s Cathedral.

The time-travelling flick features a few different familiar spots around the city, including the Maida Vale underground station where Tim and Mary get the Bakerloo line from, but perhaps what cements its setting in the city is the brief cameo of Abbey Road, which was, of course, made famous by The Beatles.