I live in an English city where popular movies are filmed. From avoiding 'Harry Potter' fans to exploring the architecture, here's what it's like.

Oxford’s period architecture creates a timeless backdrop, which is one of the reasons the city is so often used as a set.

For example, Radcliffe Square is an iconic tourist attraction and common filming spot — visiting it feels like you've gone back in time.

The pedestrianized, Oxfordian square is surrounded by university buildings, with the domed Radcliffe Camera in the middle. The site has been used in films like "Toilken," "The Mummy," and "Transformers: The Last Knight."

It gets extremely busy during the summer, and I wouldn’t recommend tackling its cobble-stone paths in heels. But if you brave it, head to The Vaults and Garden for great food and people-watching. 

Many movies filmed in Oxford are set at its namesake university, including "Shadowlands," "Alice in Wonderland," and "The Golden Compass."

More notably, the school's architecturally beautiful buildings served as a backdrop for several "Harry Potter" sets.

The University of Oxford doesn’t have a central campus, instead, it’s made up of different colleges around the city. Not all of these are open to the public but many run tours. The university also owns a large proportion of the historic buildings in the city, like museums and libraries.

 Access to the famous Bodleian Library is limited, but you can walk through the quad or take tours. I even got married in the medieval Divinity School — part of the library with incredibly ornate ceilings.

Oxford's Natural History Museum houses dinosaur skeletons and a menagerie of other animals and plants.

I loved visiting when I was little, and now my prehistoric-loving children do, too.

It's a hit with filming crews as well. The museum has been featured in Marvel and "Transformers" movies, among others.

The Covered Market is an Oxford institution.

Home to independent shops, cafés, and bars, it's a unique shopping experience that can be quite sensory, with plenty to see, smell, and hear.

Expect fresh vegetables, flowers, bread, and rows of carcasses outside the butchers.

Oxford has two rivers, the River Cherwell and the River Thames. But the section of the Thames in Oxford is sometimes locally called the Isis.

I often see rowing crews in the water or spy people having a go at punting (riding a flat-bottomed boat that's propelled by a long metal pole).

The rivers create some beautiful waterside lounging and walking spots in town. For example, Port Meadow is a large (sometimes flooded) meadow next to the Thames that's home to many horses, cows, and other animals.

Oxford is a pretty compact city, which doesn't make it very driver-friendly. It can be hard to navigate and the traffic can be overwhelming.

But you wouldn't know that from the movie scenes of characters easily zooming around town and parking (in spots that are illegal in real life).

It's also an incredibly expensive city to live in, which doesn't necessarily measure up to its fairy-tale-like movie persona.

I now live outside Oxford because I couldn't afford to buy a house in the city center.

Oxford has some amazing places to visit beyond the tourist hotspots, including great independent shops and businesses.

Summertown is a bustling neighborhood home to great restaurants like Mamma Mia and Pompette. The suburb of Jericho has some incredible bars. And Magdalen Road in east Oxford is full of unique places to eat, shop, and explore.

Above all, Oxford is a beautiful city and a really wonderful place to live, work, and visit.

The famous sites are pretty magical but they're just one part of the real city. Come for the movie locations, and stay for everything else.