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“I solemnly swear I am up to no good,” says the 30-something-year-old Harry Potter fan (aka – me). One is never too old (or young) to experience the dazzling magic of a good fantasy story, am I right? Being a big Harry Potter fan, you bet I put this Harry Potter studio tour as a must-do on our itinerary.
Though select scenes were filmed in the city of London, the Warner Bros. Studio in Leavesden (about 20 miles NW of London) is where much of the filming and work on the series of films actually took place. It also houses a large collection of set pieces and props from the movies!
If you’re looking for the ultimate Harry Potter fan experience, I don’t know how it can get any better than this!
History of the WB Harry Potter Studio
Over the course of 10 years of filming the movie series, the cast and crew called the Leavesden studio home. Many of the sets, costumes and props were saved and preserved in case a need for use arose in any of the subsequent films. When filming was done, they had so many things leftover, it only made sense to create a tour for fans to enjoy these treasures up close and personal!
In March of 2012, the doors of the WB Harry Potter Studio officially opened to the public for tours. I’m thankful that I waited to visit London so that I could include this in our travel experience!
Getting to the WB Harry Potter Studio
Logistics are very important getting to the WB studio since it is outside of the city of London itself. That being said, there are a couple of ways to get to the studio from London:
- Via car (self-drive): Parking is available onsite free of charge (Directions listed here: https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/getting-here)
- Via train: Take the train from London to the closest station to the studio, Watford Junction. Direct trains leave from London Euston Station (20-minute journey) and Birmingham New Street (1-hour journey). You’ll then need to transfer to a shuttle bus which runs every 20 minutes from the station. Note that you must already have a valid ticket for entry to the WB Studio to utilize the shuttle service. Single tickets are £2.00, and return tickets are £2.50.
- Via bus tour (easiest method): There are numerous tour companies that will take you directly from London to the studio. We booked our tour through Golden Tours so we would not have to stress over car or train travel. More on that below.
Traveling with Golden Tours
As mentioned above, we wanted the least amount of hassle as possible. Not having been to London before, we did not want to rent a car (driving in, around, and to/from the city is pretty insane if you ask me!). Taking the train seemed like it left too much room for error.
So, we decided on a “tour” with Golden Tours, which is really just a bus ride from Central London to the studio that includes your entry ticket. Golden Tours is also the preferred tour company for WB Studios so I felt pretty solid with my choice.
As a little bonus, they will play one of the Harry Potter movies on small screens throughout the bus. You won’t have time to watch a full movie, but it’s a nice little touch!
Cost of the Tour
Tickets (with transport) start at £77.00, depending on the day of your choosing. We paid around $110 USD per person in 2018 (around £84 – give or take a few depending on the current exchange rate).
We also went in May when prices seem to be a bit higher. If you travel in the off season, you can save a few pounds/dollars.
Booking the Tour
You can book directly on the studio’s website here or via Viator.com.
Tour Meeting Location
We booked our tour with the departure point at Victoria Station. There’s a Golden Tours office located there, and just a stone’s throw away, you’ll find the bus (adorned with the Harry Potter logo), and the area for the line to board.
Be sure to have your vouchers to present to the tour operator. They will exchange your voucher for your actual tickets to get into the studio, as well as your pass to get back on the bus to head back to London.
If your departure location is anywhere but Victoria Station, I would suggest contacting Golden Tours ahead of time for logistical details.
Studio Tour Pro Tips
- Book early! I’m serious about this. As soon as you have your trip to England booked and you know what day you want to visit the studio, book your tickets. They can sell out months in advance, as this is a very popular attraction!
- Choose the earliest entry time possible. It may mean you need to get up early for the bus ride, but it’s worth it to get to the studio as early as you can before it gets really busy.
Arrival at the WB Studio
Upon arriving at the studio, once we passed through the ticket entry point, we were greeted with a long hallway of famous quotes from the movie. Nothing like a little word magic to get you hyped up for the tour!
Fun Fact: The Prisoner of Azkaban is one of my favorite of the films, hence my choice of quote below.
Pre-Tour
If you arrive before your scheduled tour time, you can grab some snacks, drinks or brekkie at the Lobby Cafe before your scheduled entry time. You can also browse the gift shop (this would be the best time to pick up a wand if you don’t already have one), or just admire the main lobby area plastered with giant photos of the cast, and the lovely blue Goblet of Fire!
We sat down and had some croissant sandwiches since we hadn’t had any breakfast before we got on the bus, and were still able to get in about 15 minutes before our scheduled entry time.
Passport Book
Get one before your start your tour! I didn’t know about this before our visit, but they provide guests with a passport booklet (upon request), which includes a Golden Snitch hunt, puzzles and trivia to enhance your tour. I’m so sad I didn’t get one!
You can ask for a passport from any staff member at any point in your tour, and souvenir stamps are available at key points in the tour (such as Gringott’s Bank and Platform 9 ¾).
Digital Guides
Digital guides are available before your tours for an extra cost (unless pre-booked with your entry ticket). We opted not to get guides on our visit, though I wonder if it would be easier than stopping to read all the different informational placards everywhere.
Once you make it through the hall to the main lobby area, you’ll queue up in line and they’ll let you through in groups.
The WB Studio website is excellent about providing directions on what to expect throughout your experience if you need more info: https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/when-you-arrive
Tour Info
The “Studio Tour” is mostly self-guided except for the beginning portion where a guide goes through an intro presentation, and takes you through to a seated pre-show on a big movie screen.
The guide will also take you through the iconic set of the Great Hall, say a few words, and then let you disperse into the first section of studio the for your self-guided tour.
Tour Duration
The length of the tour really depends on the pace you want to move at. We had about 3.5 hours in the studio before having to get onto our return bus. That was definitely plenty of time for us. If you have a group of kids, you may feel a little rushed if they want to spend time lingering at any one particular spot or if you want to read every bit of information on every placards.
Regardless, always keep the time in mind as you don’t want to miss your scheduled return bus.
Video & Photos
Video and photos are permitted with handheld cameras and phones (except during the pre-show “movie” and any green screen areas throughout the studio). I took a ton of photos, but the lighting inside the studio is pretty dark and not really conducive to getting perfect shots. Oh well! It’s all about making memories right?
The Great Hall
Get ready for all the Harry Potter feels!
The Great Hall is such a great intro to the studio tour. As soon as you walk into the massive hall, all those feelings of nostalgia come flowing in. Walking through one of the most iconic sets from the movies where so many memorable scenes were filmed is amazing! I mean, how many times have you wished you were feasting with all the others at Hogwarts?
The Great Hall is also home to costumes from each of the houses, as well as many of the professors.
Studio Tour – Part A (Sets, Props & Costumes)
***WARNING: Spoiler photos ahead!***
The studio tour itself is broken up into two main sections, with a break in between at the Backlot. For ease, I’ll just refer to the main sections as Part A and Part B.
In Part A of the tour, you’ll find most of the sets, props, and costumes. You’ll likely find that you spend the bulk of the studio tour in this first section just because there is SO much to see here.
The Forbidden Forest
One of the larger sets on the tour is the Forbidden Forest, where you’ll find the likes of Buckbeak and Aragog with his spider friends. Some scenes for the forest in the movies were shot on location outside of the studio. However, a large portion were filmed in the studio with giant sets and art installments to make it come alive.
The pieces at the studio today are just a small sampling of some of the items that they used. I’m always amazed at how much work really goes into the creation of movie sets. It’s really neat to be able to get even a glimpse of that in person!
Platform 9 ¾ & Hogwarts Express
Of course, we must not forget Platform 9 ¾ and Hogwarts Express! Most of the scenes of Platform 9 ¾ were filmed at the King’s Cross Station in Central London. However, they did recreate part of it for filming scenes in the Deathly Hallows Part II, which is what you’ll find at the studio.
Here, you’ll find all of the goodies that the Hogwarts students bought on the train rides (expensive chocolate frogs anyone?).
Now is not the time to be shy! Be that cheesy tourist – that super fan. Life is too short not to have fun and enjoy the small things, including pretending you are on your way through Platform 9 ¾ with the rest of ’em.
The Backlot & Butterbeer
About halfway through the tour, we emerged at the Backlot area of the studio (including the Backlot Cafe) and the Butterbeer stand. If you need a break for food, this is the one place to do it!
Butterbeer
If you want to have a taste of some authentic Butterbeer, this is the only place at the studio where you can partake. Souvenir tankards are available at a premium cost, which of course we purchased. I’ll probably be reusing mine for actual beer in the future!
I had no idea what Butterbeer was supposed to taste like. To be honest, I did not have really high hopes. However, I actually quite enjoyed it! The taste is like a butterscotch soda with a frothy whipped cream topping. Much better than expected. They also serve Butterbeer ice cream, which I wished we would have also tried as I hear it’s supposed to be delicious.
Food Menu for the Backlot Cafe can be found here: https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/food-drink
Outdoor Set Pieces
When we finished with our Butterbeer, we wandered around the Backlot admiring the outdoor set pieces. In this area, you’ll find the infamous Knight Bus, Harry’s house at Privet Drive, the wooden Hogwarts Bridge, and the Potters’ home (destroyed by Voldemort).
You can take a brief walk through a part of the Privet Drive house as well, which is staged with the scene of the flying letters from Hogwarts.
Studio Tour – Part B (Art Department)
Once we passed through the Backlot, we headed into Part B of the studio tour, which focuses on the art aspects of the movies. This includes animatronics, models, concept art and items relating to a lot of the different creatures such as masks and hats.
As much as I loved the first part of the studio tour with all the sets and costumes, I felt this part of the tour showed you more behind the scenes of what was involved in the making of the movies.
Love me some Dobby!
They have such attention to detail in some of these pieces. It’s incredible! One of my favorites was an animatronic Hagrid head that we thought was pretty realistic looking.
Diagon Alley & Hogwarts Model
Last but not least, my favorite set pieces were in Part B of the studio tour – Diagon Alley and the enormous model of Hogwarts. They used a large Hogwarts model to film all the exterior scenes of the school (unfortunately, there is no Hogwarts castle in real life!).
At the very end of the tour, you’ll come up on the pièce de résistance – the model of Hogwarts Castle. It was my absolute favorite set piece and I was in awe of just how beautiful (and big) it was. Maybe it was the ambient blue and purple lighting, but we definitely lingered in here and took in the views from every angle of this thing.
Put this on the list of things that make you say, “wow.” Bravo, Warner Bros. What a great finale!
Ending the Tour
The tour spits you out where you started in the main area with the café and gift shop. I brought home a few souvenirs from the shop and we sat down to have some ciders before getting on the bus.
Tour Regrets
- Only trying the Butterbeer drink and not the ice cream
- Not buying a wand at the start of the tour to pretend like I am casting spells all over the studio
- Not getting an Activity Passport at the start of the tour to make things extra fun (Snitch hunt, hello!!!)
- Being too shy to jump on the green screen broom and pretend I was going for the Snitch in typical Harry fashion
- Drinking too much cider before getting back onto the bus for a long ride back to London without a bathroom in sight
Would I go on this Harry Potter studio tour again? Absolutely. Many thanks to my husband for indulging on this one. If you are a big fan, you’ll probably find something new to gawk at time and time again.
“Mischief managed.”
>>Read More: One Week in London Itinerary
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Hello! Loved your review. We just booked with Golden Tours for a May 2023 visit. Did you use Golden Tours last May as well?
Awesome Helen, thanks for checking it out! We traveled in May 2018 actually. I want to go back to the WB studio next time we are in London!