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Taking a Harry Potter Studio Tour in London: Everything You Need to Know

Last updated: April 9, 2024 . Written by Laurence Norah - 24 Comments

If you’re a Harry Potter fan visiting the UK, the chances are high that you want to take the Harry Potter Studio Tour near London. This tour, of the Warner Bros. Studio where the majority of the films were shot, is a fascinating experience, and well worth doing even if you’re not a Harry Potter fan.

You can visit places like the Great Hall, the railway station, various filming locations from inside Hogwarts, the Forbidden Forest, and even Diagon Alley.

As well as visiting the film sets, you will also learn all about how the films were made, see many of the props from the movies, get to participate in some green screen magic, have the opportunity to try Butterbeer, and of course, buy all the Harry Potter merchandise you can imagine!

In this guide we’re going to go through everything you need to know to visit the Harry Potter Studios, including how to get there, how to get tickets, information for making the most of your day, and lots more! Let’s get started by answering some questions you may have.

Where Was Harry Potter Filmed?

Harry Potter was filmed all across the UK, at real world locations such as Glenfinnan Viaduct, Alnwick Castle, Glencoe in Scotland and Leadenhall Market in London . See our full guide to Harry Potter filming locations in the UK for more.

The interior sets and the majority of the rest of the films were shot at the Warner Bros. Studio in Leavesden, just outside London.

Where is the Harry Potter Studio Tour?

The Harry Potter Studio Tour takes place in the Warner Bros. Studio, which is found in Leavesden, England. This is around 20 miles northwest of London.

The Warner Bros. Studio is a fully working film studio, one of the largest in the UK, and many films have been shot here, including the whole Harry Potter franchise as well as some of the Star Wars,   Batman , and Mission: Impossible films.

Harry Potter Studio Opening Times

You will definitely want to check the website for up-to-date opening times, but generally throughout the year the studio is open from 8.30am through to 10pm. More specifically:

• Doors open at 8.30am
• First tour starts at 9am
• Final tour starts at 6.30pm
• Studio closes at 10pm

These times do vary by day. In terms of dates, the Studio is open every day of the week. There are some exceptions, it is closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day (25th and 26th of December).

How Much Does the Harry Potter Studio Tour Cost?

Prices for the standard tour are as follows (correct as of April 2024).

• Adult: £53.50
• Child aged 5-15: £43
• Childer Under 4: Free
• Family: £172
• Carer: Free

For a family, this can be either 2 adults and 2 children, or 1 adult and 3 children.

You can also purchase more expensive tour packages, but these are the basic prices. Note that these are just entry prices, and don’t include any transport.

Is the Harry Potter Studio Tour Accessible?

The Harry Potter Studio Tour is accessible, and visitors can bring one carer free of charge with proof of entitlement.

For the studio itself, the majority of it is level and accessible for wheelchair users. There are some exceptions, such as the Hogwarts Bridge and the Knights Bus. Diagon Alley also includes an incline and cobbled streets.

Wheelchairs and mobility scooters are permitted but mobility scooters cannot be wider than 86cm.

Visitors with assistance dogs are welcome and water bowls can be provided. There’s also a dedicated toilet area for assistance dogs.

For visitors with a hearing impairment, induction loops can be provided. A portable iPad is also available (this must be booked in advance), which can provide a subtitled version of some of the films. It’s also possible to book a BSL tour in advance.

For more information on accessibility and any other needs you have, please visit the accessibility section of the official website.

How to Get to the Harry Potter Studio Tour

You have two major options for getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tour – you can take a tour which includes your transport, or you can make your own way there using either public transport or a car.

We’ll go through both of these options so you can make the right decision as to which is going to be best for you.

Certainly, the easiest option for getting to the Harry Potter Studios is to take a tour which includes your return transport.

These tours leave from various locations around London (and other parts of the UK), and included in the price of your tour will be pre-booked timed entry to the Studio Tour and return transport to and from a pick-up point.

Note that most tours do not include a guide inside the experience as it is largely self-guided. However, you can book a tour, such as this one , which does include a guide for the time inside the studio as well. When choosing tours, do check how long they give you at the studio. You will generally want a minimum of three hours, although you might find four hours will be more suitable if you want to experience everything.

Some options include:

• This tour  which departs from the Victoria Coach Station in London
• Another tour with departure from Victoria Coach Station in London
• A slightly longer tour giving you 4 hours at the studio, with departure from Kings Cross Station, London
• This is a fully guided tour which includes return transport and a guide throughout the experience.
• This tour of the Harry Potter studios , which includes return transport from central London hotels
• If you want to do more on your day, this tour includes a tour of Oxford as well as the Studios , with departures from Great Portland Street, London
• This tour , with one of our favorite walking tour companies Take Walks includes a short walking tour of central London (including some Harry Potter filming locations in London ), followed by round trip transport to the studio and entry to the Studio Tour for four hours. We’ve done this tour and it is a good option although does make for a full day.

As you can see, there are lots of options! We’ve got more on all of these in the section below on how to buy your tickets for the Studio Tour.

By Public Transport

From central London, it’s fairly easy to get to the Harry Potter Studios by public transport. You will take the train from Euston Station to Watford Junction.

Then you need to take a dedicated shuttle bus operated by the Studio Tour that runs from just outside Watford Junction Station (it is well sign posted), that takes you directly to the studios.

For the train, you can either buy your tickets in advance here , or you can pay on the day using a contactless or Oyster card. This will require you to tap in and tap out using the yellow card readers. Note that Oyster cards and contactless cards do not work beyond Watford Junction, so don’t go any further than this.

See our  guide to buying and using the Oyster card in London , and our  guide to paying for public transport in London  for more information on using these forms of payment for travel in and around London.

For the shuttle bus, this is included in the price of your entry ticket. To board the bus you will need to have a valid pre-purchased ticket to the Harry Potter Studios, or proof of a ticket booking confirmation (printed or on your phone).

Getting to the Harry Potter Studios by car is relatively easy. Depending on the time of day, exact departure location and traffic, the drive from central London takes around an hour to ninety minutes.

From Oxford it’s around an hour, and it’s around two hours from Birmingham. Visitors with valid pre-purchased Studio tickets can take advantage of free parking on site. Note you cannot enter the parking area without a valid ticket or booking confirmation for that day.

Where to Buy Harry Potter Studio Tour Tickets

If you are making your own way to the Harry Potter studios, you have to buy your ticket in advance from the official website . You cannot turn up without a ticket, and tickets are not for sale on site.

Tickets go on sale well in advance, but despite the site having capacity for up to 6,000 people a day, they tend to sell out far in advance, so you will want to plan as far ahead as possible.

The summer months, weekends, and school holidays are the busiest days of the year for the Studio so we recommend that you book as far in advance as you can if you are visiting over those periods.

Weekdays often have better availability, so if you are flexible, look at different days of the week to maximise your chances of getting a ticket.

Tickets are for timed entry, which helps the studios manage visitor numbers throughout the day. Whilst there is no limit to how long you can stay after you enter, you do need to enter the attraction at the time you book. There is a little bit of flexibility in this, but it’s best not to show up hours later than your time to avoid disappointment.

The WB Studios Tour folks recommend you arrive at the site at least 20 minutes before your ticket time so you can go through the security checks.

If you can’t buy a ticket from the official site, don’t worry, you still have lots of options.

First, you can opt to take a tour with a tour company, as these have a different ticket allocation system. Whilst this will be slightly more expensive, at least you will still be able to go, and it will include transport as well. See here for some of the tour options available, and here for even more !

Another option is to book a Deluxe Tour, which includes a two-hour guided tour of the studios, a photo package, a hot meal, butterbeer, souvenir guidebook and special designated parking. Following the guided tour, you are free to explore yourself. As Deluxe Tours are more expensive, they tend to have better availability.

Deluxe Tours can be booked directly with the Studios, subject to availability, on the official site here .

How Long Does the Harry Potter Studio Tour take?

The regular tour itself is self-guided, other than an introduction at the beginning, so you can take as long as you like to wander the studios.

The average length of a visit is around three and a half hours, and that is what the studio estimates most people will take and forecast their capacity around.

This is also about the amount of time that most tour companies will give you, although some offer a bit more time on site, so if you think you will need more time, be sure to pick a tour company that offers more time.

Where to Stay Near the Harry Potter Studios

The majority of visitors to the Harry Potter Studios visit from London as a day trip, and choose a hotel in London. If you go down this route, you might want to consider a hotel that makes it easier to get to the studios, be that by public transport or on one of the tours.

We’ve suggested some options below, as well as some hotels near the Studios themselves if you want to be really close.

Note that hotels in London are relatively expensive, especially those located near major attractions, and rooms aren’t always huge. However, we’ve picked what we think are a good choice for you.

We also recommend reading our guide to where to stay in London for some suggested options across all budgets.

Hotels near London Victoria train station (where most bus tours depart)

• Comfort Inn Buckingham Palace Road – great value 3* property just 5 minutes walk from London Victoria train station
• The Resident Hotel – well reviewed 4* property, five minutes from London Victoria.
• Lime Tree Hotel – A well reviewed boutique hotel, around nine minutes walk from London Victoria
• Walrus Bar and Hostel – it’s not too close to London Victoria (15-20 minutes by public transport, or a 35 minute walk), but it’s very central and is a great budget option for London in general

Hotels near Euston train station (for the train)

• YHA London St. Pancras – a good value budget option a short walk from both Euston and Kings Cross stations. Offers both private and dormitory style rooms
• Comfort Inn and Suites King Cross – a great mid-range option, with all rooms coming with a kitchenette
• Point A Hotels – comfortable, cosy rooms, part of the well rated budget-friendly Point A hotel chain
• Radisson Blu Edwardian – luxury, boutique accommodation, a short walk from Euston station

Hotels near the Harry Potter Studios

• Mercure London – one of the closest hotels to the actual studios, this would be a good option if you are driving and want to be as close as possible
• Holiday Inn Express London – right next to Watford Junction, this mid-range and well reviewed property is convenient for both trains to London, and for the studio shuttle
• Jurys Inn London Watford – another great mid-range option, just a short walk from Watford Junction train station

Our Harry Potter Studio Tour Review and Experience

Now for the fun stuff! Although, if you want your visit to be a surprise, you might want to skip this section, as you now have everything you need to know in order to visit.

Still, if you want an idea of what to expect from your visit, read on, and we’ll share our own experiences of visiting the Harry Potter Studios! We have actually visited a few times over the years, both via a tour and using our own transport, and well talk about that a bit as well.

The first time we visited the studios we came from central London, taking the train to Watford Junction and the Shuttle Bus to the studio. When we visited there was a fee for the shuttle bus, but this is now included in the price of the ticket. The train was easy, and the shuttle bus departure point was well marked just outside the train station.

We pre-booked our tickets on the official website, so with our email booking confirmation we picked up our tickets from the kiosks. They have both staffed ticket windows and automatic kiosks – both work!

Once we had our ticket, which had our entry time on it, we went through security and joined the line for entry.

On another visit we took a tour to central London to compare the experience, specifically this tour . Whilst getting to the studio ourselves was easy enough, obviously having a bus take us directly to and from the studio from central London did make things even easier. However as it wasn’t a guided tour, once we were on site the experience was the same as visiting ourselves.

All entries for the Harry Potter Studio Tour are timed, so you have to wait in line, as they let each group in all together. Still, waiting in line is made fun, as the line has the cupboard under the stairs set right next to it, meaning you can start getting excited about your upcoming adventure straight away (and start taking pictures!).

At the time of our entry, we were all ushered into a large waiting room with a series of screens around the walls and given a brief introduction as to what we might expect. We then went into a cinema where some of the key cast members shared their thoughts. Then, the cinema screen rolled away, revealing a giant wooden door before us. Here, a guide welcomed us, and prepared us for our journey.

The Great Hall and Beyond

After our introduction, the massive wooden doors we were standing in front of opened, and the Great Hall was revealed. I have to say, this was pretty amazing, to be able to step into the world of Harry Potter. The Great Hall set was used as the Great Hall for six of the films, with many scenes shot here.

It certainly felt like the most complete of the sets we visited, as it was totally immersive and all around us, and was quite an experience.

From the Great Hall we were essentially allowed to continue on our own into the first half of the tour building. This had so much to see that I won’t go into it all here.

To give you an idea though, you can do everything from practice your wand waving through to seeing the Womping Willow in action through to visiting the potions laboratory, meeting Buckbeak, hanging out on Platform 9 3/4, and wandering around the Forbidden Forest!

Food and Butterbeer

Around half way through the tour, you come to the Backlot Cafe. This serves hot and cold food, as well as that famous drink – Butterbeer! This is a non-alcoholic beverage that tastes sort of like a mix of marshmallows and popcorn. It is definitely a must-try when visiting! We can also recommend the Butterbeer icecream which is very good.

You don’t have to eat here, as there are other dining options on site, including the Studio Cafe. However, if you want to try Butterbeer, the Backlot Cafe is the place to do it.

Privet Drive and the Night Bus

Once you’ve finished your butterbeer experience, it’s time to head outside to Privet Drive! Here you can see the house where Harry grew up, as well as a number of other fairly large props and sets, including the Knight Bus and the bridge that led across the ravine outside Hogwarts.

This is the only outside part of the tour, and it isn’t a huge area, although if the weather isn’t great you might want a waterproof jacket to enjoy this part of the tour.

Gringotts Bank, Diagon Alley and the Last of the Tour

After seeing the exterior part of the tour, you enter the final part of the tour. Don’t worry though, you’re only really half way though – there’s loads to see still! From here you’re going to see a lot of the props and costumes, as well as detailed information on how these were created, and the work that went into them.

You’re also going to have the opportunity to walk through Gringotts Bank, meet a dragon, walk right down Diagon Alley, and see such locations as Ollivanders Wand Shop!

Finally, and perhaps most impressively, you come to the 1:24 scale model of Hogwarts itself. This is a massive construction that fills a whole room, and is truly spectacular. You can also watch videos to see how the model was used and digitally merged into the final films, which is very impressive.

Once you’re done with all the above, you pop out into the shop, where you can buy pretty much any Harry Potter merchandise you can imagine!

Tips for Visiting the Harry Potter Studio

Based on our experiences visiting the Harry Potter Studio in London, we’ve put together the following tips to help you plan your visit and maximise your time.

Decide how you want to visit

As described earlier in detail, you have a number of options for visiting the Harry Potter Studios, although depending on ticket availability, you might not always have every option. However, the main options are:

• Book a standard tour and plan your own transport, either by train/shuttle or car
• Book a deluxe tour and plan your own transport, either by train/shuttle or car
• Book a tour that includes transport and entry like this

Whichever you choose to go for, you will definitely have a great time!

Book your tickets in advance

We can’t emphasise this enough – tickets are not available on site – you have to book in advance . If you’re travelling independently, you can do that through the official site .

If tickets are not available through the official site for the time you want to visit, or you’d rather let someone else handle your transport, here is a good selection of tours to choose from , and here are some more options .

Plan your time

The average visit time is three and a half hours, so make sure you give yourself at least this much time on site. Don’t forget there’s food on-site as well as a massive gift shop, so you’ll want to factor time in for these activities too. Some fans can easily spend 4 or 5 hours here.

Whilst the majority of tours that include transport give you at least three hours on site, some allow for longer visits, so make sure to book the right tour for you. There is a lot to do and see on site, so more time can definitely be put to good use and you don’t want to feel rushed!

One of the best parts of visiting the Harry Potter Studios is just how interactive the experience can be. Whilst it’s certainly not a theme park, there’s a lot to do, from practicing your wand skills through to pushing your own trolley through the wall at platform 9 3/4 through to riding and summoning your own broomstick!

Some of these experiences will have a short queue, but due to the timed system for entry, these will never be too long.

Many visitors also come in full Harry Potter outfits, so don’t be afraid to dress up and get into the swing of things. You won’t be alone, and it adds to the experience for many people!

Further Reading

And that’s it for our guide to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London. We hope you found it useful – we certainly had a lot of fun taking the tour and putting this post together!

As well as this post, we’ve also got a lot more content that we think you’ll find useful, both Harry Potter related, and other content to help you plan your time in London and the UK.

• Whilst this is one of the best places for Harry Potter fans to visit in the UK, it’s by no means the only Harry Potter location or activity you can take part in. Check out our guides to finding Harry Potter in London, Harry Potter in Edinburgh and Harry Potter in Scotland for more inspiration.
• We also have a complete guide to Harry Potter filming locations in the UK
• A  Two Day London Itinerary  to help you see all the highlights of London. There’s also a  1 day version  if you’re short on time, and both a  3 day  and a  six day itinerary  if you’re here for longer
• Our detailed  packing list for London , to help you prepare for your trip
• Our  guide to buying and using the London Oyster Card , and our  guide to public transport in London  to help you get around without spending too much money
• My tips for finding the  best Photography Locations in London
• Our full  review of the London Pass  to help you decide if this attractions pass can save you money on your visit to London
• The best Things to Do in Kensington , London, in case you wanted to focus more on a specific region of the city
• A review of a  one day walking tour in London , should you want a guided tour of all of London’s highlights
• Our  detailed itinerary for  two weeks in the UK , should you want to have London as the start of a bigger adventure. We also have a  one week UK itinerary  for a slightly shorter visit.
• Thoughts on taking a  day trip from London, taking in Stonehenge, Bath and the Cotswolds , our  guide to visiting Oxford for a day, and our guide to things to do in Cambridge .
• The  Eyewitness Travel Guide to London , which has all sorts of information within, including more itineraries and ideas for your trip. We also recommend the  Rick Steve’s London 2019  guide, the #1 bestseller on Amazon for UK travel guides, and always an excellent source of relevant information

And that’s it! Are you a Harry Potter wanting to take the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour? Have any questions about a visit? Let us know your thoughts or questions in the comments below!

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There are 24 comments on this post

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15th August 2023 at 8:43 am

what an amazing detailed blog. really helped me understand and plan the trip. I am booked for 1st October 5:30 as didn’t get any other day or time slot on the website,, do you think I should look at going through a tour agent to get more time in the day time or evening is fine? hoping there will be no issues in taking public transport while coming back. we will be staying in Westminster.

Laurence Norah says

15th August 2023 at 9:08 am

Thanks very much! So I think you will be fine. On the 1st October it looks like the studio tour doesn’t close until 10pm, and I would say that 4.5 hours should be more than enough. The last bus to the station leaves at 10pm, so just be sure to be on that. In terms of trains, looking at the West Midlands train timetables, the last train on a Sunday back to central London is at quarter to 1 in the morning, so I think you will be fine.

Enjoy your visit!

George says

3rd May 2023 at 7:47 am

I just finished reading your post about taking a Harry Potter studio tour and I have to say it was incredibly informative and enjoyable to read! You provided a lot of helpful information for anyone planning on taking a tour, from practical tips on transportation and timing to advice on how to make the most out of the experience.

One of the things I really appreciated about your post was how you made it clear that the tour is not just for die-hard Harry Potter fans. Even for those who have only seen the movies, the tour can be a fascinating and immersive experience. I also liked how you emphasized the importance of taking your time and really exploring each exhibit and set, rather than rushing through them.

Your post was also full of helpful details, from what to expect on the tour to how to save money on tickets. I particularly appreciated your recommendation to book tickets in advance to avoid disappointment, as well as your advice to avoid peak times if possible.

Overall, I thought your post was a fantastic resource for anyone planning on taking a Harry Potter studio tour. You provided a wealth of information and tips that will undoubtedly make the experience more enjoyable for anyone who reads your post. Thanks for sharing your insights and expertise with us!

4th May 2023 at 5:30 pm

Thanks very much George, I appreciate your feedback!

3rd April 2023 at 10:58 am

Hi there! I just read your blog post about taking a Harry Potter Studio Tour and I have to say, it’s an incredibly informative and detailed guide. I’ve been to the Studio Tour myself and I can attest to the accuracy of your tips and advice.

I particularly appreciate the way you organized your post into different sections, making it easy for readers to find the information they need. Your advice about booking tickets in advance and arriving early is spot on – it’s definitely worth taking those extra steps to avoid long lines and ensure the best possible experience.

Your photos are also amazing and really bring the tour to life. It’s wonderful to see all the different sets and props up close and your photos do a great job of capturing the intricate details that went into creating them.

Overall, I think this post is a fantastic resource for anyone planning a visit to the Harry Potter Studio Tour. You’ve covered everything from transportation to food to the best photo opportunities, making it a comprehensive guide for anyone looking to make the most of their visit. Thanks for sharing your expertise with us!

Highly Recommended to all.

3rd April 2023 at 11:27 am

Thanks very much, I’m glad to hear you found the post useful and you enjoyed your Harry Potter Studio Tour 🙂

Jean searle says

25th October 2021 at 11:18 pm

My family live on the wirral it would take us about 3 1/ 2 hrs to get there with the price of fuel costly then the stay overnight in the hotel with bed and breakfast. Your outstanding entry price for an adult £48 Kids price extortionate my granddaughter is 8yrs old obsessed with Harry Potter reads the books loves the films she is desperate to come on the studio tour but can’t justify you outrageous prices. And then we have to pay for fuel to travel back. I am registered disabled but not in a wheelchair. My husband is my carer we are also pensioners do you honestly expect a disabled person to pay £48 to get in while OK my carer is free surely you should have compensation for the disabled person. As it stands we have to keep letting the 8yr old down as we can’t afford your prices. Then the added extras for the bus etc. I would ask you to see if you could establish a different rate for children under 10 and the disabled pensioner please as we would bring her but out of our pension we cannot afford your cost. Hope you take into account what I have said. Underprivileged children should be catered for I know.you have to make your money but at the cost of a child. Shame on you. My granddaughter may never get to see it now.xc

26th October 2021 at 10:13 am

Thanks for your message! So to be clear, this website is not associated with the Warner Bros Studio or Harry Potter tour. It’s just a guide to visiting. If you want to reach out to them directly, you’ll need to do so via their website. Their contact information can be found here: https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/contact-us/

All the best,

Dave Gaudie says

23rd July 2021 at 6:54 pm

Can I take photos throughout the tour ?

23rd July 2021 at 7:02 pm

Yep photography is permitted pretty much everywhere in the Harry Potter studio tour. There are a few exceptions – you can’t do photography in the pre-show cinema, or in the green screen areas. You also can’t use a tripod.

Have a great visit, and let me know if you have any more questions!

13th October 2019 at 4:38 am

Hello! I am so excited to have found your blog. I plan to read the entire london portion. I booked tickets to the studio for 1/1. I thought it would be a fun way to start the new year. Now I am wondering if it will be a problem to get to the studio. TfL site states train will be running on a sunday schedule. How much extra travel time should we think about? Our tix are for 1230p. We are staying by the waterloo station. Thank you for your amazing insights!

13th October 2019 at 3:25 pm

Thanks very much, I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time.

For the trains, all you’d have to do is check the timetables for a Sunday and this should give you an idea of how much time you will need 🙂 You shouldn’t have to worry too much I don’t think, 1230 should give you plenty of time to get there! Have a wonderful time!

Nurika Abdullah says

27th September 2019 at 12:33 am

Hi thank you for this it is so useful especially for first timers like me. My concern is on the age, in the studios website it says below 16 must be accompanied by adults. I am thinking of sending my 15 and 13 yr old kids on their own. Would this be possible if I take a guided tour instead? Many thanks Nurika

27th September 2019 at 7:02 pm

Unfortunately the policy is that all children must be accompanied by an adult, even on the guided tours

26th September 2019 at 7:33 am

Thank you for you site and sharing some great information!! It is just awesome!!

Would you happen to know the difference between the Studio’s VIP tour and the Fully-Guided Making of Harry Potter Tour. Looks like the Fully-Guided might have a couple more stops?

26th September 2019 at 10:49 pm

So the VIP tour (I guess you mean the Deluxe tour?) includes a few extras like butterbeer, souvenir photo, meal and guidebook. So quite a few extras. The fully guided tour includes the tour, but I believe it’s the same actual tour as the Deluxe tour, just without the extras. Of course, it also include round trip transport from London as well.

So it’s more about if you want the extras or not, or if you prefer the transport.

Have an amazing time, whichever you go for!

Dr. Abraham K. George says

2nd May 2019 at 10:15 pm

Wow! What lovely immersive writing, and lots of fine fine details. A pleasure to read. I’m so glad I stumbled on to this blog. My search is over. Have bookmarked it. Going to follow it faithfully for our first-time holiday to London + Scotland this month. The fully guided tour seems to be the best of the lot as it probably gives you the maximum time possible to spend at the studio (I hope). By the way, tickets are sold out on the official site. Thank you so much, Abraham

3rd May 2019 at 4:39 pm

Hi Abraham – my pleasure, and I hope you have a wonderful tour. For sure, the tours are very popular so they sell out far in advance on the official website, but there are a number of other ways to get a trip, so I hope you are able to visit still 🙂

27th March 2019 at 7:48 pm

Hi can i ask the extra activities you mentioned are they free or do I need to account for extra spending money Regard emma

27th March 2019 at 7:59 pm

So the activities like the wand workshop, broomstick summoning and other interactive things like that are included. The only thing you would need money for is the giftshop, or if you want to eat or try butter beer. For the green screen broomstick flying experience, where you are filmed on a broomstick against a green screen, that is an extra price as you get the experience as photos or a DVD. There are also some other opportunities to buy photos through the tour, but these are of course optional 🙂

Have a wonderful time!

Robert says

13th March 2019 at 4:51 pm

Excellent information! I’ve been to the WB Harry Potter Studios twice (2015, 2017), and you really covered everything in accurate detail.

One tiny error though it probably won’t confuse anyone: You wrote “Then you need to take a dedicated shuttle bus operated by the Studio Tour that runs from just outside Euston Station (it is well sign posted), that takes you directly to the studios.” I believe you meant “Watford Junction Station” instead of “Euston Station” in that sentence.

Thanks for your terrific work on the entire site. A colleague of mine sent me a link to it knowing I have led student/parent groups to London. I’ve enjoyed digging into it!

13th March 2019 at 5:00 pm

Thanks so much for your comment! We loved visiting and writing this post was a real pleasure 🙂 Thanks also for spotting that error – I’ve fixed it now 🙂

Thanks again!

Roslia santamaria says

28th November 2018 at 7:02 am

Thank you so much..This is very useful!!

28th November 2018 at 11:21 am

My pleasure Roslia 🙂

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• Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter Questions & Answers

How long does it take to do the whole tour? You have to choose a tour time, is that all you can do there or can you look around and then you go on a tour?

You do have to have a timed slot, and tickets must be bought in advance. We had a 3.30 pm entrance but the crowds were relatively light and a broadcast was made that if you were ready you could go in. We spent almost 3 hours there. As others have said once you get through the small holding area, then into the cinema you are taken through to the main hall where you are guided. Sadly you don't spend as long here as you might like, then once through the Great hall you are free to wander. There is the green screen where you can ride a broom stick or travel in the flying ford. Kiddies can try using a wand, and the guides dotted around the area are a wealth of knowledge if you have a question. I used the audio guide as it gives you added extra information. Be aware though, prices are on the high side so if you have children get used to saying no. Hope you enjoy it, it was worth it in my opinion.

Have been twice and both times spent 5 hours plus :-D absolutely no pressure once you're through the main hall (even that isn't pressured really) so maybe try and book earlier in the day so you have plenty of time to enjoy!

The guide stated that it takes, on average, about 3 hours. It took us around that and we read all the informtion boards, looked at all the sets and moved at a leisurely pace. You spend about 20 minutes with a guide to introduce you to the tour, and the rest of the tour is at your own pace. Hope this answers your question

hiya we booked out tour a 10am we found it best to go early as it gets very busy have a lovely time

regards lynne x

We went as large group and spent 4 hours there. Once through the introduction short film, you are guided into grand hall then on your own to do your own thing. There is a lot to see with the different sets etc but you are not restricted or herded so you can be in there as little or as long as you want really. We had something to eat aswell and took loads of phtots but if you just want to look around, you could easily do it 2-3 hours.

I found the 3 hours to be more than enough for seeing everything. Im not sure whats in the area as we got the Golden Tours bus from Victoria there and back.

Our tour took approximately 3 hours. Once you go through the main area where you are given a brief outline of what to expect then you can proceed at your own pace. I think the reason we are given allocated times is that they can control the numbers of people coming through the gates so that everyone gets to go through the complex in comfort. We hope you will enjoy your tour - we certainly did!

Took us 4 hours, we didn't stop and read everything if you did I bet you could be in there all day... You don't have a tour, when you first go in you have staff explaining the main hall but rest you walk yourself

You have to choose a time for the start of the tour as it takes about 20 - 30 mins with a guide to go through the Hogwarts hall after that you see everything at your own leisure, We took about 3hrs in total , however you could take longer so be prepared for that. So much to see , have a great time

You do choose a tour time which is just the first part of the tour and takes you through the Hogwarts hall after that you are free to take your time and look at everything at your leisure. I would say 20 - 30 mins is the first part then it does take a good 2/3 hrs to see everything else. Enjoy your visit ,its brilliant

At least three hours to look at everything properly

Pretty much the same as above. I'm over 60 and mobility limited as is my sister who I went with. We sat down frequently, took our time and it took us almost 4 hours. Plenty of seats available.

I would say around 3 hours.

The time slots don't matter too much as we arrived late due to traffic. The times are to stagger larger groups through the tour.

Please remember food is very expensive as are photos and gift shop.

£20 for broomstick picture and £8 for a chocolate frog!!!

It's probably a once only visit but worth a trip if your a huge Harry fan!

The great hall is a timed expierence but the rest is self guided and up to you. We did pretty much everything out our own pace and took about 3 hours. They've said some people take between 1 hour and 4 hours. Some people have apparently stayed for 12! Hope you enjoy if you go :) x

I would allow 3 hours for the tour. The first 15-20 minutes is guided by the staff, then you are free to go at your own speed.

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A Magical Guide to the Warner Bros Studio Tour in London: Everything You Need to Know

Last Updated: February 16, 2022

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Fact: In my entire life, I’ve only cried once at a tourist attraction.

And judge me all you want, but this cryfest happened at a Harry Potter studio tour.

… Allow me to explain myself.

Like most children born in the 90s, much of my youth was spent daydreaming about the arrival of my Hogwart’s acceptance letter. As this dream dwindled with the hardships of adulting, I instead took comfort in carbs and magical movie marathons.

But, it didn’t take much for these childhood dreams to resurface. A trip to London was all it took to re-open the floodgates (literally).

Let me tell you: for a Harry Potter fan, there is no attraction on this Earth more overwhelming and amazing than the  Warner Bros Studio Tour London, (AKA London’s Harry Potter set tour), which brings you through the filming site for all 8 movies in the Harry Potter franchise.

In addition to sets, you’re also shown countless props, the best gift shop in the world, and even a chance to taste butter beer for yourself. Come on now, is it at all a surprise that I bawled when I got to the end?

Read onwards for important info to know about the tour, some tips to keep in mind and of course, a recap of the experience (with plenty of photos!) Be careful for this section, as spoilers are abound!

PS: Check out my full list of Harry Potter themed attractions and experiences in London for more nerdy goodness.

Basic information to know about the Harry Potter Set Tour

If you’re interested in booking the epic Warner Bros Studio Tour in London for yourself, then here are some basic must-knows.

Harry Potter Studio Tour Tickets Info:

I first visited this attraction in 2014 and it was a hot mess then, and has only grown in popularity in the past few years.

If this Harry Potter set tour is a must-do for you, then make sure you book your tickets WELL in advance or you risk not being able to go!

Luckily, even when tickets are sold out on the main site, there are tours you can book online that will have tickets available for sold out dates.

Sometimes, booking with a tour is worthwhile because you not only guarantee your tickets, you also get the convenience of private transport there, which is nice and much less stressful than using public transport yourself.

Here is a breakdown of different Harry Potter Studio tour options that include transport. For your convenience, I also lay out their costs and what they have to offer:

Tickets can also be purchased online from the studio itself  here.

How to Get to the Warner Bros Studio Tour in London:

Despite its name, the Warner Bros Studio London is actually located in Leavesden, which is northwest of London.

While booking a tour/private transport is the easiest and most convenient way to get there, it is still quite painless to reach via public transit, as a shuttle bus runs from Watford Junction railway station.

To get to the Watford Junction station, you need to make use of London’s overground system.

Not sure about the best route to get there? Check out this handy trip planner .  The tour’s website recommends that you arrive at Watford Junction 45 minutes prior to your tour time.  

Remember to bring change, as the cost for the shuttle bus is 2 pounds each way.

NOTE : Leave a lot of leeway for you to get there. We definitely got lost a few times due to the transfers, and were stressed to the max! For a more stress-free experience, consider prebooking a tour that comes with transport. Here’s one for under $100USD.

Tips for Doing the Harry Potter Set Tour Like a Pro

Having addressed the basics, here are some tips you should keep in mind when planning your visit:

1. Check on the Warner Bros Studio Tour website for special events

The studio tour often has special weeks during which there are specialized displays or demonstrations.

If you have quite some time in London, I suggest looking up when special events are happening and to plan accordingly.

I was luckily around for the beginning of Wand Week, so I got to see wandmakers do their thing and I even got to pose with some Death Eaters. Super cool!

2. Allow extra time for travel

Especially if you are new to London, trying to navigate the transit there can take time, so give yourself plenty of time to arrive at the studio.

That being said, do not hyperventilate if your ticketed time is fast approaching. While the reservation system does assign you a time, they won’t turn you away if you are a bit late.

3. Don’t forget to print your Warner Bros Studio Tour ticket

This will make the whole process smoother.

One girl that came with us didn’t print hers and upon arrival, she realized that her order never actually went through.

Luckily, even though they claim there is no box office at the attraction, she was able to purchase a ticket there, but do book in advance to save yourself the trouble.

4. Set yourself a budget for magical souvenirs

Trust me, when you enter the Harry Potter Studio Tour Shop for the first time, you will lose all sense of self control.

You will suddenly want all these things that you would never need.

Legit wizard robe? Okay!

Replica wand? Yes please.

There are so many amazingly crafted souvenirs for sale that you will easily empty your wallet.

For budget-conscious backpackers (like me) or large families with crying children, setting a budget beforehand is a must.

5. Grab yourself a free Warner Bros Studio Tour London passport

At some point during the tour, you might notice children getting awesome embossed stamps on a Harry Potter passport.

Uh, yeah, those are actually not just for kids!

I shamelessly (and sweetly) asked a staff member for one, and they kindly obliged.

Getting the stamps is fun and having a Harry Potter passport is pretty much the best souvenir ever.

6. Be sure to check out other Harry Potter filming locations around the UK too

If you’ve made it all the way to Leavesden, you’re actually pretty close to a variety of other Harry Potter filming locations!

While this set tour is of course incredible, there are dozens of other real-life filming locations scattered around the UK that you can visit for yourself. Click here for a full list.

Harry Potter Set Tour Recap with Photos

With those tips out of the way, I’d love to show you some photos and a brief overview of the experience from my visit in 2014. Note that they have added a lot since then, but still…

WARNING: spoilers, spoilers, spoilers. 

Some would say that the best way to experience this tour is by seeing everything first hand, but if you are curious to see photos and more, feel free to scroll further.

Your magical experience begins as soon as you walk into the building. All around the lobby are canvases with various Harry Potter characters, as well as props and other cool artifacts hanging off the walls.

Even the task of waiting in line (typically the most mundane thing ever) is a joy for this tour.

The queue moves very quickly and there is plenty for you to nerd out about as you wait.

Most notably, Harry’s  cupboard under the stairs , is right next to the queuing area, ensuring that you get a perfect view of this iconic set.

You’ll notice that groups are taken in based on their spot in line, rather than their timed reservation.

This is why there is some flexibility when it comes to your arrival time.

If you’re a few minutes late, no worries, just hop in the queue and you will make it in all-the-same.  

The tour begins with a brief video introduction to the franchise, followed by a preshow featuring Rupert, Daniel and Emma themselves.

As this preshow concludes, the screen reveals the doors to the  Great Hall!  During my tour, they invited any birthday kids to come up and help open the doors.

After  seriously  wishing it was my birthday, I bitterly watched two ecstatic kids live out their childhood dreams, revealing the first stop of the tour, the amazing…

1. Great Hall!

This is the the only part of the tour where your time will be limited, as they let tour groups in every few minutes.

As such, if you want photos, be sure to snap them  quickly !

Being in this room is an unreal feeling. In addition to the long tables, cutlery and elaborate set pieces, you also get to view costumes from students in each house, and important Hogwarts faculty as well!

2. The Big Room

After your time in the Great Hall, you are brought into the  Big Room , which houses a variety of sets, props and costumes.

Here, you are given free reign to explore for yourself and gawk at all the amazing pieces the room contains!

Highlights for me were definitely the  Potions classroom  (complete with a Snape costume on display),  the Gryffindor Common Room  and  the Weasley House .

Many of the sets also have interactive buttons where you can make objects move by pressing them.

This was especially cool in the Weasley kitchen, where the touch of a button could make an iron move on its own, make vegetables chop themselves, etc. Super neat!

For those seeking a sweet photo opp, there are several green screen opportunities to ride a broom as a Quidditch player and more! I didn’t wait in line for this bit, but it definitely looked like a lot of fun! Here are some photos from the Big Room:

3. The Backlot

After perusing the Big Room, you are brought outside to the  Backlot , home to a variety of sets including Harry’s  Privet Drive home , the  Hogwarts Bridge , the  Knight Bus  and of course,  the concession stands!  

It’s at this point in the tour that you can live out your childhood fantasy of sipping a nice, cold  butterbeer.  

Be sure to explore the bridge before you purchase a butterbeer, as no food or drink is allowed on that set. 

Now, while public opinion seems to be split on the taste of butterbeer, I have to say that  I. loved. every. single. sip.  

It’s very possible that I was blinded by the magic of my surroundings, but I would argue that it’s worth a try regardless!

NOTE: If you want to purchase a souvenir cup, remember to bring a bag or something to wrap it in, as that stuff can get mighty sticky. Here’s a sample of the cool things you’ll see in the backlot!

4. Art Department, Creature Effects and Diagon Alley

When you’re ready to go back inside, countless wonders from the  creature effects & art department  await you. Here, you really get to appreciate the depth of work put into creating a whole magical world.

I was really wowed by everything.

In this area, you will see masks, wigs, models and more of your favourite magical creatures.

In this second half of the tour as well, you get to walk through Diagon Alley. The details and work in the set will absolutely blow you away. The shops look so real, you’ll be tempted to go knocking on their doors.

5. Hogwarts Castle Model

And lastly, the grand finale of the Harry Potter set tour… The model of Hogwarts!

This one here is a real showstopper.

A walkway surrounding the model allows you to view it from all angles, taking in the fine details of this wonderful school.

For many Harry Potter fans, seeing the castle like this is a dream come true. Now, if only it were real!

At the end of the tour, just before the entrance of the Harry Potter Studio Tour Shop, you will see this wonderfully beautiful quote appear on the screen:

It was at this point that  I began to bawl.  I couldn’t help it!

Everything that I loved about the series had been shown to me in the past few hours, and for that short period of time, I got to live out my dream of seeing the magical world that made my childhood.

Messy and gross, I walked into the gift shop, which was a massive treasure trove of things you never knew you wanted or needed. Wands for every character? I’ll take 100.

And there you have it,  the most magical experience ever . One day, I  will   visit the Wonderful Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but until then, I think this tour has given me enough happy & geeky memories to last. …. At least for the next little while.

Any more questions about visiting the Warner Bros Studio Tour in London?

 Over to you – have you ever been to the Warner Bros Studio Tour in London? IF NOT, THEN WTF ARE YOU WAITING FOR? No jk, uh I meant to ask, which part would you most look forward to?!

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7 thoughts on “A Magical Guide to the Warner Bros Studio Tour in London: Everything You Need to Know”

Enjoyed every bit of your blog article.Much thanks again. Really Cool.

Thanks for reading! 🙂

bookmarked!!, I like your blog!

thanks Jane!! 😀

Hi Christina! I’m going to be traveling alone to London this week, would the Harry Potter tour be fun for a solo traveler? Also, I was considering buying a groupon for a night tour, but the picture of you holding the butter beer appears to be outside? I guess we would be missing this part of the tour if I went at night then eh?

hi Lisa, I hope this comment isn’t too late! but YES YES YES the tour would 100% still be fun as a solo traveler (provided that you like Harry Potter haha). I didn’t realize they had a special night tour, but the butterbeer was outside in a special lot where they had lots of big props and set pieces (it’s part of the tour) so I can’t imagine they would leave it out for any reason. I have my fingers crossed for you!

Thank you for this article and the pics. I always need to take a peek of the atmosphere beforehand since I’m going solo. I hope they will let me use my selfie stick inside.

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The Secret London Guide To The Harry Potter Studio Tour

"Wingardium Leviosa"... Time to make some real magic at the Harry Potter Studio Tour!

It’s been many, many years now since the Hogwarts Express set off from Kings Cross , bearing a young Harry Potter to his first year of school. In that time, Pottermania has exerted an ever-tighter grip on the country, inspiring near-religious fervour for the wizarding world. And if Harry Potter is a religion, then the Harry Potter Studio Tour is its temple.

Located on the outskirts of London , inside the very studios where the Harry Potter films were made, it’s chock full of wizarding props, preserved film sets and filming locations , and fascinating insights into how the magic was brought to life. Let’s take a look inside!

Harry Potter Studio Tour overview

Officially, the attraction goes by the rather unwieldy title of ‘Warner Brothers Studios Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter’, but the Harry Potter Studio Tour is far snappier. It’s a little bit of a trek to get to (in fact, by barely being inside the M25, it flirts with failing the ‘actually being in London at all’ test), but at the end of your journey in Leavesden Studios near Watford lies a simply ‘Potteriffic’ day out.

Unlike, say, Orlando’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter, this is no mere tribute act. The warehouses which hold the Harry Potter Studio Tour are an important part of the franchise’s history, for all eight films were shot on the two soundstages which comprise the tour. In a wise move, Warner Brothers purchased the site, invested £100 million in the exhibition, and threw open their doors to the adoring public back in 2012 – a whole eleven years ago.

Nowadays, the Harry Potter Studio Tour welcomes 6,000 visitors a day (roughly 2 million every year), for a self-guided wander through the spellbinding sets used. Props, costumes, interactive installations, artworks , and large-scale designs can all be seen on the tour, where a fascinating new insight into the film-making process lurks around every corner. Expect to spend several hours here, because there is A LOT to see.

Things to see at the Harry Potter Studio Tour

The tour begins in a pre-show cinema, which retreads the film history and generally hypes up the experience a little more. But the magic really happens when the doors to the Great Hall are flung open, and you finally – finally, after all those years of hoping for an owl-delivered letter – take your first steps into Hogwarts.

A cavernous welcome to the Harry Potter Studio Tour, the Great Hall is a pretty splendid welcome indeed, and provides your first glimpse of costumes used in the films. Wandering on, you’ll find yourself on further sets including the Gryffindor common room, Dumbledore’s office, Hagrid’s hut, and the Potions classroom, all replete with a treasure trove of props.

Test your nerve with a stroll through the mist-filled, spider-infested Forbidden Forest (this is where I managed to lose the rest of my family during my visit, presuming them to be eaten by spiders until they turned up an hour later), or for an added charge, you can try your hand at flying a broom. Sadly, they can’t be taken off the tour, or we’d be waving goodbye to the Northern line forever!

Speaking of trains, the next big set is Platform 9 and 3/4, where a gleaming replica of the Hogwarts Express is just waiting to be explored. There’s also a trolley sticking out of the wall, which is a much quieter place to pose for photos than its counterpart in Kings Cross station.

Further sets await you outside, where the Knight Bus, Privet Drive, the Hogwarts bridge – miraculously unscathed, despite being blown up in the final film – and Mr Weasley’s flying Ford Anglia can be found. Oh, and if you don’t sit in the car and scream like you’ve just seen the Hogwarts Express, you’re doing it all wrong…

Perhaps one of the most anticipated attractions at the Harry Potter Studio Tour is Diagon Alley, a wizarding wonder of shopping. Though you can’t go in any of the shops, the attention to detail and eye-catching decor of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes makes it a firm audience favourite. Plus, if you simply can’t wait to see it in real life, you can take a tour on Google Street View .

For the grand finale, visitors to the Harry Potter Studio Tour wander round an epic, large-scale rendering of Hogwarts. Formerly used for sweeping film shots, the breathtaking model is a striking end to the tour which gives you a true sense of the castle – from the top of the Astronomy Tower to the shores of the lake .

As with any self-respecting London attraction, you exit through the gift shop. If you can resist temptation, you’re a better person than I, because the gift shop is a wonderland of chocolate frogs, magic wands, merchandise from the Hogwarts houses, and some beautifully extra chess sets that I don’t need but totally want.

As you might have guessed, a visit to the Harry Potter Studio Tour is a pretty full-on day – and that’s before you even get to their newest permanent attraction, and the tour’s biggest installation ever: a full-scale replica of Gringotts Wizarding Bank , complete with vaults, goblins, and over 200,000 coins. Will it be magical? You can bank on it.

When to visit the Harry Potter Studio Tour

As with many of London’s best attractions, there’s no bad time to visit the Harry Potter Studio Tour. Logic dictates weekday visits will be a little quieter, but the sheer size of the tour means you’re rarely going to be crowded.

Much like Hogwarts itself, the Harry Potter Studio Tour tends to go all out for big annual events. Around late September , the Dark Arts take over, filling the Great Hall with floating pumpkins, lollipops, and red apples, and giving Diagon Alley a decidedly creepy makeover in honour of Halloween.

There are also live Death Eater duels which demonstrate how the wand combat scenes were filmed, and the week of Halloween itself, there are a series of impressive (albeit pricey) dinner experiences, known as Hogwarts After Dark.

For Christmas , the tour welcomes Hogwarts in the Snow, a stunning transformation into a snow-dusted wonderland. The Great Hall is bedecked with huge trees and other festive fancies, whilst the rest of the tour gets a Yuletide makeover. As with Halloween, there’s a pretty spectacular Christmas dinner up for grabs, which makes for an unforgettable festive treat.

Restaurants , pubs , and bars near the Harry Potter Studio Tour

The Harry Potter Studio Tour has three onsite cafes – the Hub Cafe which serves speciality Starbucks drinks and bakery bits, and the Backlot Cafe that is in fact the only place in Europe where you can enjoy a frothy butterbeer, located halfway through the tour, and the Chocolate Frog Cafe which specialises in sweet treats.

If you fancy a feast then the Food Hall, complete with floating candles inspired by the Great Hall, is your spot. The Food Hall serves up a breakfast and lunch menu for heartier Potter-inspired grub.

Aside from the onsite eateries, you’ve got the entire Watford dining scene open to you. Lebanese spots NaNa’s and Tarboush are firm local favourites, whilst nearby Bushey wins plaudits for Italian Zaza (also of Whitechapel ) and modern British cooking at St James. The Grove is even closer to the Harry Potter Studio Tour, offering upmarket cuisine in a rather stylish hotel setting. Finally, for something familiar, there are a whole host of the usual chain restaurants in Watford, and a fair few pubs dotted around too.

Where is the Harry Potter Studios?

Studio Tour Drive, Leavesden, WD25 7LR. See it on Google Maps .

Where are the nearest stations?

Watford Junction (Overground and National Rail) has a direct bus to the Harry Potter Studio Tour – other nearby stations include Garston, Kings Langley, and Watford North (all National Rail). Sadly, it’s not accessible by broom, flying motorbike, Floo powder, Portkeys, Apparition, Thestrals, or any other magical form of transport. I know, we’re gutted too.

Is there parking available?

The studio has a free on-site car park that’s only a short walk away from the entrance. Priority parking is also available which is located next to the entrance of the studio, it’s only available to pre-book in advance for £10 and cannot be bought on the day.

What are the prices?

Adult tickets are £53.50, children’s are £43 – it’s also free for kids aged 0-4 and carers. They’ve also got family, group, and VIP ticket packages available. Tickets must be booked in advance. For those of you budding wizards making their way from London, Harry Potter Studios tickets with coach transport included departing from Russell Square are available here to make any fuss over transport that much easier.

What are the opening times?

9:30am-10pm (Mon to Fri), 8:30am-10pm (Sat and Sun). You’re advised to turn up 20 minutes before your tour time starts in order to collect tickets and pass security, and tours tend to last roughly 3 1/2 hours.

More information is available on their website . Find tickets with coach transport included here .

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Harry Potter Studio Visitor's Guide

The Short Guide to the Harry Potter Studio 

The complete guide to the harry potter studio.

Your Harry Potter Tour adventure kicks off as soon as you present your ticket, starting with a queue that features Harry’s iconic cupboard under the stairs, complete with toy soldiers. As you wait in line, you can brush up on your Harry Potter lore with inspiring quotes from various characters from the franchise.

Next up, you will proceed to a dimly-lit room with multiple screens, where you take a deep dive into the history of Harry Potter and the magic that awaits. In the next room which is set up like a cinema, you can watch a short film that succinctly covers key moments and behind-the-scenes footage from eight Harry Potter movies, along with interviews with cast members, crew, directors, and even J.K. Rowling herself.

This preliminary experience concludes after the film, with majestic doors opening to reveal the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Stepping into the Great Hall marks the true beginning of the tour, as you enter the magical world of Harry Potter!

Your journey at the Harry Potter Studio Tour starts with the opening of the Great Hall doors, inspired by Oxford's Christ Church college dining hall. Discover the hall’s authentic paving stone floor, as your guides share fascinating details.

The tour progresses, showcasing famous sets like the Gryffindor common room, Dumbledore’s office, Hagrid’s hut, and the Potions classroom. After this, the tour shifts to a self-guided format, offering you the freedom to explore these magical environments at your leisure.

This will allow you to experience the Forbidden Forest, complete with mist and spiders, and seize the chance to fly a broom (at an additional cost). You can also check out the famous Hogwarts Express at Platform 9 and ¾ for a serene photo opportunity, in contrast to the lively Kings Cross station in London.

As for outdoor experiences, these include the Knight Bus, Privet Drive, the unscathed Hogwarts Bridge, and Mr. Weasley’s flying Ford Anglia. Make sure you visit the meticulously designed Diagon Alley, especially Weasley's Wizard Wheezes – arguably one of the studio’s many highlights.

You will also have the chance to interact with various sets, like sitting on Hagrid’s motorbike, stepping into the Ford Anglia, and climbing aboard the Knight Bus. The outdoor area also presents prime photo opportunities, so it is important to take into account the weather when planning your visit. The tour also features an exciting Hogwarts Express simulation, where guests can board a replica carriage and embark on a journey filled with dementors and voice-over narration, offering a thrilling experience.

In the second part of the studio tour, the focus shifts to the filmmaking process, revealing the creation and effort behind the props and costumes. This section showcases an extensive collection of creatures, detailing the intricate and complex methods used to bring them to life.

Among the many things you will learn is that only the head of the basilisk was actually built. You can also explore a wide range of goblin and house elf masks, which offer insight into their design and how they were tailored to fit the actors.

Following the Creature Shop, the tour continues to the meticulously crafted Diagon Alley. This area is designed as a realistic alley, with each shop intricately decorated and featuring detailed displays, creating a genuine streetscape. Diagon Alley’s compact layout mirrors the film’s setting, offering a profound sense of realism and magical feeling of shopping for enchanted items.

During the studio tour, you also have the chance to go on a broomstick ride with the help of CGI and green screen technology. After donning your Hogwarts robes, you can mimic flying on a broom , while a screen projects scenes over London and Hogwarts. Staff members are on hand to help you out and make sure you get a striking pose.

Post-flight, you can choose from a selection of backgrounds, such as hovering over Hogwarts or flying along the Thames. You can even take a photo inside the Ford Anglia, simulating flight, or add a fun twist to your visit by posing as an Azkaban prisoner on a ‘Wanted’ poster.

The Harry Potter Studio Tour concludes with a spectacular large-scale model of Hogwarts Castle, which was previously used for film shots. This exhibit offers an impressive view of the castle from the Astronomy Tower to the lake shores, illustrating the iconic castle's scale and architecture.

The final room of the tour is home to a stunning 1:24 scale model of Hogwarts, a testament to extraordinary craftsmanship and attention to detail. The model, meticulously handcrafted with real gravel and plants for landscaping, radiates authenticity.

Equipped with over 300 fiber optic lights, the model simulates torches and lanterns that create the illusion of student life within the castle’s hallways. This masterpiece stands as a tribute to the talent and skill of the Harry Potter art department, crafted by a team of 86 people.

Footage of this model was skillfully combined with special effects to produce the realistic exterior views of Hogwarts in the films, often mistaken for real castles. This model serves as a phenomenal conclusion to the tour, leaving a lasting impression on visitors.

A Complete Harry Potter Studio Tour London Review (+8 Top Tips)

When you have a Harry Potter fan in your family, one of the best experiences you can give them is a Harry Potter Studio Tour.

Before booking our Harry Potter Studio Tour, we had so many questions.

We thought it would be helpful to write a Harry Potter Studio Tour review to help other families get the most out of their visit.

As well as giving all our top tips for a successful visit to the Harry Potter Studios, we’ve answered a few FAQs at the end.

If you want to know what to expect, when to go and how to get tickets if WB Studios have sold out on the date you want… read on…

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and book or buy something, we may earn a small commission, but this is at no extra cost to you.

These are our top tips for making the most of your Warner Bros Studio Tour.

1. Do some research on the WB Studio Tour

This may sound like a strange tip. If you like Harry Potter, you’ll love the Warner Bros Studio Tour right?

Probably, yes. But maybe not.

It is a good idea to find out a little about the tour before you go. Thinking of the Harry Potter Studios as a museum is a good start.

Once you are in that mindset, your tour of the Harry Potter Studios will make more sense.

It is somewhere you can go to explore the magic of the Harry Potter films. You get to see real costumes, sets and props used in the movies and as the tour progresses, you get to see how the films were made.

The ‘tour’ is mostly self-guided, except for a little intro at the start.

We didn’t really have any idea what to expect. Our youngest (8) was expecting a theme park!

We obviously didn’t manage his expectations very well because he wasn’t really all that enthusiastic about it. But then, he wasn’t really a Harry Potter fan either.

Once you have decided that it is most definitely for you, snap up your tickets!

2. Buy your Harry Potter Studio Tour tickets in advance

If there’s only one thing we can tell you to make your trip to the WB Studios successful, it is to buy your tickets in advance.

The WB Studios Tour is hugely popular. People come from all over the world to visit and it is busy all year round.

It is absolutely essential that you buy your Harry Potter Studio Tour London tickets well in advance.

We booked our tickets 3 months in advance. It was a Monday during school term time in November and even then, there were barely any tickets left for the day we wanted.

Tickets are around £51 per person. You can buy them on the WB Studio website here . Children Under 4 are FREE and this is very telling. It is not really suitable for children under 4.

Top Tip : If you find that tickets are sold out on the day that you want, you can check a tour company as they should have more availability.

They are more expensive but may be your only option if you can’t be flexible on dates. GetYourGuide is a good place to look.

See here to book the best rated WB Studio tour (including transportation from London).

See here to book Harry Potter Studio Tour and a private transfer

See here for a family package tour from London (2 Adults & 2 Kids).

3. Do all the free things on the Harry Potter tour

You’ve spent a lot of money on your tickets so be sure to make the most of any freebies along the tour!

• Grab a free Activity Passport which includes a fun Golden Snitch hunt, puzzles and Harry Potter trivia. The passport also includes space for souvenir stamps that can be collected at key points throughout the tour such as Platform 9 ¾ and Gringotts Bank. You can collect the Passports from a staff member at any point during the Studio Tour.
• You don’t need to pay for an audio guide when you have staff members on hand to dish all the fascinating facts. They are hugely knowledgeable and love to talk about everything Harry Potter!
• The kids will be sure to love the free wand-duelling class next to the Forbidden Forest.
• Do the extra things like attempting to pick up the broomstick while muttering ‘Wingardium Leviosa’.

4. Grab your Harry Potter merchandise before your tour

If you want to keep the costs down during your visit to the Harry Potter Studios, you should consider buying any Harry Potter merch beforehand.

Items in the store at the studios are more expensive and if you’re visiting with kids, sometimes it can be hard to say no. Buying in advance gets around this issue.

Another thing to consider if you are going to by a gift is that buying it beforehand will mean that you will have it in your photos. You obviously can’t have your wand in your photos if you wait until the end of the tour to visit the store.

There is plenty of official merchandise on Amazon which you can browse here .

If you want other gift ideas for Harry Potter fans, take a look at this post on Harry Potter themed gifts for kids .

Having just said all this….just bear in mind that some of stuff in the shop is exclusive to the Harry Potter tour and you won’t be able to get it once you leave.

A final note on this, you can also visit the Harry Potter store at Platform 9 3/4 at London’s Kings Cross Station if you are staying in London. There you will find the trolley that passes through the wall and you can have your photo taken.

It is one of the best free things to do in London with kids (who are Harry Potter fans).

5. Buying professional photos at Harry Potter Studios

If you do want to buy the professional photos, wait until the end of the tour to do so.

You can collect the tickets as you go and then buy all together once you have seen them all. This will also save you time.

Just a word of warning here. The professional photos are very expensive (£14 for a photo).

You can sometimes take your own pictures but in some places (the train ride next to the Hogwarts Express) – it seemed to be strictly monitored.

In fact, I got told off for taking a photo before the experience had even started.

6. Take your time

You have to book a timeslot when you buy your Harry Potter tickets, but once you are in, you can take as long as you like.

Actually, once you are past The Great Hall, you can take as long as you like. Up until this point, you are on a guided tour and you need to stick with your group.

After this point, you are free to wander as you please.

Spend some time chatting to the staff. This guy in the photo below was great. He pretended to be a Goblin in Gringotts Bank and fooled a few people who were rushing by. They are so knowledgeable and interesting.

People tend to rush through to try to get ahead of the pack but if you hang back, you can often get better photos without loads of people in them.

Consider buying tickets towards the end of the day so that you are one of the last to leave.

You can, of course, be the first ones in but then there will be a steady stream of visitors all day. To be in with a chance of having the place almost to yourself, it is best to go later.

Last admission is 6.30pm and by about 8pm it starts to get quieter. The Studios close at 10pm.

7. The best bits of the tour at WB Studios

People ask what the best bits about the Harry Potter Studio tour were.

This is quite subjective because everyone’s opinions will differ. These are just our favourite bits of the Harry Potter Studios Tour:

• The dragon encounter in the vault under Gringotts Bank was pretty spectacular. We won’t spoil it but it is a little scary, especially for little ones.
• Pulling a potted Mandrake in Professor Sprout’s Greenhouse (in the outside area just after the Backlot Café).
• Wandering through the Forbidden Forest – watch out for those pesky spiders!
• Making Dobby dance.
• Taking a ride on the Hogwarts Express.

Tip for Diagon Alley at Harry Potter Studio Tour London

People come in waves so if this is your favourite part, hang around and see if you can get a photo without people in it.

This was the view just a few minutes later.

8. Consider taking food with you to save time

We would recommend taking your own food. Not only does it help keep costs down but it will also save time if you are in a rush. The queues can be quite long in the cafés and you won’t want to spend a long time waiting for food.

If you prefer to buy food at the Studios, here is some information on the restaurants at Harry Potter Studios.

There are a few places to eat at the Harry Potter Studios and they are reasonably priced. You can read more about the eateries here .

• Chocolate Frog Café  – in the main lobby serves a selection of hot and cold drinks and sweet treats.
• The Food Hall – in the main lobby serves a fairly comprehensive breakfast and lunch menu.
• The Backlot Café – at the half way point of the tour serves breakfast and lunch and, of course, Butterbeer.
• The Hub Café – in the main lobby serves hot and cold drinks and baked goods.

If you are having lunch there, the kids will love the Harry Potter bus shaped sandwich boxes.

If you want to try the Butterbeer, you probably only want to get one per family. You can ONLY buy the Butterbeer at the Backlot Café which is around the half way point (after seeing the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9 3/4).

Note – Butterbeer does not taste good! Children will probably prefer the Butterbeer Ice Cream.

Here are some FAQs about visiting the Harry Potter Studio Tour London

We are often asked about our Harry Potter Studio Tour.

Understandably, when you’re spending a lot of money on something, you want to make sure it is worth it. And once you’ve made the decision to go, you want to make sure you get the most out of your visit.

Here are some of the questions we get asked about the Harry Potter Studio Tour.

Where are the Warner Bros Studios?

We thought we would start with this for anyone unaware that the Warner Bros Studios are actually NOT IN LONDON.

It is easy to get to the Harry Potter studios from London though.

Note that the Warner Bros Studio Tour is right next door to the Warner Bros Studios.

The address for WB Studios is :

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London Studio Tour Drive Leavesden WD25 7LR.

The easiest way to reach the WB Studios from London is by train.

The closest train station to Harry Potter Studios is Watford Junction . Trains depart from London Euston and take around 20 minutes.

You can get a WB Studios shuttle bus from Watford Junction. The journey is included in your ticket price.

You can also arrange guided tours from London if you don’t want to take the train. We recommend this one.

We live very close to the studios so we drove. There is an enormous car park and parking is free.

There are also hotels nearby if you prefer to stay in the area. Here is a list of hotels near the Warner Bros Studios for families .

See here for our recommendations for hotels in London for families .

If you are staying in London with kids, there are loads of fun Harry Potter experiences in London . We also have a whole section on the blog for visiting London with kids .

Do you need to be a Harry Potter fan to enjoy the Harry Potter studio tour?

One of the most frequently asked questions about the Harry Potter Studio tour is whether or not you need to like Harry Potter.

Based on our experience with one child who loves Harry Potter and the other who doesn’t, I would say it really does help to be a Harry Potter fan.

I love the Harry Potter films. Admittedly, I haven’t read the books and am told by my son that the books are better.

Either way, I would class myself as a Harry Potter fan (although not fanatical) and I enjoyed the tour.

It is an interesting experience and unless you actually dislike Harry Potter, I can’t think that you wouldn’t enjoy the tour.

How long does the Harry Potter tour take?

The Harry Potter tour lasts as long as you want it to really. You could be the first one in and the last one out.

There are parts that you cannot go back to and do again though (like the Hogwarts Dining Hall) so make sure you have completed each area fully before you move on.

Ideally you should allow at least 3 – 4 hours to do the Harry Potter Studio Tour.

Is Harry Potter Studio Tour all inside?

We thought that the tour was all inside but actually, around 10% of the WB Studio tour is outside.

This is something you need to consider if you are visiting in the winter or when it is raining.

When you arrive, you have the option of storing your coats in the cloakroom but you might not want to store your coats if you think you will get cold easily.

Having said that, you will only spend around 10-15 minutes outside so weigh up the need to carry your coat around the rest of the tour.

We kept our coats but they were just lightweight puffer jackets by Mountain Warehouse . They were easy to fold down into our Osprey day bag .

What age is best for the Harry Potter Studio tour?

There is no age restriction at the Harry Potter Studio tour.

We mentioned briefly above, however, that children under 4 are free because the tour isn’t really suited to young children.

Firstly, it is best if they have a slight concept at least of Harry Potter. Secondly, there is a lot of walking involved.

If you are thinking about taking kids on the WB Studio tour, we would recommend waiting until they have seen the films or read the books before taking them.

Having said that, children aged 6+ will get something out of the visit. But then you need to think whether it is worth paying that money for them to potentially not enjoy it.

When is the best time to visit Harry Potter World London?

If at all possible, go on a weekday during term time. Easier said than done when you have school aged kids. If you have an inset day, maybe consider using it to visit the Studios.

We visited on a Monday and booked one of the last tickets of the day.

Don’t be fooled when you arrive and there is no queue for the ‘Tour Entrance’.

From here, you pass through into a holding area and it will fill up. We got so excited when we saw there was no queue (photo below).

We also visited during Hogwarts in the Snow. It is one of the things we recommend for kids to do at Christmas in London . It was so pretty seeing the sets covered in snow. You even get to see how they make the snow at the end of the tour.

If you can, time your visit to coincide with one of the special events. The best are the Dark Arts which is a great Halloween event for kids . See other places to visit at Halloween in London with kids . Hogwarts in the Snow (around Christmas) is also great.

And finally – is the Harry Potter Studio Tour London worth it?

We thought we would leave this to the end so that you have enough information to make up your own mind.

For so  many, the London Harry Potter Studio Tour is one of the best Harry Potter experiences in the UK .

Personally, we have mixed opinions.

For Harry Potter fans, yes it is worth it. For younger children, no it probably isn’t.

It is a lot of money but you can spend an entire day there if you want which makes it seem more reasonable.

We hope you found our review of the Harry Potter Studio Tour helpful. If you have any questions that we haven’t covered, please drop us a line and we’d be happy to help.

If you’re thinking of visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort, don’t miss our recommendations for family-friendly hotels near Universal Orlando .

We participate in various affiliate marketing programs. Flashpacking Family is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Posted on 1st July 2021 Categories Things to do

By: Author Julianna Barnaby

Visiting the Harry Potter Studio Tour (+ Everything You Need to Plan Your Trip)

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Love Harry Potter? The Warner Bros. Studio Tour is an absolutely magical day out for children and adults alike. Here’s what you need to know before you go.

Harry Potter. You may have noticed that I’m low-level obsessed with both the films and the books. The story that captured our imaginations 20 years ago is no less magical today.

London is filled with Harry Potter spots – whether that’s filming locations, cool graphics stores or Potter-inspired bars , there’s plenty to keep your wands busy. Even so, the Harry Potter Studio Tour is phenomenal.

I’ll admit that I put visiting the tour off for a while because I never quite got round to booking my ticket. Mistake . Now that I’ve been I can say hand on heart that it is a must for anyone who loves Harry Potter.

I’ve written this step-by-step guide to help you understand what to expect, how to book your tickets, plan your journey and have a brilliant time. No pressure then…

OK, So the Big Question is… Are the Harry Potter Studios Worth the Money?

In short – yes. The Harry Potter Studios are worth the money.

It’s pretty much impossible to talk about why you should go on the Harry Potter Studio Tour without confronting the fact that tickets are hella expensive.

£47 for adults and £38 for children over 5 is no laughing matter – particularly when you add transport and (if necessary) accommodation to that too.

Even though the tickets are expensive, I’d say that the experience is absolutely worth it – it’s been brilliantly done – so much so that I know people who’ve been back a couple of times over the years.

Want to book a tour instead? Choose from these tours from London .

Exploring the Magical World of Harry Potter at the Warner Brothers Studio Tour in London: What to Expect

All eight of the films were filmed in the Leavesden Studios over a period spanning more than a decade.

There’s nowhere else that you can visit where you can see so many of the places, costumes and details that made the iconic films the biggest movie series in history.

How to Get Your Hands on Harry Potter London Tickets

Buy tickets on the website.

Now, I’m not going to lie – trying to get your hands on the Harry Potter studio tickets is like trying to conjure a genuine smile from Professor Umbrige. As in, it will take all of your wits and whiles to make it happen. Unlike trying to coax a smile from Umbridge though, it will be totally worth the effort.

First of all, let me be clear. You have to buy tickets in advance – there will be no turning up on the day and hoping to strike lucky.

That shizz just doesn’t fly (as in they don’t even sell tickets on the door, so you’ll have schlepped out to Leavesden for no reason – and I’ll warn you, apart from the studio tour, Leavesden isn’t the kind of place where you go to have a lot of fun).

So, you need to plan your trip in advance. Preferably as far in advance as you possibly can.

Tickets for the Warner Brothers Harry Potter tour sell like hotcakes – and months ahead.

Don’t be all blasé like me, hopping onto the website and thinking you’ll pick one up for the next day. I was totally sucker punched when I saw that tickets were pretty much booked out for two months in advance. That’s not a typo and yes you’re reading it right. Two months.

Now, there are a couple of workarounds, which I am going to go into more detail below but that is the standard position.

So if you’re thinking about taking a trip to London and you want to get a ticket, do it the moment you book your flights. I only wish I were joking.

Book Tickets Here

Sneaky Trick Number One for Getting a Ticket to the Warner Bros Studio Tour

Book a tour – or transport inclusive ticket from a tour operator.

I have to be honest – I am prettyyyyyy disorganised a lot of the time and I’ve often found that hunting around for a tour can mean that you can nab a last minute spot when all other hope is lost.

Have a look on Get Your Guide and simply work your way through the different operators until you can find one with a ticket for the date that you want. Simple and oh so crafty * cackles uncontrollably in the manner of Bellatrix Lestrange *.

PS – I talk more about tours and transport inclusive options in the How to Get to the Harry Potter Studios Section Below.

Sneaky Trick Number Two For Getting Your Hands on Harry Potter Studio Tickets

You’ll have better luck if you can visit on a weekday outside of school holidays, but as you’re likely to be grown-ass adults with actual jobs, whether you can do that depends on exactly how much magic you’re willing to practice to get yourself a spot.

Sneaky Trick Number Three for Nabbing Those Tickets

Now I know that I said that you have next to zero chance for nabbing tickets to Harry Potter land in London without booking them at least a couple of months in advance but guess what… I lied.

Well, kind of.

You can get last-minute tickets on the website if you’re willing to be flexible and just take whatever day and time is available. I booked my tickets on Tuesday to go on the Sunday of the same week – and was pretty lucky that the tour started at 2pm so I had loads of time to make my way around.

There were only a couple of tickets for the Sunday available – and a few more for the following Monday and Tuesday… after which the earliest I could book was 2.5 months later.

It’s a big gamble – definitely not one I’d recommend taking if you’re only in the country for a short period but it is always worth checking.

Read Next: The Ultimate Guide to London’s Magical Harry Potter Spots

Tips for Making the Most of Your Time in the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour

If you’re more of an adult than me and actually book your tickets far enough in advance that you get a choice about which slot to choose rather than having to take whichever one’s available because you’re trying to find a ticket for this weekend, I have a tip.

Go as early in the day as possible – and try and avoid the last slot or two.

Much as I’d love to pretend that these are sage words I winkled out of prophecy buried in that creepy vault in the Ministry of Magic, the boring truth is there are very good reasons for this advice.

One is that the tour is untimed. Once you’re in, you’re in for however long it takes you to make your way around.

Considering that some people (ME) literally won’t rest until they’ve read / played with / googled at / photographed / posed with every tiny little bit on every single set, you can understand how later slots can get pretty busy.

The second reason I say to go as early as possible is kind of the same – you want to make sure that you have all the sweet sweet time that you need to make your way around that tour.

They suggest three to four hours but who knows, you may end up taking more (particularly if you kick back with a butterbeer in Hogsmeade).

Someone once spent over thirteen hours in the tour, which seems a liiiitttttle excessive – what were they doing? Reenacting the films? Actually, that’s a brilliant idea.  

Either way, with the earlier slots you pretty much have all the time you want. It would be a real shame to have to rush any of the experience – you paid enough to justify squeezing every last second of pleasure from your well-spent galleons.

Wear Comfortable Shoes

Did you see that bit above where I said that the average person takes three to four hours walking around the studios?

Now imagine doing that in some flimsy-ass high heels that make you want to cast a spell and set your own feet on fire after half an hour and I think you’ll get my point about comfortable shoes.

Unless you have your own flying broomstick that is, in which case you can wear those heels as you zip around the tour with your cape billowing in the breeze behind you.

Dress Up (If You Want, but Why Wouldn’t You Want to…)

I have one regret about my trip to the making of Harry Potter and that is that I didn’t dress up. There were so many kids (and adults!) rocking cool Harry Potter attire that the moment I saw them, I knew that I a) wanted to be them and b) would feel so sad about it for the whole time I was there.

So dust off your capes, your house scarf, your Potter-style glasses etc with free abandon – ain’t no one going to judge you for it.

Swot Up on the Films (and the Books for Extra House Points)

This will only apply if you haven’t watched the film in a little while (in which case, who even are you?).

There are so many cool spots here but there’s no point if you can only dimly remember the films from some time a few years ago when you watched it as you did your knitting.

No. That is not good enough. You want to make sure that you’ve watched the films recently, that they’re fresh in your mind, that you recall every detail – and preferably you can do some short reenactments as you go around…

And, if you want to get extra mega-nerdy house points, breeze through the books so you can say sage things comparing the books to the films and the sets and totally blowing everyone’s minds with your crazy levels of knowledge.

Don’t Whizz Through the Great Hall too Fast – In Fact, Don’t Whizz Through Any of the Tour too Fast

The tour starts with a couple of short intros – one in a small room where you can see the cast on small screens above you and marvel at how much older they look. Then start thinking about how much older you must be too and actually get so wrapped up in this that you actually end up missing everything they say.

The second intro film is a much grander affair and in an actual cinema. Now, once you finish that second film, the doors beyond open and you’re let into the Hogwarts Dining Hall.

What do you get when you take lots and lots of very keen Harry Potter fans, lock them in a dark room and then let them loose onto one of the film’s most exciting sets?

I think mayhem is the word that you’re looking for. I had a whole family push into my photo, pretty much stampeding over me to nab a picture with a statue of Dumbledore.

No worries though, jokes on them because I just waited behind until almost all of the people had trampled their way through to the next room and quietly (and rather smugly, channeling my best Hermione knows it all face) took my pictures and had a nose around the now empty hall.

Don’t take too long though – you only have a certain period of time until the next group of people are released from the cinema room and into the frenzy.

That advice applies to all of the tour actually – unless you’re in one of the later slots you have all the time that you need to make your way around, take millions of pictures and absolutely live your best Harry Potter life.

There’s no need to rush that – if you do, you won’t have anything good to put into your pensieve.

Read Next: Mischief Managed: This is What it’s Really Like to Visit the Harry Potter Inspired Bar in London

Pick the Guides’ Brains

No, not literally. The guides in the Warner Bros studios take Harry Potter fandom to. another. level. You will bow in the face of their superior and all out geeky knowledge of the things on the set.

I totally encourage you to sidle up to one and ask a really niche question about a tiny piece of the set buried in the back of a scene, then watch as *poof* all their magical knowledge comes out. It’s BEAUTIFUL.

Do Fill in Your Making of Harry Potter Passport

You’re handed a Harry Potter Passport with your tickets. I tried to be all cool and dismissive about it – what do they think we are? Children who are going to run around getting stamps and filling in the questions in our magical books? Damned right we are.

Now is not the time to pretend that you’re in any way not excited about finding the 13 golden snitches that are hidden throughout the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour.

Finding those snitches and getting those stamps is better than that moment when everyone thinks that Harry’s dead and he bursts out of Hagrid’s arms to turn Voldemort into tiny pieces of ash. I shizz you not.

Highlights of the Warner Bros Studio Tour in London

Now that you’ve booked your tickets and are incredibly excited, I thought I’d help fuel the fire with a few sneak peeks at some of my favourite spots from the set 😀

The Great Hall

Feasts, howlers, ominous speeches – Hogwarts’ Great Hall has seen it all. It’s pretty cool to see the hall in real life (though if you’ve ever visited Christ Church in Oxford – another city with many Harry Potter filming locations , you’ll notice the strong resemblance).

I won’t let you in on all of the little secrets but you get to peek behind the scenes to find out how they created the floating candles and enchanted ceiling effects, plus there’s a cool display of the house uniforms and details on how they changed throughout the films.

The Gryffindor Dormitory

Lush velvet, wooden four poster beds – welcome to the Gryffindor Dorm. Biggest surprise? The beds are absolutely tiny as they were designed for the kids for The Philosopher’s Stone but ended up being used in all the films.

Dumbledore’s Office

So much wisdom, so little time.

The calm retreat in which many of the films’ most memorable scenes took place – Dumbledore’s Office is adorned with rows and rows of books and many portraits of former Hogwarts headmasters.

Though it brought up all the feels from that awful moment when Snape kills Dumbledore and you feel like your soul has been split in two.

The Potions Room

Press it, don’t squeeze it Hermoine. The potions room is lined with all manner of tinctures and strange ingredients – ready to be made into love potions or poisons… let’s hope it’s the first of the two!

The Forbidden Forest

The Forbidden Forest is a real eye opener – dark, ominous and more realistic than I’d like to admit, it’s crazy walking through the forest as giant spiders descend from the ceiling, accompanied by thunder and flashes of lightning.

Malfoy Manor

The ominous tone of Malfoy Manor is set by a dummy of Charity Burbage hanging over the long table at which the death eaters sit. Who can forget the poor teacher’s death – brutally attacked by Nagini while the whole table watched.

The Ministry of Magic

Glimpses of the Ministry of Magic peep out from the giant sets – one of the largest ever created for a film. The larger-than-life Magic is Might statue stands to remind Muggles of their rightful place. Creepy.

Read Next: The House of Minalima – Step into a World of Harry Potter in Soho

Platform 9 ¾

It’s real! All aboard the Hogwarts Express! Many of the scenes on Platform 9 ¾ were actually shot in King’s Cross (one of the filming locations in London) but part of the station was reconstructed in the studio – complete with a Hogwarts Express that you can jump aboard and trolleys buried in the walls for that iconic shot of you running through to the secret platform.

Diagon Alley  

Hop into Ollivanders and get your wand at the ridiculously lifelike set for Diagon Alley . The set changed significantly throughout the progress of the films – the final version is a cross between a Victorian shopping street and a weird, wacky emporium.

Hogwarts Castle

The last stop on the Harry Potter studio tour is IMHO the best – the scale model of Hogwarts Castle. Each of the films directors changed bits on the castle to suit the mood of their film – the result? An incredible sprawling model, complete with intricately-designed details. When can we move in?

What’s The Best Way to Get to the Harry Potter Studios from London?

Where is harry potter studios.

The Harry Potter Studios are actually situated just outside of London in Leavesden, Watford. There’s not too much to do in this area besides visiting the studio tour but there’s plenty to do inside, so you can still make a day of it.

Have no fear though – no matter which part of London you’re in, the Harry Potter Studios are pretty easy to get to. I’ve outlined the easiest ways for you below…

Getting to the Harry Potter studios isn’t difficult if you have a car. It’s about a 45 minute drive from Central London and parking is free.

Like many places outside of the city, Sat Nav does tend to lose its way a little when you put in the postcode, so you’re better off entering in Warner Bros Studios Leavesden to make sure that it takes you to the right place. We don’t want any Diagonelly / Diagon Alley mix ups here.

Make sure that you have your booking confirmation to hand as you go into the car park as they need to check it before you go in.

By Bus from London

Did I mention that the studios are kind of in the middle of nowhere? Upshot is that your options for getting to them are far more limited than for places in central London.

If you’re not driving, the easiest thing to do is to buy a Bus and Entrance Package. The package covers your bus from a central London location and your ticket for the tour. Mischief managed!

There are a few different operators offering buses from different London locations – t his one does them from Victoria coach station , or browse here for other options . Most bus and tour packages cost around £85 for adults.

On a Guided Tour

This is different (and a lot more expensive) to the Bus and Ticket Combos. I’m talking fully guided tours for those who want that next-level Harry Potter knowledge and aren’t afraid to make it rain pounds and pennies in order to get it.

This guided tour includes transport from London, a fully-guided tour around the studios plus re-entry to the studios so that you can go back and explore them at your own leisure before heading with your guide back to London again.

Book your spot for £89 pounds – and no, you can’t rob Gringotts to fund the cost of the tickets.

By Train (and Bus)

In my opinion, getting to the studios by train is the most awkward option, though it isn’t too bad. You need to hop on a train from London Euston to Watford Junction (this takes about 20 minutes) and then catch a bus (£2.50 extra – cash only) from Watford Junction to the Studios (this takes about 15 minutes).

In theory, you could do the trip in 35 minutes but everyone I’ve spoken to says it takes a bit longer and there’s the hassle of having to change at Watford Junction.

I’d rather hop on one bus to do the full journey but that’s just me. You don’t need to book ahead but check train times to make sure you’re not waiting around in Euston for the next one.

Hotels Near Harry Potter Studios London

Premier inn watford north (budget).

I tend to prefer Premier Inns over Travelodges but it’s the same deal – a comfortable budget option that’s only a short distance from the studios. Check availability.

Hemel Hempstead Holiday Inn (Budget)

The Hemel Hempstead Holiday Inn is everything that you’d expect from a Holiday Inn (as in basic but clean and comfortable). The real draw is that it’s less than a ten-minute drive (seven minutes to be exact) away from the Studios – particularly perfect if you’ve got an early morning start. Check availability.

The Grove (High End)

The Grove is hella pricey but what else do you expect when you opt to stay in a gorgeous country manor house? Stylish interiors, ridiculously snuggly beds and a fabulous in-house restaurant. Totally your pick if you really want to push the boat out. Check prices and availability.

Other Hotels in Watford

I should point out that there are quite a few hotels in and around Watford Junction, where it totally makes sense to stay if you are getting the train to the station but don’t want to hurry there and back the same day.

Compare prices and availability for hotels in Watford.

Harry Potter Studio Tour London Map

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20 Tips for visiting the Harry Potter Studios in London

Looking for some useful tips for visiting the Harry Potter Studios in London ? We are here to help!

If you’re a fan of the Harry Potter series, a trip to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London is a must-do.

Located in Watford, the WB Harry Potter Studios are where the Harry Potter movies were filmed.

Here you will find everything that was used to make the films. This includes some of the sets (such as the Grand Hall), the props, the costumes but also many interactive attractions.

It’s important to note that this is not a theme park like you would find in Orlando. These were the actual studios and they were turned into more of an exhibition for visitors to learn more about the movies and how they were made.

So, are you ready to discover all our Harry Potter studios tips? Let’s get started!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost for you!

🔎 Table of Contents

1. Book your tickets in advance

The Studio Tour is one of London’s most popular tourist attractions , and tickets often sell out.

There are two ways you can book tickets for the Harry Potter Studios.

The first one is to book your ticket directly on the Warner Bros studios website . This is ideal if you are booking well in advance and don’t want transport included.

The second option is to book a tour from London . This will include the entrance to the studios as well as transportation from central London.

As a general thing, it is advisable to book at least 2 or 3 months in advance if you are booking direct.

As previously mentioned, tickets sell out fast! Also, it’s important to take into consideration the season since some periods are busier than others.

The studios are open most days but they do close for a few days in November and around Christmas time so make sure to check this beforehand.

Click here to book your ticket

2. Book a tour from London if you are looking for last-minute tickets

If you’re looking for tickets last minute and none of them is available on the website, don’t worry! You can also book a tour from London that includes the entrance to the studios and transportation.

You can book these tours even if they are tickets on the website since they include transportation so they work out about the same price as paying for everything separately (Ticket, tube, train and shuttle) but they are particularly convenient when you want to score some last-minute tickets.

The fact is that we can’t always plan months or weeks in advance so if you are already in London or are going soon and really want to visit the Harry Potter studios, make sure to book one of these tours.

3. Book an early slot and arrive early to maximize your time at the Studios

When you book your ticket, you will be asked to choose a timed entrance.

The studios open at 10 AM so you can book anytime from then.

In average, visitors spend 4 hours in the studios however, you are actually free to stay as long as you want.

This means that if you want to get there at 10AM and stay until it closes in the evening, you can do so!

For this reason, I highly recommend to book an early slot (10AM, 10:30AM and 11AM are ideal).

That way, you will have loads of time to explore, take your time for lunch and will have more than enough time.

If you are a huge Harry Potter fan, this is the best tip you’ll find!

Regardless, even if you don’t want to spend more than 4 hours, you can always leave whenever you wish and will have the afternoon to enjoy your time in London.

If you take a midday slot, you will need to dedicate the entire day to the Harry Potter Studios since it will take a couple of hours to get there and back.

3. Plan your journey from London

The Warner Bros. Studio Tour is located in Leavesden, which is about 30 miles from London.

While this doesn’t seem too far away, you will actually need between 1 and 2 hours to get there from central London.

There are different ways to get there but the most convenient is by taking a tour that includes transportation.

This way, you don’t have to worry about anything and will be taken straight to the studios.

If you want to do it yourself, then head to Euston station and take a train to Watford junction (you can use your Oyster card for that but it’s one of the furthest zones so the cap will be a bit high).

From Watford Junction, simply walk across to the carpark and you will see the Harry Potter buses. They are impossible to miss since they are entirely decorated.

The shuttle will take you straight to the studios and costs £6 return.

Make sure to keep your ticket for the return!

READ MORE: 20 Best Harry Potter Things to do in London

4. Consider driving (if you have a car and are not in London)

If you are not in London and have a car, driving is definitely a good way to go. You can easily get there and the area is not busy. It’s actually pretty remote.

There is free parking at the studios so that’s definitely a plus!

If you’ve been on the website, you may have seen that there is a closer carpark for £10 but the free carpark is very close. It only takes 1 minute (if even) to get to the entrance so unless you or one of your passengers can’t walk 100 yards, you can simply use the free carpark.

When you get there, follow the signs to the carpark. You will be asked to show your ticket to enter so keep it handy.

If you get there before 11 AM, it should be pretty empty too.

5. Dress appropriately

Since you will be walking around a lot, it’s advisable to dress comfortably.

The studios are air-conditioned so you might feel cold in the beginning but once you start walking, you will warm up.

It’s also important to take into consideration that there might be some rain and since some parts of the studios are outdoors, you may want to take a good jacket.

There is a fair bit of walking around so make sure to wear comfortable shoes.

Finally, I would advise you not to wear straight or short skirts since it could be uncomfortable if you are trying the Quidditch activities.

6. Wear your Harry Potter clothes and accessories!

This one is a no-brainer. If you’re dressing up for the occasion, why not go all out and wear your Harry Potter clothes and accessories?

You will fit right in and will feel like you are a part of the magic!

Also, you will be taking a lot of photos and they will look even better if you are a bit dressed up!

Rest reassured, you don’t actually need to rock your cape but don’t hesitate to wear your Hogwarts house scarf or a hat.

7. Ask loads of questions!

The staff working at the Harry Potter studios are really friendly and they love answering questions.

There are people in each room and although it may look like they are watching everything, they are actually here to answer your questions and tell you more about what you see.

Don’t hesitate to go see them and ask your questions. If you don’t have any questions, then just ask them if they have any interesting facts to share with you. They will have loads!

For example, if you are in the Gringotts Bank, they will tell you how it was built. They may also mention the Harry Potter reunion since it was filmed in the studios and Tom Felton was sitting there for parts of it.

They will also show you some hidden gems.

Basically, they have extensive knowledge and talking with them will make your experience even better.

They all speak English but a lot of people also speak other languages. Make sure to look at their badge to see which language they speak.

8. Take loads of photos!

This is another no-brainer. The Harry Potter Studios are a paradise when it comes to photo opportunities.

You will want to take loads of photos and you should not refrain.

This is your one chance to get loads of Harry Potter themed pictures!

There are so many photo spots in the studios including Platform 9 3/4, the Great Hall, the Gringotts Bank and more.

Take your time and if you need someone else to take a photo, don’t hesitate to ask one of the other visitors.

Everyone is here to enjoy the studios and nobody would run with your phone. Also, they may ask you to take a picture of them in return. Win-Win!

9. Take your time

This is probably the most important tip I can give you.

The Harry Potter studios are a lot to take in and there is so much to see!

I would advise you to not rush through it and to take your time. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and you should enjoy it!

As previously mentioned, you are not being rushed for time here. You can stay as long as you want so take your time and enjoy.

If you are scared you are taking too much time and will then have to rush, here is a tip.

The restaurant is located halfway through the tour so as long as you don’t reach it, that means you haven’t done half.

Once you do, you can consider it will take you as much time to finish.

10. Get a Harry Potter passport and the stamps!

The Warner Bros studios were built in a very interactive way. They did everything they could to make sure that visitors would have fun and would bring back loads of memories

If you want, you can get a Harry Potter passport and the stamps of all the places you visit!

You can get them at the entrance or by the first stamp station.

You will find different pages with stories and games as well as a spot to get your stamps.

The stamp stations are located all around the studios. You can see where is the next one by simply turning the pages.

It’s very fun and you will enjoy looking for the stamp stations. Also, it’s free and you get to take it back home!

11. Do a Harry Potter Quiz

If you want to add a bit of fun to the experience, you could consider playing a bit and doing a Harry Potter quiz!

You can find a free Harry Potter quiz here . Get it on your phone or print it beforehand and ask your crew the questions.

This will test your knowledge of Harry Potter and will create a fun atmosphere during the visit.

12. Get food at the Harry Potter Studios or bring your own

The Harry Potter Studios have a restaurant located on the premises. This is a great opportunity to get some food and relax for a bit, especially since it’s located about halfway through the tour.

The restaurant has a wide variety of food, including vegan and vegetarian options. It’s also really affordable! Your meal should cost under £10 and can be paid cash or on card.

This is a pleasant surprise since usually restaurants are very expensive in this kind of things.

Since it’s so easy and affordable, I recommend to get food there.

However, it’s important to know that you are allowed to bring food in. If you are travelling with kids, this will be a cheaper option.

You can find picnic areas outside, just next to the knight bus and the bridge.

Please note that you will also find a Starbucks and a snack place at the entrance (once you went through the security control but before starting the tour itself).

You can fill out bottles of water as well so I would highly recommend to take a bottle beforehand.

13. Try a butterbeer

It doesn’t get any more Harry Pottery than a good butterbeer.

Butterbeer is the ultimate wizarding drink and you can’t get it in many places since the recipe is secret. The Harry Potter Studios in London are one of the rare places in the world where you can get a real butterbeer.

Getting one is a must-do! You will either love it or hate but this is not really the point. It’s just a cool thing to do and to experience at least once.

Also, if you get it in the butterbeer mug, it will be a great prop for photos!

The butterbeer bar is located right by the restaurant (Backlot Café). You can get it in a regular plastic class or in a butterbeer mug (it costs £3 more but it’s a nice souvenir).

Since it’s right by the knight bus and the Dursley house, you can take beautiful photos holding your butterbeer.

Please note that a butterbeer is alcohol-free and therefore suitable for children.

That having been said, it’s very sweet so you may want to share it with someone. You may not manage to finish it on your own.

14. Use the Harry Potter Fan Club App

The Harry Potter Fan Club App is a great way to get extra content and make the most of your visit.

Available on both Android and iOS, it includes a map of the studios, videos, photos and more.

15. Do all the green screen attractions

A lot of scenes in the Harry Potter movies were created using special effects and CGI. Amongst them, you will find all the Quidditch scenes.

Basically, and without being spoiler, the actors would ride their broom in front of a green screen and the images in the background would be added in post production.

You will find these green screen sets in the studios and not only do you get to see them, but you can also try them!

There are two of them, the Quidditch and the train carriages right by the Hogwarts Express.

As you get there, you will realise that photos are being taken and you have to pay extra to get them. While this is true, it’s important to note that you can do them and not buy the photos.

The photos are nice souvenirs but there will be no pressure to buy them.

Knowing that, you might as well make the best of the experience and get in line to play some quidditch!

This is important to note because these attractions are very good fun and super interactive. You will have such a good time doing them but yet, a lot of people skip thinking they have to pay.

You do not have to pay to do it. You simply have to pay if you want to buy the photos but once again, there is no obligation to do so.

16. Get a digital guide if you speak another language

The Harry Potter Studios are all in English and while this is not an issue for some, if English is not your first language, you may struggle with some of the explanations or even names (all names were translated differently).

For this reason, it could be a great idea to get a digital guide. They can be hired at the entrance for less than £5 and provide information and facts in many languages including French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese and more.

You can book it with your ticket beforehand or simply head to the reception desk and ask for one. You will be provided a small digital screen and headphone and can go around the studios while learning even more about the world of Harry Potter.

17. Use the free Wi-Fi

The Harry Potter Studios offer free Wi-Fi which is great because it means you won’t have to use your data roaming while you’re there!

Also, the coverage is not always great in certain parts of the studios so it comes very handy to have free Wi-Fi available.

18. Use the cloakroom

Located at the entrance, the cloakroom is free of charge which is perfect if you want to leave your bag or coat.

They will be safe and sound at the cloakroom and you won’t have to lug things around.

That having been said, it can be a bit cold in certain parts of the studios and of course outside, so I wouldn’t leave everything there.

19. Watch the movies before you go

If you want to make the most of your visit, watching the Harry Potter movies is a must.

As you know, the Harry Potter Studios are entirely dedicated to the movies. This is not about the books.

Of course the movies were based on the books but the WB are very much about the movies.

If you want to learn more about the books, make sure to visit Edinburgh. It will be a much better place for that.

Knowing that you will discover everything about the movies, it would be much better if you watch them before going.

Not only will you recognise many of the sets and props but you will also understand more of the references.

It will get you excited and you will have the images very fresh in your mind which will enhance your experience.

20. Get some souvenirs

The gift shop at the studios is great and it’s definitely worth leaving with a few souvenirs.

There are many different items available, including clothes, wands, prop replicas and more.

While they are not cheap, they are definitely worth buying as they will remind you of your amazing day at the Harry Potter Studios!

You may also be interested in:

• The Ultimate Guide for visiting the Harry Potter Studios in London: tips, tricks & Review
• 20 Best Harry Potter Things to do in London
• Harry Potter in Scotland: 13 Harry Potter locations & experiences you can only have in Scotland
• Harry Potter Train in Scotland: Ultimate Guide to riding the Jacobite train in real life

Founder of Beeloved City, I am originally from France and have been living in the UK since 2016. I've travelled to 25 countries as a backpacker, travel coordinator and for holidays. I spent a year in Australia before eventually settling down in Manchester, England

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Harry Potter Studio Tour London

Everything you need to know about the Harry Potter Studio Tour­ in London . From how to book a tour, how to get there, what to expect, and what you’ll see at the Harry Potter Studio.

We’re just returning home from our first family trip to London, and I think my favorite part of the entire experience was the Harry Potter Studio Tour!

We’ve been reading the Illustrated Harry Potter books with our boys as nighttime family read-alouds this past year. I’ve always wanted that experience, and much to my delight, I think my boys (and husband!) have enjoyed the wizarding world even more than I have!

When my husband found cheap direct flights to London, we knew our boys (ages 8 and 5) would love to see all the Harry Potter nods in London. In fact, we revealed the trip with a Harry Potter scavenger hunt and let them know Harry would be a big part of this trip. The biggest part, of course, was the Harry Potter Studio Tour.

What is the Harry Potter Studio Tour?

The Harry Potter Studios Tour Lond is a tour of the Warner Brothers set that was used for 10 years to film the Harry Potter movies. It’s full of the sets, costumes, props, and magic of special effects. Essentially, it’s a walk through the footsteps of Harry Potter and a full guide into the making of Harry Potter films.

If you can imagine what it took to visually create the Magical world of the Harry Potter books, you’ll have a good idea of what you’ll see on the Harry Potter Studio Tour London! It’s incredible how many talented people came together to create the movie magic that is the eight Harry Potter movies. And this is the background look at so many of those elements.

How do I Get Harry Potter Studio Tour Tickets?

You’ll book your tickets online at the Warner Bros Studio official website . You do need to book these in advance , and the attraction usually does sell out weeks in advance. So the moment you know the date you’ll be available to see wonders of the wizarding world on the studio lot, I’d book those tickets immediately!

How Long is the Harry Potter Studio Tour?

We’d read you can get through it in three hours, but I’ll be honest, we could have spent all day. And for reference, we love Harry, but I wouldn’t call us complete Potterheads by any stretch of the imagination. However, we love the series, we’ve seen three of the movies as a family, and I felt a little rushed with 5.5 hours of time to tour the studio. We booked 2:30 in the afternoon, and I wish we’d arrived around noon. I think six or seven hours , including a 30 minute lunch, would be ideal.   Ideally, I’d book tickets at Harry Potter Studio opening times. If you are amongst the first visitors of the day, you’ll avoid a lot of the crowds and have the full day to enjoy the full-guided tour without any rush. But if you can book by noon, you should be in great shape.

How Do You Get to the Harry Potter Studios?

The studio tour is about 20 minutes by speed train outside of London. From Central London, you’ll book a departure time from London Euston station. HOWEVER, I’d start by heading to King’s Cross station and snapping a picture with a luggage trolley at Platform 9 3/4s. You could also hit up Kings Cross on your way back, but it’s a fun way to start your journey! Right next door is London Euston Station, where you’ll book your train.

The nearest train station is Watford Junction which has a direct train from London Euston station . It’s about a 20-minute ride, and there are several trains per hour. I’d plan to depart an hour before your tour.

From there, there is a shuttle bus run by Mullany’s Coaches, which goes from Watford Junction Station to the studios. Once you exit your metro stop, the Harry Potter shuttle bus is ready to take you to the lot. There are signs in the Watford Junction Station pointing you to the bus, and it’s right outside the station. They run throughout the day, with the last one leaving the studio at closing time. Their shuttle bus makes it incredibly easy to get to the from the Metro station. And they offer return transportation right back to the metro once your tour ends.

You can also arrive by car if you’d prefer to drive or book a car service. I’d plan 45 minutes-1 hour from Central London.

What to Expect on Your Tour

Harry Potter fans will be delighted to to walk through 10 years of artifacts from all eight Harry Potter films. You’ll see artifacts, costumes, props, iconic sets with scene shot secrets, and a few fun surprises. They have a fully-guided tour via handheld device that you can grab on your way in.

Personal Video Guide and Headphones

Don’t skip out on the guide, it is fantastic! It’s full of information, fun facts, movie clips, and narrations from the actors, director, producers, and J.K. Rowlings herself.

The guide is a mini tablet (phone sized) that does such a great job letting you interact with small video clips that explain each thing you’re going to see. You can choose to watch them all, or select those you’re most interested in. Let me tell you, I was happy to listen to them all! They are fascinating! And even our short attention span five-year-old enjoyed watching them and following along.

A Breakdown of the Studio Tour

You’ll enter the studios with a great photo op in front of the sign and a giant billboard for the first movie.

As soon as you enter, you’ll get a headset with a tour. From there, you’ll walk into the main atrium and be greeted by a giant dragon. It’s a busy gathering spot, but don’t forget to stop for a picture at this magical spot!

Tour Welcome

I loved that the tours start where the movies do: with a look at the room under the stairs at the Durselys’ home. You’ll walk past it to see several of the movie posters from different countries for all eight movies. It’s the first thing you see while you go through a queue toward a welcome movie. ­Don’t worry, they have comfortable seats and all guests are greeted warmly. The movie includes a welcome from everyone’s favorite characters, the three main stars. They begin with an explanation of how they basically lived at this studio and grew up here for ten years of their lives. They welcome you to explore the magic that happened as they grew up on set.

The Great Hall

The staff will usher you quickly into The Great Hall. This room is HUGE with so much attention to detail. Also, the setup just like you see in all the movies. I won’t spoil anything here for those who go, but the end of the walkthrough The Great Hall ends with a magical surprise. I mean cheering, clapping, sheer amazement kind of magic.

This is the one and only place they rushed us out of. They keep the entry queue moving and it’s the one experience they need to do in batches.

But you’ll exit seeing a few exam desks, and the transition to wardrobe begins with some of your favorite professors costumes on full display.

Right after The Great Hall, you’ll walk through a wardrobe section. There’s an entire wall with all the wigs, hair pieces, and so much of the specialty wardrobe created for the movies.

My favorite was Luna Lovegood’s wardrobe, which had a tour guide to pull out specific dresses and pieces for a closer look. I loved seeing all of Dumbledore’s robes! But I particularly loved Hermione’s Yule Ball dress. It’s stunning in the movies, and even more stunning in real life!

You can only imagine the great time, detail, and imagination each prop took to make! They had to get creative creating a wizarding world with unique props and the time and effort it took to create things that had never been made before. The hall with props talks about so many specific details, and how each was made.

Indoor Sets

There are a few rooms you’ll see over and over in Harry Potter films, and those rooms are in the middle of the studio with open walls for filming. The Gryffindor common room, Harry’s dormitory, the Slytherin common room are large and happened to be the favorite hangouts of actors in between scenes! But my jaw dropped at Professor Dumbledore’s office! It may be the most stunningly detailed room that you’ll see. And I couldn’t get over the details like the young Minerva McGonagall portrait in the Gryffindor room. Or the telescope and intricacies of it in Dumbledore’s office. Oh yes, and the Sword of Gryffindor hangs proudly to admire from a distance.

The guide also taught us that the stacks of books were hundreds of phonebooks decorated to look like ancient wizard books.

My personal favorite is the potions classroom. I could have spent hours staring at each of the potion jars. It was one person’s job to create each of the items in the jars, and they got creative picking up plastic animals and redecorating, visiting butchers, and inventing a large scale room with no detail spared! It was in fact such a popular space, they expanded it after the first film.

Truly, the details in each space are delightful, and we could have spent so much more time there staring at each!

Green Screen Experience

Let me warn you, if you go to this area, you will likely shell out money for the pictures and videos they’ll take! From the wanted wizard pictures to the green screen flying on a broom through famous scenes from the movie, they are so fun! We decided to tell them to take all our money here! I mean we know our boys will watch the movies of themselves and their parents flying on brooms for years to come!

Special Effects

The filmmakers had such a challenge to create so many magical scenes! The special effects area is where you learn all about their filmmaking trickery. You would think they would use mostly green screens in the movies, and there are plenty of those. However, I loved learning and seeing that they decided to mechanically build so many of the scenes that created special effects. They knew they could get real reactions from the actors with actual “magic” and if the budget warranted it, they always opted to build it.

We learned the cake over Aunt Petunia was lifted with tiny water streams- and got to see it happen live! They build machines to shoot letters everywhere. It was amazing to see so many mechanical items and real props designed to interact with greenscreens.

And honestly, the quidditch area blew my mind! I remember going to an opening night midnight showing of the first movie mostly hoping to see how they portrayed quidditch. It was fun to learn they made so many tech improvements quidditch looks almost completely different by the third movie. I was just geeking out over all the details and effects that made Quidditch happen on the screen!

The Dark Arts/Ministry of Magic

You round the corner to see THE TABLE full of the Death Eaters, or at least mannequins in their costumes set at the table. Right down to Professor Charity Burbage hanging from the ceiling reading to be consumed by a snake. It was a bit of a shock for our kids who haven’t seen that scene yet, but I guess now I won’t be too worried when we watch the movie since they saw the complete behind-the-scenes.

I watched the movie in the tour guide with a behind-the-scenes of the making of the scene blended with the real scene about three times. It is incredible to see how they planted actors, cameras, and CGI to make it happen.

Right around the corner is the Ministry of Magic with walls, offices, and even Dolores Umbridge’s table complete with cat plates and her pink costume.

And off to the side, you can take an interactive lesson from the choreographer who taught actions how to fight with wands. He is a martial arts expert who invented what fighting with a wand woud look like. Actors took three-hour classes to learn moves and physically practice with their wands. I loved watching my boys practice and perform some moves!

The Forbidden Forrest

There are enough magical scenes in the Forbidden Forest, they went right ahead and built it! This was another one they originally did for the actor’s reactions. Apparently, Rupert Grint (Ron) has true arachnophobia and knew what he was getting into with the second movie. They built Argon the spider to scale, with tons of other giant robotic spiders descending. And you can experience the whole scene yourself!

We saw Buckbeak the animatronic. And also Harry’s famous Patronus scene from The Prisoner of Azkaban. It’s a very surreal thing to walk through all these scenes!

Hogwarts Express

Warner Brothers bought an old train and had it transported to the studios. Which as you can imagine, was no small feat!

They transformed it to the Hogwarts Express, and I learned they had to give it a fresh coat of red paint before each movie.

Before you tour the train, there are a few fun things to do and great photo ops! Stop to take photos with a few luggage trolley options at Platform 9 ¾. Take a minute to make an origami howler and hear Mrs. Weasley send one to Ron. And pause for a photo with a letter inviting you to Hogwarts in front of the giant train.

You can tour the outside of the Hogwarts Express, and walk through a train car from each movie. I loved the frozen Dementor car from the third movie! But they were all fantastic!

At this point, you’re a little over halfway through the tour, and it’s a perfect time to stop for some food at…

Backlot Cafe

You’ll find mostly American fare here. There are mostly burgers, hot dogs, salads, and loaded French fries. We weren’t expecting much, but we all liked our food

Don’t skip out on the butterbeer sampler! You can try a butterbeer drink, butterbeer ice cream, and a butterbeer cupcake on a flight. We enjoyed them all! Our boys loved the butterbeer best, and Jacob and I both liked the ice cream best.

Outside Sets

The outside sets section is delightful- and where I started to wish we’d had more time! You’ll start with Privot Drive from the outside, and walk through the inside of the Dursley’s house. You can see the scene with Aunt Marge, including the inflated character props.

Next up is the perfect photo op stops with the famous vehicles from the movies. The Knight Bus is ready for pictures, as is Hagrid’s motorcycle and the Weasley’s card Ron and Harry drive to Hogwarts in book 2.

Creating Magical Creatures

We hurried through this part, and I’d go back just to have time to listen to all the commentary from the audio tour! We saw the masks and makeup that made up the goblins and trolls. There are giant snake heads, dragons, and all the fantastical creatures in one place!

Gringotts Bank

I was floored how giant Gringotts Bank is! I mean I know a lot was going on there with scenes of goblins working, but I never thought it was one continuous space!

You can look through vaults, see the famous desks, and then head to the next room for a literal bang. The Dragon escapes through Gringotts right before your eyes with all the Hollywood-style effects. It’s an incredible scene, and I can’t believe it’s all live with very minimal CGI!

Diagon Alley

Diagon Alley is a very real and continuous street with each of the specialty shops in a row. If we’d had another hour I would have loved to have spent it looking at the details in the shops.

But the ones I spent time looking in had me tickled with the clever details and elements inside! And the Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes shop tugged right at my heartstrings. You can see the magical pranks and homage to the beloved family in all the spectacular detail. I love that it’s there!

Hogwarts Castle

Obviously, it wouldn’t be in a movie budget to build a full Hogwarts exterior, but they definitely built a model that’s still huge to film all the panning shots of the castle. And you can walk around the castle and see some of the effects they used like winter shows, fireworks, and day and night time lighting. It’s amazing! And I can only imagine the CGI artist’s creativity turning the model into something magical and perfect for the scene!

Ollivanders Wand Shop

Before you head to the location where you can buy your own wand, you’ll walk through THE room where Harry bought his wand. They have boxes and boxes with labels on them used in the movie.

The Studio Shop

I feel strange calling it a gift shop, because this gift shop is also an experience! We walked out with one lollypop and a chocolate frog, but there was about every Harry Potter merch item you could imagine! Okay minus a Ravenclaw scarf that my Ravenclaw child had their heart set on! But I assured him we could find one elsewhere.

We almost gave into a Hedgewig puppet that moved its head and flapped its wings. But they truly had every character, animal, and even Fantastic Beasts creatures in stuffed animal form. The shirts, costumes, robes, candy shop, bags, and magical pens all amazed us!

Even if you plan to buy exactly nothing, it’s a fun place to walk through and experience a little magic in merch form.

Leaving the Tour

We had one kid start to cry when we left stating “I don’t want to leave! This has been one of the most magical days of my life!” Which I actually think sums up how our entire family felt!

The five and a half hours went by so fast, and we all were delighted by the experience! It exceeded our expectations! And as a family who make experiencing fun part of our lives (and mom’s job), we all agreed this was one of the most amazing things we’ve ever experienced!

I think it’s worth the money, and worth the time of travel even during a quick trip to London. Don’t tell Disneyland Paris I said this, but the Harry Potter Studio tour was the most magical thing we experienced on this family trip to Europe!

Harry Potter Studios Frequently Asked Questions

If you listen to the entire tour guide, it will take about five hours to complete the tour . We felt rushed with 5.5 hours and could have easily spent 6-7 touring. However, their website claims the average is 3.5 hours. It just depends on how much of the tour resources you want to consume and if you want to walk through or stop to listen and learn about every detail.

As Harry Potter fans who wouldn’t quite classify themselves as Potterheads, we would say this is 100% worth your time and expense to see! The filmmaking included more creativity and design than almost any other film, and the artifacts and details are stunning. It’s a magical experience unlike anything else, and very worth it.

Buy your ticket in advance, and take the metro for arrival. You can save money packing your own food and avoiding souvenirs. If you are going as a family, look into the family ticket options for a cheaper price.

The sooner, the better! These tours fill up fast! It gets the busiest on the weekends during the summer holiday months. You may need to book your tickets 1-2 months in advance to get a time early enough to see the full tour! If you are going on a weekday or during the off-season, try to book at least a week in advance.

We hope this helps you plan and prepare for your own tour of The Making of Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour!

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out these fun places to visit too:

Neuschwanstein Castle: Tour Tips and Travel Guide

Fun Things to Do in Phoenix with Kids

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Warner Bros Studio Tour Tokyo will offer Tokyo-exclusive Harry Potter merchandise

Tokyo's new Harry Potter attraction has two gift shops carrying a massive collection of Wizarding World goods

The anticipation is mounting for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo , which is set to officially open this Friday June 16. Set up on the grounds of the former Toshimaen amusement park in Nerima, this attraction promises a magical journey into the beloved Harry Potter universe, showcasing iconic sets, including the Hogwarts Express, the Ministry of Magic and Diagon Alley. 

The on-site merch store is split into two sections: the Studio Shop and the Railway Shop. Together, they host the world’s largest collection of Potter-themed goodies at any Warner Bros. Studio Tour facility. 

Over in the Railway Shop, you’ll find an assortment of Hogwarts Express memorabilia such as clocks decked with charming train illustrations and a cushion modelled off the official Hogwarts acceptance letter.

Conveniently located near the entrance, the Studio Shop is the ideal spot for visitors to embark on a shopping spree before or after their magical tour. Adding a local twist, this section boasts an array of Tokyo-exclusive merchandise, including mugs and T-shirts brandishing the Harry Potter logo, and delightful wafer cookies, all celebrating the local iteration of this global phenomenon.

The shops also stock big-ticket items that are faithful replicas of the props featured in the Harry Potter films. These include the Firebolt broomstick, a gift from Harry's godfather Sirius Black in 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban', and the powerful Sword of Gryffindor, a potent symbol from the books that magically presents itself to any Gryffindor student in dire need.

Adding a personal touch to your magical mementoes, the shops offer customisation services for items like house-specific notebooks and walking sticks. This is the perfect opportunity to create your own piece of 'one-of-a-kind' Potter merchandise. 

The new Warner Bros. Studio Tour will open on June 16 2023. See  our latest guide  about the upcoming attraction for information on the experience and how to get tickets. 

Based on the original reporting by Runa Akahoshi . 

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The Wizarding World Franchise Already Set Up The Perfect Day For The Harry Potter Remake To Premiere In 2026

• September 1st, 2026 is the perfect premiere date for HBO's Harry Potter remake, aligning with Back to Hogwarts Day in the real world.
• The TV show will span over 10 years, dedicated to each book, creating a more extensive adaptation than the movies.
• HBO can make the Harry Potter remake more immersive by aligning release dates with significant in-world events and character birthdays.

HBO's Harry Potter TV remake is expected to premiere sometime in 2026, and the Wizarding World franchise has already established the perfect date to kick off its first season. Typically, the precise date a series begins streaming isn't important, but in the case of Harry Potter , every little bit of magic counts. The franchise as a whole holds a special place in fans' hearts, and over the years, various days have been set aside to celebrate Harry's story. By keeping these dates in mind, HBO can create an even more immersive and nostalgic experience for audiences of its Harry Potter TV remake.

The upcoming TV show, made through the joint effort of Warner Bros and HBO, will dedicate entire seasons to each of the Harry Potter books , thus creating a far more extensive adaptation than was possible with the original movies. This ambitious plan will begin with season 1, dedicated to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in 2026 and will span over 10 years, presumably finishing with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2036. This means we should get a new installment of the Harry Potter TV remake every one to two years , though when each will premiere is still unknown.

HBO's Harry Potter TV Show: Updates & Everything We Know

September 1st, 2026, is the perfect premiere date for the harry potter tv remake., september 1st is the official "back to hogwarts day" in the real world.

Season 1 of the Harry Potter remake could premiere on any date in 2026 and be just fine, but September 1st would be the perfect place to start the long-awaited return to Harry's story. In the canon wizarding world, this is the date that the Hogwarts Express always departs from Platform 9¾ at King's Cross Station and arrives at Hogsmeade Station, allowing the students to head to Hogwarts and begin a new year. In the real world, September 1st has become the day of the annual "Back to Hogwarts" celebration. In 2026, this fandom holiday could become even more special.

Since September 1st is celebrated as a symbolic return to Hogwarts, Warner Bros can take advantage of this by turning it into a literal return to this beloved story within the Wizarding World franchise.

HBO's Harry Potter remake will be the first on-screen return to Harry's story since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 was released in 2011. Since September 1st is celebrated as a symbolic return to Hogwarts, Warner Bros can take advantage of this by turning it into a literal return to this beloved story within the Wizarding World franchise. In doing so, the Harry Potter remake's first episode would be even more nostalgic and impactfu l, which is important considering the several changes the TV show will present to audiences.

How A Meaningful Premiere Date Can Help The Harry Potter Remake

Nostalgia is key in the success of hbo's harry potter remake.

As exciting as a book-faithful adaptation of Harry Potter is, HBO's TV show will have many obstacles to overcome. The world featured in the upcoming series is sure to feel significantly different from the one in the beloved Warner Bros movies , and this will be an uncomfortable adjustment for many long-time fans. From a technical standpoint, the story of Philosopher's Stone will be nearly incomparable to the 2001 movie since movie and TV magic has come a long way in the last 20 years. Then, there are the recastings of the Harry Potter character to consider, which will take some getting used to.

Recasting the roles of deceased actors like Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon, and Robbie Coltrane will be especially difficult for Harry Potter fans to accept.

By using a meaningful premiere date, the Harry Potter remake can ensure that the excitement, anticipation, and nostalgia surrounding season 1 is high enough that this adjustment period will pass a little more smoothly. It's a sign that, despite the different look and new actors, the Wizarding World franchise is still the same as it has ever been. The magic is still there, and the factors that made us fall in love with Harry Potter to begin with are recognized and appreciated by the new showrunners . Additionally, a meaningful premiere in 2026 will line the story up for other significant franchise dates.

HBO's Episode Release Schedule Can Make Harry Potter More Immersive

The story in harry potter can line up with the real-world calendar.

The Harry Potter books' stories typically begin around the end of July and end at the end of June the following year when Hogwarts students are sent home for the summer. This means that each book follows a certain rhythm. School begins, Harry and his classmates get acquainted with their new classes, the Halloween Feast brings new mysteries and adventures, Christmas break comes and goes, springtime hits, and a villain's nefarious plot finally comes to light. A similar routine is repeated through all seven installments with a familiar rise and fall , and HBO's TV remake can perfectly take advantage of this.

Of course, the seasons of HBO's Harry Potter remake are unlikely to span over an entire year. However, the episode release schedule can still duplicate this passage of time, thus creating a more immersive experience. If the season premieres on September 1st, beginning the story in July, then Christmas episodes can feasibly fall around December . Since Christmas at Hogwarts is another nostalgic feature of the Harry Potter series, this would allow fans to be beautifully immersed in the story, allowing them to more easily imagine that they are finally at the magical school themselves.

An Estimated Timeline For Each Season Of HBO's Harry Potter TV Remake (Based On Warner Bros' New Release Window)

Other significant dates hbo should keep in mind for harry potter, significant character birthdays or the dates of in-world events can also be used for harry potter episode releases.

September 1st would be perfect for Harry Potter season 1's symbolic return to the Wizarding World, but other significant franchise dates would be nearly as perfect. The story of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone technically begins on October 31st, 1981 , when Lord Voldemort murdered James and Lily Potter but was himself destroyed when he attempted to kill a young Harry Potter. This would mean an impactful premiere date as well and would also allow the series to line up its Christmas episode with the Holiday season. Dudley's birthday is June 23rd, and is when the second chapter begins.

Another option would be Harry's birthday, July 31st , which is the date in Harry Potter when Hagrid said the famous line, " Yer a Wizard, Harry ." This would be perfect if HBO wanted a summer 2026 release, which would also make June 26th—the date that Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was first published—an effective premiere date.

Future installments of the Harry Potter TV franchise could utilize other unique dates as well. The official "Harry Potter Day" is May 2nd, chosen because it is the canon date of the Battle of Hogwarts when Harry Potter finally defeated Lord Voldemort once and for all. Though this wouldn't be a particularly significant premiere date, season 7, which would be based on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , could release its final episode on May 2nd , allowing audiences to celebrate Voldemort's downfall on the day it was meant to have happened, thus immersing Harry Potter fans in the magic in a unique and memorable way.

Harry Potter

Harry Potter is HBO's remake of the iconic Wizarding World film series that consisted of eight films between 2001 and 2011. Each season adapts a book from JK Rowling's popular series and provides more book-accurate details than the movies did. Upon the announcement of the Harry Potter TV show, the series received harsh criticism for the involvement of Rowling and for many thinking a reboot was unnecessary.

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Harry Potter’s bulging Aunt Marge appears above Tower Bridge as six-metre replica promotes new studio tour feature

• Tom Malley , Foreign News Reporter
• Published : 12:45 ET, Apr 30 2024
• Published : Invalid Date,

LONDONERS were left bemused after a 19ft replica of Harry Potter's bulging Aunt Marge appeared above Tower Bridge.

The giant inflatable was suspended in mid-air as part of a stunt to promote a new feature at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London on the 20th anniversary of the third Harry Potter film.

The hefty replica played on the comical scene in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, where Harry unintentionally casts an inflating charm on his Aunt Marge, causing her to inflate like a balloon and float away.

Weighing a staggering 95kg, with a circumference spanning 38ft, the bulging Aunt Marge appeared to be hovering in front of the iconic landmark.

Coming in at 21ft high, it took 40m3 of air to inflate the colossal figure – enough to fill 140 standard party balloons.

The skilled recreation took a total of 264 hours by a dedicated team of 16 people, including expert designers, artists and seamstresses.

A staggering 46 hours were spent during the initial design and sketch process.

A further 18 hours were also spent painting her head and hair, along with 32 hours on stitching and sewing her clothes.

The inflatable was launched into the ether to mark the unveiling of a new Return to Azkaban feature at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter.

Laura Sinclair-Lazell, head of show experience at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, said: “Many fans are surprised to learn this popular scene wasn’t created using CGI in the films but in fact was created by our incredibly skilled filmmakers.”

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During the films original production, the cast, camera and lighting departments, stunt players, make-up and special effects teams worked tirelessly together to create the magic that was the iconic floating departure of Aunt Marge from Privet Drive.

The costume department created 38 different tweed suits of varying sizes and shapes and there were four separate make-up stages as Aunt Marge got bigger.

Actress Pam Ferris, who played Harry's grumbling aunt and is also known for her role as Mrs Trunchbull in Matilda, spent over five hours in the make-up chair to prepare for the scene.

Her costume consisted of two bodysuits weighing 50 pounds each which were pumped by air tubes, paired with inflatable gloves and legs.

The actress and her body double were fitted with a flying harness suspended on two wire rigs that could lift, flip, and raise her with a separate rig to spin her around.

The special feature will be running from May 1 to September 4 and is included in the ticket price which must be prebooked in advance.

Laura Sinclair-Lazell added: “We’re thrilled that visitors can now come to the Studio Tour and learn more of the behind-the-scenes magic from the third film in the Harry Potter series.”

• Harry Potter

«Retour à Azkaban», une expérience incontournable pour les fans d’Harry Potter à Londres

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Sorti en 2004, on redécouvre le troisième film de la saga Harry Potter à travers des décors et objets inédits exposés jusqu’en septembre aux studios Warner Bros. Studio Tour London.

Situé à 30 kilomètres au nord de Londres , à Watford en Angleterre , les studios Warner Bros. d'Harry Potter présentent depuis 2012 les coulisses des films de la saga (vrais décors, accessoires, costumes et secrets de tournages). Cette année, à l’occasion du vingtième anniversaire de « Harry Potter et le Prisonnier d'Azkaban» d’autres surprises attendent les visiteurs qui s’apprêtent à arpenter Poudlard et le mythique Chemin de Traverse.

Premier arrêt très studieux : la visite de la classe de divination du professeur Sibylle Trelawney, incarnée par Emma Thompson à l’écran. Cet endroit apparaît pour la première fois de la saga dans ce troisième opus et y incarne un rôle majeur. Inspiré des salons de thés traditionnels de l’ Inde et du Moyen-Orient , la pièce a été drapée d'un riche tissu rouge, avec poufs en velours, tapis et lanternes de style oriental... Aussi excentrique que Mme Trelawney.

Fidèle au film, la salle expose plusieurs tasses de thé, dont celle utilisée par Harry, fabriquée au Japon au XIXe siècle. On retrouve aussi l’impressionnante tour constituée de plus de 500 tasses de thés et soucoupes anciennes et construite sur... 28 étages !

Un tour de Magicobus ?

Autre nouveauté à voir absolument : une section consacrée à la matière «Défense contre les Forces du Mal» enseignée par le professeur Remus Lupin. On parcourt sa salle de classe, imaginée à partir d’objets archéologiques et décorées de crânes, de créatures mises sous cloche, ainsi que de l'armoire de l'épouvantard de style Art Nouveau vue dans le film . L’expérience est totale puisque les visiteurs peuvent aussi s'essayer au sortilège Riddikulus.

Puis, il est également possible de voir la chambre d’Harry, au Chaudron Baveur, avec les meubles originels du film et un Livre des Monstres. L’opportunité de contempler le véritable lit Tudor utilisé dans le film. Loué à l'époque à une entreprise de meubles, les décorateurs l’ont rapporté aux studios Londres pour l'occasion. Pour finir l’aventure en immersion, quoi de mieux qu’une balade à l'intérieur du Magicobus ? Les décors s'agitent, les lustres se balancent et les lits bougent, à l’image du voyage d’Harry Potter vers le Chaudron Baveur.

Autant d’expériences pour plonger dans l’univers magique de J.K. Rowling !

Infos pratiques : du 1er mai au 4 septembre 2024, au Warner Bros. Studio Tour, Wartford. Tous les jours : Premier départ de Londres Victoria à 7h30 pour une entrée à 9h. Dernière entrée à 18 heures pour une arrivée à 12h à Londres Victoria. L’expérience “Retour à Azkaban” inclus dans le prix du billet standard (à partir de 70,80 € pour les jeunes enfants, 126 € pour les adultes).

• Écosse : jugé trop dangereux, le train de Harry Potter va peut-être disparaître
• À Londres, 13 lieux de tournages et endroits magiques dans l'univers d'Harry Potter
• Édimbourg magique dans les pas de Harry Potter
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Une nouvelle année record de fréquentation touristique pour ce beau pays d’Europe

La configuration des vacances de Pâques, qui s’est étendue cette année sur mars et avril, a favorisé l’arrivée de touristes étrangers dans le pays qui devrait battre de nouveaux records de fréquentation.

«J’ai acheté trois paires de chaussures» : avec la chute du yen, le pouvoir d’achat des touristes étrangers s’envole au Japon

La devise japonaise vient de tomber au plus bas face au dollar et à l'euro. De quoi inciter les visiteurs étrangers toujours plus nombreux à dépenser davantage et à rester plus longtemps dans l’archipel nippon.

20,6 milliards d’euros de recettes touristiques : ce nouveau pays préféré des Français bat un record

Canicule, incendies, surfréquentation, prix en hausse... Rien ne semble décourager les visiteurs étrangers de profiter des merveilles de la Grèce.

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