When I was 8 years old, my brother and I saw Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for the first time in theaters. It was then the amazement of the world of Harry Potter began.
Fast forward a few years and I began reading The Goblet of Fire. Having watched the first 3 movies, I decided to read the 4th and was incredibly hooked. I remember my homeroom teacher had said, “If you think the fourth book is good, then you’ve got to read the rest!” So after the fourth novel, I went back and re-read the rest. I remember earnestly waiting for the new books to come out…then the new movies. I remember counting down until the official release of The Half-Blood Prince.
Growing up reading the books was phenomenal and it turned my love into reading into a passion for reading.
The Warner Bros Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter
The Harry Potter Studio Tour in London is out of this world.
It is iconic, interactive and incredible.
If you’ve never been and you grew up reading Harry Potter or watching Harry Potter, then you MUST VISIT.
Book Ahead
You should definitely get your tickets in advance, selecting a day and hour you wish to arrive at the studios. They put time slots of arrival in order to ensure that there isn’t an overload of people at the same time.
About The Tour
Your tour begins once you arrive at Leavesden from the train. You can take a train to Leavesden from Victoria Station!
From there, you take the “Knightbus” until you arrive at the studio. The bus stop will be right outside the train station. It’s in outer London so the bus takes you through the city to the studios! Your ticket will have the hours you selected! You should arrive within the time slot you chose.
Once you arrive, you walk through “The Making of Harry Potter” where you get to see the timeline. Then after a video introduction, you walk through the Great Hall.
There are so many experiences you can have at the studios! You are basically behind the scenes at many of the film locations and film sets. You get a passport, for which you can get stamps at the different areas of the tour.
Places You Can Visit On The Tour
You can visit Privet Drive, Gringotts Bank, The Forbidden Forest, Hagrid’s Hut, Diagon Ally, the dormitories, the Weasley’s Burrow, Malfoy Manor, Dumbledore’s Office, Harry’s childhood home, Hogwarts Express, Platform 9 and 3/4 and so much more.
Food
There is food when you first walk in to the studios. We sampled Professor Umbridge’s Afternoon Tea, which was such a fun experience!
You are not allowed to bring drinks or snacks on the tour but they do have a mid-tour snack area where you can sample Butterbeer!
Shops
There are several shops along the tour and at the end that are filled with all things Harry Potter!
You can purchase everything at the end or throughout, but there are some things on tour that are exclusive to the specific location. For instance, there are some key chains or souvenirs that you can ONLY get at the Forbidden Forest store.
You can get engraved passport holders for your Harry Potter house or personalized items. They have all of the books in exclusive editions from the Harry Potter Studios!
What is so amazing is that each season, they re-decorate the film sets to match the seasons! We went during winter so we got to see the Yule Ball decorations and see all sets featuring “Hogwarts in the Snow.” Winter is definitely a beautiful time to visit the Studios and London in general.
Related: Why Winter is Perfect for a Trip to London
I’d love to hear your thoughts! Have you been to the Warner Bros Studio in London or are you planning to go?
