A Guide to Visiting The Harry Potter Studio Tour
This post shares with you everything you need to know to plan a trip to Harry Potter studio tour
Whether your a muggle or a wizard the Harry Potter Studios Tour has a little magic for everyone. If you’re planning a trip to the WB studio tour get your wands ready as this is the most magical studio tour. You will get to the see sets and props from the films, taste butter beer from the Backlot Cafe and board the Hogwarts express. I Have loved the Harry Potter stories ever since I opened the first book. I read it from cover to cover and I was hooked! When the films came out I was so excited, so getting to visit the actual sets was a dream come true.
Where to get tickets to Harry Potter Studio Tour
If you’re wanting to explore the Wizarding world, tickets for the tour need to be purchased in advanced and you can only buy them online, you are not able to purchase tickets at the studio tour. When you re booking your ticket you will need to select a time, this is to allow a staggered entry so that there are limited people on the tour at any one time. When booking your tickets you will need to plan when you are going in advanced. Tickets get booked very quickly, Usually you will need to allow around 3 weeks. You can book directly through the studio tour website. WB Studio Tour
Ticket prices start from £39.95 for children, for adults £49.95, for a family ticket £159 and under 4s are free. If you are a career you are also eligible for a free ticket when purchasing a ticket for the person you are accompanying.
How to get there?
The Harry Potter Studio tour is in Leavesden outside of London. It is very easy to get to and parking is free. There is also disabled parking to make it easily accessible. When entering the car park you will need to give your booking number and you will then be directed to your parking spot. If you are using a SATNAV the postcode is WD25 7LR.
If you are travelling by train Watford junction station is the nearest. There are direct trains from Birmingham New Street and Euston Station. There are also buses that can take you directly from Central London. But you will have to book your ticket for entry for the Harry Potter studio tour prior to booking you bus ticket.
What is there to do at the Studio Tour?
The Great Hall
The Great hall has so many iconic scenes, from the moment Harry Potter is sorted into his house by the sorting hat to the Yule Ball. When you see the Great hall for the first time it is breath taking. There are so many details to look at. I really enjoyed seeing the house counters and the dining set up. When I visited it was the magical mischief event, The Great Hall was set up with Delores Umbridge at the front with the swinging pendulum behind her, with the Weasley twins setting off some Weasleys’ Wildfire Whiz-bangs. This was such a wonderful surprise.
Sets and Props
As you walk through the studio tour there are lots of the famous sets you will recognise, from the Gryfindor common room to Dumbledores office. You can see upclose how the sets look in real life. When the films were made there were thousands of props made especially for the films, as you look around you will see so many, there are paintings, wands and other magical items.
The Gryfindor common room is where Harry, Hermione and Ron spent some of there time, when you see it on the tour it gives a warm homely feel, just as you would expect.
Being able to see Professor Dumbledores office is something not to be missed, there are so many props and tiny magical artefact that were in the films, It’s fascinating to see so many props that were made that you don’t realise when watching the films. The headmasters office was one of the most memorable sets from the films.
Professor Snapes potion room is filled with bottles and potions, the classroom was created to appear as if it was in a deep dark part of the castle away from everywhere else. When you visit the tour try to look at the tiny bottles of potions as the each of them has different things in each.
The Weasley’s home, otherwise known as The Burrow. This set has been designed to look cosy and cluttered, with so many magical things, the sink that washes up itself, Mrs Weasleys knitting that knits itself. Lookout for any others you may see.
Dark Arts
The set of the meeting at Malfoy Manor is where the Death Eaters were gathered at the table to take over the Ministry of Magic. The set includes the death eaters around the table and Charity Burbage is suspended over the table. Nagini the snake is also shown on the table.
You can take a closer look at Delores Umbridges office from The Order of the Phenix. You can see all of her cat plate collection and the ornate furniture she has collected. Her pink costume she wears during the films is also displayed. As she grows in power the shade of pink gets more pinker, try and look for this on your visit.
The Forbidden Forrest
The forbidden forrest was in every Harry Potter film and has a number of magical creatures from the film, I really enjoyed seeing a life size version of BuckBeak which was in the Prisoner of Azkaban. Also in the Forbidden forrest you can see Aragog in his lair, if you are arachnophobic you can choose to take a different path through the Forbidden forrest so that you don’t see the spiders. Also in the Forbidden Forrest you can see the costumes of Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort from the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
Platform 9 3/4
One of the most famous trains in the world, The Hogwarts Express is something you will love seeing. It is so impressive in real life. You can imagine being a Hogwarts student and travelling on the train each term. On the Studio Tour you are able to go inside the train. Each carriage shows you the different films in chronological order. Platform 9 3/4 also gives you a photo opportunity for you to run at the wall just like the films.
Around half way through the studio tour you will find The Backlot Cafe where you can stop for refreshments and something to eat. You are able to try some Butter Beer which costs £3.95 per cup. It comes in a souvenir mug that you can take home with you. I really liked the taste of the Butter Beer, it was quite an experience. You can get food at the Backlot cafe, it’s a counter service style cafe, they serve a variety of food, I had the spicy chicken and chips which were very hot but very tastety. This cost £ 10.95. They also had salads, hot dogs, burgers and a children’s menu.
The Backlot Studio Tour
The Backlot Studio Tour has some of the sets that were filmed outside when the films were made. You can see the Night bus, which in the film The Prisoner of Azkaban and takes Harry through London to the Leaky cauldron. You can also see the exterior of the Weasleys Burrow. When visiting in the winter you can find it snows in the courtyard which an added effect.
Privet Drive
Privett Drive where the Dursley’s live is a must see. From the famous scene where harry receives his letters from Hogwarts to when Harry meets Dobby the house elf for the first time, which has been recently added.
The Greenhouse
The Greenhouse in The Chamber of Secrets is where you will find Professor Sprout, growing the mandrakes ready for the potions. You can help by pulling out the mandrakes. Over 100 mandrakes were made for the herbology lesson.
Make up and Prosthetics
See how the goblins were brought to life by make up and prosthetics. I found it really interesting how the goblins were made. You can look at the hands, noses, hair and ears were made to create the Greyback werewolf face.
The Vaults
The Vaults show you how the cart was made. How it travelled in the depths below Gringots bank and then you can see inside Bealtrix Lestranges Vaults. You can see hundreds of treasures thst were created to fill her vault. As you go further into the tour you are able to experience the dragon escape from Gringots Bank.
Diagon Alley
Diagon Alley is such a delight to visit. During the films at lot of the shops changed but it always had that magical feeling. When visiting the tour I loved seeing the Weasleys shop with the girl and her puking pastels. If you look in each of the shop windows, you can see you many different supplies you would want if you were going to Hogwarts.
The Hogwarts Castle
The model of the Hogwarts Castle took my breath away. This is the castle they used when filming all of the outside shots. You are able to walk around the castle and see all the tiny details that were added. During different time of the year the studio decorates the castle to fit the season. At Christmas it is worth a visit as the castle is covered in snow, this take 5 days to put the overlay on but is definitely worth it. As you walk around the Castle it shows how the special affects are created and how details were added and expanded to the castle as the films were made. The Hogwarts Castle was one of my favourite exhibits to see.
Know before you go
The Harry Potter Studio Tour is not a theme park, there are no rides here. All of the sets and props were the ones that were used during the making of the films. When your planning your trip something to keep in mind is is, during different times of the year there are different themes, for instance at Christmas the Great Hall is decorated beautifully with Christmas trees and the Hogwarts Castle is covered in snow. During the Halloween season the studios tour is decorated with pumpkins and lot of Dark arts themed items.
Another great tip is to talk to the staff who you will see on your way around. They have so much information to share with you that you won’t find out unless you chat with the staff. I found out so many gems that I wouldn’t have know without talking to them. The staff are so friendly.
How long is the Tour? It depends on how long you spend looking at each area. I have visited the Harry Potter Studio Tour three times and each time it has taken around 7 hours. Some people may take 3 hours and others longer. There is no time limit to the tour, take your time and enjoy the magic. On the last visit I got the Audio tour guide which cost £5 per person, which takes you through the tour explaining each area and what to look out for. It’s was definitely worth the money as you can find out a lot through the audio tour.
Food and Drink
Can I get something to eat and drink? Yes, there is a food hall as you arrive in the entrance. It has a number of different places to get something to eat and drink. There is The Hub Cafe which serves cakes, snacks and hot and cold beverages. There is also the The Food Hall restaurant which has a breakfast menu which is served until 11.30. The lunch menu which is served for the rest of the day. It has a variety of hot meals.
I hope you have found this guide useful for planning your magical trip to WB Studio Tour. Get you wands ready and have a magical time. If you’re a Harry Potter fan or just want to learn more about how the films were made, I highly recommend the Studio Tour.
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