England: Amazing Harry Potter Studios Tour

 

Last updated: 10/11/2019

The saga of the most famous wizard in the world may have come to an end. But, to keep the memory of one of the greatest successes of cinema alive, it is possible to take an incredible tour of the Harry Potter studios in London. Come meet and be enchanted!

THE HARRY POTTER SAGA

The story of the little wizard in a magical universe created by the writer JK Rowling fascinated the world. In 10 years (from 1997 to 2007) the author published 7 books that tell in detail the entire engaging story of an orphan boy who will study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The books became 8 blockbuster and critical films, released between 2001 and 2011. They are: “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone”; “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”; "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"; “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”; “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”; “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”; “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” (Parts I and II).

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INITIAL PROCEDURES FOR THE VISIT

IT IS mandatory to buy the ticket online before going, as there are no sales outlets (see all information at the end of the post). Also, include the buy tickets in advance in your travel planning. More of 6,000 people pass through it daily. and the tickets have entry time. Upon arrival, pick up your tickets at the machines outside. Before entering, you will need to go through security (metal detector). You can take the tour at your own pace, but on average people take time between 3 hours and 3 and a half hours. You will be walking a lot, so wear comfortable shoes.

AMAZING TOUR OF HARRY POTTER STUDIOS

The incredible tour of the Harry Potter studios allows you to see in detail the sets, costumes and a wide range of articles used during the films in the series. The Warner Bros studios, where the tours take place, are a 80 hectare complex located in Leavesden, just over 30 km north of London. The first step is to get in a queue for ticket verification.

Take the opportunity to see pictures of the characters that are scattered around the hall, especially the blue flying car. Next to the queue is the "room" under the stairs where Harry Potter slept when he stayed at his aunt and uncle's house.

STUDIO TOUR MAP

To help explain how the visit is divided, see the map below, which details the entire order of the tour. We'll talk more about each area next.

Basically, the tour is divided into the following parts: (1) Cinema, (2) Great Hall (Grand Hall), (3) Indoor Studios (with an interactive area), (4) Platform 9 3/4, (5) Blacklot Café, (6) Outdoor Studios, ( 7) Visual Effects Department, (8) Diagon Alley and (9) Model Room, ending in (10) Gift Shop.

1. CINEMA

As soon as it's your turn in line, you'll be taken to a room where, standing, you'll see short videos from the producers of the series' films commenting on how it all started. This is just the prep to step into a movie theater where you'll watch the series' three main actors – Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint – talk about the tour. It is forbidden to take pictures or film the video.

2. GREAT HALL

After the video, surprisingly, you will soon be in front of the entrance to the great hall of Hogwarts, where several scenes were recorded. The place gets an easy “WOW”! This is the only place that employees ask for speed in the visit because a new group of visitors will enter soon after.

3. INTERNAL STUDIOS

Leaving the Grand Hall, the tour continues through a series of corridors to the interior studios. There are so many amazing things! Makeup techniques and wigs, costumes, Dumbledor's office, boys' dormitory, room used by Gryffindor students (one of the 4 houses of the magic school) in which the three friends were, the fantastic room for the magic potions classes, video about how the special effects of Quidditch matches were produced and much more! There is also an interactive area where you can take pictures, such as walking on a broom, for purchase. In this part, you will spend around 1 hour and a half. Here are some photos to give you a taste of what to find there!

4. PLATFORM 9 3/4

Then, the tour continues to the place where scenes from the train station leading to Hogwarts were filmed, mainly from the famous Platform 9 3/4. The train that is there is the original from the footage. It is possible to enter and tour the wagons. However, as space is quite limited, the sets were reproduced so that the actors could be filmed. It is possible to sit in these fake cars and feel inside the movie. In this area, there are gift shops full of articles from the saga.

Leaving the walkway of the train area, one arrives at a place with the costumes from the last scene of the series, in which the characters take their children to take the train to Hogwarts. There's also a hallway, before reaching the Backlot Café (which we'll talk about later) with items used in the movies. It's incredible the care of the production of art direction that created the newspapers, pamphlets, notebooks and all the items that turned the movies into something so real! Even Harry Potter's acceptance letter to the wizarding school is there!

5. BACKLOT: TASTE THE BUTTER BEER!

There is two places where you can eat during the tour. the first is the studio Coffee which is located at the entrance to the studio. You will be able to buy water, have a quick snack before starting the tour or after it has finished. The coolest part, however, is the food during the tour, right in the middle of the studio. There is a restaurant called The Backlot with options of sandwiches, pizza, hot dishes, salads.

Just get in line, order, pay and pick up your tray. There you can taste the famous “butter beer” (butterbeer, in English) so spoken in the books of the series. It doesn't have alcohol, it's sweet, it's guarana color and like a whipped cream on top. You can choose to take a disposable plastic cup or a special mug to take home as a souvenir. Look, our expectations for her were pretty low, but she's actually pretty hot. Ana, who hasn't had a soft drink for 15 years, tasted and approved. For dessert, you can even taste a buttery ice cream!

6. EXTERNAL STUDIOS

Here are shown some scenarios of external shots such as the bus, facade of Harry Potter's uncles house and Harry Potter's parents' house.

7. VISUAL EFFECTS CREATING DEPARTMENT

This is another fantastic area that deserves you to look carefully. We've already seen the special effects (created on a computer) during the tour of the Internal Studios area. This is an area of visual effects, that is, everything that was really created, whether with masks, makeup or animals that are robots! We highly recommend that you watch the videos that are shown there to realize the amount of things that had to be built to bring the film to life. You will definitely be surprised!

8. DIAGONAL ALLEY

One of the coolest settings in the movies is Diagon Alley, full of shops. The place is really impressive and the amount of small details is absurd. The film's production staff really thought of everything! Calmly look at every detail of the buildings, the olive groves, brooms, sweets, clothes…everything seems to be real!

9. MODEL ROOM

The last leg of the tour is jaw-dropping. You arrive in a room with an impressive model of Hogwarts that was built by 86 professionals during more than 6 months of work. The model, built in 1:24 scale, is very rich in details and helped to build Hogwarts on the computer. It is estimated that the combined working time of all the professionals involved over these months is equivalent to 74 years! There are several totems explaining the construction work and explanations through snippets from the movies. Don't miss out!

10. STORE WITH SAGA PRODUCTS

Who is really a fan, will be hallucinated with the absurd amount of products of the saga. T-shirts, mugs are just a detail. There are complete magic school uniforms, wands used by each character, brooms, miniatures… It's real madness. But prepare your pocket because the items are not cheap. You can visit the shop before starting the tour (it is on the right of those who enter the place) or at the end, as the tour ends right there. There is also a online store with the products.

IS IT WORTH GOING?

Even if you're not a super fan of the series and can't remember all the references during the tour, it's still worth it.. The richness of detail, the film's art direction, special effects, makeup and production as a whole are fantastic and surprising. It's VERY cool how such a complex script became reality. The tour is not the cheapest: between admission, transport and food inside the studios, you end up spending around £60 per person. Not to mention that you want to buy some souvenirs at the gift shop. So, book a space in your budget and have a lot of fun with the tour.

HOW TO GET

Check out the public transport, excursions and car options to get to the Harry Potter studios.

1. PUBLIC TRANSPORT

In order not to have problems with time, the administration asks you to arrive at the place 45 minutes before the scheduled time. So it's worth starting all the transfer process 2 hours in advance, OK? To get there from central London, you need to follow these steps:

• Go to the train station London Euston take a train to Watford Junction. You can reach Euston by subway via Northern Line (black line). The journey from London Euston to Watford Junction takes less than 20 minutes. To take the train, we recommend buying the ticket online. We like to shop through the website of trainline, but it is up to each individual. Prices vary but we pay £11.10 round trip per person. see more Tips for traveling by train in England.
• Upon arriving at Watford Junction, Disembark and exit onto the street. To your left will be several bus stops. Stop number 1 all decorated with Harry Potter stickers is from the bus location you need to take it. The bus will also be decorated with images of the little witch. Pay the driver, in cash, the value of the ticket £2.50 per person (worth a return trip, just show your receipt when returning). The bus will drop you off at the door of the Harry Potter studio. Just go to a machine to pick up your tickets, previously purchased online, with the purchase code.

2. EXCURSIONS

For those who don't want to worry about having to buy a ticket and with all the transport logistics, an alternative is to take a tour organized by specialized all-inclusive companies, or pay for a bus or car that will take you from central London to the studios. Check out some options:

• • Harry Potter: Warner Bros. Studio Tour. w/ transfer
  • Harry Potter: Warner Bros Studios Tour with Transfers
  • Harry Potter: Warner Bros Studio Tour from Kings Cross
  • london harry potter studio tour and locations
  • London: Oxford and Harry Potter Studios – Small Groups
  • Warner Bros Studio: Harry Potter Behind the Scenes Guided Tour
  • 1-Day Tour: Oxford and Behind the Scenes of Harry Potter
  • Warner Bros Store. London Studio: Tour with Shuttle
  • London: Harry Potter Studios w/ Private Transfer
  • Harry Potter Studio and Private Transfer Central London
  • London Harry Potter Filming Location Bus Tour (transport only)

3. CAR

Those who want to rent a car and go to the studios driving in the English hand can also have that option. In front of the studio entrance is a free parking lot. If you consider this option, you can get a free quote with our partner RentCars through from this link. We will receive a commission based on your booking and you will not pay extra for this. The journey takes less than 1 hour and can be done via the M1 highway.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter

• Address: Studio Tour Dr, Leavesden WD25 7LR
• Schedules: daily from 9 am to 10 pm
• Entrance: £43 / there are special packages (Gift Tickets) that accompany souvenirs at special prices
• Audio guide:  £4.95
• Ticket purchase: If you do not purchase one of the tours mentioned above, it is mandatory to buy tickets (well) in advance through the official site and book the visit time.
• WiFi: the studios provide free wifi throughout the tour

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