chloedickensonLast Updated on 30th March 2023
AD | This post about the Harry Potter Studio Tour review London contains a review of a press visit in collaboration with Tinggly. As always, all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own, please see my disclaimer for more.
As a lifelong Harry Potter fan (the first book came out the year before I was born, so it really is lifelong!), who rewatches the entire movie franchise religiously once a year (usually around Halloween/Christmas time), the whole magical world of Harry Potter is something that I’m sure will be part of my life forever.
So, when the guys at Tinggly got in touch and very kindly offered to provide us with one of their incredible experience gift boxes and an activity/attraction of our choosing, I knew immediately that I wanted to head to the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour in London.
I had actually been to the Studios once before in 2014, but if anything, my adoration for the film franchise has only intensified over the years, so I knew that another visit would be much better this time around as I’m an even bigger fan of the films now. Also, Matt had never been before, so it seemed like the perfect experience for us to enjoy with Tinggly!
During our visit to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London, I took over 250 pictures and videos and it was quite the task narrowing them all down to create this ultimate magical Harry Potter World guide! If you’re a Harry Potter obsessive like me and you’re thinking about paying a visit to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London, I really hope this post gives you the nudge to finally go ahead and buy tickets!
The location – Harry Potter Studio Tour review London
Officially titled the “Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, The Making of Harry Potter” (which, let’s be honest, is quite a mouthful!), the Harry Potter Studio Tour is located in the residential area of Leavesden in Watford, London.
It was here that a vast majority of the filming for the Harry Potter movie franchise was done and the experience that you’ll enjoy at the studios really is just about as close to the action as you can possibly get!
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, Studio Tour Drive, Leavesden, WD25 7LR.
The Harry Potter Studio Tour experience
Arriving at the studio doors, it’s hard to comprehend just how big the inside is going to be. From the outside, it doesn’t look that big at all, but once you step inside and start the tour, it’s unfathomable just how enormous it really is.
I don’t want to spoil every little last detail about the Studio Tour as I think a huge part of the magic is simply experiencing it for yourself, but I do want to share some of the best things to see and do while on the tour, including must-see props, sets and costumes, as well as some of my favourite bits of the tour!
The first 20-30 minutes or so of the tour was completely new to me and it was very different from the last time I visited in 2014. I won’t go into too much detail about what happens, but you can expect to gain a greater insight into the making of Harry Potter through the eyes of fans, directors/producers and actors.
Sets
As I mentioned above, an awful lot of the scenes throughout all eight films were filmed right at the Leavesden Studios, and you can see many of the sets still intact throughout the tour.
Sets such as 4 Privet Drive, The Great Hall, The Burrows and the Ministry of Magic can be found all throughout the tour, as well as classrooms, common rooms and more.
It’s truly bewildering to see these sets up close and personal and while it saddens me somewhat that they’re not real places and are in fact just sets created by experts, I still think it’s absolutely incredible to see all the remarkable details and hard work that went into creating this wonderful world.
Costumes
Even though some costumes are only worn for a very brief period of time in some scenes, it’s incredible to think how much time and thought went into creating many, many outfits and costumes for each and every character throughout the eight films.
One thing that I loved and found pretty funny is that all the actors and actresses seemed much smaller than I thought they would be in real life (obviously the actors weren’t actually there, but their costumes are showcased on lifelike models of them!). I suppose after only seeing them on screen for all these years, it’s easy to imagine that they’re huge giants, when in fact, they’re just regular-sized people!
Props
The props featured throughout the tour truly blew my mind; the intricate details on each and every prop were utterly mind-blowing and it’s hard to imagine just how much time it would have taken to create every little detail on every single prop and despite only seeing some things from a distance for a split-second on-screen, the props department had to create everything as if it was going to be intensely viewed up close.
From the hundreds of Hogwarts acceptance letters that Harry receives in the Philosopher’s Stone, to the hundreds of thousands of coins made for the Gringotts scenes, to all the food for the epic banquets in the Great Hall, there are literally millions of props created for the films that you’ve probably never really thought too much about, so the Harry Potter Studio Tour is an awesome way to appreciate all the wonderful details that have gone into creating this magical world.
Creature Effects
Of course, it wouldn’t be the magical world of Harry Potter without all the fascinating creatures and mesmerising beasts and if you think all the tiny details of each individual prop are impressive, wait until you see the amazing creatures that they created for the films!
You’ll see a full-size Buckbeak and the basilisk head, as well as many other fantastic creatures and beasts that are featured throughout the films. I absolutely love that they used actual physical creatures that they created for the films, rather than doing everything through CGI; it just makes everything look and feel much more life-like!
Special Effects and Visual Effects
Of course, not everything in the films can be physically created; there are a lot of visual effects and special effects featured throughout as well and during the tour, you can catch an insight into how they made some of the most remarkably magical sets, props and creatures come to life!
“Flying”
As well as walking through the studios and enjoying the tour, there are several immersive activities you can enjoy as well, including several green screen experiences where you can pretend to be “flying” as part of a Quidditch match, or simply just around the grounds of Hogwarts. While this activity is more aimed towards children, there were a fair few adults taking part too, so don’t be shy if it’s always been your dream to fly!
Harry Potter Studio Tour review – my favourite experiences
The honest, cop-out answer to “what’s your favourite part of the Harry Potter Studio Tour London?” would be EVERYTHING. However, I know that’s not entirely helpful, so I’ve included some of my absolute favourite parts of the tour below that simply cannot be missed!
Hogwarts Castle
While it will forever break my heart that Hogwarts Castle isn’t actually a real thing (I know! Truly heartbreaking!), the model of it at the studios is honestly one of the most incredible things you’ll see on the tour.
It’s absolutely fascinating to see all the intricate details of the castle and even though it’s on a much smaller scale than you’d expect, it’s still pretty huge and every little detail of it, right from the towers, to the bridge to the teeny, tiny windows, makes it clear to see how much thought went into creating the beloved castle.
Everyone who’s ever watched the Harry Potter films dreams of visiting Hogwarts and while it’s not quite the same as seeing it on the big screen in all its mighty glory, the scale model of the castle really is one of the best parts of the tour.
Gringotts Bank
The Gringotts Bank set is another one of my favourite parts of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour as this really is life-size and it’s so cool to think of Harry, Ron and Hermione inside Gringotts, especially when you see the awesome 3D dragon 👀.
The chandelier is absolutely huge as well and the “marble” columns make the whole place look exactly like a fancy bank.
There are even several goblin bank tellers seated throughout and they look so incredibly realistic, it’s hard to comprehend that they’re not!
Diagon Alley
After living in York for many years and being in such close proximity to the Shambles (which is supposedly the inspiration behind Diagon Alley), the set of Diagon Alley at the studio tour isn’t quite as good as I’d hoped it to be and it’s actually much smaller than I’d imagined.
However, it is still pretty awesome to see all the shop windows that you admire in Philosopher’s Stone when Harry sees Diagon Alley for the first time. Be sure to check out Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, Olivander’s and Gringotts.
The Forbidden Forest
The Forbidden Forest part of the tour is also epic and an absolute must-see while you’re there. Unfortunately, the quality of my pictures aren’t too great from the Forbidden Forest as naturally, it was pretty dark and spooky, but in real life, it’s so cool to see! You’ll see some of the forest’s creepiest creatures, plus enormous “trees”, all with special visual effects to give it a truly eerie vibe.
Harry Potter Studio Tour review – food and drink
As if the Harry Potter Studio Tour wasn’t already great enough, there are also several themed places to eat and drink throughout.
From the Chocolate Frog Café selling specialty hot chocolates and sweet treats, to the Food Hall where you can tuck into both hot and cold dishes, as well as the Backlot Café where you can get a souvenir tankard of the famous Butterbeer, there are plenty of dining options to enjoy during the tour.
Gift Shop
I’m normally someone who darts straight out of attraction gift shops as they’re always such a marketing ploy to get you to buy cheap souvenir crap and while the Harry Potter gift shop is very much a marketing ploy, it’s also bloody fantastic and I could have quite happily bought many souvenirs and gifts to take home with me!
In the end, we just got a Chocolate Frog which I had wanted to try for years and it certainly didn’t disappoint and a bottle of Butterbeer which I was SO excited to try!
Tickets – Harry Potter Studio Tour review London
We got our tickets to Harry Potter World through Tinggly’s incredible experience gift boxes and if you’re looking for thousands of awesome attractions and activities to enjoy in over 100 countries across the world, be sure to check out the Tinggly website!
You can also buy standard tickets from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London website.
- Adults: £47
- Child (5-15 years): £38
- Family (2 adults, 2 children or 1 adult, 3 children): £150
- 0-4 years: free
Opening times
The opening times may vary depending on seasonality and whether the studios are running any special events, but the standard daily opening times are as follows:
- Studio Tour opens: 8.30am
- First tour begins: 9am
- Final tour begins: 6.30pm
- Studio Tour closes: 10pm
I’m already desperate to go back to the studios again as it truly is one of the most magical places for Harry Potter fans! The studio tour is an incredible experience and if you get the chance to visit, be sure to soak up every single magical second!
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Have you ever been to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London? Is it somewhere you’d like to go one day? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram at @imjustagirl_16.
