London Warner Bros Studio at Leavesden Studios offers The Making of Harry Potter tour, popular with both kids and adults.
Over the ten years during which the Harry Potter movies were released, the crew constructed more than 500 different Harry Potter sets at the studio, including thousands of props.
After the movies got filmed in 2012, Warner Bros decided to develop the location into a permanent tour called ‘The Making of Harry Potter.’
With more than 6000 Harry Potter fans visiting the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London daily, it is now a must-visit family destination.
This article shares everything you must know before booking your Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London.
Table of contents
- What to expect on Harry Potter tour
- How to reach Warner Bros. Studio
- Warner Bros. Studio hours
- How long does Harry Potter Studio tour take
- Harry Potter Studio tour tickets
- What to see at Harry Potter Studio Tour London
- Digital Guide & Souvenir Guidebook
- Map of Warner Bros. Studio tour London
- Food and drinks
What to expect on Harry Potter tour
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London Making of Harry Potter is not a theme park, and it doesn’t have rides and other adrenaline-pumping activities.
The Warner Bros. Studio Tour London provides guests with the ultimate opportunity to walk on actual sets, see the brilliance behind stunning visual effects, and uncover the behind-the-scenes mysteries of the Harry Potter films.
Along the journey, you will participate in interactive activities like ‘flying’ a broomstick and even buying a frothy cup of Butterbeer!
The initial part of the tour is guided, and you can explore the rest on your own.
First, you will see two short films, after which the guide rounds up everyone and makes them stand at the doors of the great hall.
Once inside the door of the magnificent room, visitors are free to explore the Harry Potter tour by themselves.
How to reach Warner Bros. Studio
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London is at Studio Tour Drive, Leavesden,
WD25 7LR.
It is 32 km (20 miles) North-West of London and less than 5 km (3 miles) from the M1 and M25 motorways.
By Train
Watford Junction is the closest railway station to Warner Bros. Studio.
If you board a train from London Euston, in 20 minutes, you will reach Watford Junction.
If you board a train from Birmingham New Street, the journey time to Watford Junction is 70 minutes.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London is 5.5 km (3.4 miles) from Watford Junction, and it is best to take a shuttle bus.
Shuttle from Watford Junction
Mullany’s Coaches run regular shuttle buses, from Watford Junction to the Studio Tour.
These buses run every 30 minutes and take around 15 minutes to reach the attraction.
When the Warner Bros. Studio opens at 8.30 am during the peak season, the first bus starts from the station at 8.15 am.
And during the lean season, when the studios open at 9.30 am, the first bus leaves the station at 9.20 am.
The last studio tour shuttle back to Watford Junction is always after the studio shuts down for the day.
This is a free service, and you only need to show a valid Studio Tour ticket or booking confirmation for the date of travel.
Bus tour packages
Several tour operators offer a packaged tour of Warner Bros. Studio, including entry tickets and return transport.
Two such tours are most popular with Harry Potter fans – one that starts from just outside Victoria Station and another that starts from outside Kings Cross station.
If you are a family, we recommend the Harry Potter Family Package from London.
Visitors who don’t mind stretching the day opt for the Harry Potter and Oxford Tour, where besides the Warner Bros Studios, they also see Oxford University.
Car parking
If you plan to drive to the Warner Bros. Studio in Leavesden, it is best to fire up your Google Map and follow directions.
Brown traffic signs labeled ‘Warner Bros. Studio Tour’ will direct you to the car park entrance as you approach the attraction.
All ticket holders are entitled to free parking. Keep your booking confirmation on hand to present at the door.
Warner Bros. Studio hours
During the peak tourist months of May to October, the Warner Bros. Studio opens at 8.30 am, and the first tour begins at 9 am.
The final tour starts at 6.30 pm during these months, and the studio closes at 10 pm.
During the lean months of November to April, the Warner Bros. Studio opens at 9.30 am, and the first tour begins at 10 am.
The day’s final tour begins at 4 pm, and by 8 pm, the studio closes for the day.
How long does Harry Potter Studio tour take
With newer sections added to the attraction, visitors tend to spend at least four hours exploring the Warner Bros. Studio.
But if you’re a hardcore Harry Potter fan, allowing time for lunch and the extras such as Riding a Broomstick (which involves queuing time), you might find yourself spending as long as five to six hours strolling around studio.
During peak seasons and times, there is a 15 to 30 minutes wait before you can enter the world of Harry Potter.
Besides visiting Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio, tourists also take walking tours of Harry Potter filming locations in London.
Harry Potter Studio tour tickets
Most visitors book Warner Bros. Studio Tour London tickets along with the return transport.
Where to book tickets
There is no ticket counter at the venue, and all visitors must book tickets for the Harry Potter tour London online.
During peak season, more than 6000 tourists visit the attraction daily, which is why you must book your tickets much in advance.
The more you book your tickets in advance, the more choice of dates and times you will have.
How online tickets work
When you book your Harry Potter Studio Tour at Warner Bros, you select a preferred time of visit.
The time you select while booking your tickets is the time to board the coach and the time to reach the Warner Bros Studio is two hours after you board the bus.
Immediately after purchase, your tour tickets get emailed to you.
You don’t need to take any printouts.
Now all you must do is, reach the coach at least 20 minutes before the starting time.
Note: Most of the time, a Harry Potter movie gets screened on the bus.
Tickets for kids
The Warner Bros Studio Tour is suitable for adults, teenagers, and younger kids.
Kids aged four can enter the studio for free, but they must pay a discounted rate for the transport.
Kids aged five to 15 years get a small discount on the tour price.
All visitors above 16 years pay the full adult price for their Studio entry and transport.
Warner Brothers Studio Tour with Transfers
This spectacular full-day tour of the Warner Brothers Studio begins with a bus ride from just outside Victoria Station in downtown London.
You enjoy the spellbinding settings at the studio, the most famous items used in the movies, and the outfits worn by the trio Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
Find out about Hogwarts’ best-kept secrets, including interesting tidbits and trivia about special effects and animatronics.
The whole trip lasts 7.5 hours, and you get to spend four hours and more at the studio.
Adult ticket (16+ years): £89
Child ticket (5 to 15+ years): £84
Infant ticket (up to 4 years): £30
The Making of Harry Potter package offers the same experience, just that it starts from just outside King’s Cross Station, on Pancras Road.
If you want more time options, check out this Warner Bros. Studio Tour with Transfer.
Harry Potter Studio Family Package
With transportation from London, spend a wonderful day with your family at Warner Brothers Studio in Leavesden.
If you are a family of four, this is the perfect Harry Potter studio tour for you.
You get the family entrance ticket to the studio, valid for two adults and two children under 15 years old.
You also get a family photo taken at the Great Hall or Dumbledore’s office.
Cost for a family of four: £340
Harry Potter Studio Tour + Oxford Day Tour
This 12-hour trip starts with a two-hour bus trip out of London to the ancient city of Oxford, home to England’s oldest university.
After a beautiful guided tour and free time in Oxford, it’s around an hour’s drive to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, where your magical adventure will begin with The Making of Harry Potter.
After a wonderful day, it is time to board your coach and return to London, where you will get dropped at your original starting location.
Adult ticket (16+ years): £109
Child ticket (5 to 15+ years): £105
Infant ticket (up to 4 years): Free
Other popular Harry Potter tours
What to see at Harry Potter Studio Tour London
There is a lot to see at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London Harry Potter tour.
Visitors can see fascinating sets, props used in the movies, costumes the characters wore, special and visual effects, the creature effects that made the animals come alive on screen, and the creative process of the art department.
Great Hall
The Great Hall is the setting for several of the most memorable moments in the Harry Potter films, including the Yule Ball and the Battle of Hogwarts.
It got created for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 2000 and has since been utilized as a significant set for six more films.
Students’ costumes from each Hogwarts house and two huge tables prepared for supper are in the magnificent Great Hall.
The Hogwarts Professors sat at the top of the room at the instructors’ table.
Forbidden Forest
The Forbidden Forest in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was shot on-site and in the studio.
It got entirely relocated to the Studio for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to house Aragog’s lair, and it grew throughout the film series.
Scenic designers built backgrounds up to 600 feet long for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
The Forbidden Forest has 19 trees, each having a diameter of more than 12 feet.
Platform 9¾
Hundreds of students were carried from Platform 9¾ to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry by the Hogwarts Express locomotive.
The majority of the sequences on Platform 9¾ got filmed at King’s Cross Station in London.
However, during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the art team built a portion of the station platform on a set here at Leavesden, replete with the track and the train.
The Hogwarts Express served as the backdrop for the very first shot ever taken for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, as well as the very final scene of the whole series in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
Diagon Alley
Throughout the film series, the Diagon Alley set was continually changing.
Many Diagon Alley set pieces were also re-dressed for the Hogsmeade village in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
The street’s initial design included rich features from the Harry Potter novels and influence from the roads depicted in Charles Dickens’ writings.
Diagon Alley is home to the dusty Ollivanders wand store, where Harry’s wand famously selected him, as well as Gringotts Bank, Flourish and Blotts, and Mr. Mulpepper’s Apothecary.
Props at the Studios
Of the numerous props you can see at the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London, four stand out – Potions Classroom, Memory Cabinet, Professor Umbridge’s office, and Puking Pastilles.
Potions Classroom: Over 950 potion jars line the classroom walls, each containing a unique item, such as baked animal bones from a local butcher shop, dried plants, herbs, and shrunken heads created by the props department.
Memory Cabinet: Vials and labels were designed for the cabinet in Professor Dumbledore’s office. The Graphics Department hand-designed each label before sending it to the Props team, who applied it to each bottle.
Professor Umbridge’s office: The interior of Professor Dolores Umbridge’s pink office at the Ministry of Magic was meticulously designed. Don’t miss her 130-plate collection showcasing different moving kitties.
Puking Pastilles: Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, which sold everything from Extendable Ears to fireworks, was built to appear like an 18th-century shop. Head Propmaker Pierre Bohanna designed the Puking Pastilles dispenser to be both funny and disgusting at the same time.
Costumes at the studio
Of all the costumes on display at the Harry Potter Studio Tour Warner Bros, four get the most attention – the Quidditch uniform, the clothes worn by the gang in the final scene 19 years later, the Yule Ball costume, and Beauxbatons uniform.
Special & Visual Effects
Don’t miss the Chamber of Secrets door, Invisibility Cloak, and Whomping Willow during your visit.
Most Harry Potter fans mistake the Chamber of Secrets door for a Visual Effect, and on tour, you will see why it is not.
Remember seeing branches that would ‘whomp’ Mr. Weasley’s flying car?
Well, during your tour, you will see how the team created this Whomping Willow special effect.
Green Screen: Don’t pass up the chance to participate in our green screen experience and fly a broomstick over London as the actors did during shooting.
Creature Effects
One of the things young visitors on the Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio tour love are the creatures they saw in the movies.
The imaginary creatures to look out for are Basilisk, Buckbeak, Goblin Heads, and Aragog.
When you stand in front of the Goblin heads during the tour, think of how 140 make-up artists from all over Europe turned 60 actors into goblins every day in just four hours.
Art Department
For most of us, it isn’t easy to fathom the effort put in to create all the artwork for the movies.
Remember Hogwarts Castle? During your Warner Bros. Studio tour London you will see the model built by 86 artists and crewmembers for the first movie.
If we were to add all of the person-hours put into building and modifying the model, it would take over 74 years.
You will also see a lot of graphic designs, white card models, and technical drawings.
Digital Guide & Souvenir Guidebook
Before entering, you may rent a Digital Guide for approximately £5 from the counter in the foyer, which will provide you with more information on the Studio Tour.
For about £10, you can buy a Warner Bros. Studio Tour London Souvenir Guidebook, which includes behind-the-scenes secrets and stunning photographs.
Map of Warner Bros. Studio tour London
Only the initial part of the Harry Potter London studio tour is guided, after which you are on your own to explore.
Since there is so much to see, visitors tend to get lost and miss important sets and props.
That’s why keeping a map of Warner Bros. Studio comes in handy.
Besides the location of the sets and exhibits, a layout of the studio tour will also help you find visitor services such as restrooms, cafes, audio guide desk, information desk, etc.
Food and drinks
The Harry Potter Studio Tour in London has four places to eat and drink – Chocolate Frog Cafe, Hub Cafe, Food Hall, and Backlot Cafe.
Most of these cafes open when the Studio Tours begin for the day and remain open till the tours end.
If you want to enjoy a frothy Butterbeer, you must get to the Backlot Cafe, located halfway through the Studio Tour.
Sources
# Wbstudiotour.co.uk
# Tripadvisor.com
# Visitlondon.com
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