Harry Potter Studio Tour

 

The Hogwarts castle

The world of Harry Potter!

No other character has gripped book lovers as much as the Harry Potter series in recent times. Many believe it is true.. many wish it were true! For further joy there’s the movies that were released based on the book. Daniel Radcliffe remains “The boy who lived” though he has moved on to portray other roles. No one could portray Hermione better than Emma Watson. The actors, the sets, the props are so real.. they bring to life the words of JK Rowling. 

The Great Hall

The teachers in the Great Hall

It’s the dream of any HP fan to be able to feel what it’s like to be in the world of magic.. in the world of Harry Potter. Universal Studios has come up with a themed attraction in many of their parks.. but wait, there’s something more real in London.

The Warner Bros studio tour of The making of Harry Potter! The original sets, the original props, the original costumes and even some of the CG that was used in the movie are brought to life in the exclusive tour. These sets were retained from HP1 as the decision to make subsequent parts was decided long ago. Unlike a lot of other movies where they pull down the sets to make way for another set in the studio, the sets of the HP series were retained until Deathly Hallows part 2 was made. After which they decided to let the fans revel in the “magical” atmosphere! The entire studio and back lot of Warner Brothers at Watford, just a few minutes out of London, has been left as it were after the last shot of Deathly Hallows Part 2 was filmed. 

Here are some favourite spots inside the studio tour. 

The Gryffindor Common Room

The Hogwarts Express

The Burrow

The Potions classroom in the dungeons with Prof Snape

No. 4 Privet Drive Little Whinging Surrey

“Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney… letters came pelting out of the fireplace…”

Diagon Alley

The wooden bridge in Hogwarts Castle

Dumbledore’s office

The Knight Bus

The place was filled with sets, props and memorabilia from the series that it is not possible to absorb everything in one visit. 

Ollivanders? Fake wand boxes with the name of every member of the crew of Harry Potter!

The visit doesn’t come cheap and it’s not a personal tour either. There are hoardes of visitors anytime of the day and it is very difficult to get that exclusive shot except for the sets that have been cordoned off. The best kept secret is to book yourself the first slot of the day. Even then it can get very crowded. The morning tickets sell out months in advance. The tickets during special events like Hogwarts in Snow or Christmas decorations in the great hall sell out much before. Unless you really want to see them it’s best to avoid visiting during the holidays as it can be very very crowded.

Other options include booking from Golden tours. But these tickets come at a premium and I absolutely wouldn’t recommend it unless you have no other options.

Tickets -

Visit the official website to book the tickets for the tours. If you can't find slots you'd really like, you can check back many times to see some new slots popping open. From my experience this works best around 9-10 am UK time. 

Time required -

Allot, at the very least, half a day. The first half of the tour takes more time than the back lot and beyond. Add more time if you'd be standing in line for the CG experiences. And then some more if you intend to have a meal. There's so much to look and photograph and considering that it'll be very crowded it might take more time to photograph the set like you want to.

Food and drink options - 

Of course, do not miss the butter beer sold in the Backlot Cafe.  It tastes a bit like butterscotch. There are at least a couple cafes but The backlot cafe is when most would be hungry. The menu was satisfactory and the service quick. There were vegetarian options too. The price seemed reasonable compared to the rest of the souvenirs and shops in the studio!

Photography - 

Most of the sets have purple, blue, red or pink lights on them that pictures will definitely not turn out like what you've seen in the movies. Except for the back lot which has the Knight bus, Privet Drive, the bridge and a few other props, everything else is indoors. It's good to bring a camera which allows you to choose higher ISOs or has a lower f-stop to get some good quality pictures.

Shopping -

The souvenirs are pretty expensive. It'd help to order commonly available HP themed stuff off eBay before you visit. Saves a lot of $$ and ££ unless you're very particular about quality or buying a very memorable memento. There are some items that are available exclusively in the souvenir shop here. My children got a pygmy puff and some sweets labeled Honeydukes.