visiting Harry Potter Studios in London, England
Planning a trip to the UK and want to visit the Harry Potter Studios? This comprehensive guide provides all the information you need to make the most of your visit, from tickets and transportation to tips for exploring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Tickets to visit Harry Potter Studios pre-global pandemic were hard to come by. As a matter of fact, Luke and I tried to visit two years ago on my birthday which timed with school holidays {we ended up in Laos instead, no hard feelings} and the next year around Christmas for the Yule Ball but tickets were sold out two months in advance {and we weren’t in the UK for that long}. Recently, however, we realized that Harry Potter Studios was right nearby Tring {where we were spending our “would-be-wedding-weekend”} and tickets were available! My parents kindly gifted our tour as part of my birthday celebrations, and I am so overwhelmingly grateful that timing worked the way it did.
Most any experience is different now thanks to necessary COVID precautions being put into effect, but we were all pleasantly surprised with how “normal” our day touring the studios felt.
a brief history of Harry Potter ↴
I have been a fan of the Harry Potter series for as long as I can remember. My mother picked up the book while we lived in England and we read the books as a family. Only after we finished reading the books did we get to listen to them on audiotape on family trips to Scotland or around other parts of the U.K.
I was so obsessed with Potter that I actually took an English course at University dissecting the books, their symbolism, and themes within the series. I never get sick of watching the movies or re-reading the books. To me, it is all reminiscent of my childhood growing up in England.
For those of you who aren’t fans, however, you might want a little history lesson. The seven fantasy novels were penned by British author, J.K. Rowling {recently best-known for her transphobic comments, yikes}. The idea came to her while she was sitting on a delayed train. Over the next seven years, she mapped out every intricate detail of the seven books she would write. She wrote longhand notes on napkins and journals. Eventually, those scribbles culminated in what we get to enjoy today. The first book was released in 1997 and since then they’ve sold over 500 M I L L I O N copies!
After taking the HP Studio tour here in the U.K., I’m convinced that anyone who calls themselves a fan will be excited by the overall atmosphere and enthralled with the minute details.
booking your ticket ↴
I cannot stress enough how important it is to book your ticket ahead of time! You have to purcahse your ticket in advance and book a specific time and available date. The studio only allows a certain number of visitors during each time slot, and that number is even lower with the current pandemic situation, so not all dates and times are available.
When you look at prospective dates, make sure to read through the website. The studio puts on special events quite regularly. During the winter months, they decorate for the “Yule Ball”, just like in the book. Consider this before you settle on a date.
I recommend scheduling your ticket time for as early as possible on your preferred date. There is no time limit once you enter, so you can wander around as much as you like. The website suggests allowing yourself at least 2-3 hours to see everything, but I’d say big-time fans will need as much as 4 hours to read all the plaques, etc.
Group tickets are available for families. There are lots of varying package options available, but regular admission is absolutely fine!
Keep your email confirmation in an easy-to-reach place. You’ll need to show it to the security guards at the front gate near the parking lot. You’ll need to scan it again before you enter the studio. Printed out is fine, but you can just as easily scan the QR code on the confirmation email from your phone screen, so don’t fret if you are printerless!
Book online | Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour
Ticket prices | Adult {ages 16 years+}: £47 Child {ages 5 to 15 years}: £38
getting to Harry Potter studios ↴
Fun fact: the studios are N O T in London, despite what many blogs claim. However, as most visitors are traveling from London, it’s really easy to get yourself to the right place.
I recommend using the Warner Bros Journey Tool to plan your trip via rail, car or shuttle from London.
via train
You can get to Watford by train from London quite easily from London Euston Station to Watford Junction Station. There is an express train to Watford Junction and a local train {which makes a lot of stops}. The express train will get you there in roughly 20 minutes, while the local train takes an hour. Once you arrive to the Watford Junction train station, there is a Warner Bros. Studio Tour shuttle bus right outside the station that will be waiting to pick up guests and take them to the lot. The bus is fully decked out in Harry Potter images, so don’t worry—you won’t miss it.
via bus
Once you exit the train station, there are buses directly out the door. Buses run every 20 minutes and take about 15 minutes to arrive to the lot. A round-trip ticket will run you £2.50. The bus is impossible to miss; it’s fully decked out in Harry Potter imagery.
what’s included + add-on options ↴
Your ticket includes a self-lead tour of the studio space and the backlot areas. You’ll get to see all sorts of sets, costumes, wigs, and props! You’ll also get a peak behind the proverbial curtain and learn the tricks that made each film so magical. How did they make Hagrid look so large? How long did each goblin’s makeup take? How did they make dragons come to life and who came up with the body language for using wands? All is revealed and then some during your exploration of the Warner Brothers studios.
additional digital audio guides
There is plenty of signage to be read, all with trivia and information fans, like me, absorb like a sponge. However, if you prefer taking it all in auditorily, you can purchase a “digital guide” for an additional £4.95. My parents bought our tickets as part of my birthday celebration and kindly included a digital guide for me. Looking back, it was nice to hear some of the interesting tidbits, but it wasn’t necessary. If you’re seriously tight on cash, skip it. Either way, it’s only an extra fiver.
first-time visitor tips + tricks ↴
budget travelers can bring a picnic
Halfway through the tour, near the backlot of the studios, there is a cafeteria space. Here is where you can purchase food and drink, including Butterbeer, a sickeningly sweet beverage made popular by the books. Butterbeer tastes like a mix of cream soda and butterscotch. The food is here fine, but it’s rather overpriced. Aside from grabbing a butterbeer for the sake of experience, I’d bring my own lunch if you are a budget traveler looking for ways to scale back on cost.
get a front-row seat
After you queue up for your tour entry at your ticketed time, you’ll be lead to an auditorium with cinema-style seating. You’ll watch a short film and then be lead to the Hogwarts Great Hall! If you get yourself a front row seat in the auditorium, you’ll be the first in the Great Hall, meaning fewer people in your photos. However, if you’re like me and end up in the very back row, all is not lost! The tour is entirely self-lead, so you can hang back and take photos at your own pace, waiting for people to head to the next area. All it takes is patience!
broomstick green screen photos
Fret not, Potterheads! Despite there being a lot of COVID precautions in place for the touching of props, etc., you can still get your photo taken on a broomstick. These photos are N O T free and you will have to line up to take one. If you are visiting anytime soon, you will still have to keep your face mask on, which is why I skipped it. With all the free photo opportunities throughout the studio tour, it didn’t seem necessary for me to pay for a photo where you can’t see my joy, ya dig? That said, I understand that, living here, I have the privilege of returning at a later date and some tourists won’t.
COVID safety measures ↴
Harry Potter Studios had safety measures in place to make the tour experience enjoyable, safe, and smooth.
Masks must be worn at all times, including when having your photograph taken.
Hand sanitizer stations throughout every area. No excuses here— sanitize your hands at every chance!
Single-way queueing systems for the foodservice area to help control the flow of traffic and crowding.
Track and trace systems for the foodservice area.
All touchable props are wiped and sanitized in between uses and again on a time schedule {i.e. even if no one has touched the trolley crashing through the train platform, after a certain amount of time the staff wipes them down}.
Tour group numbers are limited.
