Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour: The Review

Okay, so where do I start with this one? A bit different to the normal reviews found here on Living In The Moment, but I’ll give it a go anyway. 

A little family holiday to London with my Boyfriend’s family finally came around earlier this week, and within that trip was a visit to the Warner Brother’s Studio. Now, I’d heard it was good, but I didn’t realize how good. 

I’m going to try and keep this as spoiler free as possible, but just incase I let something slip slightly, I would suggest if you haven’t been already and you are intending on going, and don’t want to know anything about it (like I didn’t), then I wouldn’t read on, or google anything to do with this experience. I went in completely unaware and felt like that added to the experience, I would strongly suggest any one else to do the same! 

We got the train from London to Watford Junction, and from there the experience pretty much started. We boarded a ‘Harry Potter Shuttle Bus’ that took us straight to the studios for the small price of £2. When you arrive you are greeted by the studio, which is covered in images from the films, it’s pretty hard to miss. From there you collect your pre paid tickets (tickets can only be bought online as you have to enter within a certain time frame e.g. 12:30 – 13:00) and then you get the queue and take in all the amazing studioness. Huge pictures hang on the interior walls as well, and a lovely quote from JK Rowling can be seen as you queue. There is also a gift shop (we will get to that later) and a little cafe with a Starbucks. 

You then go in, and *excuse the pun* the magic starts. Without telling you too much, you enter a room were you receive a nice introduction, then are ushered into a cinema screen were you find more information about the studio and the tour. The tour is basically full of the incredibly designed sets from the films, the stunning costumes and props, as well as extra secrets and surprises along the way. Although there isn’t a specified tour guide taking you round, the staff that are on hand are so knowledgeable and passionate about Harry Potter and the studio, that they can inform you on pretty much anything about the films and answer any of your questions. They are also extremely friendly and approachable. I found myself listening in to a lot of conversations I could hear between the staff and some visitors who were asking questions. The tour works as a one way kind of system so once you leave one section, you can’t go back. I would strongly suggest taking your time and breathing it all in, taking lots of photos, reading all the bits of information and watching all the film clips, because you can’t run back to it. Look for as long as you like and soak it all up. 

There are three sections in total, the first stage (Stage J), a studio backlot and the second stage (Stage K). In the studio backlot there are a few more ‘attractions’ such as the Hogwarts Bridge, the chance to grab some food, and sample some Butter Beer. If there is one thing you do when on the tour, its try some Butter Beer, it is not what I expected and super sweet and yummy! I would also try and get as many photos as possible, the staff where always happy to take some group photos for me which was lovely! 

After the tour ends you are then greeted by the little bit of Harry Potter Heaven known as the gift shop. You can’t go on the tour and NOT get something from the shop! Everything is pretty well priced for what it is, so whilst its not exactly cheap, its not a knock off either and everything is of a good, merchandise quality. Having known about the shop though we all knew what we wanted to buy. I ended up buying a Marauders Map and a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. The shop was also really well stocked and restocked so there is no worry of rushing incase it runs out of maps or wands, the staff are on it! There was also a huge selection of character wands which Andy and Rach both invested in getting an Elder Wand and Hermione’s wand between them. There is also lots of other bits in the shop, some more expensive than the others, and little bits such as key rings, fridge magnets, as well as cloaks and scarves and so on. 

The whole experience is just something extra special. I think being a fan of the films, the books and a bit of a film fanatic anyway added to it, but I was just blown away. I grew up with the films and the books being a massive part of my childhood, and the films ended when I was around about the same age as Harry, Ron and Hermione, so being able to revisit that and the stories in a different way was really enjoyable. The thought and care that had gone into the whole event, making it something special for each visitor. And then the revealing of how the films were made and the sets was just kind of overwhelming really. It was much better than I expected and geniuenly interesting! 

It was so refreshing to see such a huge dynamic of visitors as well. There were holiday makers who were making it part of their holiday to London, famlies on days out, couples, brothers and sisters, friends, grandparents taking their grandchildren out. It really brought home just how important these stories are, and how many people Harry Potter has reached. 

If you love Harry Potter, or even film making then you will love this. It would also make a really great (maybe slightly pricey if you don’t live near London) gift to a Harry Potter fan! I’m already planning my second visit!