Is the Harry Potter Studio Tour London Worth It? My Review

What I liked about the Harry Potter London Studio Tour

Real Harry Potter film sets

The biggest highlight of the Harry Potter Studio Tour for me was seeing the real sets, props and costumes used in the films, rather than replicas. Even as a non-fan, I found the level of detail and craftsmanship so impressive.

That said, the Harry Potter London Studio Tour is not a theme park experience. It’s focused on behind-the-scenes detail and how films are made, so it’s best suited to people who enjoy films or visual effects.

I’d not read any of the Harry Potter books and I hadn’t watched any of the films before I was invited to go on the Harry Potter tour by my niece, and I still loved it. I did spend time watching some of the films before my visit and I think this helped me get more fun and excitement out of the day.

I found that the buzz and excitement that came from being on actual film sets that were used in the Harry Potter films, not copies as in other Harry Potter experiences, was something special.

Demonstrations

Throughout the studio tour you get an appreciation for just how much work goes into making the Harry Potter stories come to life on screen. There are various demonstrations that take place at regular intervals. I loved the demonstration about how Hagrid was filmed, including a huge Hagrid head.

Informative and helpful staff

The guides located around the tour are excellent at telling you interesting information and they were great at answering our questions.  I found all the details about how the films were made fascinating.  In particular, the prosthetics department.  Who knew how much detail goes into making fake teeth.

What I didn’t like about the Harry Potter London Studio Tour

Butter beer

Ok, so this might be controversial. But as it’s the drink that everyone associates with Harry Potter, and is going to want to try, you’d think they could have come up with a better recipe for butter beer. It’s so sickly sweet, I found it almost undrinkable.

If you’re in a group and feel like you have to try it, my advice is to just get one and share it between you. Your wallet (and taste buds) will thank you later.

Merchandise

There are some great souvenirs available to buy in the shops on the tour but one thing lets the merchandise down. There is a lack of personalised kids-size clothing. I found it strange that, at an attraction that has so many children visiting, the only tops you could get personalised were all adult sizes.

I left feeling a bit miffed that I couldn’t get my niece her own special t-shirt. It felt like the marketing team had missed an opportunity with this.

The food outlets

The special cakes in the Golden Frog Café looked beautiful but the Golden Snitch I bought was very disappointing once I bit into it. It was mostly air and flavourless. Spend your money on one of the massive milkshakes instead.

Whilst the food is mostly ok, it took ages to get served in the main restaurant in the entrance hall area. For one of the UK’s top places to visit, it seemed very understaffed. You would think with the price of tickets they could afford to pay a few more people to work in the restaurant. Perhaps I just got a bad day, but for ‘fast food’ it was anything but fast.

Parking

To be clear, parking itself is easy at the Harry Potter London Studio Tour. It’s the extra special priority parking ticket which I didn’t like. It seems like just another way to squeeze money out of loyal fans. We had one, at a cost of £10, and it was not necessary. There was plenty of regular parking, included with the entrance ticket, and none of it was too far away for our group to walk.

What to expect at the Harry Potter Studio Tour – my experience

The Harry Potter studio tour is a behind-the-scenes experience rather than a theme park. You get to walk through real sets, see original props and costumes, and learn how the films were made. This is not a load of rides, although there are a few more interactive experiences, like the Harry Potter train ride.

Expect large, open spaces like the Great Hall, fabulously detailed original set recreations such as Diagon Alley, and lots of small behind-the-scenes details that you might miss if you rush through.

The tour starts off in the most crowded part, the Great Hall, which you only get limited time in before being moved on. It’s a popular attraction so you can expect lots of people throughout but I found that we were well spread out so it didn’t feel unbearably busy.

After the Great Hall, you’re free to go at your own pace as you walk through each section. Most parts of the tour take place inside studios.

There is one outside area, in the backlot, which is home to the full-size Privet Drive house, the Knight Bus, Hogwarts Bridge and Professor Sprout’s Greenhouse. This was particularly exciting on my tour at Christmas, as they had some fake snow blowing.

The main sets that I passed through on my tour included:

• The Great Hall
• Dumbledore’s Office
• Privet Drive
• Diagon Alley
• Gringotts Wizarding Bank
• Hogwarts Bridge
• The Forbidden Forest
• Platform 9 ¾ and the Hogwarts Express (which I also saw in real life on a trip to Loch Lomond)

I also got to experience some interactive and behind-the-scenes elements:

• Green screen train ride
• Green screen broomstick ride
• A special effects demonstration
• Spell casting demonstration

There are also models, concept art, costumes, animatronics and detailed explanations of how scenes were filmed, which bring the whole experience to life.

I found that there was always plenty to look at. Even when a certain set or area got busy, I was able to go and look at something else and then return.

The demonstrations take place at regular intervals. If you’ve just missed one you should be able to catch the next one.

I recommend that you decide in advance which bits of the tour you want to see most so you don’t rush them.

At the end of the tour, you’ll pass through a large shop with a huge range of Harry Potter merchandise, including wands, books, clothes and cloaks. If you’re a big fan, you won’t want to miss it, especially at Christmas.

There are also two smaller shops, including a gift shop about halfway round the tour and another near the Hogwarts train with a few items you won’t find in the main shop.

What not to miss at the Harry Potter London Studio Tour

My favourite parts of the Harry Potter London Studio Tour were:

• Gringotts Wizarding Bank
• Diagon Alley
• Privet Drive
• Behind-the-scenes effects and prosthetics section
  

Top tip: don’t miss the special effects demonstration in the backlot.  I won’t say too much, except, sit at the front.

What’s the Harry Potter Studio Tour like at Christmas?

In order to prepare for Christmas, the Harry Potter Studios close for five days and another five days in January to clean up.  Tonnes of film set snow is used to give the whole place a dusting of extra special Christmas magic.

This typically starts in November and lasts until mid-January.  Check Christmas dates on the website.

Diagon Alley and The Great Hall are the most Christmassy parts of the tour.  The hall is beautifully dressed with Christmas trees and set up for the Yule Ball, with a large ice sculpture.

The model of Hogwarts is covered in snow and has a small demonstration of the different ways snow is made for the movies.

If you want another magical winter day trip from London, check out my Cambridge at Christmas guide.  It gives plenty of Harry Potter vibes with historic colleges around every corner.

How to get to Harry Potter Studios without a car?

The Harry Potter Studios are in Leavesden, Watford, not in central London.  The postcode is WD25 7LR. This is 20 miles from central London (approximately 1 to 1.5 hours in a car). 

The easiest and least stressful way to get to the Harry Potter Studios without a car is to book a combined transport and entrance ticket. This is ideal if you’ve got limited time or are a first-time visitor to London and the UK.  There is no direct public transport from London to the studios.

If you do want to make your way to the tour independently, you’ll need to take a train from London Euston to Watford Junction (20 minutes journey time), then get on one of the official shuttle buses which take you from there to the studio entrance (15 minutes journey). 

FAQs about is the Harry Potter Studio Tour London worth it?

How long does the Harry Potter Studio Tour take?

Most visitors should allow at least three and a half hours for the Harry Potter Studio Tour, but I’d recommend treating it as a full day out if you don’t want to rush.

Our mixed age group ended up spending eight hours at the studios in total. This made it a really good value day out. We spent a couple of hours having lunch, looking around the shop and taking photos before we even started the tour. 

This included photographing the giant wands, chess pieces and murals of the Harry Potter paper, The Daily Prophet, outside, along with the dragon suspended from the ceiling inside the entrance. 

The total time we spent on the tour itself was five hours, which included a short break for refreshments at the Backlot café.

How long you need really depends on whether you want to read every bit of information or speed by, take some photos and get out.

Whilst you have to start the tour at your allocated ticket time, you can stay as long as you like until the studios close (or until your transport leaves if you’ve bought a combined entrance and transport ticket).

Tickets for the Harry Potter Studio Tour

Who will enjoy the Harry Potter Studio Tour?

• Harry Potter fans: this is, of course, a total must-visit.
• Casual non-fans: still worth it for the sheer amount of detail and original sets and visuals.
• Families: engaging for different ages and you can go at your own pace.
• Film lovers: lots of information about how the movies were made.

Who might not enjoy the Harry Potter London Studio Tour?

• Those who prefer rides or a theme park-style experience.
• People not interested in films or behind-the-scenes details.
• Visitors with very limited time in London.

Where can you eat?

In the entrance hall there are several food outlets.  This area, before you enter the tour proper, is one of the original sound stages used for making the films.

There’s a good selection of food at the restaurant and the Frog Café, but be prepared to queue.

Once on the tour, there’s the Backlot café with a Butterbeer bar. The Butterbeer itself is…an acquired taste. It’s super sweet (and not alcoholic) and I wouldn’t be desperate to have it again.

How long do you need at the Harry Potter Studio Tour?

The official advice is to allow at least three and a half hours inside the studios, and I’d agree that’s the minimum. Our group ended up spending eight hours, and that was with some of the group on their second visit. To make the most of a first visit, I’d plan for a full day out.

Which is the easiest way to the Harry Potter Studio Tour from London without a car?

There are two main car-free options to get to the Harry Potter Studio Tour from London:

• Get a combined transport and entrance ticket. Pick-up is from central London and everything is organised for you.
• Go independently via train and shuttle bus. Take a train from London Euston to Watford Junction, then take the official shuttle bus to the studio entrance.

If you’re a first-time visitor to London or don’t fancy juggling train times, the combined coach and ticket option is the least stressful.

Final thoughts about is the Harry Potter London Studio Tour worth it

Overall, I do think the Harry Potter Studio Tour is worth it, even if you’re not a massive fan.

Of course, if you’re a Harry Potter fan you’re going to love visiting the Warner Bros Studio Tour. It’s the closest thing you’ll get to doing an actual Hogwarts tour in London. 

If you only have a passing interest in the books or films, it’s still a brilliant chance to see how films are made, admire the set design and appreciate the sheer level of detail that went into creating the Harry Potter world.

You’ll get the most out of it if you’ve seen at least one or two of the films, but even without that, it’s an enjoyable and well-organised experience.

When you go, lean into the magic whilst being realistic about how long you’ll need. Give yourself more time than you think and build in breaks along the way, so you don’t run out of energy.

The Harry Potter Studio Tour is one of the top UK days out, so once you know you’re going, you’ll want to book your tickets for the Harry Potter Studio Tour well ahead of time, as the dates sell out fast.

If you’re deciding what to do next around London, my 2 day London itinerary will help you plan the main sights, while my Margate from London day trip guide is perfect if you fancy pairing the studios with a classic UK seaside trip.

For an extra special Harry Potter themed activity for your London trip, book tickets to the West End show, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.