Harry Potter Studios in London

Harry Potter Studios in London

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Harry Potter Studios London is something no true Harry Potter fan should miss on a trip to London. Go into Dumbledore’s office, sit in the Great Hall, go into Hagrid’s hut… you’re going to be blown away.

The Warner Bros Studios in London house the sets and filming sets of the different Harry Potter films. During the visit you will be able to see the royal costumes and sets used by Daniel Radcliffe himself or the actress Emma Watson or Rupert Grint during the different Harry Potter super productions, as well as objects such as the Nimbus 2000 broom and Hagrid’s flying motorcycle.

In this article we have compiled all the information you need to visit the Harry Potter Studios in London. From how to buy tickets and how to get there , to how to organize the visit and what to see in the studios to enjoy the experience to the fullest.
What will you find in this article?

Table of Contents

Visit the Harry Potter studios in London

The visit to the Harry Potter studios in London lasts approximately 3 or 4 hours, so if we also consider the time you need to go to and from the studios, the total duration will be about 6 hours. You can buy tickets that include bus transport from central London every 60 minutes.

It is one of the most popular and popular tourist attractions in London . For this reason, it is necessary to buy tickets online well in advance. It is not usually possible to buy tickets at the door to visit the studios as they sell out several weeks or months in advance.

Although everywhere you will see that there is talk of the Harry Potter Studios in London, they are not in the center of London but are in Leavesden, about 30 km from the center of the British capital to the north. But don’t worry, everything is very well organized and can be easily reached by train, bus, car and now even by magic broom (well, but only if you have the necessary magician’s license… ; ) ).

Below we explain exactly where the Harry Potter Studios are and we compare the different options of Tickets with transfer included or how to get there on your own so you can decide what you prefer to do.

Harry Potter Studios 2022 Ticket Prices

The table below shows the ticket prices for the Harry Potter Studios in London. There are 2 options, the first includes only the tickets and the “Complete Package” option also includes the Audio-guide and the Book.

Adult Child
(5 – 15 years)		 Child
(Under 4 years)		 Family
Tickets only £49.95 £39.95 Free £159
Complete package £59.90 £49.90 – –

In addition to the tickets, it is possible to complete your visit to the Harry Potter studios with some extras, such as: a souvenir book for £9.95, priority parking for £10, an audiovisual tourist guide for £4.95 (or £12.95 for groups of up to 4 people).

They also offer smaller tickets for groups of 10+, with each adult paying £47.95 instead of £49.95.

Buy Tickets Harry Potter Studios in London

As we mentioned above, due to the high demand that exists, you should buy tickets for the Harry Potter Studios in London online well in advance. This is especially important at times of high season, such as Easter, summer or Christmas.

It is possible to buy tickets on the official website of the Harry Potter studios or through different websites that offer tickets with return transport from central London. We tell you the differences and how to buy them.

Buy Harry Potter Studios tickets with direct transport included

Surely the option that most people prefer and the easiest is to buy the tickets for the Harry Potter Studios with transport included to and from the center of London by bus.

This option usually costs between 80 and 90 pounds. In this case, children 3 and 4 years old need their own seat on the bus, so although they enter the studios for free, they need to pay for transportation. Children under 2 years of age, who can be seated with one of the parents without occupying a seat, can travel for free.

Buy tickets without transportation

The price of tickets to visit the Harry Potter studios in London is £49.95 for adults (over 16 years old) and £39.95 for children aged 5 to 15 years. Children 4 years and under 4 years old are free. There are also family tickets and a package that includes the audio-guide and the book-guide of the studios in addition to the ticket.

Inside the studios there are photo or video opportunities in some of the settings from JK Rowling’s novels for which you need to pay extra.

Keep in mind that if you decide to buy only the tickets without transport included, you will have to get to the studios on your own (either by car or public transport as explained below).

Comparison of ticket prices with or without transportation

Here we leave you a comparative table of ticket prices for the Harry Potter Studios in London with or without transport included and according to age.

Tickets only Public transport Complete package Tickets + roundtrip coach Direct round trip bus
Adult £49.95 £22.40 return (from Euston) £89 £40
Child (5 – 15 years) £39.95 £22.40 return (from Euston) (ages 10+) £84 £30
Child (Under 4 years old) Free Free £30 £35.00 (under 2 free)
More information official Web Transport in London See information See information

Where are the Harry Potter studios in London?

The theme park that houses the Harry Potter studios in London is located in Leavesden, about 30 km from the city center. You can get there by train, by bus or by car.

Address : Warner Bros Studio Tour, Drive Leavesden WD25 7LR, United Kingdom.

How to get to the Harry Potter studios in London

Here we explain how to get to the Harry Potter Studios depending on the tickets you have bought or are going to buy.

How to get there if you have Tickets with direct transport included

Buses that cover the route from London to the Harry Potter Studios depart from “London Victoria” bus station. The address is 164 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9TP ( See location on Google Maps ) every 60 minutes.

Depending on the time you are going to leave, you will have to use one platform or another inside the station. Below we show you the different options but when you arrive at the station remember to look at the “Departures” screens to make sure they have not changed it.

Depending on the departure time, these are the platforms: 8:15 AM – Platform 19, 8:45 AM – Platform 0, 9:15 AM – Platform 0, 10:15 AM – Platform 0, 11:15 AM – Platform 0, 12:45 PM – Platform 0, 1:15 PM – Platform 0. – Important, you must be on the platform 15 minutes before departure time.

From here, without traffic, the journey is usually 1 hour. The bus leaves from London heading North towards the outskirts of the city, so in the morning there should be no traffic problems as almost everyone enters the city at that time and you will be leaving. If you buy the tickets for a Saturday or Sunday then there will definitely be no traffic problems.

Direct buses to London’s Harry Potter Studios

Another option if you already have the tickets that do not include transport to the Harry Potter studios and you have just discovered that getting there is not so easy, is to take the bus directly there. There is the option of going with a direct bus independently: Direct transport from London to the Harry Potter studios (does not include admission to the studios).

How to get there by public transport on your own

The nearest train station to the Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studios is Watford Junction. That’s where the train from London Euston Station will take you . The approximate journey is about 20 minutes. From Watford Junction station there is a studio shuttle bus that will take you to the gate where the Tour starts. This shuttle bus takes about 15 minutes and costs £3 return.

Step One: Getting to Watford Junction from London

To get to Watford Junction station we have two options, go by Overground or by train:

Option 1 – Arrive in Overground:

The overground claims to be the London transport network. It’s the same as the subway, but the trains go all the time outside. In overground you can go to Watford Junction.

It is a direct train but it has 17 stops and takes approximately 50 minutes from Euston station in London zone 1. It is possible to use an oyster card for this journey, but being zone 9 the cost of each journey for 2022 is £8.10 for an adult outside rush hour, and £11.20 during rush hour, which is from Monday to Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Being within London Transport Zones, transport is free for children under 10 years of age. The best thing about going overground is that a train leaves every few minutes and you don’t need to book in advance.

Option 2 – Arriving by Train:

From Euston train station we can also take a direct train from the West Midland company which only takes about 15-19 minutes (express) to Watford Junction. For this journey it is also possible to use the oyster card (same cost as using the oyster card on the overground to watford junction).

You can also buy train tickets at the station or in advance online. Being a train that does not belong to the London transport network, it is necessary to buy train tickets for children over 5 years of age. Here you can find a guide to buy train tickets online in advance at the best price: buy train tickets .

Choosing between the overground or the train really depends on your preferences. The overground takes longer and costs less, and the train takes less and is more expensive as you would expect plus train tickets need to be purchased for children under 10.

Second step: Bus to the Harry Potter studios, the «Shuttle bus»:

Then, from Watford Junction station there is a shuttle bus every 20 minutes to the Warner Bros studios, which takes about 15 minutes to get to the studios. In order to get on this bus you must show your entrance ticket to the studios, and there is no additional cost. It is a double-decker bus, whose exterior is painted as Harry Potter so it is not lost. There is free Wi-Fi.

I would simply advise calculating the time very well taking into account the duration of the journey and then the bus so that you are not late. The recommendation is that you arrive at Watford Junction 45 minutes before the time of your Tour.

Prices to go by public transport to the Harry Potter studios:

When calculating the price to go by public transport from Euston to the Harry Potter studios, it works out to be about 22.40 pounds round trip per person , if you travel at rush hour, plus what it costs to travel from your hotel to Euston and back .

In addition, doing it on your own on public transport you will have to make several changes if you go with children, etc. They can make the journey a little more complicated still. We also recommend checking the schedules of the trains – overground in advance on the official transport website to make sure that there are no metro line cuts planned for the day you want to visit the studios. Therefore, our conclusion and personal advice is to buy the option of tickets with private bus transportation included.

What to see at the Harry Potter studios in London

Although there are many places in London where scenes from the Harry Potter films were filmed , at the Harry Potter Studios in London you can see the original sets that were used during the filming of all the films in the Harry Potter saga. The props, costumes, special effects machines… all were preserved in order to create the incredible experience within the Harry Potter Studios and delight millions of Muggles like us.

When you arrive at the studios you will find a huge building that doesn’t look very spectacular from the outside but what it hides inside will leave you speechless. Pictures of the characters all over the walls, the gift shop and next to the stairs, the entrance to the studios. Here you will be able to see the stairwell that served as Harry Potter’s bedroom.

This is where the experience begins, walk through the Hogwarts gate and enter a world of magic like you’ve never experienced before.

Sets, props, costumes, special effects, creatures from the movies, scale models of the scenarios… here is a list of everything you are going to see at the Harry Potter Studios in London:

Decorated

The Great Hall

The great protagonist in movies like the Yule Ball and the Battle of Hogwarts. The Great Hall was built for “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in 2000 but was used in 6 other films in the series. Here you can see from the large tables where the students sit to the teachers’ table at the top.

Right next to the tables you can see the different coats of arms (Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin) and the “ Sorting Hat ” that chose which of the four Houses each Hogwarts student would belong to .

The Forbidden Forest

We first saw him appear in the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone movie. As a peculiarity, it should be noted that it was used in combination with real forests to achieve the effects they were looking for. Later, in “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” it became Aragog’s cave, later being re-adapted for other films in the saga.

Platform 9 3/4

One of the most iconic filming locations for Harry Potter is Platform 9 3/4. It is the one used by students to get to Hogwarts by train. In reality, almost all the scenes were recorded at London’s King’s Cross station, but for the filming of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” the filming set that you will see here at the Harry Potter Studios was used.

We’ve also put together a guide on how to visit Harry Potter’s Platform 9 3/4 in London .

Diagon Alley

Diagon Alley has been evolving and changing during the development of all the Harry Potter films. Here at the Harry Potter Studios in London you can see it as it was for the last films.

The layout of the shops, the street, the walls and other elements combine all the details that JK Rowling describes in her books along with details influenced by Charles Dickens novels. “Diagon Alley” as it is originally known in English is where you will see Gringotts Bank, Flourish and Blotts and Mr. Mulpepper’s apothecary. And of course, the famous Ollivanders magic wand shop.

If you want to visit the real streets that inspired JK Rowling, you can do it while walking through central London. The first one is Cecil Court , located very close to Leicester Sq. and the second one, just a few meters away, is Goodwin Court . In our article on ” Harry Potter Movie Locations in London ” we tell you all the details.

Props

Dumbledore’s office

One of the things that will surely catch your attention is Dumbledore’s office. Right next to it, you will see that there is the tap through which the director entered his office. Inside the office you will see all the details as they were for the recording of scenes from the movies, with his table, the Pensieve and the memories. On one of the walls are the portraits of Hogwarts headmasters.

Next to Dumbledore ‘s office is the famous Griffin, the mythological animal with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle.

The Potions Classroom

Nearly 1,000 glass bottles and jars line the walls of this room. Each of them contains some prop that was used in one of the Harry Potter movies.

Cooked animal bones, tree leaves, miniature heads used to create the cinematographic effects of the different films and much more. Authentic relics from the Harry Potter universe.

The closet of memories

Do you remember the cupboard that appears in Professor Dumbledore’s office? Well, each of the containers inside was made by hand by a team of designers who created each of the labels individually before being painstakingly placed on the jars.

If you look closely you can see the names of Argus Filch or Professor McGonagall written on the labels, do they ring a bell?

Professor Umbridge’s office

Inside the Ministry of Magic is an office with pink walls. This is the office of Professor Dolores Umbridge. Upon entering you will quickly remember her obsession with cats.

It features over 130 plates with images of cats that were collected by the Harry Potter Props team.

Vomiting pills

The famous “Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes” store offered its customers everything from fireworks to the vomiting pill dispenser.

It is set in an 18th century shop and they took almost a month to complete the set. Upon entering you will see a doll about 6 meters high that does not go unnoticed.

Special effects

The door to the chamber of secrets

If you remember the door of the chamber of secrets, you may have thought that it was a computer animation or effect, but the reality is that the door exists and is fully functional. It was painstakingly designed so that the snakes move in sync and appear to move apart at the same time. It is one of the parts that you will like the most in the special effects area.

The invisible cloak

In the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone movie, Harry gets a special gift, it’s the “Invisible Cloak”.

During the visit to the Studios you will be able to see several of the layers that were created to be used in the films, some of them adapted to facilitate the work of the production team.

The Whomping Willow

This is a tree with a bit of genius, no doubt. It appears in the film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The tree is fully mechanized and thanks to the tremendous effort of the film effects team the branches were able to hit Mr. Weasley’s car naturally.

In the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie, the Whomping Willow was just a trunk that had branches attached using post-shoot digital effects.

The Green Screen

It is an interactive space that you will like and that will make you feel like you can fly on a broom.

The name “green screen” comes precisely because it is the color of the screen used to record scenes with special effects. So later everything is easier when the animation team wants to create the landscapes and add other animated elements. In the case of the Harry Potter movies they were used during many of the scenes.

Locker room

Quidditch

The magical sport par excellence: Quidditch. In this part of the visit to the Harry Potter Studios in London you will be able to see the different uniforms of the teams that appear in the Harry Potter films.

From the most basic and heavy robes of the first films to those that appear in the most recent films and that have more sporty and current designs such as those that appear in the Harry Potter movie and the Half-Blood Prince.

19 years later

We all get older and of course that includes Harry and his friends.

As you probably remember, at the end of the second part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione are taking their children to King’s Cross train station. 19 years have passed and the time has come for their children to go to Hogwarts just as they did in their day.

Here you can see the original costumes they used for this scene. Take a good look at Draco Malfoy’s tie and hand.

The Christmas Ball

Costume designer Jany Temine had to design and create more than 310 costumes for the Yule Ball scene along with a team of more than 100 tailors. Here you can have a good time and stop to see them all in detail.

There was a special dress that they needed more than 3 months to design, Hermione’s dress.

Beauxbatons

Do you remember the visit of the students of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic? Well, here you can see the costumes and some objects they used in the scenes of the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Each of the student hats was custom created using a special mold.

Harry Potter Creatures

Basilisk

An inhabitant of the depths of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets film is the “Basilisk”. It was built to life size (a mouth of almost 10 meters) and was mechanized to be able to do some of the scenes in which Harry fights with him. Here you can see it.

Buckbeak

They created 3 different variations throughout the different movies depending on the positions he had to take.

Each of the feathers was carefully placed by hand until almost the last minute before they began to record, as confirmed on the official Harry Potter website.

Heads of goblins

It is a part of the route that makes me a little nervous. Although in the Harry Potter movies the goblins are simple workers of the Gringotts Bank, they are still a huge collection of heads of little beings, each one with its own peculiar look and personality. The truth is that they did a very realistic job!

Aragog

This is the famous spider that appears in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (as you already know, of course). Aragog’s legs measure about 5 meters and all the hairs that cover it were placed one by one using the most diverse materials.

During the movie, they needed almost 20 people to perform the spider’s movements through complex mechanisms.

Where to eat at the Harry Potter Studios

In the Harry Potter Studios you will find different restaurants and cafes. As you will be there for about 4 hours, it would surely be a good idea to take a break in one of them to recharge your batteries.

The Chocolate Frog Café

Here you can find coffees and hot drinks in addition to the typical ice creams and original sweets. Open all day with the same hours as the Studios.

The Hub Café

It is also another good option if all you want is to have some coffee or juices with a sandwich to go and some sweets. It is also open all day.

The Food Hall

It is in the central area of the Studio Tour Hub. A little more elaborate dishes are served here, from breakfasts, hot and cold dishes and sandwiches. It also has a broader drinks menu and a more complete menu

The Food Hall meal menu is available until 8pm on days when the Studios are open until 10pm and until 5pm on other days.

The Café del Plató (The Backlot café)

Another more informal cafeteria where you will find the typical coffees and sweets. Depending on the time of year you come, you can use the outside tables for lunch, but it also has tables inside. They have a menu that is served until 8:00 p.m. on holidays and weekends and until 5:00 p.m. the rest of the days.

The best thing about this cafe is that it overlooks some of the Harry Potter sets.

Butter beer

The Backlot Café is where you can try enjoying the famous “Butterbeer” that appears in the Harry Potter movies. It is a non-alcoholic sparkling drink that is gluten-free, making it suitable for celiacs. You can order it in a special jar, for a little more money, which you can take home.

They also offer an ice cream alternative that can be a good option if you don’t like very sweet drinks.

Gift shops

In the Harry Potter Studios there are three gift shops (yes, for “self-gifts” too…):

The studio shop

It has a mix of collector’s items, such as wands, notebooks, books, etc. but also some sweets and Harry Potter clothes. You can only enter if you have purchased a ticket for the Harry Potter Studios.

The Forbidden forest shop

Here there are mainly Harry Potter and studio memorabilia but especially everything related to the Forbidden Forest. From plush Aragog dolls to peppermint toads.

The Railway Shop

In the area where you can take photos next to the train on platform 9 3/4, you will find “The Railway Shop”. Here is everything from decoration stuff to Harry Potter memorabilia and some Hogwarts Express miniatures.

Frequently asked questions when visiting the Harry Potter Studios in London

  • Cloakrooms : It is free to leave both coats and shopping bags that you can carry (suitcases cannot be carried).
  • Food brought from outside : You can bring your own food or lunch but you can only be outside or in the Backlot Café area.
  • Wifi : It is free in all the facilities.
  • Changing tables for babies : There is a changing table in each of the bathrooms along the route. Also, if you want a quieter place to feed the baby, etc. there is an area reserved for babies next to the Backlot Café.
  • How long is the visit to the Harry Potter Studios? : The approximate average duration is about 3 hours and a half but there is no time limit to see each part of the route.

As a personal anecdote and even if it is to make one a little envious… when I started working in London, my first company had offices just behind Piccadilly Circus. In the same building was the law firm that handled all the Harry Potter Copyright issues and on more than one occasion we ran into JK Rowling at the entrance. Some classmates always had a Harry Potter book in the office ready in case they came across her and they could ask her to sign it.

Map Harry Potter in London

Here we leave you a map that we have prepared with all the locations of the Harry Potter places of interest in London and the Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studios.

Idea: Combine Harry Potter Studios with a visit to Oxford

Another possibility that we really like and that I think is really worthwhile is to combine a visit to the Harry Potter studios in London with a visit to the city of Oxford through an organized visit, with direct roundtrip transportation from the center From london.

In this way you will take advantage of the displacement to know something more about England and you will have the plan for one of the days resolved. Here we leave you the information so that you can book it online: Warner Bros and Oxford Studios.

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