Where Was Harry Potter Filmed? I Visited the Warner Bros Studio in London

If I had any unrealized childhood dream, this was it. To move to the world of magic and wizardry, or more precisely: to Hogwarts. Seeing the common room, the house on Privet Drive, calling up a broomstick on my own, and drinking a butterbeer from Hogsmeade.

 The kind of things you could only dream about as a child. I won’t brag about how many times I’ve read Harry Potter, or how many times I’ve watched all the parts. I would like to, but not this time, after all, that’s not what you came here for.

This time I’m going to show you why it’s worth going to London, or more precisely, to the studio where we can see how the Harry Potter movies were shot. I’ll talk about how much you have to pay, how and when to buy tickets and how many people are there.

How Much Does it Cost to Visit the Warner Bros Studios in London?

When I was looking for Harry Potter studio tickets, I came across different prices. Some tickets were £51.5 each, while others were several times more expensive (£100-200). Why such a disparity in prices? A lot depends on where you book. Ordering through the official website https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk you will pay less, but tickets must be bought well in advance. The more expensive tickets will be bought through an intermediary and often you will find “overnight” seats. I have seen that some people promote such an option as the only one available, and this is not true.

Therefore, if you want to go to the world of Harry Potter and pay less, I am already telling you how to do it best and cheapest.

How to Save Money on a Visit to the Harry Potter Studio?

I’ll summarize it in a few points:

– First, check available tickets at https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/

– See how much the plane tickets to London are for, compare prices and availability of tickets to the Warner Bros studio

– Choose the most favorable option for you

The studio is located just outside London, so it’s worth checking what it’s like to get to the studio: you can buy it from the Warner Bros website, for example, or take the train. We chose to get there by train, and here I have the following comments:

– We drove from London Euston station to Watford Junktion, where a free bus to the Studio was waiting for us.

– It is better to buy a two-way ticket rather than two separately. It comes out a few pounds cheaper

– Pay attention to how long the train takes, because the difference can be really big: a fast train takes 14-20 minutes, a regular train takes up to 50 minutes (some people write that this is the correct commute time and it is NOT true)

– If you choose to get there by bus from London, you need to adjust to the group with the departure time

Now you know everything that will help you plan your trip. And I’m already showing you what’s next and what’s inside!

Harry Potter Studio in London – a Tour

When you get to the studio, inside you can leave your jackets and download an audio guide (if you pre-ordered one or if you want to buy one). If you will be visiting in winter, before you leave your jackets, you should know that you go outside to see Privet Drive or the famous greenhouse from the herbalism lessons.

Entering the studio begins with viewing posters and a short introductory video. Right after that, the tour begins. I won’t say how, but it will certainly impress you – a very similar arrangement is in the Game of Thrones Studio in Northern Ireland.

Other Tour Options

In addition to the standard tour, there are other options: for example, you can buy the famous Afternoon Tea (cost £60) or order a Deluxe tour (£250). It’s a special, exclusive guided tour, with breakfast, and a photo on a flying broomstick, and that’s not all the extras (only in this package you’ll get your photo taken against the Wizard School’s front door). I won’t give you a rundown of all the options, so check out the website and choose what will be most interesting to you.

What Will You See at Hogwarts Near London?

Visiting the Warner Bros studio is an amazing experience for any Harry Potter fan. Starting from the fact that my expectations were huge, what I saw on-site definitely surpassed them.

On-site, you can see basically: 

– Great Hall

– Common Rooms: Gryffindors and Slippers

– Dumbledore and Umbridge’s study

– The dungeons and potions room

– Diagon Alley

– Forbidden Forest

– Privet Drive No. 4 from the inside

– Gringotts Bank

I won’t write more, because I want to leave you space for surprises. You’ll be able to take part in summoning a broomstick or fly on it (this is the paid version if you want a photo). The activities are really quite a lot, besides, you will see how the films, costumes, and make-up were created.

The tour of the Warner Bros Studio lasts about 3 hours, and during this time you definitely won’t be bored! There is a restaurant inside (prices are affordable, we’ll eat for £10) and we’ll have a Butterbeer. Butterbeer you simply have to order, I have drunk different ones in Harry Potter pubs, and in this place, the taste was rendered perfectly.

At the end we will visit the gadget store – it is incredibly impressive and you can leave a fortune there. You’ll buy not only Hogwarts clothes, Mrs. Wesley sweaters or wands, and cart treats (chocolate frogs, beans of all flavors), but also doll clothes, mugs, and posters… it’s rare that I feel like buying out the entire store, and that was the case here. Fortunately, I was effectively held back by my small luggage.

I think I don’t need to tell you anymore… although I would love to do so. And even more eager to return to Hogwarts once again!

Hogwart Express

Hogwarts Great Hall

Hogwarts Castle

Outfits

Diagon Alley and Gringotts Bank

Privet Drive 4

Ministry of Magic

Forbidden Forest

Greenhouse, The Burrow, Knight Bus

See also:

Game of Thrones Filming Locations in Northern Ireland

London – Attractions for a Long Weekend. What to See + How Much Does it Cost?

The Best Restaurants in London: A First Timer’s Guide