If you are a Harry Potter fan, then no doubt visiting the Harry Potter Studio Tour London is on your bucket list!
The Harry Potter Studio Tour London is just a thirty minute train ride from the centre of London, making it perfect for a day trip.
It features costumes and props from the movies, as well as the actual sets, or recreations of the sets where the scenes were filmed, including the Great Hall, Ministry of Magic, Hagrid’s Hut, and the Dursley house.
If you’re visiting London, read my perfect 4 day itinerary or, if you’re short on time, my speedy 2 day London itinerary.
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How Much are Harry Potter Studio Tour London Tickets?
Tickets cost £53.50 for adults and £43.00 for children (as of September 2024). I HIGHLY recommend pre-booking well in advance (I seriously mean at least 3 months), particularly if you are visiting London during summer or school holidays.
There are time-slots for entry available from 10am to 6:30pm. Book your time-slot via the website.
TIP: Exploring the studio is usually a full day activity. Book your time-slot early in the morning to make the most of it, and don’t make any rigid plans for before or after. You’ll find that it’s easy to lose track of time in there!
Read: The Best 2 Day London Itinerary: The Essentials
Getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London
The easiest way to get to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London is to take the tube.
Walk or take the underground to Euston Station. If you’re new to London, check out how to use the London Tube like a pro.
From Euston Station, catch a train to Watford Junction, a thirty minute journey north of the city.
I recommend booking this journey when you book your studio tickets, just so you don’t forget about it and arrive to find them all sold out (especially in the busy summer or school holiday periods)!
However, the tickets are not going to be too expensive until the day before travelling.
Plan to arrive at the studio at least 30 minutes before your time-slot. Depending on how busy it is inside, they might even let you in a bit early.
When you arrive at Watford Junction station, head outside to find the shuttle bus. You won’t miss it: it’s plastered with Harry’s face. Line up and wait; they depart every 15 or so minutes but sometimes they get really packed and you have to wait longer.
When you arrive at the tour, head past the first security guard into the entrance hall where you’ll find the souvenir shop and toilets. Don’t hang out the front thinking you can’t go in yet if it isn’t your time-slot like I did!
Once it’s closer to your time-slot, head to the end of the hall where a security guard will check your ticket and let you through to the tour.
London Travel Essentials
SIM cards: I swear by E-sims like Airalo and Gigago which you can install BEFORE travelling. This saves you the stress of running around to find one while jet-lagged or from being ripped off by local vendors. E-sims are perfect for backpackers who are travelling to multiple destinations in a short period of time.
Insurance: You should NEVER go overseas without getting travel insurance. We hope everything goes as planned, but there is always a chance you might get injured or your plans change. I personally always use Covermore, because the cover is super comprehensive and they were easy to work with when I needed to make a claim.
Banking: Free international transactions are a must when travelling. I use Up Bank, an online Australian bank, that allows fee-free overseas transactions, unlimited savings ‘pools’ and payments in any currency without needing to exchange. If you’re Aussie, join Up with my QR code we both get $14! Two similar and very popular options include Wise and Revolut.
The Harry Potter Studio Tour London Experience
The tour begins with a little introductory presentation. They give you a little book for you to collect stamps throughout the tour, which makes for a nice little free souvenir.
After the introduction, you head into the Great Hall. The staff choose someone to push the doors of the Great Hall open (it’s worth asking to be picked if it’s your birthday or something as you’ll most likely be chosen!)
The floating candles, pictures, great long tables, and displayed costumes of the Professors made me feel like a first year arriving at Hogwarts for the first time (we are, I guess?) The hall was smaller than I expected but I guess that’s the magic of wide angle cameras.
The Great Hall leads into the main studio area. Here you’ll find different sets from the movies including Hagrid’s Hut, the potions dungeon (the cauldron stirs itself!), the Weasley’s kitchen (with self-washing plates!) Umbridge’s wall of rules, the Ministry of Magic’s green buildings, and Harry’s four poster bed, among many others.
Read: Is the Tower of London Worth It? Budget Traveller Review
Read: The Best and Most Perfect 4 Day London Itinerary!
There are a few props that you can take pictures with like the flying Ford Angela, a broomstick and the luggage trolley halfway through the wall.
You’ll find staff at the displays along the walls explaining details about the movies and specific props. How long you spend in this area depends on how interested you are in the details of filmmaking.
Head through the spooky Forbidden Forest, making sure to watch out for the giant spiders descending from the ceiling. You’ll find yourself on Platform 9 ¾ with the chuffing Hogwarts Express ready to depart. Check out Harry and Ron in their compartment, with their laps covered in candy from the trolley.
As you head through to the cafeteria, check out the books in the glass cases along the wall. You’ll find textbooks, newspapers, posters and games that were all used as props in the movies.
Lunch at the Harry Potter Studio Tour London
If you’re on a budget, I’d recommend bringing a packed lunch because there is a bit of a premium on the meals in the cafeteria.
I would, however, recommend buying a butterbeer because, c’mon, you just have to.
It tastes like ginger ale with cream on top and you get to keep the cup after! (more on this in the souvenir section).
The cafeteria is connected to the courtyard. In the courtyard you’ll find a small model of the Weasley house, as well as a life-size Knight bus, the Dursley’s house and the Herbology greenhouse.
I recommend getting through these while everyone else is chowing down on lunch because they can get a bit crowded.
Read: Edinburgh: The Ultimate 3 Day Itinerary for Scotland’s Capital
After lunch, continue on to Gringotts.
Along the way, there are displays about how they created the masks for the goblins. It’s honestly quite grotesque; glass cases filled with the rubbery heads of the bankers.
Gringotts is beautiful, with its marble columns and a great big glittering chandelier. You can watch a very realistic and slightly scary animation of a dragon destroying Gringotts, with smoke effects and all.
Read: London on a Budget: 10 FREE or CHEAP Things to Do
Next, head to Diagon Alley. This was definitely my favourite set of the tour (and probably the movie too). The mismatched store fronts selling all manner of wizarding products were so cute, and exactly as pictured in the movies.
Finally, the tour ends with the model of Hogwarts castle that was used for overhead shots.
The model was way bigger than I expected (about the size of a small car)!
The tour of the Harry Potter Studio Tour London finishes here!
While this is only a brief overview of what you might see, it hopefully gives you enough information to decide whether the hefty price tag is worth it to you. It was worth it to me!
Souvenirs at the Harry Potter Studio Tour London
The ultimate souvenir to take back from the Harry Potter Studio Tour London is your butterbeer cup!
After you buy and enjoy your butterbeer in the cafeteria area, you can wash it at one of the taps they have outside and take it home. Two things for the price of one!
The souvenir shop at the Harry Potter Studio Tour London is honestly jaw dropping.
I felt like I was literally in Diagon Alley, shopping for my school supplies. Any item that you have seen in the movies and thought was cool, THEY HAVE IT. They have wands, robes, potions, Ron’s red jumper, jewellery, sweets….
I made the grave error of entering the shop BEFORE going on the tour. I honestly considered just skipping the tour because how could it beat this shop?? (It did, I’m glad I dragged myself out).
However, I’ll admit that visiting the shop first helped me mull over what I wanted to buy while I was walking around the studio.
When I went back afterwards I put some items back that I had got carried away with.
So if you’re short on luggage space, or funds, maybe check out the shop first then come back?
Quick Questions
Is the Harry Potter Studio Tour London Worth It?
If you have even a mild interest in the Harry Potter movies or filmmaking in general, then the studio tour is absolutely worth it.
It’s awesome seeing the props and sets in real life and seeing how they created the magic on screen.
How long should I spend at the Harry Potter Studio Tour London?
How long you end up spending there depends on how interested you are in the films and filmmaking process.
You will probably spend anywhere from 3 hours to 6 hours at the studio, but I recommend not scheduling anything else on your tour day because it is easy to lose track of time!
What should I wear to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London?
Wear whatever you want!
If there is a place to wear your Hogwarts robes/merch, this is it! However, there was still many people wearing ordinary clothes too. The tour is almost entirely indoors (except for the courtyard near the cafeteria) so you don’t have to be concerned about the weather.
Any other London day trips I recommend?
Are you staying a little longer in London and wondering what else there is to do? Most day trip tours from London combine multiple sights in one, making it super easy to see the best of the surrounding countryside.
This tour takes you to see Windsor, Stonehenge, Bath and the Cotswolds all in one day! This tour takes you to see Oxford as well as Stonehenge and Windsor. And this tour is a complete exploration of the Cotswolds including the villages of Burford, Stow on the Wold and Chipping Campden.
There are tons of day trip tours available.
Where to stay in London?
$ Hostel $
Onefam Notting Hill
63 Prince’s Square, London, United Kingdom
Honestly, London just doesn’t do hostels well. For the most part, they’re not much more than over-priced dungeons. I love Onefam Notting Hill because it is social and vibrant, with outdoor space to hang out, clean bathrooms and a variety of dorm room options. They run social events every single night. I love that it’s located near Hyde Park (love me a park) and Portobello Markets. It’s 7 minutes walk to Bayswater station, which is part of the Circle tube line. Check availability or see other options.
$$ Hotel $$
Kensington Gardens Hotel
9 Kensington Gardens Square, Westminster Borough, London, W2 4BH, United Kingdom
This hotel is also located in the Notting Hill area, 5 minutes walk from Bayswater tube station. It has simple but clean furnishings and overlooks the gorgeous Kensington Square Gardens. This hotel is adults-only, perfect for a romantic weekend getaway. Check availability or see other options.
That was my detailed review of the Harry Potter Studio Tour London. If you’re still not sure if it’s worth it, just trust me, it absolutely is. It is an experience you will not forget and you won’t be able to see the movies the same again!
Are you a fan of Harry Potter? Have you ever visited the Harry Potter Studio Tour London, and what did you think of it? Share in the comments below!
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