Muggle Monday: Harry Potter Studio Tour Recap

It's time for Muggle Monday, in which I highlight something from the Harry Potter world. This is somewhat inspired by the Mundane Monday posts by The Mundie Moms.

But let's be real as to why I made up this feature: I just want the opportunity to post something about Harry Potter.


When I was in London at the beginning of May, I had the great opportunity to finally see the Harry Potter Studio Tour! Or as it is called by its official name: Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter. I prefer my name for it though as it is much less of a mouthful.

Anyways, this tour takes place at Leavesden Studios, about an hour outside London, which previously hosted the cast and crew for the filming of the movies, but now is open to the public for visitors to tour the original sets and props. The tour is a bit pricey, but I was so impressed with the actual volume of things you got to see! There are two huge studios to make your way through, filled with props and sets, as well as an outside portion of the tour. I thought I would share a few of my pictures and my experiences for anyone who is interested:

The first big set you get to see is the Great Hall. I WAS SO EXCITED!!

The level of detail that went into every set item is insane. The pictures in this post will show only a very small fraction of what you actually get to see on the tour.

Here, upon glimpsing into the Mirror of Erised with my boyfriend, we see a boy in a stroller next to us. This must mean our true heart's desire includes children! Or something.

A lot of what some people might assume are special effects on screen are actually very complex and very cool robotics.

I didn't have time for this in my schedule while there, but you can actually get dressed up in robes, hop on a broomstick in front of a green screen, and try your hand at playing out Quidditch scenes! Would have been good for a laugh!

All aboard the Hogwarts Express!

(click on photos to embiggen)
Have I mentioned that the amount of detail that went into each and every prop and set is INSANE?! I never understood how none of the movies ever garnered a nomination for Best Art Direction at the Oscar's, and after seeing it all in person that fact is even more baffling to me.

Mmm, Butterbeer! That is, "Mmm, Butterbeer" in small doses only. For the love of god, do not attempt to chug this sickly sweet drink.

Where it all began.

Dearest Dobby.

In Diagon Alley! Also featuring Mr. Devil Eyes to the right. Full sets that can be seen on the tour also include the Gryffindor Common Room, the Gryffindor Boys' Dorm, Dumbledore's Office, the Potions Classroom, the Burrow, and Ollivander's (among many others).

And for the pièce de résistance, a huge intricately detailed model of Hogwarts. This thing is GLORIOUS. And none of my pictures really do it justice. You'll just have to see it for yourselves!

Some tips and advice:

1. You must buy your tickets online in advance; you cannot purchase them onsite (thanks to Alison for this tip!)

2. Try to go at non-peak hours/days/seasons because there was a ton of people and a lot of waiting time for photo ops.

3. Plan to spend a healthy amount of time while you're there. They were telling everyone that it would take about 3 hours to see the entire tour, but this must only be if you're there with an impatient child or are not an über Potter fan?? Because I could have EASILY spent 5-6 hours there just taking it all in.

4. Go with a backup camera or portable phone charger. I was taking SO many HDR photos on my iPhone that it ran out of battery halfway through the tour despite being almost full upon arrival! Thank goodness I still had the bf's camera or I would have been pretty upset as I would say the second half of the tour contains some of the most exciting things!

5. Do not go with a touring company. I chose to go see the studio through Golden Tours because I thought it would be a convenient and relaxing way of getting there (otherwise you have to figure out the public transit to get outside of London). I definitely regret making this decision. Not only was the experience vastly more expensive than it needed to be, but the tour company only scheduled in the 3 hour time minimum that the studio organizers suggest. Like I said, I could have easily spent 5-6 hours there so to have felt so rushed through the whole thing was a major disappointment for me because it really felt like I was not being able to appreciate all the little details like I would have liked. At the end, I had to sprint right through the gift shop, out the door, and down the street just to make it to my bus on time. If you're anything like me, then you will want NEED more time and it would be worth figuring out what transit to take to make it happen.


Alright, enough of my ramblings! I hope I was able to give a good overview of the studio tour as well as some helpful tips so that you might know what to expect if you ever visited yourself. Of course, this recap pales in comparison to the real thing, I assure you!