Looking for a little magic in London? The Harry Potter Studios in London are the answer!
In December, I offered myself a few days in London, again … it is a city that I deeply love and that I now know quite well. For some years now, concerts or specific exhibitions are a good excuse to book a flight to London, where I relax, just wandering the neighborhood aimlessly after the neighborhood.
This time, however, for an extra touch of magic, I tried to do things I had not done before, and that’s how I planned a visit to the Harry Potter Studios in London, home of Harry Potter, for ten years.
Harry Potter Warner Bros Studios in London
Actually, I was a bit disappointed by the movie series, in the sense that reading the books I had built in my mind the school and that whole world in every detail. I found myself repeatedly thinking, “if only it were true,” “if only there were a school like Hogwarts,” and the film version is less enchanted than the one inhabiting my imagination, as often happens …
However, a visit to the studios of Harry Potter for theater lovers like me is a trip not to be missed! Having carried out the shooting for ten years, most of the scenes are constructed and life-size, costumes, accessories, and wigs are excellent, and their number is impressive and is for this reason that Warner Bros, shut the seventh chapter of the saga, decided not to dismantle the hangar reserved to the magical world of Harry, but to preserve the various areas and arrange a pedestrian path to be opened to the public.
Opening the door of the majestic Great Hall of Hogwarts – which changes with the seasons – you enter to school, discovering tricks, special effects, legendary rooms like the office of Dumbledore, the fantastic and suggestive Diagon Alley, the dormitory of Gryffindors, the classrooms and even the house of Weasleys, the anxiogenic London bus and endless magic accessories.
The area reserved for the flight and to Quidditch is the most popular one, so I recommend going there first and then turn slowly around the rest of the first hangar and then move to the outside part where you’ll find the wavy bridge, the awful aunt and uncle’s cottage and the kiosk serving butterbeer, whose tasting is included in the ticket price. The second hangar is reserved for setting and characters’ drawings, masks, and the impressive Diagon Alley.
Once you leave one section, you cannot go back, so take your time, walk slowly and make sure you’ve seen it all before you cross the threshold!
In March, an additional hangar was added with the rail 9 ¾, the Hogwarts Express steam locomotive, the luggage cart swallowed by the now-famous brick wall, and more special effects revealed. I guess I will have to go back!
As for each self-respecting “exhibition,” you exit through the shopping area. Needless to say, that of the Studios has the effect to get kids crazy… if you take your children, I recommend you talk about it in advance and establish a budget with them! Keep in mind that everything you see in the movies is on sale at the exit.
Booking tickets for the Harry Potter Studios
Yeah, because access to the Studios is only and exclusively allowed to people having booked in advance, and it is mandatory to check-in at the entrance 20 minutes before the start time of your tour!
The reservation involves selecting a date and a specific time slot. It can be done on the official website of Warner Bros or Visit London, to which the studios give daily quotas. This implies that not finding tickets for sale; on the one hand, you can still try on the other … When booking, you can also select an audio guide or a guide book to be collected at the entrance.
The sale price of the ticket starts from £ 60 for adults and 55 for children.
Many agencies sell packages in London, and general bus transportation is included.
Getting there from London
The Harry Potter Studios are located about 30 km from downtown London, the small town of Leavesden.
From Euston Station downtown count about twenty minutes on the line London Midland (platform n° 10) or an hour on the line Overland (platform n° 9) to the stop of Watford Junction and another ten minutes by bus to the destination (the bus leaves every 20 minutes from 9.20 am to 6.50 pm and the return ticket costs 2 pounds).
Arriving by car, parking is free on presentation of your booking.
If you opt for a package with bus transportation included, please note that the rendez-vous at the meeting point in London (usually Victoria or Charing Cross) is generally scheduled two hours before the due entrance to the Studios.
Facilities
You will find a free cloakroom at the Studios entrance, an ATM, and a fully stocked Starbucks. Be careful because you can not start the tour with drinks or snacks at hand!
The free WiFi is available everywhere inside, and the signal is excellent.
Special effects aside, everything can be photographed! In short, the keyword here is sharing 😉
Enjoy!
