Trip Report: Harry Potter Studio Tour - Leavesden, England
Apr 30, 2013, 3:46 pm
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Trip Report: Harry Potter Studio Tour - Leavesden, England
I have been to most of the major theme parks in the United States and have taken tours of many studios, including private tours of Disney Studios while I worked for The Walt Disney Company, but none of those compared to the grand spectacle of the Harry Potter Studio Tour.
Even if you are not a Harry Potter fan, there is much to appreciate and enjoy at the Warner Brothers – Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesden England. Now there are no rides on this studio tour, but the technology and the attention to detail was better than anything I have seen at any theme park or studio tour previously. Because the movie series was made over 10 years, the tour also shows guests the technological improvements of the movie industry during that time and how certain limitations were overcome in the past using movie magic.
What makes this tour unique is that it is not simply a behind-the-scenes tour of how the movies were made, but is an inside-the-scenes tour that allows guests to experience the movies and learn secrets that are only told on this studio tour. The Tour allows guests to step inside the actual movie sets and experience what the actors experienced. Guests can sit on and touch some of the most popular props from the movies; they can even be a part of the movie by taking part in green screen photo spots. It also allows guests to drink the popular movie-drink called “Butter Beer”. The studio tour is one of only two places in the world that serves the drink.
The studio tour is located in the actual studio where the movies were filmed, in Leavesden England. Leavesden is a small residential and commercial city located a little more than 20 miles north of London. The Warner Brothers Studios were built on a former WWII Royal Air Force Airfield and is now famous for not only being the site where the Harry Potter franchise was filmed, but also parts of the James Bond franchise.
HOW TO GET TICKETS:
Tickets cost Ł29 for Adults and Ł21.50 for children. Tickets for the studio tour must be bought online, in advance and cannot be bought at the door. It is basically a reservation system to ensure that there are a limited number of people at any given time to allow guests to be able to take part in the interactive aspects of the tour. Tours start as early as 9am and then every 30 minutes until 6:30pm during the summer months. During winter months, tours start at 10am and the final tour begins at 4pm. The great thing about the tours is that they are actually self guided and so you can move at your own pace. Even those who select the last tour are allowed to move as slow as they want and are only limited to the final departure time of the bus returning to the train station (if they came on the bus). The tour specifically states that “no limits are imposed on your time at the attraction”.
When you buy your tickets, you should add in a digital guide for each person for Ł4.95. The guides are offered in 8 languages and are called “digital” guides versus audio guides, because they also provide video, text and animation on the hand-held devices throughout the tour to enhance your experience. I found the digital guides to be an amazing part of the experience as the actual actors from the movies provide narration, commentary and provide interesting secrets that are only revealed on the tour.
They offer a “Complete Studio Package”, which includes an adult ticket, a digital guide and a souvenir guide book for Ł38.95. It’s a savings of Ł4.95, so basically you are paying for the souvenir guide book for Ł9.95, which is the actual retail value if you buy it alone. They also offer discounted family tickets for families with 2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult and 3 children.
HOW TO GET THERE:
The two most efficient and easiest options to get to Leavesden are to either take the light rail line or to take a chartered tour bus which operates daily from parts of central London. There are many tour operators which offer a ticket package which includes the ticket of the tour and roundtrip transfers from London for approximately Ł57. If you have already purchased your tickets from the studio yourself, you can also elect to simply purchase the roundtrip bus transfer from the tour operators. The positive aspect of hiring a tour operator is that you simply have to get to one of the many pickup locations in London and leave the rest to them. The major negative aspect, which led me to avoid this option is that the tour bus operators run on a strict schedule and that gives you only a certain amount of time to see everything and you can't move at your own pace (must meet back at bus at certain time). Also, most tour operators only provide the option of the early morning tours which is by far the busiest tour and the large number of people prevent you from being able to see/read everything in peace. The later tours in the afternoon, which is when I went, is a lot calmer and allowed me to move at a snail’s pace and get clear, good pictures, with nobody in the background.
The second and my recommend option is that if you are a bit more travel savvy, you can take the light rail line from London for less than Ł10 roundtrip. The train you will take to the studio is not the regular London Underground Tube lines. It is a national rail line. The station closest to the studios is Watford Junction and is your destination. Tickets can be bought at Paddington Station, Euston Station and some others larger stations.
The non-stop train to Watford Junction departs from Euston Station, not to confuse it with Euston Square, which is the tube station. You can either take a taxi to Euston Station or take the tube to Euston Square and then walk 5 minutes across the street to get to Euston Station
There are a few direct trains from Euston Station to Watford Junction. The direct train takes only 20 minutes. There are other trains to Watford Junction that have many stops before Watford and take a lot longer. When buying your ticket, make sure you emphasize that you want the direct train.
Before you get to Euston Station, you won't know ahead of time if the next train leaving is the direct train or the one with stops, so I suggest getting there 2 hours before your tour starts. Even if the next train is the direct train, it will still take more than an hour to get to the studios, so 2 hours before your tour is not much earlier. You can always be there early and start your tour early, but you cannot be late for your tour.
After buying your ticket, you will need to determine the train departure times. You can always ask the information booth at Euston Station, but I found them to be unfriendly. To determine which train to get on and if it is a direct train, you will see everyone staring up at electronic boards with train information. You need to find the "Platform" (which train to get on). The final stop is listed next to the Platform number on the digital boards. You don't care what the final stop is. You need to look at the section called "Calling at". The train that has "Watford Junction" listed as the very first "Calling at" station is your train. That means it will stop there first. Remember, there are other trains (non-direct) that will stop at a few other stops ("calling at" other stops) before Watford, but that is not the direct train.
Once you find the Platform you need to go to. You will swipe your ticket on the turn-styles and then get on the train at that Platform. The train will take 20 minutes to get to Watford Station.
Exit the train station and go to Bus Bay #4 on the left of the exit. You will need to wait until a double-decker bus with Harry Potter images all over it comes to the Bus Bay. The bus comes every 20 minutes. You will have to pay 2 pounds per person for a return ticket. You buy the ticket as you get on the bus. The bus ride takes 15 minutes.
Once you get to the studios, go directly to the outdoor ticket booths. Show them your email reservation and then will give you your tickets.
REFRESHMENTS:
The only food options available at the studio include a café in the lobby, outside the tour area and an outdoor café in the middle of the tour. The café in the lobby before entering the tour has more options including soups, sandwiches, salads and other snacks, but it is the café in the middle of the tour which has the “Butter Beer” drink that you have to try. It is a non-alcoholic drink that the entire family can enjoy. The drink is available only at the Studio Tour or at Harry Potter World in Orlando Florida. Both cafés at the studio offer items at astronomical prices so if you can pack a picnic lunch or eat before or after the tour, it can save you a ton of money. There are a few mom/pop restaurants located in Leavesden, but for the most part, options are limited compared to central London. Once you enter the tour, you cannot leave and go to the café located in the lobby.
THE TOUR:
The tour itself starts off in a movie theater where you watch a video introduction of the tour presented by the Harry Potter cast, where they tell you what you are about to experience. The mini theater is state-of-the-art with plush seating, high definition movie screen and digital surround sound that will please any audiophile. At the end of the movie, the screen literally opens up into (not slides up) the Great Hall where your self guided tour begins. You then walk through the actual sets and read, watch, listen and interact with actual props from the movies. The entire tour takes on average 4 hours, but I would allow between 4-6 hours at the tour itself (not including travel time).
Once you are done with the tour, go back on the same bus, which dropped you off at the studios and it will take you back to the same train station. You can use the same bus ticket (assuming you bought a return ticket) to get back on the bus and use the same train ticket to get back on the train. Make sure you get on the train to Euston Station. If in doubt, ask someone else getting on the train if they are going to Euston Station. I’ve found other riders to be friendlier than the station workers.
I have detailed pictures posted online. Let me know if you have any questions regarding the tour or how to get there.
Even if you are not a Harry Potter fan, there is much to appreciate and enjoy at the Warner Brothers – Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesden England. Now there are no rides on this studio tour, but the technology and the attention to detail was better than anything I have seen at any theme park or studio tour previously. Because the movie series was made over 10 years, the tour also shows guests the technological improvements of the movie industry during that time and how certain limitations were overcome in the past using movie magic.
What makes this tour unique is that it is not simply a behind-the-scenes tour of how the movies were made, but is an inside-the-scenes tour that allows guests to experience the movies and learn secrets that are only told on this studio tour. The Tour allows guests to step inside the actual movie sets and experience what the actors experienced. Guests can sit on and touch some of the most popular props from the movies; they can even be a part of the movie by taking part in green screen photo spots. It also allows guests to drink the popular movie-drink called “Butter Beer”. The studio tour is one of only two places in the world that serves the drink.
The studio tour is located in the actual studio where the movies were filmed, in Leavesden England. Leavesden is a small residential and commercial city located a little more than 20 miles north of London. The Warner Brothers Studios were built on a former WWII Royal Air Force Airfield and is now famous for not only being the site where the Harry Potter franchise was filmed, but also parts of the James Bond franchise.
HOW TO GET TICKETS:
Tickets cost Ł29 for Adults and Ł21.50 for children. Tickets for the studio tour must be bought online, in advance and cannot be bought at the door. It is basically a reservation system to ensure that there are a limited number of people at any given time to allow guests to be able to take part in the interactive aspects of the tour. Tours start as early as 9am and then every 30 minutes until 6:30pm during the summer months. During winter months, tours start at 10am and the final tour begins at 4pm. The great thing about the tours is that they are actually self guided and so you can move at your own pace. Even those who select the last tour are allowed to move as slow as they want and are only limited to the final departure time of the bus returning to the train station (if they came on the bus). The tour specifically states that “no limits are imposed on your time at the attraction”.
When you buy your tickets, you should add in a digital guide for each person for Ł4.95. The guides are offered in 8 languages and are called “digital” guides versus audio guides, because they also provide video, text and animation on the hand-held devices throughout the tour to enhance your experience. I found the digital guides to be an amazing part of the experience as the actual actors from the movies provide narration, commentary and provide interesting secrets that are only revealed on the tour.
They offer a “Complete Studio Package”, which includes an adult ticket, a digital guide and a souvenir guide book for Ł38.95. It’s a savings of Ł4.95, so basically you are paying for the souvenir guide book for Ł9.95, which is the actual retail value if you buy it alone. They also offer discounted family tickets for families with 2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult and 3 children.
HOW TO GET THERE:
The two most efficient and easiest options to get to Leavesden are to either take the light rail line or to take a chartered tour bus which operates daily from parts of central London. There are many tour operators which offer a ticket package which includes the ticket of the tour and roundtrip transfers from London for approximately Ł57. If you have already purchased your tickets from the studio yourself, you can also elect to simply purchase the roundtrip bus transfer from the tour operators. The positive aspect of hiring a tour operator is that you simply have to get to one of the many pickup locations in London and leave the rest to them. The major negative aspect, which led me to avoid this option is that the tour bus operators run on a strict schedule and that gives you only a certain amount of time to see everything and you can't move at your own pace (must meet back at bus at certain time). Also, most tour operators only provide the option of the early morning tours which is by far the busiest tour and the large number of people prevent you from being able to see/read everything in peace. The later tours in the afternoon, which is when I went, is a lot calmer and allowed me to move at a snail’s pace and get clear, good pictures, with nobody in the background.
The second and my recommend option is that if you are a bit more travel savvy, you can take the light rail line from London for less than Ł10 roundtrip. The train you will take to the studio is not the regular London Underground Tube lines. It is a national rail line. The station closest to the studios is Watford Junction and is your destination. Tickets can be bought at Paddington Station, Euston Station and some others larger stations.
The non-stop train to Watford Junction departs from Euston Station, not to confuse it with Euston Square, which is the tube station. You can either take a taxi to Euston Station or take the tube to Euston Square and then walk 5 minutes across the street to get to Euston Station
There are a few direct trains from Euston Station to Watford Junction. The direct train takes only 20 minutes. There are other trains to Watford Junction that have many stops before Watford and take a lot longer. When buying your ticket, make sure you emphasize that you want the direct train.
Before you get to Euston Station, you won't know ahead of time if the next train leaving is the direct train or the one with stops, so I suggest getting there 2 hours before your tour starts. Even if the next train is the direct train, it will still take more than an hour to get to the studios, so 2 hours before your tour is not much earlier. You can always be there early and start your tour early, but you cannot be late for your tour.
After buying your ticket, you will need to determine the train departure times. You can always ask the information booth at Euston Station, but I found them to be unfriendly. To determine which train to get on and if it is a direct train, you will see everyone staring up at electronic boards with train information. You need to find the "Platform" (which train to get on). The final stop is listed next to the Platform number on the digital boards. You don't care what the final stop is. You need to look at the section called "Calling at". The train that has "Watford Junction" listed as the very first "Calling at" station is your train. That means it will stop there first. Remember, there are other trains (non-direct) that will stop at a few other stops ("calling at" other stops) before Watford, but that is not the direct train.
Once you find the Platform you need to go to. You will swipe your ticket on the turn-styles and then get on the train at that Platform. The train will take 20 minutes to get to Watford Station.
Exit the train station and go to Bus Bay #4 on the left of the exit. You will need to wait until a double-decker bus with Harry Potter images all over it comes to the Bus Bay. The bus comes every 20 minutes. You will have to pay 2 pounds per person for a return ticket. You buy the ticket as you get on the bus. The bus ride takes 15 minutes.
Once you get to the studios, go directly to the outdoor ticket booths. Show them your email reservation and then will give you your tickets.
REFRESHMENTS:
The only food options available at the studio include a café in the lobby, outside the tour area and an outdoor café in the middle of the tour. The café in the lobby before entering the tour has more options including soups, sandwiches, salads and other snacks, but it is the café in the middle of the tour which has the “Butter Beer” drink that you have to try. It is a non-alcoholic drink that the entire family can enjoy. The drink is available only at the Studio Tour or at Harry Potter World in Orlando Florida. Both cafés at the studio offer items at astronomical prices so if you can pack a picnic lunch or eat before or after the tour, it can save you a ton of money. There are a few mom/pop restaurants located in Leavesden, but for the most part, options are limited compared to central London. Once you enter the tour, you cannot leave and go to the café located in the lobby.
THE TOUR:
The tour itself starts off in a movie theater where you watch a video introduction of the tour presented by the Harry Potter cast, where they tell you what you are about to experience. The mini theater is state-of-the-art with plush seating, high definition movie screen and digital surround sound that will please any audiophile. At the end of the movie, the screen literally opens up into (not slides up) the Great Hall where your self guided tour begins. You then walk through the actual sets and read, watch, listen and interact with actual props from the movies. The entire tour takes on average 4 hours, but I would allow between 4-6 hours at the tour itself (not including travel time).
Once you are done with the tour, go back on the same bus, which dropped you off at the studios and it will take you back to the same train station. You can use the same bus ticket (assuming you bought a return ticket) to get back on the bus and use the same train ticket to get back on the train. Make sure you get on the train to Euston Station. If in doubt, ask someone else getting on the train if they are going to Euston Station. I’ve found other riders to be friendlier than the station workers.
I have detailed pictures posted online. Let me know if you have any questions regarding the tour or how to get there.
May 1, 2013, 2:29 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: London
Posts: 1,251
The second and my recommend option is that if you are a bit more travel savvy, you can take the light rail line from London for less than Ł10 roundtrip. The train you will take to the studio is not the regular London Underground Tube lines. It is a national rail line. The station closest to the studios is Watford Junction and is your destination. Tickets can be bought at Paddington Station, Euston Station and some others larger stations.
The train to Watford Junction is not a "light rail" line, its a normal heavy rail line. In fact, it's part of the West Coast Main Line.
If you have an Oyster card, you don't actually need to buy a ticket to get to Watford Junction as Oyster pay-as-you-go is valid on this route.
Since Oyster will automatically combine tube and rail segments to give you the cheapest fare (even if you connect from Euston Square to Euston), you might be paying too much if you buy a paper ticket.
When buying your ticket, make sure you emphasize that you want the direct train.
Last edited by Reason077; May 1, 2013 at 2:35 am
May 1, 2013, 2:33 am
#3
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Sounds like a very enjoyable trip!
Just to help anyone reading with the trains to Watford Junction...
They go from Euston Station. It's definitely not light rail - this is the main line to Scotland! Trains are operated by London Midland (the fast ones) and London Overground (all stations). The former terminate at points further afield, the latter at Watford Junction itself. There are London Midland services that stop at Bushey and Harrow & Wealdstone as well as the non-stop services - these take 20 minutes instead of 15, so it's as well to take the first one of these that goes. Don't be tempted to take a Virgin train, or you'll be hit with a heavy additional fare - they don't carry passengers between London and Watford.
Although it's outside London, you can use an Oyster card to get to Watford Junction - just make sure you have enough balance loaded on there.
[edit] Snap!
Just to help anyone reading with the trains to Watford Junction...
They go from Euston Station. It's definitely not light rail - this is the main line to Scotland! Trains are operated by London Midland (the fast ones) and London Overground (all stations). The former terminate at points further afield, the latter at Watford Junction itself. There are London Midland services that stop at Bushey and Harrow & Wealdstone as well as the non-stop services - these take 20 minutes instead of 15, so it's as well to take the first one of these that goes. Don't be tempted to take a Virgin train, or you'll be hit with a heavy additional fare - they don't carry passengers between London and Watford.
Although it's outside London, you can use an Oyster card to get to Watford Junction - just make sure you have enough balance loaded on there.
[edit] Snap!
May 1, 2013, 12:38 pm
#4
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And you might not need to put your ticket through the turnstile; they only have them at platforms 8-11. Most, but not all, London Midland trains leave from those platforms.
May 1, 2013, 4:20 pm
#5
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Even if you are not a Harry Potter fan, there is much to appreciate and enjoy at the Warner Brothers – Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesden England. ... What makes this tour unique is that it is not simply a behind-the-scenes tour of how the movies were made, but is an inside-the-scenes tour that allows guests to experience the movies and learn secrets that are only told on this studio tour. The Tour allows guests to step inside the actual movie sets and experience what the actors experienced.
Thanks for the trip report.
Greg
May 4, 2013, 11:32 pm
#7
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It's pretty easy to find this information out ahead of time: http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/ can give you the fastest route from any part of London to Watford Junction. The (unofficial, but just as accurate as the real thing) traintimes.org.uk is good for the times of trains on National Rail from across the UK.
May 6, 2013, 3:13 pm
#8
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Jan 9, 2016, 7:49 am
#9
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Just to be clear - Euston station is also a tube station. The Northern and Victoria lines stop at Euston whereas as the Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City and Circle lines stop at Euston Square.
Jan 10, 2016, 6:11 am
#10
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Great trip report, but the link in the profile page is no longer useful. (The post suggesting it is almost 3 years old. Stuff happens.) If anyone has a current link to the online photos, I for one would appreciate it. Also, if the OP is still around and happens to read this, it might be a good idea to remove or update that link.
Mar 11, 2018, 9:04 pm
#12
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On my last visit to London, largely inspired by the glowing review starting this thread, I took an afternoon to do the Harry Potter tour. The weather was quite cold that day, with a moderate amount of snow on the ground. I can heartily recommend seeing this attraction when the weather is bad. At other times, I'd say it is still reasonably good but hardly something to plan a trip around unless you are a huge Harry Potter fan (which I'm not; I liked the movies, though).
The tour does show you one of the two most impressive interior sets, the Hogwarts dining hall. Unfortunately, they only kept a few sections of the Ministry of Magic set. Had they chosen to keep the whole thing up to walk through, it would have been a lot more impressive. The Diagon Alley set is present, however, and it's nice.
It would have also been very good if they had hired a few of the actors who were in minor roles to interact with the paying customers. I bet there are plenty who would appreciate the work. Not only did they not do that, they didn't even put faces on the dummies exhibiting the movie costumes.
Being able to buy Butter Beer, which looks a lot like overpriced flavored ginger ale, is nothing special. Nor are the several photo opportunities against green screens, which are charged for at the rate of GBP14 for the first print and GBP7 for each subsequent one. If you want the photos on a memory stick and forgot to bring one with you, they'll cheerfully charge you GBP25 for an 8 gig one (in addition to the cost of the photos).
Since I am not a Harry Potter trivia expert, I did rent the audio tour based on the information above. My conclusion: I'd recommend against it. A great deal of what is on the audio tour is explained by on-site videos or sign boards. The rest isn't really that important.
I don't mean to sound like this is a huge ripoff. It's decently done, most folks who have seen some of the movies will enjoy it. Note that the price has gone up by about 50% since the original post was written.
The tour does show you one of the two most impressive interior sets, the Hogwarts dining hall. Unfortunately, they only kept a few sections of the Ministry of Magic set. Had they chosen to keep the whole thing up to walk through, it would have been a lot more impressive. The Diagon Alley set is present, however, and it's nice.
It would have also been very good if they had hired a few of the actors who were in minor roles to interact with the paying customers. I bet there are plenty who would appreciate the work. Not only did they not do that, they didn't even put faces on the dummies exhibiting the movie costumes.
Being able to buy Butter Beer, which looks a lot like overpriced flavored ginger ale, is nothing special. Nor are the several photo opportunities against green screens, which are charged for at the rate of GBP14 for the first print and GBP7 for each subsequent one. If you want the photos on a memory stick and forgot to bring one with you, they'll cheerfully charge you GBP25 for an 8 gig one (in addition to the cost of the photos).
Since I am not a Harry Potter trivia expert, I did rent the audio tour based on the information above. My conclusion: I'd recommend against it. A great deal of what is on the audio tour is explained by on-site videos or sign boards. The rest isn't really that important.
I don't mean to sound like this is a huge ripoff. It's decently done, most folks who have seen some of the movies will enjoy it. Note that the price has gone up by about 50% since the original post was written.
Last edited by RichardInSF; Mar 16, 2018 at 2:59 pm
Jan 8, 2019, 1:50 pm
#14
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As a now regular on the WCML I wince every time I hear the guard announce “wizards and witches please alight here for Harry Potter world” or when I find myself in a carriage surrounded by over-excited kids. There seem to be plenty of happy faces on the way back so they are doing something right...
Jan 8, 2019, 4:32 pm
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