If you are a Harry Potter fan, then going to the Harry Potter Studios in England is a dream come true! Whether it is your first time, or your second or third time there is always so much to see. It is a very special (and magical!) place, and if it is your first time visiting, here are my tips for the Harry Potter Studios!
How to Get There
There are lots of options for how to get to the Harry Potter Studios. These are your options from London.
- If you go on your own. Take the Tube from Euston station to Watford Junction Railway Station. Then, take the official Harry Potter Studio Tour shuttle from the rail station to the Studios. With this option, you can stay at Studios for as long as you want.
- With a tour company. There are lots of options on which company to choose, and they will normally give you 3.5-4 hours at the Studios. Some companies only provide the transportation on a coach bus, and other companies include other stops on their tour. During my one week in England, I went on a day trip that included a tour of Oxford and the Harry Potter Studios in one day. It was well worth the extra money, and the entire tour was all about Harry Potter!
- And of course, if you feel comfortable driving somewhere new (and on the left side of the road) you can drive there!
Book in Advance
First things first, make sure to book your ticket far in advance! Tickets sell out months in advance, so to make sure you book your tickets early. If you book with a tour company, they will reserve the tickets for you, but a lot of tours will sell out quickly too!
What to Expect at the Harry Potter Studios
Don’t worry, I won’t give away any spoilers!! When you arrive at Harry Potter Studios, there is a giant foyer with food and gift shops. When you’re ready, you can then get in line to see the sets and exhibits. My advice is to just get in line right away! There’s gift shops around every corner, and food halfway through, so there will be tons of time for that.
After you get in line, you are led (as a group) throughout a couple of different rooms to watch movies about the Studios. You stand up in the first room, and in the second room it looks like a movie theatre. Not going to lie, I teared up quite a bit here! It’s so surreal to be in the crowd with other people who love Harry Potter, knowing that you’re about to be walking through the sets where they filmed.
After all of the movies are over you get to go into the Great Hall. This section is also done as a group. After you leave the Great Hall, you are able to explore the Studios at your own pace.
Halfway throughout the Studios, there is a spot where you can buy food (and butterbeer!). The food is very expensive, and it takes time away from exploring the Studios so eat well before you go, or bring a snack with you! I definitely bought a Butterbeer and walked around with it.
Yes, I used a selfie stick for this picture. #NoRegrets
Visiting the Harry Potter Studios as a Solo Traveller
If you are worried about not having fun going alone – don’t be! I went to the Harry Potter Studios as a solo traveler, and I preferred it. It can get very busy in the Studios, so it is nice to wander around the Studios at your own pace and not have to worry about sticking together as a group.
For taking photos, there are staff members you can ask to take your photo. You can also ask other people around you to take your photo. This is what I did, and it was fine. Everyone is really excited and can move quickly, but there will always be someone around to ask! I also brought a selfie stick that I used a couple of times (don’t worry, there will be other people using selfie sticks too).
There are only a couple of exhibits which are meant for two people, but there aren’t a lot, and it didn’t take away from the experience.
Take your time!
When I arrived at the Studios, I knew I only had 4 hours. I wanted to take my time, but I was worried that I would have to rush through the end if I did. Sure, you could always stay for A LOT longer if you read every single piece of information and watched every single movie that played in there, but I thought that the 4 hours was a perfect amount of time.
If you reach the end of exhibits, and you want to see more, DON’T LEAVE. You won’t be allowed back in if you leave! You will know you are at the end when you reach the large model of the Hogwarts Castle. I had reached the end in 3 hours, but I felt like I had rushed a little in the beginning. I didn’t want to leave and wait out in the lobby and look at the gift shops for an hour. So, if this happens to you, you can backtrack throughout all of the exhibits to the very beginning!
Stay in Great Hall for as long as you can
The first set that you will see in the Harry Potter Studios is the Great Hall. It can be busy, since everyone in your group is going in at once. One of my tips for the Harry Potter Studios is to stay in Great Hall until it is almost empty so that you can enjoy it without the crowds and get some good photos. After you leave the Great Hall, you aren’t allowed back in so make sure your time in there counts! You will eventually need to leave so that the next group of people can come in, but I stayed until there was only 3 other people left without any issues.
Try and get seats in front of the theatre
Try and be in the front for everything! There are lots of people that are trying to do the same thing, so if you don’t it’s not the end of the world. You will watch a short movie about the Harry Potter Studios before you actually go into the studios. My tip is to get seats in the front of the theatre. That is all I will say about that. 😉
Show your Harry Potter Pride
Have a Harry Potter shirt? Wear it! You are with other people that love Harry Potter too, and it’s so much fun to wear your Harry Potter clothing or house colours. There are opportunities to buy more Harry Potter merchandise around every corner in the Studios, so if you don’t have any then this is THE place to get it!
If you don’t have any Harry Potter clothing before you go to the Studios, and you reeeeally want something before you go, there is a Harry Potter section in Primark on Oxford Street which is MAGICAL (and inexpensive)!
I hope that these tips for the Harry Potter Studios helps you know what to expect when you arrive! Have you been to the Harry Potter Studios? If so, what would your tips be for going?
These are great tips! As someone who has visited the HP studios, this is a very accurate tips and advice post. I loved how you also went into who how excited you were when you saw the Great Hall- me too!
Thank you so much!! It is such an exciting and magical place. 🙂