Hogwarts Express at Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour

When the Warner Bros Studio Tour: the Making of Harry Potter first opened, I was heavily pregnant and restricting how far afield I waddled. Since then, I’d all but resigned myself to waiting until Minnie started reading the books before having an excuse to visit.

review visit*

Until Tuesday, when I was invited along for a sneak peek of the new Hogwarts Express attraction at the studios – which was really all the excuse I needed. Because if you’re a fan, this is simply Harry Potter and Hogwarts heaven. And even if you’re not, seeing the skill, detail and effort involved in creating the magic is absolutely fascinating.

2023 EDIT: Over the past eight years since my first visit in 2015, including two return visits with my daughter, they’ve added sections on the Forbidden Forest and Gringott’s Bank so the Harry Potter Studio map below now looks rather different – but the experience for fans is even better… Check out my full set of tips for the Harry Potter Studio tour here

For more ideas of Harry Potter days out in the UK, I’ve found more than 30 of the best for fans

The recommended time to set aside is three and a half hours and it’s not hard to see why – the 2015 record stands at 13 hours… There are thousands of props, costumes and sets, videos showing interviews with the people responsible for some of the effects and a series of staff members whose knowledge and enthusiasm is incredibly infectious.

George, who showed me round, has worked there for almost three years – having spent days camping out for the final premiere, he’s a huge fan himself and an absolute mine of information, facts and trivia.

There’s no way I can share everything with you – and with almost 200 photos snapped in two hours, and 120 minutes’ worth of scribbled notes, that’s probably a good thing. But here’s a flavour of what there is to see.

Starting with the newest addition. The Hogwarts Express and Platform 9 3/4 opens on March 19, and I was one of the first to get a look.

Set on its own platform, a lovingly reassembled version of Kings Cross (where some of the original scenes were actually filmed), the 75 tonne locomotive also featured in the very last scene to be shot. The studios at Leavesden even had a track running the full length of the 100-acre backlot.

As well as getting to roam the corridor of the carriages, set up with props from the original movies strewn around, as if the cast had just popped out for a moment, there’s also the green screen windows used for fiming.

So you can sit yourself down in one of the seats, watch the blank window turn into gorgeous countryside, spot a flying Ford Anglia and shiver as Dementors swoop ghoulishly outside.

Naturally there’s also a luggage trolley halfway through the wall, as well as piles of trunks scattered around and some very convincing special effects steam puffing around the platform.

But as impressive as the new area is, there is a huge amount to discover as you wander around, starting as you walk through the double doors into the Great Hall itself.

While the main sets are great for making you feel like you’re in the middle of the movie, it’s the smaller details which really stuck with me.

For example, the fact that thousands of wand boxes were individually inscribed before being stacked on shelves, purely for a few minutes’ footage.

In fact there’s endless examples of this – a beautifully carved model of the Great Hall roof, which was never actually used. A team of six artists and 25 animators who spent over a year creating the Inferi from the Half-Blood Prince, all for two minutes on screen.

Then there’s the unexpected facts you learn from the knowledgeable staff – the odd creatures in some of the potions bottles are actually plastic animals from the zoo shop in Regent’s Park, chopped up, glued back together and made to look slightly unearthly.

Or the shelves and shelves of books in their antique leather covers are actually rebound phone directories and yellow pages, while Horace Slughorn’s costume was artificially aged using a cheese grater and sandpaper.

Meanwhile Professor Snape’s ominous black outfit is actually a very dark navy, with navy strands in the accompanying wig, in order to look better on film – although the buttons and long sleeves were Alan Rickman’s own request.

Another relatively recent addition is the section dedicated to the darker sections of the later books, from Knockturn Alley to Umbridge’s office and a disturbing scene with Voldemort – although it’s easy to usher younger children away from it.

Outside, you can spot the Knight Bus and flying Ford Anglia and motorbike, as well as Privet Drive.

Then after passing rows of goblin heads, fearsome creatures, intricate drawings and scale miniatures, you come to one of my favourite sections – Diagon Alley.

So much here found itself getting a split second of time on screen, so it’s wonderful to be able to wander the street and peer into the windows, spot the props, smile at the great shop names.

I’d never otherwise have realised that the sign for the magical menagerie has letters created from animal pictures.

And to finish? Hogwarts itself, of course – the only spot it ‘exists’ in one place, right down to model plants in the miniature greenhouses and perches in the owlery.

As a final lovely touch, everyone involved in the films is immortalised with their own named wand box as you leave – fittingly considering the work which went into the movies, with some developments created especially for the films now used across the industry.

But this is only a fraction of what I could have written. I’m just looking forward to the time when I can introduce Minnie to this world as well.

For more Harry Potter locations in London, check out this post

Need to know: Harry Potter studio tour

Adult tickets cost from £53.50, children aged five to 15 cost from £43. Entry is free for four-year-olds and under, although you do still need to book a ticket. Family tickets cost from £172.

All tickets must be booked in advance and they are available well in advance, often over 12 months ahead. Occasionally tickets may become available (you can amend your dates to alternative available slots for a £10 admin charge) but once you know when you want to visit, it’s best to snap them up.

Check out my four-page mini guide to Harry Potter’s London, including tips on some of the best places to visit, filming locations, wizarding trivia and even some of the inspirations behind the stories.

There’s free car parking on the site (bring your booking confirmation to show in order to get into the car park) – the Harry Potter tour postcode is WD25 7LR but it’s well signed as you get close.

Shuttle buses also run from Watford Junction station, 20 minutes from London Euston by a fast train. The bus takes around 10 minutes and is free for ticket-holders – again, you need your confirmation to board.

You can also book tickets and transport together as a package with companies like Golden Tours

If you’re looking for hotels near Harry Potter Studios London, check out my top picks

You’re recommended to arrive 20 minutes before the start of your timed tour, and you can enter the cafe and shop beforehand, use the toilets and check items into the cloakroom – there’s also a bag check so it’s best not to bring any unecessary bags if you can avoid it.

There are regular themed events during the year, especially during school holidays, such as wand carving workshops or a chance to see some of the animal stars. At Halloween, the focus is on the Dark Arts, while at Christmas you can discover Hogwarts in the Snow.

There are also additional temporary displays or added sections on a regular basis – the Forbidden Forest and Gringotts Wizarding Bank were both added since my first visit, there has been a special exhibition on the Goblet of Fire, a Celebration of Slytherin and for 2024, Return to Azkaban.

You can bring buggies, although there are a limited number available per time slot and if younger children are scared by any of the sections, staff are very helpful about encouraging them or avoiding it (you can skip seeing Aragog in the Forbidden Forest, for example, added after my first visit).

Disclosure: My entry to the tour was free of charge. All opinions are my own.

All images copyright MummyTravels

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