Harry Potter Studios

As soon as we booked our flight to London I knew there was one attraction I had to see… Harry Potter Studios.

I bought my tickets about a month in advance online and I’m glad I did. I would even recommend purchasing them sooner! There were only a few time slots left and so we got 5:30pm tickets.

The studios website has instructions on everything you need to know and they were my main resource for everything. They even have great instructions on how to get from downtown London to the studios which  are in a suburb called Watford. Now, I am usually someone who believes if I’m not 5 minutes early I’m late. We left our hotel with ample time, so I thought, but when we arrived at the train station we just barely missed our train. Luckily there are trains leaving all the time for Watford. The problem is the train would get us in 5 minutes after the time we were supposed to arrive and then we still would have to take the bus to the studios. Needless to say I was panicking. Turns out the time they give you is very loose. We arrived 15-20 minutes late and no one even batted an eye at our time slot. We just got in the general line and had the same experience we would’ve had if we had gotten there quicker.

The bus from Watford Junction to the studios costs 2pounds round trip and takes you directly to the studios. Make sure to keep your receipt as they check that when letting you on to take you back to the train station.

The tour is amazing for any Harry Potter fan. You start by watching a quick intro video and then your guide asks for a volunteer. No one said anything so I quickly offered not knowing what I was getting myself in to. Turned out that I got to be the one to open the doors to Hogwarts! When the doors open you walk immediately in to the great hall.

The imitation food is layed out on the tables and some professors and even Dumbledoor stand at the front of the room. You have a few minutes to explore and take pictures before they have you move on. Once outside of the great hall you can go through at your own pace. There is so much there it is unbelievable. About half way through there’s a little cafeteria with snacks and butterbeer to purchase. You will see thousands of Harry Potter artifacts and be able to geek out over them with fellow fans. I was worried about how packed it would be but really it wasn’t bad. Your final stop is the gift shop where you can buy anything Harry Potter. I did notice the items here were cheaper than the shop at Kings Cross Station. So if you see something you like get it!

As a Harry Potter fan you will not be disappointed visiting the studios!