Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter (inc Return Transportation)

Get your hands on some of the most coveted tickets around and experience the truly incredible Warner Bros. Studio Tour London. Discover grandiose sets, all your favourite props and the immense craftsmanship and talent that went into creating the iconic films.

Your foray into the Wizarding World begins where Harry’s did — the cupboard under the stairs. After an introductory video featuring some of your favourite characters, you’re welcomed into the Great Hall, where you’ll see actual costumes and wigs worn by prominent members of the cast. 

The Sets 
From the Great Hall enter the Forbidden Forest through a gate flanked by masked Death Eaters, right into the lair of Aragog. Other iconic sets include Platform 9¾, with the Hogwarts Express providing the background for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’s first ever shot and then, 10 years later, for the very last shot during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Possibly the most exciting part of the tour is Diagon Alley, home to the dusty Ollivanders Wand Shop, where there are more than 17,000 individually labelled wand boxes.

Professor Sprout’s Greenhouse opened its doors permanently in the Studio Tour last summer. Enter the greenhouse to see where students were taught Herbology lessons — watch out for the Venomous Tentacula hanging from the ceilings! See many exotic and magical plants and get the chance to pull out a potted Mandrake as part of the interactive display.

The Animatronics
Discover the terrifying Basilisk that lived within The Chamber of Secrets. Created with a mix of practical and visual effects, its full-sized mouth measured 30ft long with jaws 3ft deep. It could even slither up a track to get close to Harry. You’ll also see Buckbeak the Hippogriff, one of the books most loved creatures (after Hedwig, of course). Buckbeak had three incarnations — one standing, another rearing and a third lying down — and each of its feathers were individually glued on!

The Art Department
On your tour you’ll come across the incredible Hogwarts Castle model. A team of 86 artists and crewmembers built the first version of the castle, which was enhanced with digital effects to create the unforgettably realistic views of the school. With 2,500 fibre optic lights, which flicker to give the illusion of students walking through corridors, real gravel and plants, if you calculated all the man hours that went in to making the model, you’re talking 74 years!

Potion textbooks, acceptance letters, sweet wrappers, and the Daily Prophet were all hand designed and hand-made! All potion bottles were also all hand illustrated. 

The Props
The sheer volume of original props in the Studios is impressive and it’s incredibly satisfying when you spot your favourite, whether it’s the Elder Wand or the Golden Snitch. See over 950 potion jars with unique props inside them in the Potions Classroom and 900 memory vials and labels in Professor Dumbledore’s office. Did you know over 130 plates were made to decorate the startingly pink office of everyone's least favourite teacher, Professor Umbridge. Filmmakers had to photograph and film real kittens with crystal balls, witch's hats and balls of wool. Sounds like a fun day in the office!

The Special Effects
It may come as a surprise to many fans to learn that their favourite special effects were actually real! The slithering door to the Chamber of Secrets is often mistaken for a visual effect but it’s a fully operational door, as is the incredibly intricate Gringotts bank door.

As you can imagine, green screen played a huge part in creating the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Quidditch, for example, would have been a tricky one to film without green screen! Why not hop onto a broom yourself and try your hand at the magical game?

Make sure you re-fuel with a tasty butter beer, just like Harry, Ron and Hermione would have done in the Leaky Cauldron and visit the incredible gift shop!

Magical Mischief (21st January – 18th April 2023)
Returning for a second year, the Magical Mischief feature at the Studio Tour will bring filmmaking trickery, magical pranks, wizarding mishaps and more. Discover the secrets behind the disappearing effect of the invisibility cloak and Harry’s flying acceptance letters. You’ll also make your own origami howler, similar to the one Mrs Weasley delivered to Ron. 

Brand new for 2023, you can now peek into Harry’s bedroom at number 4 Privet Drive. The scene set is that of when Harry first met the mischievous house elf, Dobby, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and he attempted to stop Harry from returning to Hogwarts. Learn how Dobby was brought to life with a variety of filmmaking techniques by the Creature Effects Team.

Discovering Hogwarts (2nd May – 4th September 2023)
One for the Harry Potter fans, celebrate the Studio Tour’s 11th year by stepping back in time and learning the secrets from Harry’s first year at Hogwarts. See his first acceptance letter, discover how he was sorted into Gryffindor, learn his first spells and more!

The times displayed in the booking panel are the times that the branded bus departs from your chosen central London location.

This package includes return transport from Central London and your entry ticket to the Studio tour, meaning you don’t have to worry about how to get there. Our luxury vehicles have free Wi-Fi and comfortable seating giving you a stress-free journey all the way to the Warner Bros. Studio entrance and back again. You can watch one of the official movies on your seat-back screen whilst you travel in style. So sit back and relax, whilst we transport you to the Harry Potter world of magic and the wizarding world. Please click here for full bus timings.