Harry Potter Experience London - Scuba Diving Nomad

Harry Potter Experience Warner Brothers London — Enter the Wizarding World

Let me first say, I am a Harry Potter Fan, but not a Potterhead. I do enjoy both the books and movies. The books are much better; however, the special effects are great in the movies. When an opportunity arose (very inexpensive cruise) to travel to London, I looked for activities to explore while there. The item that rose rapidly to the top of my list was the Harry Potter Experience London – The Making of Harry Potter. This is at the studio where they made the movies and is located a short distance outside of London. The “experience” takes you through the sets, show some of the costumes, special effects and other aspects of behind the scenes.

Getting There

Several tour operators offer tours with transportation, however, being frugal i.e. a cheapskate I booked the trip myself and took local transportation. Tickets are time based entry and do sell out. Basically, it was an easy train ride and at the nearby station a free Harry Potter bus ride to the studio.

Warner Brothers shuttle — No Broomsticks at the station, but there is this free shuttle

It was about $40 cheaper doing it myself. See more in the info block below.

Warner Brothers Studio-

Many hall before entering the exhibits — When entering the main building, you enter an area with shops and food outlets. This is where you will wait until it is your timed entry.

Warner Brothers Studios is a vast complex, with only part of it open to visitors. The Harry Potter Experience occupies a huge building with a spacious entrance area and several restaurants and casual eateries. I decided to try a traditional British meal and chose a meat pie at one of the casual spots rather than the more formal restaurant.

meat pie — A Meat Pie, Mash and Purple Cabbage

Drinks were available from a cooler, and meals were ordered at the counter. With plenty of cashiers, the wait to order was short. I received a table number, and my meal arrived about 10 minutes later.

When your timed entry is ready, you queue up (this is England so not a line) walk down a corridor and to an open area. A short wait and you enter an room with motion seating for a short film/ ride. After that you file into the main areas. Everything from this point is at your own pace, with some side activities if you wish.

Learning To Ride a Broomstick

One of the highlights of my visit was learning how to ride a broomstick. Yes, I was an natural at it. Within minutes I was on my Nimbus 2000 racing the Knights Bus along the streets of London, Feeling the spray of the water of the Thames and even heading up to Hogwarts to fly around the school. Don’t believe me? Here is the video and some of the photos.

The riding lesson was free, however, there is a charge for digital photos.

Racing the Knights Bus — Broomstick vs Knights Bus

Nearby, is the set for Hagrid’s cabin, They have a nice little setup where you can put your camera, set your timer and use your own camera to take a photo of yourself at his table.

A Drink at Hagrid's Hut — A Drink at Hagrid’s Hut

Animatronics

As you walk among the displays there are a number of Animatronics. The most impressive is Gringotts dragon, still others are worth watching.

The larger animatronics ,other than the dragon, are in a separate hallway, with a reduced light level

The Wizard’s World Transportation

The Hogwarts’s Express plays an important part in the storyline of Harry’s journey of life. It is well represented in the studio. There are photo ops for the platform, plus the engine and passenger cars.

Approach at a bit of a rush Platform 9 3/4

The Knight Bus has some internal sets as well as the full bus in the courtyard.

Home Sweet Home

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Gringotts Bank

Everyone needs some pocket money, and in the wizard world that means Gringotts, no place safer except maybe Hogwarts.

Gringotts Wizarding Bank teller — Gringotts Wizarding Bank Teller

Props

Ministry of Magic Most Wanted

MOM Most Wanted — Ministry of Magic Most Wanted

If you are a fan of the books or the films, the Harry Potter Experience London is well worth the trip out of London. You do not need to be a Potterhead to enjoy walking the actual sets, seeing how the effects were done, and yes, learning to ride a broomstick. Book your ticket before you book anything else, take the train, and save the tour-operator money for a meat pie. I would do it again.

Harry Potter Experience London — Info

What: Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
Where: Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, Studio Tour Drive, Leavesden, Watford WD25 7LR, about 20 miles northwest of central London
Tickets: Advance booking only, at wbstudiotour.co.uk. No tickets at the door, entry is timed, and popular dates sell out weeks ahead. Adult £58.50 (2026) / £61 (2027); child 5–15 £47 / £48; family £188 / £192; under 5 free but still needs a ticket. Prices checked November 2026.
Getting there the cheap way: Train from London Euston to Watford Junction, about 20 minutes (about £7.20 each way off-peak with contactless or Oyster). The Studio Tour shuttle bus from the station is included in your ticket, takes about 15 minutes, runs at least every 30 minutes, and the last bus back leaves at closing. Doing it myself saved about $40 over the tour operators.
Time needed: About 3½ hours inside, at your own pace after the timed entry.
Food: Restaurants and casual eateries in the entrance area. The meat pie, mash and purple cabbage in this article came from one of the casual spots.