The Harry Potter Studio Tour London

In this post....drinking Butterbeer and riding in a triple decker bus

I'm typically pretty cheap when it comes to tourist visits.  It's not often I pick to visit large, expensive, commercialized places, where kids get exhausted and there are lots of lines and tickets to buy and everyone leaves completely worn out. 

However, when we had an opportunity to join a tour of the new Harry Potter Studios, I just had to bite the bullet and pay up.

Am I glad?

Yep, I'd say I am.  The kids thought it was absolutely fantastic.  Probably one of the coolest things they've done since we've been in London (and we've seen a lot of cool things in the past 18 months).  And we left feeling exhilarated, not exhausted.

can you see the excitement?

You must purchase your tickets in advance - no showing up and getting in.  They are timed...
For more information on tickets and how to get to the studios, go to the website:

http://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/

entrance hall

passport memento to stamp along the path of the visit/tour

Anyone (all ages!) who is a fan of Harry Potter will love this tour.  For kids, especially kids in elementary to middle school range, who have seen the movies or read the books....it truly comes alive for them.  Not only that, but they learn some pretty amazing secrets of how to make movies - from props to sets to how to bring it together - it really is mind boggling.
To be honest, I haven't read an entire book nor seen a film in its entirety (hate to admit this but it's true) and I still really enjoyed the tour, because my kids were so excited to point things out and tell where they came from and the scenes in which they are used, etc.

the first outfit worn by Daniel Radcliffe

inside the Great Hall

tasting butterbeer - SO YUMMY!

Harry's bedroom

The iconic props from the movies are definitely a highlight of the tour

From the website:
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London provides an amazing new opportunity to explore the magic of the Harry Potter™ films – the most successful film series of all time. This unique walking tour takes you behind-the-scenes and showcases a huge array of beautiful sets, costumes and props. It also reveals some closely guarded secrets, including facts about the special effects and animatronics that made these films so hugely popular all over the world.

Here are just some of the things you can expect to see and do:

• Step inside and discover the actual Great Hall.
• Explore Dumbledore’s office and discover never-before-seen treasures.
• Step onto the famous cobbles of Diagon Alley, featuring the shop fronts of Ollivanders wand shop, Flourish and Blotts, the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Gringotts Wizarding Bank and Eeylops Owl Emporium.
• See iconic props from the films, including Harry’s Nimbus 2000 and Hagrid’s motorcycle.
• Learn how creatures were brought to life with green screen effects, animatronics and life-sized models.
• Rediscover other memorable sets from the film series, including the Gryffindor common room, the boys’ dormitory, Hagrid’s hut, Potion’s classroom and Professor Umbridge’s office at the Ministry of Magic.