We have visited the Harry Potter Studios as a family yet again! We first went in the year they opened to the public. At the time, I gave the visit to “Papa Voyage” as a present for his 40th birthday during a weekend in London. Ticoeur was only three and Titpuce was a baby, so the children did not remember that first visit. Since then, I have ended up with three Harry Potter fans at home, and keeping up with them is not always easy! When we told the children that we were moving to England for two years, they asked if we could return to the Harry Potter Studios near London. I had to give in to the fans’ pressure :-). Above all, I would have done anything to stop my little loves feeling too sad about leaving France. If Harry Potter has the power to make them love England, then I say he certainly knows his magic!
The pleasant surprise was that the studios had expanded and now offered visitors even more sets.
What can you see at the Harry Potter Studios?
First, here is a list of what was new since our previous visit:
The Hogwarts Express and Platform 9¾
You can step inside the train that was actually used in all the films. It has been at the studios since 2015.
Harry Potter’s childhood home
Since 2015, visitors have been able to enter the Dursleys’ living room.
The Forbidden Forest
It was added in 2017… Watch out for Aragog!
Throughout the studios, you will also find explanatory videos about the filming, sets and special effects, together with interviews with the actors. Compared with 2012, there are many more explanations and much more content. I would even say that you can save the cost of the digital guide. If I remember correctly, the guide we hired in 2012 also included additional anecdotes about the filming.
The other sets remain just as impressive, even for a non-fan like me. I particularly love the Great Hall at Hogwarts, the Potions Classroom and Diagon Alley.
First visit versus second visit: the greatest shock for me is seeing how much Ticoeur has grown!
As I said, the studios are beautiful, so even if you are not a fan, you can appreciate the quality of the sets. Obviously, it is even better if you have seen the films! In our family, Papa Voyage has read all the books and seen all the films. Ticoeur has read every book and seen the first three films. Titpuce has also seen the first three, although she closed her eyes during certain scenes. I saw one of the films at the cinema, but cannot even remember which one because it is really not my thing :-). However, I am currently listening to the original English audiobooks because they are an excellent way to improve my English—the quality of both the writing and the narrator is superb—and because I would like to be able to follow some of the conversations at home :-)…
Here is a small corner that I particularly like, a perfect example of the atmosphere created in the studios…
Another impressive thought is that you are standing in the actual place where the films were made. This is not a theme park, nor are these imitation sets built afterwards. All eight films were shot at these studios between 2001 and 2010, using these exceptionally high-quality sets—almost works of art! Visitors can also discover all the props: costumes, wigs, wands, furniture and much more. The attention paid to the smallest detail is astounding. They certainly had a budget! It is also extraordinary to think that the young actors spent so much of their lives at the studios that they even attended school there. What an unusual childhood and adolescence!
More additions to the Harry Potter Studios—updated in 2024 after our third visit!
During our third family visit to the Harry Potter Studios, we discovered several new areas:
The Gringotts bank set
The magnificent Hogwarts greenhouses
As we visited during the end-of-year school holidays, we also enjoyed the Harry Potter Studios at Christmas, complete with decorations in the Great Hall:
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Practical information for visiting the Harry Potter Studios
Buy tickets from the official website and nowhere else → Warner Bros. Studio Tour — Plenty of agencies sell tickets for far more than their real price. Their argument? They take you to the Harry Potter Studios by coach from central London, but do the maths: that makes the transport extremely expensive! Travelling independently is much more economical. In 2026, a standard family ticket for four starts at £188 on the official website, and children aged four and under enter free. By comparison, intermediaries may charge around £380—more than twice the official price. Frankly, I call that a rip-off…
Book well in advance → We bought our tickets in mid-September, almost as soon as we had settled in our little corner of southern England, and the first available date was in mid-November—two months later! During peak season, you may even need to wait three months, so the earlier you book, the better.
What if you cannot find tickets for your dates? Do not give up hope. A few tickets are often released for resale shortly before the date. If you did not manage to book, check the official website every day during the week before you arrive in London; you may find tickets that have become available again.
Travelling to the Harry Potter Studios by train: The studios are 30 kilometres from London. Take a direct train from London Euston, near St Pancras, to Watford Junction, as we did on our first visit. The fastest trains take about 20 minutes, but be careful because other services are slower. Fares vary according to the service, time and ticket type, so check the current price before travelling. You can buy tickets at the machines or ticket office, use contactless or Oyster pay as you go where valid, or consult schedules and buy rail tickets through West Midlands Railway. It is normally unnecessary to reserve a specific train, but visiting the station the day before may help you find your bearings and avoid stress. From Watford Junction, a complimentary shuttle bus runs to the studios. The journey takes around 15 minutes, with buses operating at least every 30 minutes. In total, leave London at least an hour—and preferably up to an hour and a half—before your ticketed entry time so you can travel without rushing. Aim to arrive at the Studio Tour before the time shown on your ticket, as late admission is not guaranteed.
By car: We drove for our second visit. Standard parking is free.
Visit length and other information: We spent three and a half hours at the studios, which is also the average visit duration given by Warner Bros.; there is no formal time limit. The children will probably get hungry. You can bring a packed lunch and eat it in the outdoor Backlot area. If you visit in winter, keep your coats with you because some sets are outside. Finally, there is an excellent shop that will delight Harry Potter fans!
Please ask if you have any other questions!
So, are you tempted to visit the Harry Potter Studios as a family?
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