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The Journey

The distance from Tunbridge Wells to the Warner brothers studio tour takes around 1 hour and 19 minutes (71.5 miles).You can expect the total Studio Tour experience, including the guided portion and self-guided areas, to last about 3 hours. You will spend about 1 hour with your guide and the remainder will be self-paced. Harry Potter Studios is located at Leavesden in Watford, about 20 miles northwest of central London. I find the journey quite relaxing but I would advise at least one stop at a petrol station or services but overall it is a quite enjoyable journey.

The Workshop

The workshop was one of the most inspiring elements of the studio. We were taken to a classroom. It lasted around 45 minutes in total, which I feel is perfect as it’s long enough to be engaging but not so long that people lose interest. The first half of the workshop consisted of a brief introduction and a few activities involving arranging some scenes from the first film in order and finding the key parts of a script. After that, we would use our knowledge of script-writing to create our own short story, by using props from the real Harry Potter films.

The Tour

The tour was (in my opinion) the best part of the studios. We saw every iconic Harry Potter thing - whether that was a costume, a set or a prop - everything looked as though Harry Potter and the other characters were still living in those sets. There were many staff situated along the tour, there to answer questions and keep the studio clean and safe. At certain points, there are stamps, which you stamp in your studio tour passport and on each page there is a question about the set near the stamp. THe studios were so packed with information, and it shows you the magic behind the scenes of the movies, from the sizing of Hagrid, to the makeup of the goblins. There were also many other little activities on the way, like pulling mandrakes, making chatterboxes/howlers and several green screen experiences. There was so much to see, even from the outside, there are giant statues of the characters’ wands. Several gift shops and food places are stationed throughout the tour, but there is a large shop at the end of the tour and a cafe at the beginning. I felt so drawn in to everything there, and it was just the most incredible experience.

The Summary

Overall, the trip was quite enjoyable. The staff were nice to us and were always there when we wanted questions. It is also a good family experience as there are little stamp places where you take your passport and stamp to show that you’ve been to that place in the tour. There were alot of things that made it memorable for my group, (the forbidden forest being one of them!)  As I’m sure everyone would agree, the Harry Potter Studios tour was one of the best trips we’ve been on so far this year! 

Amelia Bayram, 7I