Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter is a world-famous attraction in Leavesden, Watford, where visitors can step into the magical world of the Harry Potter films. It offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the films were made, using the real sets, props, and costumes from the movie series. This immersive experience is perfect for fans of all ages and one of the UK’s most popular studio tours.

Visitors can explore iconic sets including the Great Hall, Forbidden Forest, Platform 9¾, Diagon Alley, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Professor Sprout’s Greenhouse, Dumbledore’s Office, and the Hogwarts Bridge. The tour also showcases original props such as the Potions Classroom, Memory Cabinet, and Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes items, as well as detailed costumes from Quidditch, Yule Ball, Beauxbatons, and 19 Years Later scenes. Additional experiences include special and visual effects displays, green screen broomstick experience, the Hogwarts Castle model, the Backlot Stage, and behind-the-scenes filmmaking demonstrations.

Studio Tour tickets are priced from £58.50 for adults (16+), £47.00 for children aged 5–15, and free for children under 4. Special packages are available, including Tickets, Hotel & Breakfast from £76, Tickets & Transfer from £94, Deluxe Tour from £250, and Twilight, Magical Mischief After Dark, and Relaxed Tours from £99 or £58.50. Private morning and evening event packages are also available, with bespoke breakfast, canapé, and dinner experiences set within the studio.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London offers a truly unforgettable journey into the world of filmmaking and magic. Seeing the real sets and craftsmanship brings the Harry Potter films to life in a unique and memorable way. It’s a must-visit attraction for Harry Potter fans, families, and anyone curious about how blockbuster films are made.

SETS

• Great Hall: Serving as the backdrop to some of the film series’ most iconic scenes such as the Yule Ball and the Battle of Hogwarts, the Great Hall was first built for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2000 and was used as a key set for seven more films. 
• Forbidden Forest: The Forbidden Forest seen in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was a combination of location and studio shooting. This moved entirely to the Studio for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in order to house Aragog’s lair and continued to grow throughout the film series. 
• Platform 9 ¾: The Hogwarts Express locomotive transported hundreds of students from Platform 9 ¾ to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Most of the scenes that take place on Platform 9 ¾ were actually shot on location at King’s Cross Station in London, however, during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, part of the station platform was recreated on a soundstage here at Leavesden, complete with the track and the train. 
• Diagon Alley: The Diagon Alley set constantly changed throughout the film series. Since its construction, walls have shifted, shop fronts have moved and entire buildings have been carefully tweaked, leaning just slightly, to create the street that is seen in the films.
• Gringotts Wizarding Bank: From Harry Potter first discovering Diagon Alley to the famous trio escaping on a Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon in their quest for a Horcrux, Gringotts Wizarding Bank played an important role in the Harry Potter film series. 
• Professor Sprout's Greenhouse: Professor Sprout's greenhouse is a fan-favourite set from the Harry Potter film series, where students were taught their Herbology lessons with Professor Pomona Sprout. Built by the original Harry Potter filmmakers, the greenhouse is home to many exotic and magical plants. 
• Dumbledore's Office: During filming, Dumbledore’s office consisted of not one but three circular rooms, with each room separated by removable ‘wild walls’, allowing cameras to film from various angles. The walls of Dumbledore’s office are decorated with portraits of previous headteachers, and magnificent glass-fronted bookcases display an array of magical artefacts. 
• The Hogwarts Bridge: Throughout the Harry Potter film series, the Hogwarts Bridge extends from the Hogwarts Clock Tower all the way to the stone circle on the way to Hagrid's Hut, featuring a gothic design closely tied to Hogwarts and fitting the Scottish landscape surrounding the Hogwarts Castle. 

PROPS

• Potions Classroom: Over 950 potion jars line the walls of the classroom, each with unique props kept inside them including baked animal bones from a local butcher shop, dried leaves, herbs and shrunken heads made by the props department. Each jar features a label hand designed by Graphic Design duo MinaLima.
• Memory Cabinet: Nearly 900 memory vials and labels were created for the cabinet that can be found in Professor Dumbledore’s office. Each label was hand-designed by the Graphics Department before being sent to the Props team who would put the label into place on each vial.
• Puking Pastilles: Stocking everything from Extendable Ears to fireworks, Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes was designed to look like an 18th century storefront and took more than three months to build — and much of that time was spent constructing the 20- foot mannequin above the main entrance. 120 different products were designed by concept artists, each with nods to Fred and George’s mischievous sense of humour.

COSTUMES

• Quidditch: Filmmakers faced a huge challenge when turning the wizarding sport of Quidditch into a real sport they could capture on film. Quidditch uniforms evolved throughout the film series, going from thick robes in the first two films to lighter, sportier robes with the players name and number on the back in the later films. 
• 19 Years Later: The final scene of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 called for an older Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione to bring their children to King’s Cross station to send them off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, nineteen years later. When tasked with creating outfits for the scene Costume Designer, Jany Temime wanted to keep to a similar palette of pinks, oranges, blues and browns seen throughout the film series. 
• Yule Ball: The Yule Ball held to celebrate Christmas and the Triwizard Tournament presented an opportunity for the Costume Department to create a more formal style of wizard wear. Costume Designer, Jany Temime designed over 300 costumes for the Yule Ball which required over 100 extra costume staff to help create.
• Beauxbatons: Led by headmistress Madame Maxime, the students of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic visit Hogwarts as part of the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The “French Blue” fabric of the Beauxbatons uniform was chosen to stand out from the muted blacks, browns and greys of the other school colours.

SPECIAL & VISUAL EFFECTS

• Chamber of Secrets Door: Often mistaken for a Visual Effect, the Chamber of Secrets door is actually a fully operational door created by the Special Effects team based upon sketches provided by the Art Department. The articulated snakes slither along slotted tracks and are powered by an electric motor hidden behind the door.
• Invisibility Cloak: Gifted to Harry in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the Invisibility Cloak features prominently in the films. Several different cloaks were made, including a version with a green fabric lining which allowed the Visual Effects Department to make Harry and his friends invisible in post-production. 
• Green Screen: Filmmakers often shoot visual effects scenes on a green screen, which allows them to replace the green colours with a completely different background or computer-generated set. Don't miss out on the opportunity to take part in our green screen experience and fly a broomstick just like the cast did during filming.

ART DEPARTMENT

• Hogwarts Castle Model: The jewel in the crown of the art department is the intricately detailed model of Hogwarts castle. Built for the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the model's every courtyard, tower and turret were filmed and enhanced with digital effects to create unforgettably realistic views of the magical school.
• Graphic Design: The Art Department were responsible for designing and creating thousands of props that helped to bring the visual world of Harry Potter to life on screen. Graphic design duo MinaLima designed an array of props from Potions textbooks to wizarding sweet packaging and issues of the Quibbler. 
• White Card Models: During the filming process, before the actual set construction began, the Art Department would create a white card model of the set/location. These models helped the director and production designer look at size and scale and determine camera angles. 
• Technical Drawings: Dozens of concept artists, illustrators and art directors created every environment, prop and character of the Harry Potter film series. Each design went through several different iterations as it was tweaked and finally perfected. 

THE BACKLOT STAGE

• Step into the magic of the Harry Potter film series with the Backlot Stage at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. Experience this indoor space, designed with a digital screen, stage and tiered seating, offering a closer look at the spellbinding world of filmmaking.
• Discover how filmmakers brought the impossible to life, from shooting underwater to creating the Hungarian Horntail dragon for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, as our knowledgeable Interactors uncover the action-packed Secrets of Special Effects. Peek behind-the-scenes as the clever techniques, used to bring some of the most iconic scenes, are revealed.