I became a Hogwarts student for a day

As a massive Harry Potter fan, I’ve always wanted to feel like a Hogwarts student for a day. And I finally got a chance to do that by visiting the Harry Potter studio in London!

“The Making of Harry Potter“ is located outside of the city, so make sure to plan your trip carefully. There are many ways to get there: bus, shuttle, uber, train. You can find all the directions on the studio’s website. If you’re taking public transport, check the schedules and strikes/delays the day before. The last thing you want to do is to miss the tour!

The tour starts with the cupboard under the stairs. You can see where Harry used to live. The cupboard appeared to be so small. To be honest, I imagined it to be a bit bigger.

At the beginning of the tour, you get a magical passport. It guides you through the tour as you collect the stamps and search for the golden snitches. The snitch part is a really cool way to make you pay more attention to details.

From the entrance, you proceed to the Great Hall. There you will find the tables where students had diners and celebrations. You can also spot some of the Hogwarts’ professors. Each sight had a sign in front of it with a description and some fun facts about the location and the filming process. You can also get an audioguide when you enter the studio, so it’s easier to explore the tour at your own pace.

As I continued exploring Hogwarts, I couldn't help but feel as though I had been transported to the real Harry Potter world. I felt like I was following in the footsteps of Harry, Hermione, and Ron. In the Harry Potter studio, you can see all your favourite spots from the movies and books: the platform 9 3/4 and Hogwarts Express, The Gringotts Bank, The Diagon Valley, and much more. You can feel like a young wizard going to Hogwarts for the first time. How exciting is that!

The Hogwarts tour will not be a Hogwarts tour without the Hogwarts Express. You can feel like a student and go on the whole “from platform to school“ adventure. There’s also a gift store at the platform but wait till the big one at the end of the tour (the selection is much better there). In the Hogwarts Express, you can see the iconic moments from the movies and books such as Ron and Harry meeting for the first time.

Some of the props in the studio are the actual props used for the movies. For example, the Hogwarts dormitories were the actual ones from the set. The costumes you see in the studio are the actual costumes the actors wore on set.

Halfway through the tour, you will find a cafeteria, where you can try the infamous butter beer. I will not spoil it for you but I should say that it was rather delicious. My inner child was very content! I even took the mug back home as a reminder of this beautiful day. Btw, the mug is included in your butter beer price, I didn’t steal it from the cafeteria haha.

After I finished my lunch, I visited the house where Harry and the Dursleys lived - 4 Privet Drive. You can see some scenes there like blowing up the Dursleys. Dobbie was also there alongside Harry. Every scene of the studio is such well made. I’ve spent a lot of time looking at all the small details.

When you leave the Privet Drive, you can see some other infamous figures outside like The Knight Bus or the gargoyles from the Hogwarts Castle. The path from the gargoyles will lead you to our next stop: Herbology class.

Ah, the Herbology class! If I was a Hogwarts student, I would definetely spend a lot of time in the greenhouse.

Here you can plant your own Mandrake. But don’t forget to cover your ears because Mandrake’s cry could be fatal!

Closer to the end of the tour, you can see how the Harry Potter universe was created. You can spot some drawings as well as some props used on sets. You can learn more about how your favoirute creatures were made. This was one of my favourite parts of the tour. The Harry Potter crew did a phenomenal job to say at least. Sketches, concepts, wax figures - all that could be found in the “Art Department“ section.

And the tour ends, of course, with the Hogwarts Castle! No words are needed to describe the beauty of it. It is the not the full size version of the castle like in the US, but it’s a decent one.

"The Making of Harry Potter" tour runs all year round with special seasonal tours (Dark Arts, Hogwarts in the Snow). You can purchase tickets on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour website, and prices start at £43 for children and £53.50 for adults.

To get the dates you actually want, I’d say book a few months in advance because tickets sell out quickly (especially for seasonal activities).

The official website: Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter