9th October 2014

Geek Travel Guide: Harry Potter’s Leavesden Studio Tour

Can I tell you something awesome? I haven’t look at these photos from my trip to Leavesden for months. In fact, it’s been a long, long time since I went. But, holy wow! I want to go back. That seems like the best possible review I could give you. Despite how tedious it would be to get there again… despite the fact that I’d have to take a plane, train and automobile and BUS to get there… well, I want to go! Let’s revisit why:

Why Go? (Super obvious… but this is helpful.)

If you love Harry Potter, there really isn’t anything quite like it anywhere in the world. The sets. The costumes. The props. The makeup. The drawings. The animatronics. Every single element of how the films come together is right there for you to see. The people who go to Leavesden (which is about 45 minutes out of London and requires a lengthy Tube ride and a special bus trip) should go because they love the artistry and detail and beauty of the films. Now, if you’re in the United States, this is an multi-thousand dollar trip. If you’re in England, no excuses. Go! But if you are like me and you are in the US, you also have the awesome option of going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida.

If you want to have a trip where you “experience Harry Potter” or the world of Jk Rowling, I really recommend going to the Wizarding World instead. There is nothing interactive about the experience in Leavesden and most little kids especially were racing through the Studios, because well, it’s just not that fun to see that Dobby is just… not real. So if you have young kids, this might not be the best option either. If your kids are showing a lot of interest in art or movies though, then go for it!

When Go?

One of the things I love about fall is that it reminds me of Harry Potter. Every book is framed in the beginning of the school year and the new adventures Harry and company will face. For this reason, we opted to go in the fall and I’m so glad we did.

For starters, there will be a lot less kids on their summer break, which I’m told results in really limited availability for tickets to get in. Also, BUY YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE. The fact of the matter is, there is a very high likelihood, especially if you go in the summer or during school breaks that you will make this long trip out to Leavesden (in total, it’s a little over an hour of out London) - you want to get in.

In terms of timing, go in the morning. You can absolutely take as much time as you want to walk through. They say it takes about 2 hours, but for myself, I spent more than 4 hours there. If you go at the end of the day, you may get rushed out early simply because the studio is closing.

Highlights You Must See?

There are SO MANY THINGS TO SEE. Literally, there isn’t anything I would want to miss. But there are a few things that really blew my mind. So let’s spend some time on those.

The graphic designers on the film were tasked with creating tons of paper products. Think IDs. The Iconic Newspapers. Think the iconic letter Harry gets in the mail. But what you don’t realize until you get to Leavesden is that there are literally hundreds of newspapers that we never see in the films. There are IDs and badges and buttons and records and invitations and napkins and labels that were teeny, tiny in the background on screen - but up close, they are incredible works of art.

Go inside the Knight Bus. Another amazing detail I couldn’t get enough of was the interior of the Knight Bus. I watched hundreds of people take a picture outside of the Knight Bus, only to miss the back door where you can take a peak at those iconic rolling beds and the shiny chandelier in the ceiling. You can’t sit on the beds, but I swear on Moody’s Eye that it’s still great.

Look for movement. Everywhere! There are so many elements at the Studios that they have tried to recreate some of their special effects for in real life. Some of the ways that they executed special effects on the film (the Weasley’s knitting needles, automatically stirring pots in the Potions classroom) were done with surprisingly simple mechanical techniques. And so, the magic lives!

Hang out at the Hogwart’s Model! For a while! Why is this important? Because the folks at the Studio have installed an incredible lighting system that cycles through a full 24 hours of lighting at Hogwarts. So in the course of about 30 minutes, you can experience the lighting at sunrise, noon, afternoon and sunset on the real model they shot all the exterior shots with in the films. It’s really a special thing and it makes you feel completely immersed in the process.

The Ultimate Harry Potter Experience?

As someone who has been to both the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Leavesden Studio Tour, I have to tell you that both of these trips offer totally different perspectives on Harry Potter. While my trip to Universal in Orlando offered the experience of LIVING in Harry Potter, my trip to Leavesden was more like a trek to pay homage to one of the greatest film achievements in history. After making the trip, I can honestly say that it was like going to church. And it was SO worth it. And I would absolutely do it again.