The Potions classroom set — long arched ceiling, cauldrons, and bottles lining the walls.
Chapter 03 · 15 Jun 2026

Harry Potter Studio

A forced-perspective Hagrid, a Yule Ball drinks table, and one Voldemort wand to take home.

Watford, UK four hours
props, sets, sorbet
Four hours at the studio tour 15 Jun 2026

Four hours at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour — the actual sets, props, and costumes from the Harry Potter films.

01 — The taxi over

Layla, briefly opening a moving car

The taxi we'd hired didn't have a car seat for Layla, so she sat on Jess's lap, the two of them strapped in together. Mid-drive — without warning — Layla pulled the door handle and opened the door of a moving car. A few tries to get it shut again, and off to Harry Potter we went.

02 — Inside

They knew exactly what they were doing

The tour was really well done. A snack on arrival, dinner a little over halfway through, and a steady mix of props, full sets, behind-the-scenes nooks, and short films cut in throughout. Nothing dragged. Layla was scared in spots, but there was always another room, another distraction, another thing to point at.

At the beginning of the tour, an attendant asked the crowd if anyone was celebrating a birthday. I gently pushed Noah to the front. The birthday kids (and adults) got the job of pushing the giant doors open to let everyone through. He didn't put up a fuss, and seemed excited to help, which was a pleasant surprise. But the crowd surged through, and by the time we caught up, he was already crying. Not wailing, thankfully, and he'd found a staff member. Things got better after that.

03 — Favorite set-pieces

Three rooms we couldn't leave

Three rooms stood out. The Yule Ball drinks setup — Layla and I both stopped, the colors so warm and saturated it reminded us of the Chiri and Chira books she's been reading. The Potions classroom, which is exactly what you'd hope for. And Gringotts: Jess's favorite, and mine.

The Yule Ball drinks setup.
Yule Ball drinks. Pure Chiri and Chira.
Gringotts Bank.
Gringotts. Jess's favorite, and mine.
The Potions classroom set.
The Potions classroom. Very well done. 16:16 BST
04 — Loose in the studio

The kids, exhibit by exhibit

Enjoying the exhibits, moment by moment. A regular hotdog, a hugged Hedwig, a brick wall that wouldn't budge, a stroller-tour through the backlot, and the entire wall of wand boxes.

Layla eating at the studio tour cafe.
A wizard hotdog (it's a hotdog) at the wizarding cafe (it's a cafe).
Layla hugging a Hedwig backpack.
Hedwig, fully claimed.
Noah at the Platform 9¾ wall.
Noah, putting his weight into the wall.
Layla in the stroller on the backlot.
Backlot tour, executive class.
Noah at the wand-box wall.
Every wand, every character. Noah for scale. 19:08 BST
05 — Touched up at home

Some help from AI

Noah wanted a wand. Of course he did. And — unsurprising, this — the one he picked was Voldemort's. Surprising, though: cheaper than the wands at Universal Studios, because these don't have the little IR sensors built in. Just wood.

A confession about the photos below. The studio gives you plenty of set-pieces to interact with, but I wanted to bring them to life even more. I used AI to push the photos a bit further. Some are better than others. Jess's face on the Knight Bus is a casualty.

Noah and Trevor in Hagrid's hut, forced perspective.
Hagrid-sized me, hut-sized Noah. That's real forced perspective, and real set pieces around us, but AI filled in the outer perimeter.
Jess and Noah on Sirius's motorbike, Privet Drive.
Privet Drive and nighttime lighting, powered by AI.
The kids and Jess on the Knight Bus.
That's Jess on the Knight Bus. We promise.
The four of us in the Mirror of Erised.
Just us in the Mirror in the Room of Requirement. (It looks like if Harry asked to see his family, but the family was Asian, and the mirror didn't remember exactly what the family looked like)
Noah at Platform 9¾ with the Hogwarts Express.
There was a real steam train in the room ... AI just moved it within frame and added in the steam and lighting.
Noah brandishing Voldemort's wand.
Voldemort's wand, of course. Sparks and drama provided by AI.
06 — On the record

The broomstick green screen

They have a broomstick green screen — you sit on it, they roll the cameras, and the footage gets stitched into a short film with you flying past various Harry Potter backdrops. Below: the studio's official cuts of mine and Noah's takes. Mine is unhinged on purpose. Noah's starts strong, then he gets bored about a third of the way in and just… goes still.

Trevor on the broomstick green screen.
Trevor: understood the assignment.
Noah on the broomstick green screen.
Noah: strong open, full commitment to staying still by the end.
07 — Getting back

An Uber, more or less

On the way home, we took an Uber. As expected, There was the usual London-Uber confusion — us on one side of the fence (by the "Uber" sign), the driver trying to get past the security guard towards the other side of the fence. Par for the course out here. Back at the hotel: bath, bed, no detours.

One open door, one giant door, one wand. Off to Edinburgh.

— Studio Tour, fin.