Top Tips for planning your Warner Bros Studio Tour trip

A trip to the Harry Potter studios is on many a Potterhead’s bucket list, so if you decide to take the plunge and leave the muggle world behind for a day, you need to know how to get the most from your visit.

These tips are tried, tested and recommended for making your day that little bit more magical and avoiding disappointment:

Check to see if there are any special exhibits coming up

Throughout the year, the studios put on seasonal events and open new exhibits, so before you pick a day to visit, get online and check anything new coming up soon. Halloween fans will love the Dark Arts exhibit that returns every year and for a festive feel-good day out, you can’t beat making the trip in December when everything gets a pretty dusting of fake snow.

Book your tickets well in advance

You need to buy your tickets to Warner Brother Studio Tours before you visit, as every tour starts at a specific time and can only accommodate a certain number of people. There are no facilities in place to physically buy tickets at the studios, so please don’t risk it and think that you’ll be able to get in, as you’ll be very disappointed.

As a side note, make sure you’ve printed out your proof of purchase, just in case you have a smartphone failure. If you can’t access your emails and prove you’ve purchased a ticket, you won’t be admitted, so a belt-and-braces approach is best.

Wear comfortable shoes

The self-guided walking tour means you can go at your own pace, so make sure you wear extra-comfortable shoes. There are a few terrains to tackle, from carpet to stone floors, train carriages, wooden bridges and the cobbles of Diagon Alley, too, so the last thing you need to be worrying about is foot blisters. I’d recommend taking a few plasters with you, as well, just in case.

Fly your house colours

This is a tip that both adults and children should take to heart because dressing up for the tour is ageless fun. You’ll probably find that you’re in the minority if you don’t have at least a house scarf, sweatshirt or pin badge on, so cast any embarrassment aside and get involved.

Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin? If you’re yet to be sorted into your house, get online and get on with it. How will you know which items to buy in the gift shop if you don’t know what house you’re in? Oh and don’t be upset if you’re sorted into Slytherin; bottle green looks good on everyone, and it’s the house that will make you great you know…

Charge all your technology items

Hopefully this tip goes without saying, but just in case you are so excited that all common sense hops on a broomstick and flies away, get your cameras, phones and tablets all fully charged the day before you visit the studios. Very few parts of the tour prohibit cameras, so you can get very snap happy, and you’ll definitely want to video a few things too. Look for the Gringotts’ vault-door mechanism, Buckbeak bowing and the self-stirring cauldrons in the potions classroom.

Take some snacks

Walking around the studios is hungry work. You can buy food throughout the tour, but if you have specific dietary needs or want to save your money for the gift shop, it’s a good idea to take a packed lunch with you. There is a large cafeteria halfway round, with plenty of tables, where you can stop for a snack break. And this is the place to treat yourself to an iconic butterbeer in this area, too, to wash down your sarnies.

Set yourself a budget for the gift shop

This might sound like a joke, but until you’ve seen it, you won’t believe how much money you could spend here. Having a budget in mind will definitely help you to sift through the must-have purchases in your basket and the unnecessary-but-awesome treats you’ve picked up. You don’t need to go without anything, though, as you can pop everything you don’t buy on your birthday and Christmas lists.

So there you go, a handful of tips that will help you get much more out of your studio tour. You’ll have a fantastic time regardless of how much you do or don’t prepare, but keeping these in mind certainly won’t hurt.

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This is a collaborative post.