First up, here’s the transport that welcomed us at the pick-up location. It’s hard to miss.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nThe Studio is an actual working studio that saw the production of every one of the Harry Potter movies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nYou gotta believe. You’re now one step closer to living and breathing the world of Harry Potter, for at least an hour, or more if you don’t want to miss anything.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe sights starts at the queue line! Watch out for Harry’s room under the stairs while you queue to get into the tour.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nAhh… the anticipation. Behind these doors lie sets and props from the six Harry Potter films, and this fella is here to tell us there are guides planted at various points of the exhibits, ready to answer any question we might have. In fact, some of them had worked on the films and are major Harry Potter fans as well. But shuddup already and let us in!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nOnce past the giant doors, you come face to face with the Great Hall, where the young wizards and witches gather to find out their house from the sorting hat. It got my heart racing quite a bit. Take your time to explore here, there are costumes of both students and teachers here. To me, this is the very essence of the world of Harry Potter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nYou might get a bit overwhelmed when you enter the hall. Don’t hyperventilate. Have a plan. I recommend starting from one corner of the room and start walking down the isles in order to cover all the props and costumes on display. This way, you won’t miss out on anything.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe Great Hall looked really huge in the movies, but is far smaller in front of your eyes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhile the costumes of the students flanked the sides of the Great Hall, the professors’ are right at the front, their placement just like those in the movies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\nAfter the Great Hall, you’ll enter a labyrinthine rooms of props, filming sets and costumes from the movies, starting with this Yule Ball setting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nIf you bought bus tickets back to London, do keep a lookout for timing as you walked through the rooms. Don’t forget to leave enough time to go crazy at the souvenir shop at the end of the tour.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nAny Harry Potter fan would know that these are the gates that lead to Hogwarts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nHere’s a familiar sight, the Griffyndor drawing room where the kids hang out.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nAnd this is the boys’ sleeping quarters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOne of the good things about going to the tour early is that you get mostly unblocked views of the props, making it easier to snap away<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nYou also get to see Hagrid’s cottage on display.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nPretend you are Hargrid and Harry and take pictures in Hagrid’s motorbike, at an extra cost, of course.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nPretend to ride on a broomstick! You get to dress up to be a witch or wizard for this.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nNot sure if you can recognise this, but is the kitchen of the Weasley home. There’s like a complete breakfast spread on the table that looks extremely inviting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nProfessor Dumbledore greets you at his chambers. Don’t just snap away with your camera. Take your time to study his room, filled with plenty of details.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nIf you see this, you have reached the halfway mark of the tour.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nThis is also where you can buy butter beer. Do try it; although it’s not as tasty in comparison with the one in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Orlando, it still tastes pretty good.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nThe Knight bus you see in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.You can actually peep inside the bus at its rear.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHere’s a look inside the Knight Bus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nWhat a familiar sight! We’re at No. 4 Privet Drive, where it all began. You can’t enter the house, it’s really just the facade of the Dursley’s abode, but still, it’s all very exciting. This set is not cordoned off, so being there early has its benefits- there’s no need to jostle with folks to get a clean shot of the house.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nWho can forget this iconic Hogwarts Bridge? You can actually step onto the bridge and take pictures from all angles.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nOnce again, taking the first tour of the day has its benefits. I get a clear view of the bridge!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThere are so many things to see here, it’s hard to focus. This Creature Shop shelf has many familiar faces you see in the movies. Each one of them has so much details they look like the real thing. In case you miss out, go down the shelf from the top, so that you get to see everything.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\nJust look at the details in his face. It’s usually hard to get teeth and lips natural looking, but the folks at the Creature Shop nailed it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nThis Monster Book of Monsters actually open and close, and it even wriggles around a bit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nRobbie Coltrane, the actor playing Hagrid, is a big man, but not quite as massive as what Hagrid should be. So his face is being made into a mechanical structure and placed on his stunt double, Martin Bayfield, who stands at an enormous 6 foot 10 inches.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nOnce again, I can’t believe the amount of details they put into the creatures, just look at Dobby.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\nThis is why I come onto this tour. My favorite part of the Harry Potter movies is the Diagon Alley. You can to walk the alley and look at all the quirky shops that lined both sides. The only downer is, these shops are just facades.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nAfter admiring the sets and props, this last bit brings us back to the beginning, when the Harry Potter world existed on paper and miniature models.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nThis model of Hogwarts was actually used for exterior shots for the movie. The workmanship was so good it could pass off as the “real” thing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nWith right lighting and angles, who can tell this is a miniature?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe tour saves the best for last. After marvelling at the massive amount of effort spent on creating this incredible world that brought imagination to life, this stunning miniature of Hogwarts make a fitting end to the tour.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBut of course, before you leave this place, let’s go pick a wand, shall we?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nBefore you leave the Studio, squeeze some time in to grab some souvenirs, they really do have everything and anything Harry Potter related.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nI spent slightly under 3 hours immersed in the Harry Potter world, and although some friends frowned upon the price, I think it was totally worth it. The tour brings us behind the magic of movie-making and at the same time, sprinkled some movie-magic stardust on us.<\/p>\n
Have you been on the tour before?<\/p>\n
If you are a Harry Potter fan, have you visited Lacock<\/a>, one of the filming locations of the movie? \n