Julia Speaks: May 2015

As a huge Harry Potter fan, I couldn't live in England without paying a visit to the Warner Bros Studios. It has been a dream of mine since the studios opened to the public, and I'm so happy I got to realise it! Now if you're not a Harry Potter freak like I am (and luckily, many other people are!), you won't understand how big of a deal this is. But if you like the Harry Potter books and films, you'll know what I felt when I saw all the sets and props used for the eight films of the saga!

I thought I'd tell you a few things about the Studios if you ever want to plan a visit, and show you some of the photos I took that day.

~ First, you can easily go to the Studios by taking a train at Euston Station, in London, to Watford Junction (£7 if you've got the Young Persons Railcard), then there you'll have to take a special bus to the Studios (£2 for a return ticket). This is definitely less expensive than going directly from London with the Studio tours, but it takes longer - be sure to plan in advance, just in case!

~ The Studios will recommend you to arrive 45min before your booked time, and this is not an obligation (if you arrive earlier you'll just have to wait there), but it's still better because it will allow you time to get there, and time to get pictures in front of the buildings and, if you want to, already have a look inside the wonderful shop.

~ You are allowed to take photos from the moment you enter the first set, but as the lighting is not always the best (there are a lot of dark areas) if you want to get good pictures be sure to have a good quality camera - otherwise you might end up with very dark photos.

~ The Studios say that a complete tour will take you up to three hours, but I'd recommend to go quite early in the morning/beginning of the afternoon if you really want to enjoy the experience and stay as long as you wish. We entered the Studios at 11.30am, and only finished our visit (shop included) a little before 5pm. You'll have all the time in the world to visit, but truly three hours aren't enough so my advice is: don't rush!

~ If you want to buy souvenirs in the shop, don't forget to take quite a good amount of money with you! The prices are high, and if like me you want to get Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans or a Chocolate Frog (the iconic sweets of the Harry Potter world), they're around £7-8 each. The shop has an incredible range of items and you'll want to buy everything, but be warned, it'll make a hole in your wallet!

~ I'd heard multiple times that Butterbeer was disgusting, but I just had to try it anyways. And I didn't find it as awful as what people say! It's super sweet so I doubt many people finish it, but it's funny to try and the cream on top has a very funny texture. If you're not sure you'll like it just buy one drink for you and your friends/family - that's what I did, because none of us would have drank the entire thing on our own!

So these are my top tips if you're planning a visit to the Harry Potter Studios - I hope it'll help some of you! I'm already thinking about going back, probably during Christmas time at some point - Harry Potter truly is like a drug!

Tell me if you're a Potterhead as well, and I'd love to know your thoughts if you've ever been to the Warner Bros Studios!