London
Hotels near the Harry Potter studio tour: where families should stay
The doors to the Great Hall swing open and the eleven-year-old beside you goes completely still. This day took a year to plan. With the right hotel, you will not spend it on trains and bus changes.
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The Warner Bros. Studio Tour is in Leavesden, north-west of London, at the studios where all eight films were made. A visit usually takes three to four hours, and tickets are sold with a fixed entry time.
So it pays to think about the hotel along with the ticket. You can stay by the studios and take your time, or near King's Cross and Euston, where the trains leave and Platform 9¾ stands on the concourse. We have picked four hotels, one by the studios and three in London.
In short: hotels near the Harry Potter studio tour
Our pick closest to the Harry Potter studio tour is The Grove, about two kilometres away on a large estate in Hertfordshire. To stay in London, Great Northern Hotel at King's Cross is the best choice, with Platform 9¾ on the same concourse. The train from Euston to Watford Junction takes about 20 minutes.
Our first choice: The Grove, for families who want to turn the studio day into a weekend.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at The Grove
Top picks
Closest to the studios: The Grove
Next to Platform 9¾: Great Northern Hotel
For design and a rooftop restaurant: The Standard London
For a quieter base in Bloomsbury: Kimpton Fitzroy London
By the studios: a mansion in Hertfordshire
The Grove
The Grove occupies an 18th-century mansion in Hertfordshire, about five minutes' drive from the studios. Around the house are a golf course, a large walled garden and a spa with an indoor pool.
In summer the hotel has its own beach in the grounds, with parasols and volleyball. That lets families spend the day before and after the tour at the hotel. Good for making Harry Potter a whole weekend rather than a long day trip.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at The Grove
The grounds at The Grove
The mansion is about five minutes' drive from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour. Photo: Hotels.com (Expedia Group)
King's Cross and Euston: where the trains leave
If you stay in London, King's Cross and Euston make the most sense. Trains to Watford Junction leave from Euston, and Platform 9¾ is at King's Cross, a ten-minute walk away.
Great Northern Hotel
Great Northern opened in 1854 as one of London's first railway hotels, and it sits right against the King's Cross concourse. From the lobby it is a couple of minutes to Platform 9¾, where a luggage trolley disappears halfway into the wall.
Go early in the morning, before the queue builds. The rooms are compact, as they were in a railway hotel, so families with older children should look at the larger room types.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Great Northern Hotel
The Standard London
The Standard faces St Pancras, five minutes from King's Cross, in Camden Council's former headquarters. The facade is raw concrete, but inside there is colour, a library in the lobby and a restaurant on the roof.
It suits families with teenagers who care more about design than a pool. The Eurostar leaves from across the road if you want to carry on to Paris.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at The Standard London
Kimpton Fitzroy London
The hotel stands on Russell Square in Bloomsbury, in a 1900 building with a terracotta facade and a marble lobby. Euston and King's Cross are about a quarter of an hour's walk, and the British Museum is just round the corner.
Russell Square has a large garden where children can run off steam after a long day. Good for families who want somewhere a little calmer than the stations.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Kimpton Fitzroy London
Planning the studio day
Tickets first: Studio tickets have a fixed entry time and sell out in the school holidays. Buy them before you book a hotel.
By train: Take the train from Euston to Watford Junction, about 20 minutes, then the studio shuttle bus. The bus is included in your ticket and takes about 15 minutes. Last checked October 2026.
Packages with transport: Tours from central London include the coach and the ticket. That is the easiest option with small children.
Film locations in town: The exterior of St Pancras Renaissance Hotel appears in the second film, and Leadenhall Market stood in for Diagon Alley. Both are free to see.
Tickets and transport: See experiences and tickets for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour
Editor's pick
The Grove
The Grove turns the studio tour into a whole weekend. The mansion is five minutes from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, set in grounds with a golf course, a walled garden and a spa with an indoor pool. In summer the hotel has its own beach with volleyball in the grounds. You come back from the Great Hall to dinner at the hotel, with no trains or bus changes.
Frequently asked questions about hotels near the Harry Potter studio tour
Which hotel is closest to the Harry Potter studio tour?
The Grove is the hotel near the Harry Potter studio tour that we recommend, about two kilometres and five minutes' drive away. It is a country estate with a spa, an indoor pool and a golf course. There are simpler hotels even closer, but if you want to stay in London, King's Cross and Euston are best, because the train to the studios leaves from Euston.
Should we stay in London or near the studios?
Stay near the studios if Harry Potter is the main reason for the trip and you want plenty of time, especially with young children. Stay in London if the studios are one day among several and you also want to see the city. From King's Cross and Euston, the trip takes under an hour by train and shuttle bus, so it works well as a day trip.
How do you get to the Harry Potter studio tour from King's Cross?
From King's Cross, walk ten minutes to Euston and take the train to Watford Junction, which takes about 20 minutes. From there the studio's own shuttle bus reaches the entrance in about a quarter of an hour. The bus is included in your studio ticket. Allow under an hour door to door, and check the timetable on the studio's website before you travel.
How long do you need at the Harry Potter studio tour?
Most visitors spend three to four hours at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, and keen fans stay longer. Entry is at a fixed time, but there is no limit on how long you stay once inside. With the journey from London it becomes a full day, so plan a quiet evening and a hotel that makes getting back easy.
Where is Platform 9¾ at King's Cross?
Platform 9¾ is in the western concourse at King's Cross, next to the Harry Potter shop, where a luggage trolley is set halfway into the brick wall. Taking a photo is free, but the queue can be long in the middle of the day. Go early in the morning or late in the evening, especially during school holidays.