Overview

The most magical and accessible experience amercing yourself in the world of Harry Potter.

Transport & Parking

We drove to the Harry Potter Studios and there were lots of blue badge spaces near the entrance to the studios, you didn’t need to book any of the spaces beforehand. There is a Harry Potter bus that I think takes you from central London to the studios, although because we drove I’m not sure if it was wheelchair accessible.

Access

There are no doors throughout the whole of the studio tour that you have to open manually so you can easily flow through the tour easily. Now I don’t want to spoil too much of the tour for people so I am going to try and explain things as generic as possible. I took 2 carers with me when I visited and I emailed beforehand to ask if I could get them both free, they said yes and I just had take proof that I need 2 carers. The ticket office was quite when I visited so there was only one window open however, it was the accessible one that was open. I left my carers to sort out the tickets but the window looked like it was at a good height for wheelchair users. You have to go through a security check as you enter the studios. They briefly used a security wand to make sure nothing suspicious was in your bag and you have to go through a metal detector, of course I didn’t have to go through it in my wheelchair, there was a side door that I went through. I felt very safe with all the security checks. The main area you enter after security is where you can pick up audio headsets for the tour, where the information desk is and the toilets are. The information desk is at a good height for wheelchair users. My wheelchair rises up quite high so I drove around with it higher up as I was able to go around slower. This meant I was able to see over the barriers protect the exhibits easier, even though the barriers were spaced out so you could see through them it was a little difficult. You can see this in an image below. There are a few interactive areas throughout the tour. For some you wave your hand over a sensor to make something to move. Other areas you were able to touch props and these were level access so I could get into most areas in my wheelchair. The only area I couldn’t get into was the Hogwarts train however, you were able to sit in the set of the train and they have a door for access for a wheelchair user to get into one of the carriages. Again you can see images of this below. Near the end of the tour, you visit the set of Diagon Alley. It is amazing to see but, wow was it bumpy with the real-life cobblestones. It was like being back in Edinburgh. I did read in someone else's review you can go a less bumpy way but I wasn’t sure if you’d still see everything so I didn’t ask a member of staff about it. One thing I was very impressed with, and I don’t think it was intentionally made accessible, was the flying blue car. You were able to swing the passenger seat to the side and I was able to get my wheelchair into it in order to get a photo. The chair swings out possibly in the movie and to allow someone to get into the back of the car to get a photo but, it was great to allow me to get a photo too. At the start of the tour staff explained what facilities were available throughout the tour, including the sensory room that you could visit if you needed some quiet time. I went to take a photo of the room for the review and I would say it was fairly nice. You didn’t need a key to open it and it was in a nice quiet area. You can see images of the sensory room below. There are a few mini gift shops throughout the route of the tour and a main gift shop at the end. It is worth noting that you can’t buy items from the mini gift shops in the main gift shop, but staff can go back and get something for you if you didn’t get it at first. I’d say all the gift shop areas were quiet spacious to get around. In the main gift shop we asked staff if there was an accessible till as the queue looked quite difficult to get around, they said if we just went to the last till beside where they sold the butterbeer bottles the staff member there would serve us next. When you first enter the main area of the tour, before the tour officially starts, you are greeted with a Starbucks. There are plenty of tables to sit at here but I would say the till was a little high for a wheelchair user. Further in there is also a food court that sells hot food and salads, a chocolate frog café that sells sweet treats and a little area where you can have afternoon tea. Halfway around the tour there is also another food court and somewhere you can buy butterbeer and butterbeer ice-cream. I’d say all the tables were fairly spaced out where you could have food and at a good height for wheelchair users. Throughout the tour, I noticed staff members continuously wiping down the railings. There were also hand-sanitizing stations dotted around. It all felt very safe and no areas were too crowded.

Toilets

There are accessible toilets throughout the studios, they are quite spacious and have grab rails at the side of the toilet. I didn’t look in every accessible toilet but I think you were able to transfer at different sides, depending on what one you used. At the main entrance to the studios there is a Changing Places Toilet, you could get a RADAR key for it from the Information desk. It was very spacious and had all the equipment needed, you can see the images below.

Staff

The staff throughout the studios were all amazing. They were really friendly and helpful with anything we needed. I could not fault the staff at all.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

I would definitely go back to Harry Potter Studios as I feel there is always something new you would see and they are always adding guest exhibits or changing the themes for the seasons.

Photos