Is the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood worth it? Absolutely! The Warner Brothers Studio Tour Hollywood is fun, entertaining, and educational. So, basically, the best of all worlds!
The tour offers visitors a unique experience, taking you behind the scenes of one of Hollywood’s busiest working studios.
From the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to the iconic Central Perk cafe from the hit sitcom “Friends,” the tour immerses guests in the enchanting realm of Hollywood magic, allowing you to explore real sets from the movies you love and see behind the scenes of how some of your favorite TV shows are made.
Plus, if you’re lucky, you may get to see – and even interact with – an actual celebrity if they happen to be working on the lot during your visit. 😉
While I’ve done this tour a few years back, Toni from Rather Be Wandering took the Warner Brothers Studio Tour recently with her daughter, and shares all the details of what you’ll see and experience during the tour, why it’s so special, and how to make the most of your visit.
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What To Expect On The Warner Brothers Studio Tour
Warner Bros. Studio Hollywood is a famous film studio located in Burbank, California, USA. It’s one of the oldest and most renowned film studios in the world.
The Studio is known for having produced numerous iconic films and television shows over the decades.
It offers guided tours that provide visitors with a behind-the-scenes look at various aspects of film and television production.
Visitors can explore sets, soundstages, backlots, and exhibits showcasing props, costumes, and memorabilia from Warner Bros’s extensive catalog of productions.
The studio tour often includes visits to locations where famous movies and TV shows were filmed, giving visitors a glimpse into Hollywood’s rich history.
Types Of Tours
Standard Tour
The most popular tour available is the ‘Standard’ tour. If you choose this option, you’ll join a guided tour aboard an open vehicle similar to a golf cart – but larger.
A knowledgeable guide will drive you through cities and towns that you’ll likely recognize. From the streets of Batman’s Gotham City to the landscape of Hogwarts Castle, you’ll be able to follow in the footsteps of your favorite characters and immerse yourself in the magic of the silver screen. All while never leaving the lot.
Throughout the tour, the expert guides will provide fascinating insights into the filmmaking process, from the writer’s room to the green-screen technology that brings fantasy worlds to life.
One thing my daughter and I really loved about the guided portion of the tour is that not only did our guide show us where this or that scene was filmed.
He went out of his way to really engage tour participants by reminding us of the specifics of a scene, who said what, how the building facade or interior was used, etc. He really made us feel like we could be in those scenes ourselves!
Deluxe Tour
For those seeking an even more immersive experience, there is the ‘Deluxe’ tour.
This extended tour includes additional behind-the-scenes access and special features, allowing visitors to learn more about the studio’s history and production processes.
For example, some of the additional features of the Deluxe tour may include a visit to Humphrey Bogart’s private dressing room and other behind-the-scenes areas, as well as an opportunity to experience additional special effects demonstrations.
We would’ve loved to do the longer, more in depth tour, but because we had another activity to get to afterwards, there simply wasn’t time. Lesson learned!
If the Deluxe tour sounds good to you, plan way ahead so you can get a time slot that fits in with all of your other day’s activities!
Whichever tour you select, you will get the opportunity to enjoy photo ops on Sheldon’s spot from “The Big Bang Theory”, sit on the “Friends” couch at their beloved Central Perk, turn yourself into a wizard from Harry Potter’s Wizarding World with green screen technology, and browse exclusive Friends and Gilmore Girls merchandise at the gift shop.
Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to explore the interactive soundstage, where you’ll witness firsthand the special effects that brought some of your favorite films – from the fantastical creatures of “Fantastic Beasts” to the thrilling action sequences of “Wonder Woman” – to life.
You even get to create your own soundtrack to movies like “The Matrix” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” It really is a comprehensive experience!
Why Visit The Warner Brothers Studio
As mentioned, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour allows you to see behind-the-scenes magic of film and television production. You get to fully step inside the world of some of your favorite shows, and in some cases, feel like you are part of them. And you have a chance to learn some Hollywood history.
Try Out Sets and Test Your Acting Chops
For fans of shows like the “Gilmore Girls” and “Pretty Little Liars”, you’ll be excited to not only see, but also walk on and pose with the famed gazebo that takes center-stage in both TV shows.
From the icon “Casablanca” to the feature film “Million Dollar Baby” to the Emmy-awarding winning TV show “Abbott Elementary”, there is so much memorabilia to see, so many props to try out, and so many sets to explore!
For Harry Potter lovers, there is an entire section dedicated to that movie franchise. For example, you can try out the sorting hat and fly on a broomstick, creating your very own Hogwarts experience. You can also go inside Harry’s room under the stairs and see what he must’ve felt like before he knew he was a wizard.
Behind-the-Scenes Knowledge
One of the things that makes the tours so special is just how much you get to learn about the TV and movie-making business as a whole.
For example, one of the interesting things I learned on the tour is that the various studios often work together during the taping phase of different TV shows and movies.
It was interesting to hear that other studios will often come to the Warner Bros. studio to film scenes on the Warner Brothers lot.
That’s because, while the different studios do compete at the box office and in the ratings, during the production phase they are actually very collaborative.
Our guide explained that it’s not unusual to see part of a scene filmed at one studio, and another part of that very same scene filmed at another studio. Who knew!
We got a lot of little nuggets like that – things we never would’ve even considered, but that made the whole experience that much more fascinating.
Celebrity Sightings
And a really special benefit of doing a studio tour is the occasional (but not at all guaranteed) opportunity to see a celebrity who happens to be filming on the lot on the day of your tour.
We got lucky! On the day we visited, Iain Armitage was on the lot filming his show. He very graciously came over to where we – and about 30 others – were waiting for a shuttle to go to the final portion of our tour. Iain signed autographs, shook hands, and took pictures with 30+ screaming kids, and it made their day!
That experience made an already fantastic tour even more special.
Tips for Making the Most of Your Visit
- Buy your ticket ahead of time, so you have choices for the time you want to go and which type of tour (Standard or Deluxe) you’d like to take. They do sell out!
- Give yourself time to explore. We were visiting Warner Brothers Studio as part of a 2 day trip to Los Angeles, and we scheduled every minute! We were having such a great time on the tour, but needed to head out earlier than we wanted to in order to make it to our next event (America’s Got Talent!).
- If your schedule permits, visit early or late in the day and during off-peak seasons to avoid the crowds. We went during Spring Break, a time known to be more crowded. During our tour, we were swarmed by tons of people – especially kids*, and that did feel a bit overwhelming at times.
*In fairness, it was one of those eagle-eyed kids who first spotted Iain Armitage and alerted the rest of us (with her ear-splitting scream 😂) so, we’re not complaining.
Besides the crowds, another benefit of going earlier in the day is the lighting. As you’ll learn during the tour, most of the buildings on the lot do not have electricity unless they are actively being used for a shoot.
So while you’ll get to go inside the buildings, some may be somewhat dark. Going earlier in the day gives you the best chance to take pictures with the best natural lighting.
How To Get To Warner Brothers Studio
For our visit, we drove to the Studio. The address – 3400 Warner Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505 – was very easy to find using our GPS. It took us about 30 minutes to get there from our hotel in Santa Monica.
Once onsite, there was deck parking available for $15. At the time we arrived – approximately 10 am – there was plenty of parking available. But we did notice that later in the day when we were leaving, the lot was nearly full and people were circling for spots.
If you don’t want to drive yourself, you’ll find that services like Uber and Lyft are widely available in the Los Angeles area and can provide convenient transportation to Warner Bros. Studio Hollywood.
While public transportation options in Los Angeles are available, getting directly to Warner Bros. Studio Hollywood might require some combination of bus and/or train routes followed by a walk or ride-share from the nearest transit stop.
You can use apps like Google Maps or the LA Metro website to plan your journey using public transportation.
Whichever method you decide, during your planning make sure to consider factors like traffic conditions and time of day when plotting out your journey.
During our visit to Southern California, we made a habit of tacking on an additional 30 minutes of travel time wherever we were going. We’d heard about the rough L.A. traffic, and didn’t want to miss any of our excursions because we were stuck in traffic.
How Long Do You Spend At The Warner Bros Studio Tour?
The amount of time people spend at Warner Bros. Studio Tour can vary depending on individual preferences, the type of tour chosen, and how thoroughly visitors want to explore the studio’s attractions. Here’s a general breakdown:
The Standard studio tour typically lasts around 2 to 3 hours. The Deluxe tour, which offers a more comprehensive experience, typically lasting around double the time of the Standard tour.
Overall, visitors can expect to spend anywhere from 2 to 6 hours at Warner Bros. Studio Tour, depending on the type of tour selected and how thoroughly they wish to explore the studio’s offerings.
Final Thoughts: Is the Warner Brothers Tour Worth It?
I think you can tell that we LOVED the Warner Bros. Studio Tour ! It’s an absolute must visit for TV and film enthusiasts. And, even if you’ve been there before, I think it’s probably worth another visit. The lots are always changing as new shows and movies get filmed there and new history is made.
I encourage you to immerse yourself in all of the magic made here. It is truly an experience you won’t forget!
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