Travel test

WHAT: The Warner Bros Studio Tour London is a vast collection of sets and props from the Harry Potter films which were all saved over the years in case they were needed for the next instalment.

Once filming wrapped for ever, everything from Diagon Alley and Platform 9 3/4 to Hagrid’s Hut and the Forbidden Forest was reassembled in a huge complex next to the original film studios, conjuring up a whole Potter universe. From £49.95pp, £159 family. wbstudiotour.co.uk

WHERE: The Studio Tour is on the outskirts of Watford – less than magical but it makes for an easy drive off the A1 and M25. There’s also a dedicated bus service running from Watford Station, although sadly it’s not the triple-decker Knight Bus – you’ll find that parked outside No 4 Privet Drive in the backlot.

EXPERIENCE: Harry Potter is a money-making machine and this isn’t a cheap day out but, as soon as the doors swing open into the Great Hall, it’s hard to begrudge the entry fee. The scale of the studio tour is astonishing, with a different greatest hit of Hogwarts greeting you at every turn. Iconic sets such as Dumbledore’s office are cleverly positioned next to screens playing scenes where they were used. The tour pulls on all the emotions. There are laughs (the Puking Pastilles are hilariously gross), the odd lump in the throat (RIP Alan Rickman and Helen McCrory) and plenty of screams from younger visitors in the spider-ridden mists of the Forbidden Forest. The fire-breathing dragon emerging from Gringotts Bank even has adults jumping... However, the most enduring impression is of a truly feelgood experience, whether it’s seeing the Hogwarts Express, or trying the Quidditch green screen.

QUIBBLES: The Butterbeer is as dear as it is disgusting – £6.50 for a syrupy vanilla concoction in a plastic souvenir tankard.

VERDICT: It’s a cliche but it’s spellbinding. There’s no limit to how long you stay, and there’s enough to enchant for hours.