Sunny in London

A Florida girl's guide to finding SUN and FUN

London Escape Room in a Pub- Handmade Mysteries Review

Who would ever think that Mr Sunny would ever enjoy a London Escape Room in a pub??? He would actually do anything to try to stay in a pub as long as possible!

When we were invited to experience an Escape Room with Handmade Mysteries, I was a little hesitant at first because I am a total chicken. When we went to the Halloween at Thorpe Park press party a few years ago, Mr Sunny and his mate loved their Escape Room experience at the park.

I literally sat on a bench and worked on my social media while I waited for them because I was too scared to try this new phenomenon.

When the Handmade Mysteries invitation came, FOMO got the best of me and I asked Mr Sunny if he would be my guest.  ‘Partner in crime’ would probably be the more applicable name!

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As the blog and Sunny News YouTube channel’s English food and beer consultant, he couldn’t turn down an opportunity to go. I think he was secretly hoping we would lose and get trapped in the pub forever!

London Escape Room in a Pub: Lady Chastity’s Reserve

We chose to go to Farringdon/Clerkenwell for our London Escape Room in a pub experience. I love the area and it is easy for us to get to from North London. We also liked the quest’s narrative in Lady Chastity’s Reserve. This immersive experience challenges you and friends with an hour of hilarious clue solving as you attempt to win Lady Chastity’s fabled aphrodisiac wine.

Aside from our location, The Hope Pub in Central London, it is featured in:

  • The World’s End, Brighton
  • People’s Park Tavern in East London
  • The Four Thieves in South London
  • St James of Bermondsey
  • The Depot in North London

Handmade Mysteries make immersive escape rooms for those who wish to escape reality and enter an entirely new world. In the game there are no screens, goggles or wires. It’s just you, your team-mates and a strange new quest filled with bizarre clues and contraptions that will make your head spin.

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Image courtesy of Handmade Mysteries

London Escape Room in a Pub: The Game

Our game host ‘Gabrielle’ greeted us in character and did a fabulous job of maintaining her role throughout our experience.

Obviously, I am not going to ruin anything for you because that would be no fun. I can tell you the game is well organised. The clues varied from fairly easy to challenging. Mr Sunny solved most of them. Part of the problem was that I wasn’t expecting to be in darkness for the whole experience.

I was afraid something would jump out at me, and jump scares aren’t my thing. A partner is pretty useless in this circumstance when she insists on keeping her back to the wall in an attempt to not be frightened by the unknown. That was me- useless.

Mr Sunny searched and sorted through nearly everything as I decided my job was going to be to hold the torches (flash lights) while I stood against the wall. Lame. Lame. Lame.

It happened to be mid-day and about 72° Fahrenheit also. That’s actually not that hot. But, when you’re in a blacked out room with no open windows and just two floor fans blowing, it became hot- FAST!

We were both sweating a lot. To me, this was distracting from the game and made it harder for Mr Sunny.

Luckily, he still kept focus and worked with energy and enthusiasm to find and release Lady Chastity’s reserve wine bottle.

Our host, Gabrielle did everything possible to help us during the three times we were allowed to call for her. She assisted in moving us through clues we couldn’t not crack, and didn’t just solve the puzzles for us. She was a real star in the adventure.

London Escape Room in a Pub: Final Thoughts

Sadly, we didn’t release the bottle of wine and our time ran out. For some reason, I thought you got to drink the bottle of wine at the end even if you lost the game. That’s not the case.

I am grateful that the Handmade Mysteries team keeps the prize as a prize and doesn’t take a snowflake approach and give everyone a trophy no matter if they win or lose. However, I guess if I had known that you really don’t get the wine if you lose, I would’ve tried to overcome my fear of the dark faster.

That still doesn’t change the fact that I struggle to pull a clue out of a clue bag. What are your experiences with London Escape Rooms? Add in the comments what you think makes the experience great.

Mr Sunny had a fab time. He highly recommends going to an Escape Room in a pub because he got to take his beer with him. Can you believe that he got so involved in the game that his beer got warm?

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I really liked that we were by ourselves, especially in a small, dark room.

If I could be guaranteed that no one would jump out at me (and BTW no one did at this experience), I would love to have another Escape Room experience with Handmade Mysteries.

Perhaps a winter themed one?

It’s something that you definitely want to book ahead, if you are considering going to the London Escape Room with Handmade Mysteries. I mention it as a top activity to book ahead in this video that’s less than 5 minutes.

Handmade Mysteries combine immersive theatre with live action gaming, for total escapism:

  • Each game room is built within a space at pub venues, so players can begin and end their adventure with a leisurely drink.
  • Games are hosted by dedicated actors who remain in character from the moment your team are first ‘encountered.’
  • As assault on all senses. The décor, sound design, music characters, clues and rigged furniture are all carefully crafted with meticulous detail.
  • No screens.
  • Silliness is taken very seriously. Comedic value is seeped into every part of the game.

They have very high ratings on TripAdvisor. This shows that even though our experience was complimentary, Handmade Mysteries offers a fun opportunity consistently.

The Best Day Trips from London

Whether you are visiting London or living in London, planning day trips from London can be fun. Over the past six years of living as an American in London, I have had the opportunity to take many short holidays and day trips from London on my own and with Mr Sunny. Whether they are via trains, by car or group tours on coaches, each has provided a unique experience that you just can’t compare to what the US offers for travel.

We’ll start with the two most popular day trip inquiries that readers and Sunny News YouTube viewers have when holiday planning.

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Best Day Trips from London- Stonehenge

‘Sunny, I am visiting London and want to see Stonehenge; how can I do this?’

I wish the answer was easy. In summary, I think it’s best to take a coach tour if you aren’t renting a car and comfortable driving here on your own.

Best Day Trips from London- Bath

Since just visiting Stonehenge will take more than half a day, you probably want to combine it with Bath. Many tour companies offer the Stonehenge/Bath combination day. I have been on two of these all day tours. However, since Bath is just 1 1/2 hours from London by train, you could coordinate the day yourself with a train ticket from London’s Paddington Station.

The most popular thing to do in Bath is to see the Roman Baths. It is the preserved remains of one of the greatest religious spas of the ancient world. At the site, you will be able to see the city’s unique thermal springs. The Baths still flow with natural hot water.

Next, you can tour the Bath Abbey. If you have more time to make your way around the city, you can take a Jane Austen Walking Tour. Or, you can stroll over to The Royal Crescent to see a semi-circular terrace of 30 identical Georgian townhouses. Bath is also known for numerous fudge shops.

If you want to absorb Bath for longer than one day, you can stay at the MacDonald Hotels Bath location. Mr Sunny and I stayed there for two nights on our first visit. It was a very short, pleasant walk in to Bath each day, and the grounds of the hotel are quiet and gorgeous.

Best Day Trips from London- Warner Bros Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter

Yes, I am calling this a day trip. If you looked at a map of where the studio’s location is in relation to Central London, you will understand why.

It takes a while to get to this attraction that has earned iconic status on the ‘London’ bucket list for many travellers.

Directions for Getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London

You can read my Guide to Harry Potter in London for more details, but consider this one a day trip just to be safe when you are planning for a trip to London.

Best Day Trips from London- Windsor

This is my favourite day trip of all the options for London. One day really isn’t enough. After several visits, we feel the Macdonald Windsor Hotel has the best castle view and location for an overnight stay in this royal area of London.

However, for just a one day trip you should arrive early and visit Windsor Castle. You can’t miss it when you exit Windsor and Eton Central Station. Some of the things you can do in Windsor are take a walking tour, see Changing of the Guard, tour Eton College, have afternoon tea overlooking the castle and River Thames, and visit Windsor & Eton Brewery. With more time, you might want to go to LEGOLAND or Bray for a foodie feast.

The journey to Windsor from either Paddington Station or Waterloo Station in London takes under an hour.

Tips for Visiting Windsor Castle, London Day Trips

Best Day Trips from London- Cambridge

The rivalry between Cambridge and Oxford is centuries old, and both are easy day trips from London. In Cambridge you can tour the university and go punting. A punt is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, designed for use in small rivers. Perhaps it’s best to think of it as like an Italian gondola.

Best Day Trips from London- Oxford

As England’s oldest university, Oxford offers a very inspirational day trip from London. You can tour the university and aside from its prestigious academic reputation, Oxford University also has received recognition in the film industry too. If you visit Christchurch, you can see The Hall, which inspired the Great Hall in the Harry Potter films.

And, just like any good university town, there are tons of pubs where famous people have had a few pints. For example, it is alleged that the famous Turf Tavern in Oxford is where former President Bill Clinton ‘did not inhale’ one evening at the pub.

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The Hall in Oxford’s Christ Church College inspired The Great Hall replica in the Harry Potter films
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Best Day Trips from London- Stratford-upon-Avon

If you’re a fan of Shakespeare, then a trip to his birthplace could be at the top of your list. Obviously, you can catch one of the Bard’s famous plays at one of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s three theatres. Also in this medieval market town you can see the timber-framed house where he was born, as well as Anne Hathaway’s (Mrs Shakespeare’s) cottage.

Since Stratford-upon-Avon is at the very northern part of the Cotswolds, you would be best to take a coach tour or rent a car for this day trip from London.

Best Day Trips from London- Cotswolds

The Cotswolds is quite difficult to travel through by car if you aren’t a regular driver in the UK. This is why I highly recommend an organised trip for visitors. You can find tons of day trips that feature endless combinations. But, know that the very popular ones sell out quickly, so you will need to book in advance. Some fun tours that Hellotickets offers are:

  • Stonehenge Shuttle Bus and Independent Day Trip
  • Leeds Castle, Canterbury, Dover and Greenwich + private viewing of Leeds Castle
  • Day Trip from London- Lunch in the Cotswolds
  • Windsor Castle, Stonehenge & Oxford Tour
  • Oxford, Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick Castle
  • Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath Tour
  • Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Lacock and Bath Tour + Pub Lunch
  • Leeds Castle, Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury Tour
  • England in One Day: Stonehenge, Bath, Stratford & the Cotswolds
  • Downton Abbey: Visit to Highclere Castle

When you go to the Cotswolds, expect very, very small villages and beautiful scenery. They are quite the contrast from London’s congestion and pollution!

Best Day Trips from London- Brighton

For a look at England’s seaside, Brighton is around a one hour train ride from Victoria Station. It has the highest gay population in the UK and celebrates Pride around the first weekend of August each year.

Best Day Trips from London- York

If you are heading toward Edinburgh, York is a fantastic stop for the day. It’s under two hours from London via St Pancras International Station. While in York you can visit York’s Chocolate Story and take an interactive tour. For history fans, you might wish to visit the JORVIK Viking Centre. However the most popular attraction is the York Minster.  It has impressive handcrafted stone and an unrivalled collection of medieval stained glass.

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Best Day Trips from London- Lavender Fields

For those have a car or will rent a car, visiting a Lavender Field is becoming quite trendy. Depending on the weather, the best time to visit is between mid-June and mid-August. If you would like to see what the experience involves, an example of one that is in the Cotswolds is Cotswold Lavender. While you are there you can enjoy a Lavender Cream Tea and have a slice of Lavender and Lemon Cake.

Best Day Trips from London- Paris or Lille

Then of course, there is France. Yes, you can go to France for just a day from London. If you want to do this yourself, the fastest way is via Eurostar from St Pancras International Station. However, for something a bit posh you can do the Luxury Escorted Paris Day Trip with Champagne Lunch on the Eiffel Tower.

To have a super fast French getaway, you might want to investigate a day trip to Lille. This trip takes only 1 1/2 hours each way, however you will need to move your watch ahead an hour when you arrive.

The Best Day Trips from London- Final Thoughts

Sunny friends, you can see there are tons of options when choosing day trips from London. Please know that if you are going to arrange trips yourself and not use a coach tour, you should purchase your tickets as far in advance as possible. Generally you can get them up to 12 weeks ahead of your travel date.

Don’t miss the London freebie!

Subscribe to the Sunny in London weekly email and immediately get the ‘Local’s Pocket Restaurant Guide to London.’ It’s the ultimate free travel accessory for your London trip. It features top recommended restaurants from a local, organised by neighbourhood. With it you can easily find a place to eat when you’re on a London street. Downloading the file to your phone means finding a fab foodie place- fast!

Send me the Free Pocket Restaurant Guide

As part of the welcome, you will also receive several other free downloads (Best Time to Visit and Things to Do, London Airports, British Food) that will guide you through trip planning, plus a weekly edition of the hottest happenings in London.

For related London trip planning videos and blog posts:

tours-theatre-in-london-sunnyinlondon

What You MUST Book in Advance for a London Trip

What’s the next step after booking flights and a hotel for a London trip? Sunny friends, there are several activities you should book in advance of your trip to London. Do you know what they are and how to do it?

If not, you must keep reading.

As TripAdvisor‘s #1 World’s Best Destination for 2019, London features tons of amazing things to do for a short or long trip. However, this means that the most popular activities require that you must book in advance if you want to do them.

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London Trip Book in Advance: Theatre Tickets

Rivalling New York City, London has an impressive Theatre district. Rather than going to all the theatre’s websites individually, I have found Hellotickets to be the most useful website to purchase tickets in advance.

Current shows for which you can buy tickets on their website include:

  • The Phantom of the Opera
  • Motown the Musical
  • TINA- The Tina Turner Musical
  • School of Rock- The Musical
  • Disney’s Aladdin
  • Mamma Mia!
  • The Woman in Black
  • Matilda the Musical
  • The Lion King
  • The Book of Mormon
  • Wicked
  • Les Miserables
  • Thriller Live
  • Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
  • Cirque du Soleil: Luzia
  • The Prince of Egypt

On their website you can also buy tickets for Fast-Track London Eye Tickets, Hop-on Hop Off Original London Sightseeing Tour, Heathrow Express, Stansted Express, Gatwick Express.

London Trip Book in Advance: Day Trips

Another aspect of the HelloTickets website that I like is the numerous day trips available. The list includes:

  • London Escorted Paris Day Trip with Champagne Lunch on the Eiffel Tower
  • Stonehenge Shuttle Bus and Independent Day Trip
  • Leeds Castle, Canterbury, Dover and Greenwich + private viewing of Leeds Castle
  • Day Trip from London- Lunch in the Cotswolds
  • Windsor Castle, Stonehenge & Oxford Tour
  • London in One Day Tour
  • London Day Trip- St Paul’s Cathedral, Changing of the Guard, Tower of London, Thames Cruise with Harrods Cream Tea
  • Oxford, Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick Castle
  • Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath Tour
  • Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Lacock and Bath Tour + Pub Lunch
  • Leeds Castle, Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury Tour
  • WWII Tour: Churchill War Rooms & Westminster
  • England in One Day: Stonehenge, Bath, Stratford & the Cotswolds
  • Downton Abbey: Visit to Highclere Castle
  • London Rock Tours- Half Day Tours
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London Trip Book in Advance: Attractions

Chances are that you will want to visit London’s attractions at some point when you are here. There are several passes and tickets I recommend, having used them myself or for family and friends.

The London Pass is the most popular combination ticket available. The most popular attractions on the list of 80+ things to do in London included on the London Pass are:

  • The View from the Shard
  • Tower of London
  • Westminster Abbey
  • Windsor Castle (Free return train journey from London Paddington via Slough)
  • Kensington Palace and The Orangery (Kensington Palace is not open from 6-17 January 2020)
  • Hampton Court Palace
  • ZSL London Zoo
  • Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Tour & Exhibition
  • Churchill War Rooms
  • London Bridge Experience and London Tombs
  • Thames River Cruise
  • St Paul’s Cathedral

I have indicated in italics the attractions above in which you can skip the line if you have a London Pass. In my 5 Day Itinerary for a Super Tourist, which is part of the Guides to London series I have published, you can learn which attractions are in close proximity of one another. The London Pass is best if you plan to visit many attractions in one day that are in close proximity of each other.

One Day on the London Pass itinerary example from my Guide:

  • The Tower of London (£28)
  • Tower Bridge Exhibition (£10)
  • The Monument to the Great Fire of London (£5)
  • St Paul’s Cathedral (£20)

If you paid for each individual attraction, the total for one adult would b £75. However, a London Pass is £63.

So, I suggest you buy a London Pass in advance of your trip and include an Oyster Card with it if you are keen to see many attractions. Note that if you purchase more than one day, they have to be used consecutively and it starts as soon as you go to your first attraction.

Next is the London Eye combination ticket. Again, I reference how to use this in my 5 Day Itinerary, but it can give you access to:

  • The London Eye
  • Shrek’s Adventure
  • The London Dungeon
  • SEA Life London
  • Madame Tussaud’s

The first four attractions are all literally next to each other in Southbank, this ticket is worth having in advance because lines there are extremely long. I went to all four in one day and wrote a review of the experience.

How to See 4 South Bank London Attractions in One Day

London Trip Book in Advance: Harry Potter

If you have plans to do anything Harry Potter related while you are in London, then realise that you are not a minority. Those books are big business here. I think I have been to every Harry Potter attraction in London and Oxford, including spending the night in a Harry Potter themed hotel!

With the opening of Gringott’s Wizarding Bank at the Warner Bros Studio Harry Potter Studio Tour, an already popular London attraction became even more difficult to visit. If you’re planning on going there, it’s quite a distance from Central London, so I always suggest booking something through a tour company in advance.

For more on all things Harry Potter related, visit my Guide to Harry Potter.

London Trip Book in Advance- More Ideas

I can’t possibly cover every activity for every type of person. However, if you have less than 5 minutes, you can learn about several more in this YouTube video on the Sunny News weekly edition.

London Trip Book in Advance- Final Thoughts

If you’re planning on having a fantastic food experience while you are in London, then subscribe to the Sunny in London weekly email and immediately get the ‘Local’s Pocket Restaurant Guide to London.’ It’s the ultimate free travel accessory for your London trip. It features top recommended restaurants from a local, organised by neighbourhood. With it you can easily find a place to eat when you’re on a London street. Downloading the file to your phone means finding a fab foodie place- fast!

As part of the welcome, you will also receive several other free downloads (Best Time to Visit and Things to Do, London Airports, British Food) that will guide you through trip planning, plus a weekly edition of the hottest happenings in London.

Please leave any questions you have for your trip below. Also, if there are specific guides you would like me to publish for you, put those ideas in the comments too.

For related London Trip Planning blog posts and videos:

Columbia Road Flower Market Guide to Visiting

For a fab day out in London, you must visit the Columbia Road Flower Market. You would need to go on a Sunday, because that’s the only day it’s open. But, come rain or shine- it is open every Sunday. Yes, sunny friends, that even includes Easter Sunday!

I would like to say it is the perfect free day out in London. In fact, my Cool, Free Things to Do in London, I suggested it is. However, what I left out of the video is that I dare you to go without spending any money.

Why?

Do you think you could see all these beautiful, fresh flowers and resist purchasing at least one bouquet for yourself, your mum or a fab friend? I couldn’t.

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Rarely do we have fresh flowers in our house. In fact, I am a self-confessed plant killer. No joke. Even the extra warmth of the Christmas spirit, can’t keep a poinsettia alive for more than a week in the Sunny house.

That being said, I felt that spending £5 on a gorgeous batch of roses was more than fair.

Columbia Road Flower Market- The Basics

Columbia Road is composed of sixty independent shops. There are small art galleries, cup cake shops, vintage clothes stores, English and Italian delis, garden and antique shops. You can even get plastered…

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And don’t worry, boys. Mr Sunny found comfort in a pub he recommended as his pub of the week in our weekly newsletter. After Mr Sunny bravely made two passes through tight crowds, I thought it would be nice to thank him with a beer (because he was driving). He felt The Royal Oak, right on the corner of where the market begins, was a fantastic traditional pub.

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The Columbia Road Flower Market is in the East End of London, sitting on the edge of the city with Shoreditch to the west and Brick Lane and Spitafields nearby. Foodie friends, you know that means that while you are surrounded with flowers, you also are near some popular food destinations in London.

And if you’re looking for fab places to eat, keep reading so you know how to get our free, downloadable pocket guide to London restaurants.

The market has had several names over the centuries. The Victorian seen there today began in the 1860’s. Initially it was a Saturday trading market and then the flower market evolved. In the 1970’s the area went in to decline. However, locals fought to save the market. In the 1980’s the Columbia Road Flower Market began to have an international reputation.

Columbia Road Flower Market- What You MUST Know

For nearly a year, I have wanted Mr Sunny to drive me to Columbia Road Flower Market on a Sunday. On one Sunday, I had gotten ready early with the intent to go myself. However, I realised that if I took the Underground to the Columbia Road Flower Market alone, I would not be able to get a nice bunch of flowers home easily. Then, there were many Sundays that we just didn’t wake up early enough.

Mr Sunny’s aunt advised us to be there early, if we did go. And she was absolutely right!

Finally, on a super sun Sunday in London, we made it to the Columbia Flower Market. After 10 minutes of trying to find a parking space, we arrived at the flower stalls. We found a sea of people moving in a pack through the narrow walking space in between the flower stalls.

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If you are serious about choosing foliage and flowers, arrive at 8am when the Columbia Road Flower Market begins. You will have an easier time of finding everything from bedding plants to 10 foot banana trees. I hear even when it closes around 3pm ‘ish’ that it is still packed with a crowd. 

My plan was to make one pass through, attempting to see prices and products to do some comparison shopping.

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It seemed clear that the chants of ‘Everythin’ a fiver’ that we heard throughout our travel by the stalls was fairly accurate. Flowers and plants here are cheap!

Generally, everything seemed to be offered at the same price. Based on this, we decided to choose our flowers at the end of the stalls on our way out.

The best advice you can receive for the Columbia Road Flower Market is, serious shopping needs to take place at the crack of dawn. Otherwise, just go for the experience.

You also don’t have to worry about only having cash. While there are cash machines nearby, most stalls can take cards.

Columbia Road Flower Market- Final Thoughts

I would love to see what the markets have around Christmas. If any readers have made the trip during the Winter holidays, please add your ideas about the experience.

Visiting the Columbia Road Flower Market isn’t something I would do once a month. If the flowers are only a few pounds cheaper than what I can get at our local shops in North London, it isn’t really practical to make the trek there just to grab a bouquet.

But, while sifting through the crowds, I overheard a couple rejoicing in the huge purchase of items they bought. The gentleman exclaimed, ‘We never could have received these prices elsewhere.’

If you’re only in London a short time and have a passion for all things floral, you might find Covent Garden Market more accessible. While it’s definitely more focussed on tourists, it is larger and more spacious.

Take a look…

A Complete Guide to Covent Garden London from a London Local includes restaurants, hotels, attractions, Christmas, things to do, pubs and street performers

Want a Food Freebie in London?

Subscribe to the Sunny in London weekly email and immediately get the ‘Local’s Pocket Restaurant Guide to London.’ It’s the ultimate free travel accessory for your London trip. It features top recommended restaurants from a local, organised by neighbourhood. With it you can easily find a place to eat when you’re on a London street. Downloading the file to your phone means skipping Wi-fi and finding a fab foodie place- fast!

As part of the welcome, you will also receive several other free downloads that will guide you through trip planning, plus a weekly edition of the hottest happenings in London.

Send me the Free Pocket Restaurant Guide

7 Tips for Visiting Windsor Castle

Planning a trip to London and considering visiting Windsor Castle? If so, there are some things you should know. As the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, Windsor Castle is a must-see for royal family fans. It’s the Queen’s official residence and favourite weekend home. She spends most of her private weekends at the Castle, which is also used for ceremonial and State occasions.

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1. Visiting Windsor Castle- Your Ticket

When you purchase a ticket, you have access to The State Apartments and St. George’s Chapel (if it isn’t a Sunday). However, keep in mind that you are not allowed to photograph anything inside either of these locations.

Tips for Visiting Windsor Castle, London Day Trips

The State Apartments feature some of the finest treasures from the Royal Collection. When Mr. Sunny and I visited, he enjoyed seeing the trophies of arms and armour that line the walls of the Grand Staircase and Grand Vestibule. The china museum captivated my attention.

It’s important to note that since this is a working royal palace, opening arrangements can change at short notice. If the State Apartments are closed, there is a reduced admission price.

Tips for Visiting Windsor Castle, London Day Trips

We skipped the Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House (also included in an admission ticket) because the line was twice as long for it. Oh, and speaking of lines, be ready to see a queue wrapped around the street for entrance in to Windsor Castle. We arrived around 1pm on a Saturday in June and were grateful to have press passes that enabled us to bypass this. If you consider that Windsor has about 27,000 residents and receives around 7 million visitors a year, it’s no wonder that the line is so long to enter Windsor Castle.

Tips for Visiting Windsor Castle, London Day Trips

2. Visiting Windsor Castle- Special Events

Windsor Castle offers many family activities such as storytelling and art workshops every Saturday and each school holiday. For Shakespeare’s 400th birthday, there is an exhibition which shows how generations of monarchs have enjoyed the playwright’s work. Later this year is a ‘Fashioning a Reign: 90 Years of Style from The Queen’s Wardrobe.’

3. Visiting Windsor Castle- Special Tours

You can pick up a free multimedia guide which can assist with maximizing your visit to Windsor Castle. However, if you have a larger group, you might want to consider a more focused tour.

Tips for Visiting Windsor Castle, London Day Trips

Generally, you need about 15 people at a minimum for most of the special tours. As a food and travel blogger, I would be most excited about the Tour to the Great Kitchen so I could learn about royal dining. In fact, that’s one of the souvenirs we purchased during our Windsor Weekend, a book on seasonal recipes from Buckingham Palace, A Royal Cookbook.

When I learned there are 18,000 bottles of wine in the cellar, I really wanted to come back for this tour!

You can also climb 200 steps to the top of the Round Tower on the ‘Conquer the Tower Tour’ which has views of the Castle Precincts, London’s skyline and the River Thames. This tour is generally offered in August and September.

4. Visiting Windsor Castle- Changing of the Guard

The most disappointing part of my Weekend in Windsor visit was learning that Changing of the Guard had been cancelled for the day we arrived. Mr. Sunny and I set our alarms extra early in order to arrive to Windsor by train, check in to our fantastic room at the Macdonald Windsor Hotel, and grab a great spot on the street.

Tips for Visiting Windsor Castle, London Day Trips

Changing of the Guard is supposed to be far more spectacular at Windsor Castle than Buckingham Palace, so we were crushed when we discovered it wasn’t happening. Although it was clearly conveyed why, we think it may have been because most guards were being used in London for the Trooping the Colour.

5. Visiting Windsor Castle- Seeing Her Royal Majesty the Queen

If you are interested in seeing the Queen, you’ll have better luck on a weekend. This castle is where she grew up, so she views it as her home, whereas Buckingham Palace is her ‘office’. She also evacuated to Windsor Castle during World War II. Generally, she and the Duke of Edinburgh are driven to the castle when they make the commute.

While you probably won’t have a chance to see her, you can tell if she’s home if her flag is flying. Further, she rides her pony Emma every morning and keeps her green Jaguar at the Windsor Castle Mews. She is a fan of driving herself and does so as much as possible. I learned these interesting facts while on a walking tour with Amanda from Windsor Tourist Guides during a walking tour I had while visiting Windsor Castle.

Tips for Visiting Windsor Castle, London Day Trips

Her Majesty the Queen’s pony, Emma


Tips for Visiting Windsor Castle, London Day Trips

Royal Mews, where the Queen keeps her Jaguar

6. Visiting Windsor Castle- Save for Souvenirs

As someone who grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida and worked at Universal Studios Florida, I realise every attraction has at least one gift shop. It’s actually a pet peeve of mine that you nearly always have to exit a ride through the gift shop. While Windsor Castle has several gift shops located around the areas for which your ticket gives you access, they are at least more covertly placed.

Tips for Visiting Windsor Castle, London Day Trips

While I live in London and can’t go a single day without seeing several souvenir shops, I did in fact buy a few things during my visit. It was actually pretty funny when I got home and saw the cookbook on Amazon.co.uk.

And, I even checked and found A Royal Cookbook on Amazon.com in the US too!

Aside from those impulse purchases, I bought several boxes of Windsor Castle English Afternoon Tea. There was just something about buying tea at the Queen’s house that reached out to me. However, if I had a lot more money, I would have chosen a teacup and teapot from one of the exquisite collections for the Diamond Jubilee or her 90th birthday celebrations. They were in the price range of hundreds of pounds, so they definitely surpassed my souvenir budget. In any event, you might want to be prepared to purchase a few items as souvenirs from your day at the Queen’s weekend house.

Tips for Visiting Windsor Castle, London Day Trips

Tips for Visiting Windsor Castle, London Day Trips

7. Visiting Windsor Castle- To Stay or Not to Stay?

If you are in London for a limited amount of time, want to see a castle, and love all things royal, then plan a day to visit Windsor. As I indicated during a livestream Facebook video outside of Windsor Castle, it is truly an overwhelming experience and will consume 2-3 hours.

Tips for Visiting Windsor Castle, London Day Trips

From central London, it could be a 40 minute train ride to Windsor and Eton Central station, which is across from the castle. The trip from Paddington station is £20 ($35) roundtrip. Entrance to Windsor Castle at this time for a standard adult ticket is £20. It is a part of the London Pass program for saving money on attraction tickets, for which I have written about in many blog reviews. Windsor Castle is not designated for their fast-track entry.

Tips for Visiting Windsor Castle, London Day Trips

While a visit to Windsor is what many people recommend as a day trip, I disagree.  To truly enjoy the castle and what Windsor offers, I think it’s worthy of a full weekend and wish we had stayed two nights. If you’re flying in and out of London via Heathrow Airport, you might want to arrange a hotel in Windsor on the first or last day of your London visit, since it is fairly close. If you live in London as an American expat and are looking for a staycation, there is plenty to do in Windsor for two days.

Tips for Visiting Windsor Castle, London Day Trips

Whatever you may choose, you will do yourself a huge favour by checking in advance the Windsor Castle website for dates when the castle may be closed or have shorter opening hours. I can’t imagine going to the town for the first time and not visiting Windsor Castle. Finally, make sure you get your ticket stamped when you leave, as it will give you access for a full year!

Tips for Visiting Windsor Castle, London Day Trips

If you’re planning a full weekend in Windsor, be sure to watch my Visit Windsor- 10 Things to Do YouTube video below. And, don’t forget to leave your ideas in the comments below too.

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As part of the welcome, you will also receive several other free downloads that will guide you through trip planning, plus a weekly edition of the hottest happenings in London.

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Harry Potter Afternoon Tea in London Potions Class at Cutter and Squidge

The Potions Class at Cutter and Squidge is one of the hottest events in London at the moment. Popularly referred to as the ‘Harry Potter Afternoon Tea’, it has people waiting months to get a seat. As a former high school assistant principal, I could not resist writing a review in the form of a lesson observation after attending the magical course at Cutter and Squidge in Soho, London. At the end of this afternoon tea review you can find a few tips for ‘students’ who want to attend this coveted ‘class’ in London.

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Dear Potions Master,

Thank you for inviting me as a complimentary guest to your Potions Class for the purpose of a review. Your lesson objective to entertain and educate students about potions at the Cutter and Squidge secret School of Wizarding Alchemy was clear and constant throughout the evening.

Potions Class Strengths:

Foremost, your classroom management ticked all the right boxes. Systems for organisation are clearly in place. The first evidence of this is the email pupils receive upon event ticket confirmation. In it- they are directed to arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of class. All students followed this directive on the evening of my visit. Further, your assistants were visible outside the classroom at the designated time and made sure to have pupils enter via small groups down the stairs to your room.

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They also clearly had the seating plan for the evening in advance. This ensured an organised and efficient process, which further allowed you to start and conclude your lesson as scheduled. Specifically, it is appreciated that these steps were necessary since the lesson took place in the bakery’s basement.

Without these steps in place, students could have been injured from pushing and shoving on the staircase due to their enthusiasm for the course. Upon entering the classroom students are given a place to hang their coat so they can quickly participate in the transformation to a wizard when they receive their cloak for the Potions Class. This also proves that you adhere to the Cutter and Squidge secret School of Wizarding Alchemy uniform policy.

Your class began on time, as promised. Places were set in advance accordance to the structure of the lesson plan. Students quickly found their wands near their seats and could easily access all tools necessary for the start of the class. For example, they had beakers with chemicals needed for their first activity, as well as plates and utensils for the food that followed.

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You displayed your passion for teaching consistently through numerous appropriate jokes. Most notable are the ones about a particular franchise that can not be named. While students most likely choose the class because it is the closest thing to an actual Harry Potter Afternoon Tea in London, you are careful not to make any direct references. Rather, the focus is on a wizard experience.

Throughout the lesson you keep students engaged when moving around to each of their desks, checking on their progress and making personal (and always professional) connections with them. Your evidence of this is in the surprise near the end of the lesson which includes each of these encounters. Students in the class are rewarded for their success in activities through the use of ‘dibbles.’ The items they can choose with them at the end of the lesson definitely encourage them to return to Cutter and Squidge for more inspiration and indulgence.

When students are creating Galaxy Juice, their first chemical mixture, you are keen to provide information about each ingredient and the order in which it needs to be poured to guarantee correct taste and appearance of the potion.

Classroom management is again supported with strategies of differentiated learning. Students are allowed to choose their choice of tea and diet preferences. Specifically, this is evidenced in the care you take to provide food options that are vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and child friendly.

You had a strong engagement from students during the entire lesson. To prepare students for questions, you met with them quickly and privately to give them time to consider an answer before being called upon in front of the whole group. This builds their confidence, makes sure they are not embarrassed in front of the class, and keeps the entertaining momentum of your lesson strong.

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The Potions Master

Your assistants had knowledge of how to serve the afternoon tea portion of the lessons in a timely fashion to all students and took their various drink orders quickly. With regard to the content of the food for the afternoon tea, it receives outstanding marks in taste and visual appearance. Students had adequate time to enjoy all the tasty food and make conversation with their peers.

The atmosphere in the classroom also reflects the themed Harry Potter afternoon tea well. This is evidenced in the teacher’s desk and countless wizard tools and memorabilia placed on the walls and desks.

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Potions Class: Area for Improvement

While the lesson is entertaining, moves at a good pace and features delicious food, there is one small area for improvement. You are commended on making sure students handle wands carefully and know where to put them at the end of the class. This direction ensures that the general public are not at risk from the occasional naughty student who would try to take them from the room and use them in an unsupervised environment. However…

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You should research the possibility of having students wear safety goggles or glasses during their lesson. I do appreciate that you will need to explore if this addition to the lesson would cause any copyright infringement on the franchise that shall not be named. I look forward to learning what you discover in this suggested area. I have made a few suggestions below.

Potions Class: Final Assessment

Thank you for inviting me to have this experience. It will be one I highly recommend to colleagues and any individual who inquires about Harry Potter themed activities in London.

My advice to future students in the Potions Class, AKA ‘Harry Potter Afternoon Tea’ in London is below.

Kind regards,

Headmistress Sunny in London

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Harry Potter Afternoon Tea in London: Lesson 1

Don’t be late! As detailed above, the class features an entertaining and delicious experience. You really would be naughty and deserve to stand with your nose in the corner if you arrive late and ruin it for others.

Harry Potter Afternoon Tea in London: Lesson 2

Play along. The Potions Class is a themed Harry Potter Afternoon Tea. If you don’t openly or secretly want to be a wizard, skip it. You will need to recite chants, wave your wand and have an open heart about participation to truly enjoy the experience. In fact, I will candidly say that Death Eaters are NOT invited!

Harry Potter Afternoon Tea in London: Lesson 3

Save room for dessert. The class features surprises in all shapes. Be sure to plan on a non-stop food feast. If you aren’t in to sweets, you should get on your broomstick and fly somewhere else, Sunny friends.

Harry Potter Afternoon Tea in London: Lesson 4

Book early. I am not kidding above when I say this Potions Class in London is a tough one to score a seat. Plan well in advance for your visit and go to their website as soon as you can to check availability.

For all the Harry Potter themed activities in London visit the Sunny in London Harry Potter Guide for Visiting London. And of course, leave your questions and ideas about all things Harry Potter in London below in the comments! But please know the Potions Class is full of surprises. I was careful not to ruin any in this review and am counting on the same from you too. However, if you follow my Instastories, you would have seen some fantastic views and videos of the experience!

Class dismissed 😉

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SUBSCRIBE to the Sunny in London weekly email and immediately get the ‘Local’s Pocket Restaurant Guide to London.’ It’s the ultimate free travel accessory for your London trip. The Guide has top recommended restaurants from a local, organised by neighbourhood. With it you can easily find a place to eat when you’re on a London street. Downloading the file to your phone means skipping Wi-fi and finding a fab foodie place- fast!

As part of the welcome, you will also receive several other free downloads that will guide you through trip planning, plus a weekly edition of the hottest happenings in London.

harry-potter-afternoon-tea-london-potions-class-cutter-squidge-bakery-review

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London Film Premiere Tips- How to See Stars on the Red Carpet!

What happens on the Red Carpet at a London film premiere? When Visit Britain invited me to see a small press preview of King Arthur: Legend of the Sword on 16th May, I started thinking. I lived in Covent Garden, which borders Leicester Square, and have seen the set up for premieres happening so many times. Yet, I had never tried to go to one.

Out of curiousity for what happens ‘behind the scenes’ at London film premieres, I headed to Leicester Square on 10th May to see what I could discover at the official red carpet premiere. I had wanted to be earlier, but due to a prior meeting I couldn’t get there until around 4:30.

London Film Premiere: Timeline

  • 4:45 Red Carpet set up, press arriving
  • 6:15 Crowd entertainer circulates to get people excited, distributes some film gift bags
  • 6:30pm Celebrities begin arriving, signing autographs, doing interviews
  • 7:00pm Doors open in the cinema, crowd begins to leave because premiere takes place inside

In the video below, I explain how security let me in to the press area. It seemed like quite a few people were really just fans and not officially with any organisation. I think if you follow my suggestions, you could likely have the same experience as me. You can see all the great video I was able to get of Guy Ritchie, Charlie Hunnam and David Beckham.

Watch the video and let me know what you think. Leave comments here or on the Sunny News YouTube channel if you have ever attended a London film premiere or if you have questions and ideas. While every premiere can be different, knowing the suggestions I have for what to do ahead of time could better your chances of getting a selfie with a celebrity. Those tips are after the video link, so don’t miss them!

London Film Premiere: Tips for How to Plan Ahead

  • Visit websites to find out when the premieres are happening. Full details are usually released a week before.
  • Have big pictures of the stars to attract their attention and for them to sign.
  • Bring sharpies and pens for them to do this. A clipboard isn’t a bad idea either.
  • Wear comfortable shoes because you will stand for several hours- longer for an anticipated blockbuster.
  • Bring an umbrella or jacket. You’ll see my camera footage is bouncy because I was nervous and even though it was 65 and sunny, once the sunrays were blocked by buildings, it was freezing outside and my hands were shaking.
  • Think about your shirt choice because if you get a picture with Beckham you may be looking at it for a LONG TIME!
  • Make sure your phone and camera battery are charged. Bring at least one back up battery for each.
  • Arrive early. Here is the timeline for the King Arthur: Legend of the Sword premiere.
  • Research the stars and think of what you’ll say to them if they’re near you to get their attention.
  • If you sneak in like I did, you won’t get a wrist band. That means once you’re in, you must stay or forget it.
  • Your bag will be searched because, well, you could have contact with celebrities. You’ll see a celebrity hug a fan in my footage.

London Film Premiere: Extra Tip

One thing I don’t mention in the video is that you do have to be a bit aggressive. People waiting near me were generally nice. However, at one point they invited a small group of people in my area to go even closer. I wasn’t fast enough and didn’t cut in front of people. They literally stopped the ‘volunteers’ when they got to me. Security said they could only take 15 people, and I was 16. Bummer!

I look forward to attending the press event in a few days to see the film and will include a review of it on my blog. The official opening in London is on Thursday 18th May. You can learn about the locations used in the film on the Visit Britain website.

The Sunny News YouTube channel shares even more advice for things to do and what you’ll need to know about London. This includes safety tips, pub advice, and a shopping guide. The blog also has a Guide for Americans Visiting London which is a collection of the top experiences I recommend. You’ll definitely want to bookmark it and visit the Pinterest boards created to help trip planning too.

 

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The Best Hidden Pubs in London

Finding the best hidden pubs in London is not easy, especially if it’s your first time visiting.

One of the most popular reasons people read Sunny in London is for recommendations from an insider when they are planning a trip to London. As an American Expat married to a British man born in London, I have a big advantage. Since he and his dad are passionate beer drinkers and have lived their whole lives in London, they know which pubs to go to for different reasons. I have a personal pub tour guide that I can share with you!

We’ve put together quite a few pub crawls. For example:

hidden-pubs-in-london-guide

The hidden pubs in London list should not be mistaken for a pub crawl because the pubs are all over Zone 1 and even Zone 2 of town. It’s also not a comprehensive list. We wanted to leave room for your suggestions.

While 99% of the time I feel like my husband has had beer in every London pub, twice, there is an occasion when he learns about a new beer venue. You’ll see an example of this is the YouTube video below. His dad told us about one that we actually had to ask someone in the street to help us find. Then, we learned it’s one the most haunted pubs in London!

I did leave on pub out of the video but am sharing it with you here…

– Waxy O’Connor’s. I left this out of the Hidden London Pubs video because it’s right in the middle of Soho on a busy street. However, you would never in a million years guess that the pub is so big that there’s a full blown tree inside of it. I think it’s one of London’s best kept pub secrets. It also has a swanky sister pub nearby.

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The video starts at The Admiralty pub and explains why it’s the easiest pub to find in London. It shows you what delicious pub food looks like in London (it’s even open for breakfast!) and you can read our review to learn more too.

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We’re always eager to discover new pubs in London, so if you live in London or visited and went to a damn good pub (that you remember) let us know in the comments here or on YouTube.

If you don’t want to miss the Sunny News in London, make sure you subscribe. Highlights so far include: afternoon tea etiquette in London, British brands to buy, saving money through VAT refunds, and advice for visiting pubs.

 

There is an Expat Chat playlist which is also devoted to sharing USA vs UK differences like these:

tours-theatre-in-london-sunnyinlondon

Where to Eat in London- 5 Foodie Streets!

Feeling overwhelmed about where to eat in London? If you’re planning on visiting London, deciding which attractions to see in a limited amount of time is tough enough. If you layer in the problem of researching restaurants and pubs to visit, you will be overwhelmed with too many options.

To help you plan your trip, I created a list of five streets for foodies that will help you. In fact, it’s also a great resource for American expats who have just moved to London and want to start becoming familiar with London’s restaurant scene.

If you’re a super foodie like me (yes, I’m actually ranked as one on Zomato, which is one of London’s most popular food review websites), you can make life easy and follow the advice in the YouTube video at the end. It will give you details and a tour of each street. The streets have a range of cuisine types and prices. Hints of a few are in these pictures:

Where to Eat in London- 5 Streets for Foodies

Where to Eat in London- 5 Streets for Foodies- Herman-ze-German

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Where to Eat in London- 5 Streets for Foodies-aubaine

The best way to find where to eat in London is to know what streets offer great selections of restaurants, pubs and cafes. This way, you don’t waste time wandering around. You can focus on choosing what cuisine and price range you feel like at the moment. Watch here to see where to eat in London and make sure to print the maps next too!

These are the maps mentioned in the video:

Where to Eat in London- 5 Streets for Foodies map

Where to Eat in London- 5 Streets for Foodies map

 Please leave any questions/ideas you have about where to eat in London and how to plan your trip below.

Want a Food Freebie in London?

Subscribe to the Sunny in London weekly email and immediately get the ‘Local’s Pocket Restaurant Guide to London.’ It’s the ultimate free travel accessory for your London trip. The Guide has top recommended restaurants from a local, organised by neighbourhood. With it you can easily find a place to eat when you’re on a London street. Downloading the file to your phone means skipping Wi-fi and finding a fab foodie place- fast!

As part of the welcome, you will also receive several other free downloads that will guide you through trip planning, plus a weekly edition of the hottest happenings in London.

Where to Eat in London- 5 Streets for Foodies

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How to Get to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London

Is the Harry Potter Studio Tour London on your bucket list?

Before you get too excited, you need to realise it’s not an easy place to visit. Sadly, it’s like Stonehenge because it’s isolated from everything.

Many people know about the Warner Bros Studio Tour where you can see so many treasures from the Harry Potter films. However, they don’t know the quest for getting there is worthy of its own adventure novel… well at least a chapter in one!

I was lucky to go with my British husband the first time I visited Warner Bros, because he drives. However, when I went to see Hogwarts in the Snow, the special Christmas event at the attraction, he wasn’t available to chauffeur.

Warner Bros Studio is 20 miles northwest of Central London. As an American expat living here, I haven’t tried driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road yet. I imagine most travellers to London aren’t renting or hiring cars for their holidays either.

The Harry Potter Studio Tour review I wrote regularly triggers questions from readers about location. Nearly everyone asks about options for how to get to the Warner Bros studio.

Directions for Getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London

You can visit the Studio’s webpage for directions. However, they aren’t as simple as they appear. As an American expat living in London, I’ve put together a list of what happens with each option.

Getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London- Hire a Car

This is clearly the most expensive. When I entered the Central London location (Great Russell Street WC1B ) on Uber to inquire about a cab price cab one way to the Warner Bros Studio, I received this result:

Directions for Getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London

Ouch! Can someone get me a broomstick to try flying first? 😉

Google Maps estimated the drive to be 41 minutes, with no traffic. It also indicated there were toll roads.

Getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London- Take Trains

The website indicates that public transport links serve the attraction and a shuttle bus from Watford Junction is available. It costs £2 per return journey. These facts are simple, but there’s a huge hole that’s missing that you need to know. The time in between making connections can be significant!

When I had to get there myself, I relied on public transportation and had a disaster which nearly caused me to miss the Hogwarts in the Snow experience.

Directions for Getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London

I used the London Underground app, which I use daily. It estimated the journey to be 81 minutes with three station changes. I live in Zone 4 and had to travel in to Central London and back out to get to Watford Junction.

TFL Map London

What I didn’t consider, because I rarely use the Overground line (the orange one), is that these trains don’t run as rapidly as Underground trains. In fact, since an employee at a station gave me the wrong directions to a platform, I missed my train by one minute. The next one didn’t arrive for 20 more minutes.

Directions for Getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London

When I did arrive at Watford Junction, luckily the shuttle to Warner Bros Studio had not left yet and was parked right outside the station. My friend had been waiting for nearly a half an hour in the rain in line to board the shuttle.

Directions for Getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tour LondonAgain, the shuttles don’t travel between the station and the attraction that often.

We had tickets for the 9:00am tour but didn’t get to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London until 9:45am. If trains ran fluently, I would’ve arrived at Watford Junction at 8:15am. My journey that day cost me £4 each way (Zone 1-8). It was off-peak as it was a Saturday. On my return, I was able to get a train that went directly to Euston and this saved me 40 minutes. Here’s the 2016 Journey Fare Finder by Zone so you can calculate your trip.

Getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London- Ride in a Coach

When I researched this option, I discovered Golden Tours is a preferred partner of the Warner Bros Studio Tour London. This is their pickup schedule and locations, which are near Victoria Station and Baker Street Station in Central London. Including transportation and time at the studio, the experience lasts approximately seven hours.

Directions for Getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London

Roundtrip tickets cost about $100 per person. This is at the exchange rate of £1=$1.49. If you’re in the UK, the price is about £68 for roundtrip transportation and admission to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London.

Getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London- Drive Yourself

There is no need whatsoever to rent (hire) a car if you’ll only be in Central London for your holiday. Therefore, it would be silly to do so just for one day for the purpose of visiting the Harry Potter Studio Tour London.

Directions for how to get to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London Transportation

However, if you’re travelling from Warner Bros from outer London, or somewhere else in England, driving yourself would be the best of all options for a no hassle experience.

Getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London- Be Creative

Of course, there’s always a horse if you want to go old school.

Directions for getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London Transportation

Or maybe you might even try your luck jumping through Platform 9 3/4 if you’re feeling particularly inspired.

But, I would strongly suggest you look in to one of the above suggested options first, because this is as far as I got…

Directions Harry Potter Studio Tour London Transportation

Getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tour London: Final Thoughts

No matter how you arrive, this attraction in London is absolutely worth the effort if you’re a fan of the Harry Potter books or Harry Potter movies. If you can’t make it to the Studio, there’s also the Brit Movie Tours Harry Potter Bus Tour. Below are videos of 10 Harry Potter Things to Do in London and highlights of what you’ll see at the studio tour. Also, I have published a video on 5 questions to ask yourself to determine if the Harry Potter Studio Tour is Worth it for You.

If you’ve been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando’s Islands of Adventure, the Dueling Challenge: London vs Orlando is a blog review on how the two attractions compare. And, to see what the studio looks like for the holiday season, you can read my review of 5 Reasons You Must See Hogwarts in the Snow.

Want a Food Freebie in London?

SUBSCRIBE to the Sunny in London weekly email and immediately get the ‘Local’s Pocket Restaurant Guide to London.’ It’s the ultimate free travel accessory for your London trip. The Guide has top recommended restaurants from a local, organised by neighbourhood. With it you can easily find a place to eat when you’re on a London street. Downloading the file to your phone means skipping Wi-fi and finding a fab foodie place- fast!

As part of the welcome, you will also receive several other free downloads that will guide you through trip planning, plus a weekly edition of the hottest happenings in London.
A Guide to London for Americans Visiting for the First Time

 

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THE ESSENTIAL FIRST TIME GUIDE TO

American-guide-to-London

HARRY POTTER

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YOUTUBE

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