the warner brothers tour

Review: Is the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Worth It?

For a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood movie-making, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour is one of the best options around Los Angeles. This tour offers a 2-3 hour experience inside a working Hollywood studio, with the chance to explore outdoor sets and soundstages used to create La La Land, Gilmore Girls, The Big Bang Theory, and numerous other productions. In this review, we’ll take a look at whether the Warner Bros. Studio Tour is worth the time and money, how it compares to other Hollywood studio tours, and more.

We’ve now referenced both Hollywood and Los Angeles in this post, but technically, the studio tour is in Burbank, California. This is where most “Hollywood” studios are now located, and it’s “only” 2 miles from Griffith Park, north of Los Angeles. That only is in air quotes because this difference in location can be meaningful if you’re traveling from south of L.A. and are visiting during rush hour traffic. It takes us an upwards of 2 hours to get from where we live in Orange County to Burbank.

Once you pass the challenge of the Los Angeles traffic gods, you walk over to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour building, and check-in for the tour. This is all well-organized, with tours departing in continuous waves with about 15 minutes between them. The upside to this is that–if you’re late for your tickets–it’s no big deal. This happened to us, and we just ended up in a different wave than we would’ve been had we arrived on time…

The Warner Bros. Studio Tour begins in the Plaza Lobby, which serves as a holding area for the waves of tours. In this holding area, there are some interesting displays and a timeline of productions, as well as a Starbucks.

Once your group is called, you watch a short video chronicling Warner Bros. Studios history. This is basically a puff piece for Warner Bros, but it does its job in getting you hyped for the tour.

From there, you meet your tour guide, who takes you out to the large, golf cart-like trams. These hold ~16 people, so the tram is a pretty intimate experience.

The tour guide immediately takes the tram to the Warner Bros. Studio backlot, where you visit a series of residential streets adaptable to stand-in for a variety of different locations, from France to New York City.

I found this aspect of the Universal Studios Hollywood tour to be really interesting ( click here to read my full Universal Studios Hollywood Guide ), so it was nice to be able to see much more of this, and also get out and walk around the backdrops used for filming past and current productions.

This segment of the tour was pretty heavy on Gilmore Girls , as we explored multiple exteriors and interiors used during this show.

I’m more of a Golden Girls  person than a  Gilmore Girls  one (I’ve never seen the latter, but am currently contemplating a tattoo of Estelle) but this was nonetheless interesting.

Even though I’ve never seen  Gilmore Girls , there were comparisons to other productions that used the same spaces and a wealth of info about the locations.

In addition to  Gilmore Girls , we also visited exteriors where  Casablanca, ER, La La Land,  and other movies and television shows were filmed. Don’t go in expecting any of these on your tour.

At the start of the tour, your guide asks which shows you’re interested in–we had 4 people in our group that expressed interest in  Gilmore Girls,  so that’s what we got.

If you want something that skews more towards your tastes, consult Warner Bros. “Backlots & Soundstages” page to see what’s currently filming when you film, and be vocal when your guide asks what interests you.

(Don’t be surprised if the  La La Land  coffee house is totally gone by the time you do the tour–from what I understand, it was a temporary addition for Oscars promo.)

Following the backlot segment of the tour, we stopped at the Warner Bros. Archives, which has the bottom floor dedicated to DC Super Heroes in “DC Universe: The Exhibit.” This skews entirely towards the new DC movies, all of which I thought sucked.

The upper level is dedicated to Harry Potter and the Fantastic Beasts. None of this particularly interested me; I found it to be a series of glorified photo ops. Your mileage may vary if you’re a Harry Potter or DC films fan.

Shortly after that, you visit the Picture Car Vault, which has been transformed into the Batcave, and houses a variety of Batmobiles from over the years. This included Batman films over the years, including the good ones, but just the current ‘Batfleck’ incarnation.

I enjoyed this segment more–it was neat to see actual picture cars used in production–but it still felt a lot like a glorified photo op.

These two aspect of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour were, in my opinion, the weakest elements. This all felt like an exhibit rather than anything you’d see at an actual studio.

I get the desire to offer some variety on the tours to mix things up, but if the purpose of the tour is to experience a behind-the-scenes look of a working  Hollywood studio (as Warner Bros’ site indicates), this doesn’t further that goal. You could see these things at a museum in Iowa–none of this requires a visit to a Hollywood studio.

Next, we went inside of a soundstage, and saw an actual working set, both the exterior and interior. This was the highlight of the tour, and offered an experience that was unique and informative. It was interesting seeing what the cameras would–and would not–see, and how changes in the soundstage environment can cause dramatic shifts in what the camera picks up. (Sorry, no photos–they were not allowed inside the soundstage.)

Which soundstage you visit depends largely upon what is not filming or prepping for production while you visit. You’re not going to an active soundstage, but it’s in nearly show-ready condition. From what our guide said,  2 Broke Girls, The Ellen Degeneres Show,  and  The Big Bang Theory  are among the other options.

The Warner Bros. Studio Tour concludes with a visit to the Prop Department, Central Perk set (and working coffee shop, separately), interactive Stage 48, and Studio Store. All of this is located in the same building, and you go through at your own pace.

Here, you can hold an Oscar, sit in the Central Perk set from  Friends , or do a green-screen experience riding a broom from  Harry Potter (or another film). Warning: the final videos from the green screen experience are  expensive , but getting dressed up and doing it is free–we just filmed ours with iPhones and elected not to buy the finished video.

The soundstage visit and walking in and around the backlot alone made the Warner Bros. Studio Tour worth it to us. These accounted for around half of the tour time (ours clocked in around 2.5 hours, but they can last anywhere between 2 and 3 hours depending upon stops and how much time you spend in final, self-guided section.

The Warner Bros. Studio Tour offers a lot more improvisation than the Universal Studios Hollywood tour; while the latter can vary from day to day, it’s a largely scripted experience that aims at cycling through as many guests per day as possible. By contrast the Warner Bros. Studio Tour is a more intimate tram experience that also includes walking segments. Aside from the introduction, there are no video hosts, and it feels much more personal.

At both of these tours, we’ve found the tour guides to be incredibly polished, exuberant, and knowledgeable. Warner and Universal are clearly hiring guides that can put on a guide show, and that’s a definite upside to both.

By contrast, one of the downsides of our Sony tour was that our guide didn’t have a ton of polish–even though he was quite knowledgeable.

On the other hand, with so much effort made on the tour being polished and efficient, you do get the sense that Warner Bros. is selling a packaged experience as much as an authentic studio tour. At several points, you criss-cross or overlap with other tour groups, and the backlot was awash with tours during our visit.

The Warner Bros. Studio Tour was still a lot of fun with a wealth of behind the scenes experiences, so this is not too heavy of criticism.

The biggest drawback of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour is the cost, which is currently $65 per person. In addition, parking in the nearby lot is $12/vehicle. (You could probably find free street parking within a couple of blocks, but we were running late thanks to traffic, so we just paid.) It’s recommended that you purchase tickets in advance and arrive 15-20 minutes before your tour starts.

We used the Go Los Angeles Card ( read our review of the Go LA Card here ), and based upon what we saw when checking in, at least half of other guests doing the tour used this card. If you’re thinking about doing both the Sony Studio Tour and Warner Bros. Studio Tour, it’s cheaper to buy the card and do them in the same day. This is easily do-able, and anything else you manage to accomplish in that day is gravy.

If we had to pay full price, I might feel a bit differently about the experience. If you don’t opt for the Go LA Card but are a local, there are regularly SoCal resident specials available during the off-season that make the tour cost under $50/person. Still expensive, but better.

We’ve now done 3 of the 4 studio tours offered in and around Hollywood, California. At this point, I’d say the Warner Bros. Studio Tour offers the best compromise of a well-produced tour and an intimate experience that offers a behind the scenes look at Hollywood production. Each of the 3 tours we’ve done thus far differ fairly significantly from one another to the point that you could do all of them if you were interested in Hollywood. Which is best for you depends largely on personal preference. (Once we’ve done the Paramount Studio Tour, I’ll write an article weighing the pros and cons of all 4.)

With that said, I would highly recommend the Warner Bros. Studio Tour. This is particularly true if you did the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood and found yourself wanting something more in-depth/behind-the-scenes, and less of a theme park experience. The Warner Bros. Studio Tour scores high marks for being well-organized, efficient, and offering enough glimpses into Hollywood production to make it worth your time and money. It doesn’t have quite the ‘insider’ vibe as the Sony tour, but it makes up for this in terms of polish and solid substance. Even though it’s a bit pricey (especially with parking piled on top of high admission costs), it’s a good option for things to do in and around Los Angeles.

If you’re planning a California vacation, check out my  California category of posts  for other things to do. For Los Angeles-centric trips, we’ve found the most useful guidebook to be The Best Things to Do in Los Angeles: 1001 Ideas , which is written by locals (and we use it even as locals!). If you enjoyed this post, help spread the word by sharing it via social media. Thanks for reading! 

Your Thoughts

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What kind of audience or individuals does the review suggest would benefit the most from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour?

You said that purchasing the green screen video is expensive… just curious how much it is? I can’t seem to find the answer anywhere online!

Sorry, I don’t recall the price.

We did this tour about seven years ago, so I am sure it has changed a lot since then. We thoroughly enjoyed it, but it also changed the way I think about shows/movies and their settings. We saw the set for The Mentalist which was one of my favorite shows at the time. It was also interesting to hear about how most of The Last Samari was filmed there. They also showed us where scenes from one of the Spiderman movies was filmed. I find myself watching shows and recognizing the setting from shows such as Hart of Dixie and Pretty Little Liars. While I loved the tour and found it very interesting, I felt like it did ruin a little bit of the magic behind certain shows and movies.

I lived in Los Angeles for a few years, and this was one of the most enjoyable LA experiences I’ve ever had. They were filming Hart of Dixie at that time, a show I loved, and we got to see a ton of the set (amazing; it was like Cars Land at Disneyland, where the show came to life, but this was real!). Ours also had a large portion which was a “Harry Potter” costumes museum – the cool green screen experience was not available on our tour, but they had the Sorting Hat which sorted people, which was fun. We also got to see the Big Band Theory set, and the Batmobiles, and of course the Central Perk coffeehouse. I think if you’re lucky and you happen to like the shows which are currently being filmed there, seeing the sets are truly amazing! One’s mileage may vary, though!

We took this a few years back and we enjoyed as well. Certainly seeing the sound stages where legendary pictures and series were made was a great experience. Our guide was very knowledgable on the history and backlots and offered to take our pictures in front of the Bat-mobiles. One thing though, the new DC movies are epics and will be considered classics in time, much more than Marvel in my humble opinion! 🙂

Definitely agree regarding the history, which I probably didn’t emphasize enough in the review.

DC lost me after the Nolan Batman movies. You can accuse Disney’s Marvel films of being formulaic, but I’ll take that over the inconsistent and meandering DC films of the last few years. I hope that changes, as I really love a lot of the DC characters!

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Warner Bros. Studio Tour: Know Before You Go

If you've ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes during the making of a television show or major Hollywood movie, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Los Angeles gives visitors an opportunity to find out. For more than 75 years, Warner Bros. has been making movies at their Burbank studios, and they generously share their heritage with visitors on daily tours of the facilities. 

However, unlike the extensive  studio tour at Universal , the Warner Bros. tour is unscripted and changes depending on what's currently in production at the studio. While Universal Studios has many sets from previous films, the only set you'll find at Warner Bros. is from the "Friends" television show, which has been relocated to a small room near the prop department so that visitors can enjoy it.

Tips for Enjoying the Tour

• Some walking is required, and you'll get on and off the tram several times.
• Adults must bring legal photo identification, and you will have to show it at the ticket counter.
• Children under 8 are not allowed. Additionally, children ages 8 through 17 must be accompanied by an adult to take the tour.
• Plan on arriving at least 30 minutes before your scheduled tour departure. Arriving early will allow time for parking and security.
• Leave your video camera in the car as much of the tour doesn't allow photography; however, there are parts of the studio where you can snap a picture on your phone.
• Do not bring large bags like backpacks or suitcases, or anything that might be considered a weapon (including pocket knives, mace, or pepper spray).
• You will be check by a metal detector and have your personal belongings inspected before being allowed to enter the studio.
• If you're visiting several Hollywood attractions on the same day, you can save money on the Paramount Tour with a Go Card.

Tour Options

Besides the basic tour, Warner Bros. offers an expanded tour or two that cover more areas, go into more depth, and may include lunch in the commissary. Visit their website to find out about these options if you're interested. However, keep in mind that the deluxe tour experiences may also have higher age requirements for guests—experiences that feature drinks are often only available to guests over the age of 21.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour

The standard Warner Bros. Studio Tour takes guests through a real, working film production area—not a theme park. Every tour is different and depends on the film and television production schedules, but they regularly include a visit to a set or two and a peek at some of the behind-the-scenes productions of Hollywood. Highlights of the tour include:

• The reception center shows a short film highlighting the history of Warner Bros.
• Visitors travel in groups of 12 or less in an open-air tram. The tour varies, but you may see the Costume Department, Scenic Department, sound stages, editing rooms, screening theaters, and the 2-million-gallon tank used for filming water scenes.
• Some parts of the Warner Bros. Studios are off-limits to photography, such as the sound stages where movies and television shows are filmed. The tour guide will stow your cameras when you visit these areas.
• Tours usually visit at least one or two filming sets, which are typically for television series; the sets you visit will depend on the filming schedule for the studio.
• The tour visits some of the studio's twenty acres of exterior sets. It's in this area where most of the picture taking are allowed. This is also where the tour guides shine, showing visitors spots such as the scene of Spiderman and Mary Jane's first kiss. They'll also take you behind the facades, building fronts made just for show and into a "practical" set, which has rooms inside.
• Even though only a small portion of the studio's memorabilia collection is on display in the Studio Museum, you'll probably still be looking around at the costumes, scripts, props, and letters when your tour guide says it's time to leave. Vigilant guards keep itchy hands off the treasures, and very little is behind glass so that you can see it all clearly.

Once you've been on the studio tour, you'll never think of a movie or television program in quite the same way again.

We rate the Warner Bros. Studio Tour 4 stars out of 5. It's an authentic tour of a working studio unfettered by special effects, and the museum is excellent.

What You Need to Know

Tours are available on weekdays year-round (when you'll find more things going on) and weekends during summer vacation time. Check the current schedule before you go (not required but highly recommended). Open spaces are sold on a first-come, first served basis. There is an admission fee charged (expensive) and parking is extra. The basic tour lasts a little more than two hours, the expanded tour options last longer. Any time is a great time to visit.

Getting There

3400 Riverside Drive Burbank, CA

Parking is in a visitor lot near Gate N which is located across from the above address. A parking fee is charged. Driving directions from all the Los Angeles freeways are available at the Warner Bros. website.

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary services for review purposes. While it has not influenced this review, TripSavvy believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our  Ethics Policy .

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Warner bros. studio tour hollywood.

3400 W Riverside Dr. Burbank CA 91522

A Better Way to Make New Friends

Stay in Burbank and take the Warner Bros Studio Tour Hollywood.

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Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood brings you closer than ever to the legendary entertainment you know and love. As a recipient of multiple Trip Advisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards and recognized as one of the Top 25 Attractions in the United States, the Studio Tour offers a revealing look behind the camera at how Hollywood magic is made. From Friends and The Big Bang Theory to Harry Potter and the DC Universe, you can explore the nearly 100-year-old studio as you visit the real sets and backlots. With actual filming happening all around you, no two tours are ever alike.

Average Review

With all the recent upgrades, the Warner Bros Studio Tour has become the best studio tour in Los Angeles. Full Review

Holy movie props, Batman! This museum was full of every mask from every Batman, villains costumes and small replicas of featured buildings. Full Review

MORE ABOUT THE TOUR

Knowledgeable tour guides will take you behind the scenes of the legendary 110-acre backlot where classic movies and TV shows like Casablanca, Batman, and Friends came to life. Here, you’ll explore the authentic sets and soundstages and during a very special visit to Stage 48: Script to Screen, all of Hollywood’s best-kept secrets are finally revealed. This is where you immerse yourself in the technology and methods of production, revel in Sheldon’s apartment set from The Big Bang Theory before dining at Central Perk Café.

From Stage 48, the journey continues to the grand finale “Action and Magic Made Here” where you’ll experience the universe of DC Super-Heroes and Super-Villains and step into the world of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts with all new interactive experiences, props, costumes, and memorable photo opportunities. This is your chance to enter Batman’s secret lair and explore the all-new Batcave, where you can get up close to the authentic Batmobile from Tim Burton’s original Batman, the Tumbler from The Dark Knight, and the Batwing from Batman v. Superman. You’ll also have the opportunity to test your wand choreography skills, and attend a new Sorting Ceremony where you’ll hear the Sorting Hat call out your true Hogwarts house when it’s placed above your head.

NOTE : be sure to download the Harry Potter Fan Club mobile app for an even more enchanting experience where you can discover your official Hogwarts house before arriving.

Concluding the tour is an elegant display of iconic treasures from Warner Bros. most beloved films and TV shows in the “Celebration of Awards Season.” The exhibit spotlights iconic crown jewel props and costumes from WB’s classic films, such as the trombone that Robert Preston played in The Music Man, the jersey worn by the late Chadwick Boseman to portray Jackie Robinson in 42, and a painstakingly detailed miniature blimp from Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner.

Tours are offered in English and Spanish. Advanced bookings are required, and families with children five years and older are welcome.

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Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Warner Brothers Studio Tour + Tips

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Are you looking for the best studio tour in Los Angeles? TV and movie lovers won’t want to miss the Warner Brothers Studio tour! I’ve done it twice over the decades and loved it both times. The WB Studio tour keeps adding experiences and features to make it more fun, engaging and interactive.

After reading this Warner Brothers Studio tour review, you’ll have all the tips you need to make the most of your experience – including how to snag a Warner Brothers Studio tour discount !

Warner Brothers Studio tour information

The Warner Brothers Studio Tour Hollywood takes place on the backlot of the famed WB Studio in Burbank, California. It borders Griffith Park and is just 3 miles from Universal Studios Hollywood .

The basic Studio Tour includes about 1 hour touring the back lot with a live guide in a cart along with as much self-paced time exploring exhibits as you want. During the guided portion of the tour you’ll see some of Warner Brothers’ most famous sets like “New York City”, Fuller House , The Big Bang Theory , Friends and more. Guests even visit an active sound stage where current shows are filmed!

In the photo above from 2011, you can see the set “dressed” as Bluebell, Alabama for Hart of Dixie . It’s amazing to notice the small details that must be added and removed every time an area of the massive backlot is repurposed!

We learned so much about the different types of sets, how lighting needs are met, ways to turn residential Burbank into a remote island jungle and more. If you’re paying attention to the details, the tour is incredibly informative. You really do get to go behind the scenes, exactly as advertised.

In recent years, Warner Brothers has fleshed out the tour to include tons of fun interactive experiences. You can check out the latest Batmobile, design your own costumes, get sorted into your Hogwarts house and so much more! Warner Brothers Studio suggests to allow about two hours for these exhibits and that matched our experience.

During your visit you’ll ride two carts: the first is your main studio tour from the arrival to the Stage 48 exhibits, and the second is (mostly) transportation from Stage 48 back to the building where you started. I like this set up because you really can set your own pace in the interactive areas. Stage 48 has the Central Perk Cafe, restrooms, several popular TV sets and a very cool interactive soundstage. This is where you get to learn how so many costumes, special effects and computer animated characters are created!

Once you’re ready to leave Stage 48, your second cart makes a brief stop for photo ops at the “Friends fountain” for anyone who wants to do it – though plenty of people forgo it because they’ve already been on the tour for around two hours at that point. Surprisingly, the “couch” is made of fiberglass so it’s hard as a rock and can be blazing hot as it sits in the LA sun.

The final stop on the Warner Bros Studio Tour is a brand new set of exhibits designed to connect WB Studios with younger generations. There are huge areas dedicated to DC Super Heros and Super Villains and to Harry Potter. We spent most of our time in the HP section, which is an official “Wizarding World” location. There are so many fun things to do! Visitors can practice casting spells, pose in iconic scenes and more. It’s a great warm-up to visiting Universal Studios.

If you feel like you’ll want even more behind-the-scenes than the hour with your tour guide, check out the Studio Tour Plus. It includes an extra hour with your guide plus lunch at Central Perk and some other bonuses. This is for true movie and TV buffs!

Is the Warner Brothers Studio worth taking?

Absolutely! I’ve taken this tour twice and enjoyed it even more the second time. There’s something in the WB Studios tour for everyone, whether it’s the opportunity to connect with your favorite TV shows and movies or to nerd out on all the cool special effects. We even got to hold a real Oscar!

What you won’t find here are rides and attractions that are typically in a theme park. This is a tour of one of the busiest studios in the world rather than a stand-alone tourist experience. As long as you go into it understanding what to expect, you’ll have a phenomenal time.

Warner Brothers Studio tour tips

How to score at Warner Brothers Studio tour discount

There are a few excellent ways to get a discount on the Warner Brothers Studio tour.

SoCal resident discount

If you live in Southern California, the simplest way to get a discount is to book resident tickets. You don’t need a Warner Brothers Studio tour coupon, but you will need to show proof of residency when you check in. A resident can buy up to 6 tickets, so this is a great option if you have family and friends visiting from out of town. Note that this deal isn’t available during the winter holidays or summer break.

That said, the SoCal resident discount is NOT my favorite way to get discounted tickets for the Warner Brothers Studio tour…

Undercover Tourist Warner Brothers Studio tour tickets

The Undercover Tourist tickets to Warner Brothers Studio is just $1 more for adults but it’s $6 cheaper per child! The huge advantage is that you can use the tickets even during peak dates like summer break. I’ve used Undercover Tourist for tickets in the past and there was never a hiccup; they’re a legitimate travel agency focused on theme parks and other attractions in SoCal and Orlando.

Even better, if you buy your WB Studio Tour tickets and book your rental car at the same time you can save up to 50% off of your car! I’ve done it myself for other tickets and saved hundreds of dollars.

GoCity Los Angeles attractions pass

The GoCity Los Angeles attractions pass is a great way to save money if you’re planning to do a lot of sightseeing in LA. They offer two options, which both include the WB Studios tour: Explorer Pass and All-Inclusive Pass. I’ll explain the difference.

The GoCity Los Angeles Explorer Pass allows you to choose how many attractions you want to visit in a 60 day period. This can be a great option for both visitors and locals! You select between 2 and 7 activities you want to do. The more you do, the more you save. If you really want to explore the city, you could opt for 7 attractions for $163 per adult/$119 per child. In addition to WB Studios, you can check out great options like the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, get a behind-the-scenes tour of SoFi Stadium , see the new King Tut immersive experience, go whale watching and plenty more.

If you’re tight on time but want to do a lot, the GoCity Los Angeles All-Inclusive Pass lets you cram in the best activities within a short amount of time. Pick the number of days you plan to use the Pass and on each day you can do as many activities as you want! You have 14 days to use your All-Inclusive Pass, so you don’t have to use the days consecutively. The All-Inclusive option can be a really great value, especially for theme park lovers: Passes of at least three days include Universal Studios Hollywood , and all durations include LEGOland, Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain (in addition to plenty of other activities). You can even cap off an evening with a dining credit at The Curious Palate (which I love) on the roof of Santa Monica Place!

When’s the best time to take the Warner Brothers Studio tour?

If you can, try to schedule your tour of Warner Brothers Studios for a weekday. You’ll see the lot buzzing with activity and might even see some of your favorite celebs! Weekends (as seen above) and holiday periods are much quieter, as there’s rarely filming. Even Hollywood types get time off.

The specific time you’ve booked your tour isn’t critical. Try to arrive around that time but tours run pretty much continuously from 9am to 3:30pm most days. We weren’t able to secure tickets for as early in the day as we preferred, but when we arrived 30 minutes early the attendants told us to go right in. You’ll spend the first part of your visit on your own exploring the engaging exhibit about the Studio’s history anyway.

Obviously if you’ve booked the last tour of the day, show up on time – or early!

What age should kids be for the Warner Brothers Studio tour?

The minimum age for the Warner Brothers Studio tour is 5 years old.

That said, I wouldn’t bother bringing kids until they’ve started getting into live action movies unless they’re really interested in special effects. They won’t connect with the sets and story telling as much as older kids and adults so they might get bored.

We took our kids at 8 and 11, and they had already watched all of the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies plus several super hero movies. It was great for them, but probably wouldn’t have been even a year earlier.

If you plan to do the Warner Brothers Studio tour with kids, be sure that they’re able to sit calmly and in the open-air cart as it zips around the back lot. There are lap belts for all passengers.

Can you take photos and videos on the Warner Brothers Studio tour?

You can’t take videos on the tour at all. You can take photos on most of the tour except when you’re touring the sound stage that’s currently being used for production (even if no one’s working in it that day).

Best places to stay near Warner Brothers Studio tour

Just a mile away from Universal Studios in North Hollywood is  The Garland . I’m already looking at rooms for our family’s next trip back to Los Angeles!

Inside the mission-style building, you’ll find a beautiful blending of SoCal craftsman architecture with Mid-Century Modern design touches. For larger crews, this hotel offers quite a few different room types including standard queen-queen rooms, rooms with junior bunk beds in alcoves for early bed times, and even family suites with bunk beds. And for pet owners, The Garland is a pet-friendly hotel in Los Angeles!

If you don’t want to rent a car while you’re in Los Angeles, The Garland is a great option. They have a free trolley shuttle to CityWalk at Universal Studios, as well as to the Red Line (now called “B”) metro station nearby. That metro line will get you to all of the major sites in Hollywood as well as Downtown LA. To get to the Warner Brothers Studio tour, hop on the orange #222 and then walk a few blocks from the Hollywood Way stop – you’ll be there in about 15 minutes.

There are also on-site activities available to keep you busy when you aren’t out exploring. There’s a lovely pool and a family jacuzzi, plus a rotating calendar of activities that includes lawn games, local food pop ups, guided tours and hikes in the area and more. It all comes together to make one of the best places to stay in LA with kids!

Pro tip: If you do rent a car, head 5 minutes north to the NoHo Arts District and grab some amazing tacos or ceviche at newcomer Xécora.

How to get to Warner Brothers Studio tour + parking

The Warner Brothers Studio is located in Burbank just off the 134 freeway near Riverside Drive. The tour has its own entrance that is separate from the “working” studio gates , and you’ll be able to find the tour in your favorite navigation app. The entrance is at 3400 Warner Blvd.

If there’s one thing I can’t stand about LA, it’s making captive, money-spending audiences pay for parking. But that’s the way this city goes. The Warner Brothers Studio tour parking cost is $15 per vehicle, payable by credit card when you enter.

Planning on a car-free trip to LA? There are several bus lines that run pretty close to the Warner Brothers Studio tour entrance. The orange metro #222 picks up just in front of The Garland and drops you off at Hollywood Way/Alameda – total transit time for walking and the bus is just over 15 minutes. Visitors staying at the Sheraton Universal City will need to allow 25 minutes to walk and catch the orange #155.

For those staying outside of the immediate area and avoiding a rental car, you’ll probably want to snag an Uber. There are additional transit options (including the Metro Red line) but they’ll take a least 40 minutes each way.

Keep exploring LA

After you’ve wrapped up your WB Studios tour in LA, check out these other fun things to do in Los Angeles:

• Fun Things To Do In Los Angeles With Kids (A Local Mom’s Guide)
• 7 Things to Do in Downtown Los Angeles
• Best Activities to Do Near SoFi Stadium

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Thorough Practical Experiential Travel

The Warner Bros Studio Tour Hollywood – A Thorough Review

I love TV.  I have one of those brains that has a hard time relaxing. One of the few ways I can get a break is to watch a show…or two.  My favorites over the years have ranged from Cheers & Seinfeld to Breaking Bad & Survivor to current favorites like Ted Lasso & Fauda. So, when I was tripping activities in the LA area for our recent Rose Bowl trip , and came across the Warner Bros Studio Tour, it seemed like a no-brainer.  A chance to see where and how TV and movies are made?  Sign me up!

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  If you buy something after clicking one of these links, I may earn a small commission.  This does not cost you anything extra and helps support this blog .

First, a Little History

The Warner Bros Hollywood Studio is located in Burbank, about 15 minutes north of downtown LA.  The studio was established all the way back in 1926. Films – and then TV – have been made there for almost 100 years!  The studio sits on 62 acres and is made up of outdoor movie sets, multiple sound stages, and buildings dedicated to all facets of movie & television production.  Well-known films made here include Casablanca, My Fair Lady , Goonies, and several of the Batman movies.  Well-known TV series include Friends and The Big Bang Theory.  

The Warner Bros Studio Tour is a great way to see and understand the process that goes into making film and TV.  And I will say right off the bat that the tour exceeded my expectations.  In my research, I discovered that the tour is one of the highest-rated area activities on TripAdvisor. But still, I thought our access to a busy working studio might be somewhat diluted.  Not the case!  It was an in-depth tour with a great deal of insight and access to what seemed like a big portion of the studio.  Plus, it featured a lot of really impressive interactive displays.  Let me show you….

Getting Started

Warner Bros Studio offers a few different kinds of tours. We went on the most popular – The Studio Tour.  This tour starts every 30 minutes between 8:30am and 3:30pm, 5-7 days weekly (depending on the time of year). The Studio recommends that you buy your tickets online ahead of time, though limited walkup tickets may be available depending on demand. The guided portion of the tour lasts about an hour.  Self-guided touring through various displays can take another 1-3 hours depending on how long you want to linger.  We spent 2 hours on the lot. 

You can click here to purchase tickets on Viator

Our tour started in a screening room where we watched  a short 5-minute movie quickly covering the Studio’s history. 

We were then directed outside where we divided up into smaller groups.  Each group was assigned a guide and a tour cart.  Our guide’s name was Maxx. 

The Backlot – You Might Recognize Some of This

First we drove through and explored the Backlot – a series of outdoor sets that have been constructed over the years, and have been used in countless movies and TV shows. Many of these sets date to the 1930s and all are still in use today. As Maxx took us down one street after the other, we jumped from small town Midwest to downtown New York, from tree-lined residential streets to seedy back alleys.

And we didn’t just stay in the cart. We got out and walked up and down these empty streets. We were even allowed enter a few of the buildings. Some are just empty shells like the photo below….

While others are called “Practicals” and are used for their interiors as well. In the photo below, Maxx explains how the decor of the room is changed constantly depending on what’s needed for the production, and how the open ceilings are used for gear.

Maxx also explained how even the exteriors can be adjusted. The bricks aren’t bricks. They are made of styrene and can easily be replaced in en masse for a different look. All the buildings also lack exterior features like door handles and lights, as you can see in the picture below. These are added at the time of filming, based on each production’s needs.

As we walked from location to location, Maxx would point out the storied filming history of individual streets, storefronts, and buildings. Memorable scenes like the alley for Spiderman’s upside-side down kiss, the cafe in Casablanca, the street outside Annie’s orphanage, the last shot of the Seinfeld series, and many many more.

Once back in the cart after each set, a short video would then show us each set’s transformation from one movie to another over the decades – very cool!

The Front Lot and Stage 16

Next up on the Warner Bros Studio Tour was the Front Lot. This is its collection of 30 sound stages where the interior production of films and TV takes place. Inside these huge soundproof buildings, elaborate sets are built, specific to each production.

We stopped at Stage 16. At 65 feet tall, it’s the largest on the lot and one of the tallest in the world. It also has a 2 million gallon water tank under its floor, extending another 30 feet below ground, allowing films like The Perfect Storm and Poseidon to be filmed inside.

At the time of our tour, the soundstage wasn’t in use. So we were able to walk inside and take in its cavernous enormity.

Each soundstage has a plaque on the outside listing its production history. Take a close look and you can see plenty of classics on Stage 16’s list including Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park.

We also had the chance to drive directly through The Mill. This is the construction department where the interior sets are created.

We also drove past the large building that houses the property department. This is where all the furniture and fixtures required to dress a set are kept. We weren’t able to enter, but could see stacks of lamps and other fixtures through the windows. Maxx described the intricate cataloguing and ordering system that the Studio has set up as we passed.

After this, the guided portion of the tour ended, and Maxx dropped us off at a building called Stage 48.

Stage 48 – Friendstravaganza

Stage 48 is the first of two interactive experiences on the Warner Bros Studio Tour. And there was lots going on in this building. Most popular is the coffee shop set from the TV series Friends. I personally never watched much of Friends, but this seemed to be the highlight for a great percentage of tour participants. Here, fans can line up and get a photo on the couch. I had to act fast to get the shot below in between groups of giddy fans.

There is also a Friend’s-themed fully-functioning coffee shop inside the building. Plus, a large gift shop mostly dedicated to Friend’s paraphernalia. Important note to those who need to eat midday like I do – the coffee shop has what looked to be a decent food menu, too.

Stage 48 also features the living room set from The Big Bang Theory where fans can also pose for photos.

In addition to the sets from those two popular TV shows, Stage 48 also offers an immersive experience called Script to Screen. As we walked from room to room, we were learned about the many sequential steps involved in film and TV production. It was all very interesting, especially all the costume displays. And I finally know what a foley artist does (creates the every day sound effects that are added post-production).

To Couch or Not to Couch

It would be easy to spend several hours at Stage 48. But we breezed through pretty quick, spending about 30 minutes. When we were ready to leave, a tour cart was waiting outside, and we were taken to the final displays on the tour.

First though, while again passing through the Backlot, we were given the option to get off and have our picture taken on the couch and fountain from Friend’s opening sequence. Again, not big Friend’s fans, so we stayed on the cart and headed directly to The Archive, which is located in the main tour building.

The Archive – Where I Became Hufflepuff

First up – costumes from many of the DC Comics movies, all made by Warner Bros Studios, including Michael Keaton’s Batman and Christopher Reeves’s Superman,

Ben Affleck’s Batman and Henry Cavill’s Superman,

and one of a long line of Batmobiles used in the movie franchise – this is the Tim Burton version.

Next, was Harry Potter’s Wizarding World. Harry Potter was filmed at the Warner Bros Studio in England rather than this one, but it is still a big deal on the Hollywood Studio Tour.

Here, several Harry Potter sets and scenes were recreated for our photo-taking pleasure.

Plus, we had the opportunity to participate in a Sorting Ceremony. We may have not wanted to sit on the various Friend’s couches, but we couldn’t pass up the Sorting Ceremony! The hat was lowered on to our heads (kind of), and our House was chosen by a voice above and around us. Me – Hufflepuff! Mrs. TT – Slytherin!! I’ll have to watch out around her now….

Finally, we found ourselves in a room surrounded by various awards collected by the Studio over the years, including a few of their Oscars. This is the first time I’ve ever seen an actual Oscar. The one pictured here is My Fair Lady’s Best Picture Academy Award from 1964.

Final Thoughts

Our time on the Warner Bros Studio Tour was thoroughly enjoyable. We learned a lot about film and TV production, had much better studio access than I imagined, and we were impressed with the interactive displays. We don’t tend to linger at displays, so our tour only took about 2 hours. But I can certainly understand why the Warner Bros website states that it could take 3-4. If you love TV (or movies) as much as I do, then don’t hesitate to spend a few hours on the Warner Bros Studio Tour in Burbank. You can click here to purchase tickets on Viator

If you would like to read about some of other great tours from my travels, then check out this post about an Air Tour in Kauai , this one about Touring Ballard Locks in Seattle , or this one about a Cooking Class in Seville Spain .

And during this trip to LA, I decided to exclusively use ride share for our transportation needs rather than renting a car like I usually do. Did I save money? Yes! A lot actually. Click here to check out my blog post about Uber vs Car Rental in LA

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Tom Smalltownplussize

I enjoyed reading about your tour. Mrs Small Town has been so I’ve heard a lot of fun stories. I can’t wait to see it myself.

thethoroughtripper

Thanks Tom! As I think back to many trips to LA over the years, it’s definitely a highlight. Not sure why I’ve never done it until now.

Paul (Paul Passing Through)

Really interesting article. I think it’s so fascinating that the outdoor sets don’t have doorknobs or light fixtures. It would be so neat to walk through those soundstages where some of my favorite films were made. I do think it’s funny that they have Harry Potter sets. It would be fun but odd knowing none of them were filmed there.

We really learned so many interesting facts like that about TV and film production. Never read any Harry Potter myself. Watched each movie with the kids, but they came out so far apart that I had a hard time remembering the full story line over all the subsequent years. Still though, couldn’t pass up getting Sorted

Peggy Zipperer

Looks like a fun tour! I am completely fascinated with the huge water stage – 30 ft underground?!?! Mind-blowing! The Harry Potter scenes are great!

And we walked right across it. Would have loved to see what it looked like underneath that floor.

David Chalem

It’s actually *Maxx

Thanks for letting me know. I’ll add the second x to her name 🙂

Chalk and cheese travels8

What a great tour to do and see all the famous sets. Something we would love to do. We took the driving tour around Universal Studios and that was fun but this looks so much better

Brian Archambault

That Batmobile isn’t from the dark knight series. It’s from the 2 Tim Burton Batman’s with Michael Keaton

Thanks for letting me know. I’ll change it. I’m clearly not a Batman expert 🙂

I loved your letter I found it really interesting id love to see it in person that and tmz tour bus tour. I’d love to see the friends set when I know I’m going to la I’m going to book a tour with wb thats for the information. Pat

Glad to know that you found it so helpful. Hope you get the chance to experience yourself!

Lisa at Following the Rivera

I would love to do this tour! I love all of the Hollywood films and of course the shows too. It’s so cool to see the sets like this, it makes it more real!

Elena at TravelByExample

That’s a place I would love to visit one day! I’m sure everyone from my family would enjoy it, and I would be the one of those giddy fans to rush to take a picture in Friend’s coffee shop :))

Vanessa Shields

What an awesome tour! This is one thing I keep saying I’m going to do but never drive up to LA to go on it. You’ve motivated me to go this year! I’d love to see all the different sets and learn about productions. That’s neat that you can see everything that’s been filmed in each stage before entering. I had no idea there was such a huge water tank in one. Filming in that must be pretty cool to see.

Dylan Jones

I love the idea of doing this tour, it looks great. It’s great that they have the names of productions filmed in the soundstages listed outside. Definitely adding this to my list when I finally get back to LA.

I would love to take the Warner Bros Studio Tour. So cool to see the magic behind the scenes! Great pics and overview!

Exactly – the magic behind the scenes! Well put!

Stefan (Berkeley Square Barbarian)

Cheers, Seinfeld & Breaking Bad are all series I loved too, especially the latter. It is amazing that the studios have been around for nearly 100 years, yes, and that the Backlot outdoor sets are still in use but lack door handles or lights…

The dimensions of Stage 16 are truly mindboggling wow..

Fascinating! I would definitely go out of my way to take this tour. I am a huge fan of Big Bang so the chance to sit in Sheldon’s “spot” would be hard to resist and My Fair Lady is one of my favourites. The tour looks interesting and informative as well as fun. I suppose my only worry might be that seeing the shell behind the facade might take away some of the magic? Probably not! The suspension of disbelief is alive and well 😊

It’s so interesting seeing how iconic films and TV shows were made. I really like that they’ve kept the historical aspects like Stage 16 and the costumes. Would love a go on the sorting hat too!

It’s hard to pass up a hat sorting!!

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Fast forward to 2023 and the Warner Brothers Studio Tour is still great – but has been streamlined with even more unique experiences for visitors.

Buying Tickets And Starting The Studio Tour

The ticket buying process is simple – you can purchase them online and see right away which tours are still available. The studio has a paid parking garage which is immediately next to the entrance where you’ll start your tour.

You’ll begin the experience with a video presentation that lasts about ten minutes and gives a nice overview of the studio’s history, location, and what you can expect as the tour begins.

As you exit the theater, one of the tour guides will drive you around the backlot on a small tram that holds about 15 people. It’s not a crowded experience – each tour is quite intimate and you shouldn’t have any trouble at all hearing the trivia tidbits or seeing things they’ll point out along the way.

The Warner Brothers Studio Tour finally begins!

You’re likely to see some notable locations as you cruise around the lot. For fans of the show Friends , you’ll see where they filmed the introduction of the popular sitcom and splashed around in the “Friends fountain.” You also may spot the Tanner’s San Francisco home from Fuller House or the cafe featured in Shameless . Be on the lookout for the courthouse – it’s used in many films but notably was where Batman & Robin went to visit Commissioner Gordon in the 60s TV series Batman .

While you’re on the backlot tour you’ll likely stop to see one of the actual production sets for a current television show. Back in 2007 – I remember getting to visit the sets of The West Wing; ER; and Gilmore Girls. Since I don’t watch much television these days, I wasn’t really familiar with the sets we were able to see this time. The good news is – even if you don’t know the show, it’s still really interesting being on a sound stage and seeing how they produce television programs.

You’ll also likely visit some of the empty facades which line the streets of the backlot. It’s interesting to hear which classic films or shows previously used the same buildings – with different paint jobs or decorations. Warner Brothers is known for making good use of everything they already have built! It’s cool how many of these buildings you get to see during the Warner Brothers Studio Tour!

Dress Appropriately For The Tour!

The first part of the tour is almost completely outside (the tram has no doors or windows) and you’ll be subject to whatever the weather happens to be doing. Bring a light jacket in the winter months or prepare to be hot in the summer months.

Explore Warner Brothers Studio Tour Visitors Center

The second part of the tour takes place in a visitors center where you’re able to take as much time as you want to explore. You can even grab a bite to eat! It’s here where you are able to have some really interesting hands-on experiences and learn about the production process that takes place at Warner Brothers.

You’ll have a chance to try your hand at voiceovers and see how sound effects are produced for films. You’ll learn about the process for creating a musical soundtrack and how to creatively use camera angles. There are quite a few wardrobe pieces on display from notable films and even a section of drawing cartoons – like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.

See The Set of Friends and Big Bang Theory Set

The most popular attraction for guests at the visitors center is getting to see the Friends set. The iconic sitcom is still popular and people love getting the chance to sit on the Friends couch.

Personally, my favorite part of the Warner Brothers Studio Tour was having the chance to sit in Sheldon’s spot on the set of The Big Bang Theory. For no additional charge, you can have your photo taken while you visit the set Friends or see the Big Bang Theory set. (They also offer a paid version if you’d prefer a higher quality image. I just used my Iphone!)

Now on to the third and final part of the Warner Brothers Studio Tour – a tram whisks you away to another building that’s connected to where you started your tour. This building has memorabilia and artifacts from various Warner Brothers productions like Batman Returns, Superman, and Harry Potter. (I’ve honestly never seen Harry Potter – but if you read the books or watched the movies – this is something you’d probably really enjoy.)

Again – you’re allowed to take your time browsing and once you’re finished, you’ll exit back into the main lobby where you can go through the Warner Brothers Studio Tour gift shop or head back to your car in the garage.

Is Warner Brothers Studio Tour Worth It?

Overall, the Warner Brothers Studio Tour is a great bargain if you’re looking for the best backlot tour in Los Angeles. If you can find a southern California resident to tag along – the tickets are about $10 cheaper!

You can find tickets and tour times on their website . They also offer a “deluxe” tour experience for a much higher price – but for the average person – the general tour is going to be more than enough.

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Warner Bros Studio Tour Hollywood Review: Is It Worth The Money?

By: Author Mark and Kristen Morgan

Posted on Published: September 9, 2020  - Last updated: October 20, 2023

Categories Travel Planning Blog

Touring a TV and movie studio simply has to be on your travel itinerary when visiting Los Angeles for the first time. But which of the four major studios should you choose? Well, this first hand review will give you a rundown of what you can expect if you plump for the  Warner Bros  studio tour.

By the end of this unbiased review, you will know if Warner Bros is the perfect studio tour for you. On the other hand, you could end up certain you need to choose one of Sony, Paramount or Universal instead.

Hollywood movie studio tours are not cheap and take up a considerable portion of the day. Unless you’re a HUGE film fan, we’d recommend picking only one tour before spending the rest of your time and money on the other  awesome things to do and see in Los Angeles .

As avid movie fans ourselves (but not quite in the HUGE bracket) we chose Warner Bros because our research led us to believe it was the “purest” movie studio.

Each studio tour has its pros and cons which we’ll get into later, before giving you our opinion on whether Warner Bros is worth the money.

Let’s find out if Warner Bros is your golden ticket!

Warner Bros Studio Factfile

City : Los Angeles (Burbank) State : California

Also Known As : Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. / WB

Founded : 1923 Founders : Harry, Jack, Albert and Sam Warner

Subsidiaries :  DC Films, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros Pictures, Castle Rock, Cartoon Network Mascot : Bugs Bunny

How To Get To Warner Bros Studio Tour In Hollywood

Warner Bros Studio tour is located in Burbank, Los Angeles. The easiest way to find it on a map is by looking to the North West corner of Griffith Park.

LA is huge and traffic is renowned for being congested. If you have your own vehicle and don’t mind driving across the city, there is an underground parking garage right beneath the WB building.

No matter if your hotel is in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills or Hollywood, your most efficient route is to drive up Cahuenga Boulevard. Take the right turn at Barham Boulevard which transitions into W. Olive Ave. Turn right onto West Riverside Drive and right onto Warner Boulevard. Follow signs for tour parking.

Note : Driving in LA is not a lot of fun so consider arriving by other means if you’re not the most confident driver!

If you don’t have your own vehicle or you’d prefer to leave it parked at the hotel, you’ll need to use the metro and/or Uber or Lyft.

• Cheapest option  – Metro B Line (Red) stops at Universal City/Studios. This is the closest you can get by Metro and your options are either walk 2.4 miles or take a Lyft/Uber.
• Most convenient option  – Simply have a Lyft/Uber pick you up wherever you are in LA. But this will cost more!

Getting Around The Studio Complex

The tour is well organized, they’ve been doing it a long time and have cracked the ‘guest arrival efficiency’ code. You will wait in a lounge type area for your designated time slot before beginning the tour.

A brief welcome movie in an intimate cinema setting introduces you to the day ahead, then it’s straight on with meeting your guide and hitting the road.

You will be transported around the Warner Bros studio tour by 9-10 seater electric powered carts. However, there are plenty of walking parts where you can stretch your legs so no need to worry about being cramped up for a few hours.

You are not allowed to wander off on a rogue mission to find famous people and the guides will keep a close eye on your group. 

It is important to remember this is a working studio, which means there could be several tv shows and movies being filmed at the time of your tour. Correct etiquette is non-negotiable!

Driving from San Francisco to San Diego? Don’t miss these 23 unforgettable  Pacific Coast Highway road trip  stops along the way.

Warner Bros Studio Tour FAQ’s

How Long is the Warner Bros Studio Tour?

Expect the tour to take approximately 3 hours. That includes 2 hours guided tour and 1 hour self guided at Studio 48 at the end of your tour.

Can You Take Pictures on the Warner Bros Tour?

You can take photos but only at certain allocated times. Your guide will inform you at every stop and in between whether or not photography is permitted but video is not permitted at any point of the tour.

Which Movies Are Associated With Warner Bros?

We can’t list every film from such a historic and comprehensive catalogue but some more recent movies include The Matrix Trilogy, The Hobbit (and LOTR under New Line Cinema), Batman (including Dark Knight Trilogy), Harry Potter, Inception, Sherlock Holmes, The Hangover, 300, Twister, The Departed, Mad Max, Oceans 8, 11, 12 & 13 … and the distinguished list goes on!

What Is Included In The Warner Bros Studio Tour?

So now you know how to get there, let’s dive into exactly what you can expect from this world famous studio tour.

One of the most important things to remember from this review is no two tours are the same. Each time slot throughout the day will plot a different route through the studio grounds.

That means what we saw on our tour will not be identical to what you will see on yours!

Backlots & Soundstages

Warner Bros is home to 10 backlots and 30 sound stages. But what are backlots and soundstages exactly?

Backlots are permanent exterior buildings used for outdoor scenes in movies and tv shows. Think the old west or New York buildings.

One example is the alleyway where Tobey Maguire hangs upside down as Spiderman to kiss Mary-Jane. That same alley and brick building surrounding has also been used in other major blockbuster movies.

Once widely used in cinema, the use of backlots quickly diminished as movies began shooting with actors physically on location and as CGI technology advanced.

Sound stages (or just Stages) are huge sound-proof warehouse like buildings where many of the major movies film scenes that are not on location. Entire sets are constructed inside these buildings and can stay in place for as long as necessary.

The entire series of Friends was filmed inside studio 24 and Saito’s castle scenes from Inception were filmed inside Stage 16. We won’t give any more away!

On the outside of every Stage building is a plaque showing each of the movies and TV shows filmed inside that particular Stage.

You will be able to go inside and walk around one Stage to view the set of a currently running TV show.

On our visit we went inside the full sized apartment of ‘Lucifer’.  We were also told that Denzel Washington was on the premises shooting scenes for a movie.

Old Movie Props

Old movie props might not sound exciting but when you get there you will see why it is one of the best stops on the Warner Bros studio tour.

Remember the 2 faded red leather chairs from the Matrix? The neon Comedy Club sign from Joker? How about the armor worn by Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe in the Last Samurai? 

All of these and (so much!) more can be found inside the prop storage building. We were even lucky enough to see the building next door with its shutter open.

What was inside?

Only Phoebe’s taxi from Friends and Austin Powers’ Shaguar!

You are guaranteed to see props from some of your favorite movies when you walk around this building.

Many will be a surprise because who really knows which movie studio produced their favorite movies?!

DC Universe Exhibit

Any superhero fans out there? At Warner Bros it’s best if you’re team DC and not team Marvel!

One of your first stops will be to walk around DC’s Aquaman and Wonderwoman exhibits. The majority of displays are costume design and accessories, such as Diana Prince’s Lasso and Arthur Curry’s armored suit.

Although not overly exciting, this part of the tour does allow you to appreciate other elements of what makes movies so engaging.

Who ever looks to see who the costume designer was in the end credits?

But when you stop to think about it – costumes, weapons, design etc are vital to every movie!

Hmm, Mark has some work to do in the gym to emulate Jason Momoa holding the trident.

The Wizarding World

Another stop on the Warner Bros studio tour is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts. You will walk a one way route around all things Hogwarts, Dumbledores Army, Newt Scamander and Grindelwald.

Now, we implore you not to get too excited, this is not like the Harry Potter tour in London where you can see full sets.  We wouldn’t recommend choosing Warner Bros based solely on your love for the Harry Potter franchise!

What you do get to see is authentic props like Dobby the House Elf and the sorting hat, plus real costumes worn by most of the main characters.

All of your favorite wizards outfits are on display and it is kind of fun to imagine the actors being there in person … o r putting on one of the costumes yourself, picking up a wand and shouting ‘Expelliarmus’.

However, the most interesting part for us personally was being able to see some of the original storyboards. It’s fascinating to see how the drawings compare to the end product on screen.

Maybe you were wondering why we didn’t mention Batman in the earlier DC Universe section? Well, that’s because there’s an entire Batcave dedicated to the caped crusader!

Personally, we loved the Christopher Nolan / Christian Bale Dark Knight trilogy, so getting to see the tumbler and Batpod was pretty cool!

The room is very dark and looks more like a strange car showroom with purple lights but information plaques do have individual lights for reading.

Also inside the Batcave are replicas of the Neutron Bomb from DKR, and older Batmobiles like the Bathammer from Clooney, Keaton and Kilmer eras.

Even the Batsuit Christian Bale wore is on display!

Stage is 48 is called Script to Screen, which means you get an insight into what happens at pre-production, production and post-production stages of making a movie.

This is another aspect of filmmaking that often gets overlooked by the average movie watcher.

But consider editing, sound, casting, green screens for CGI etc – a movie cannot be made without these elements.

This section of the Warner Bros studio tour is self guided and interactive. The best thing you can do is ask questions and explore every part of production.

You could rush through in 10 minutes or easily spend an hour looking at storyboards and creating costumes for a movie. It is the first time you are able to slow down and read everything.

You can also ride Harry Potters Firebolt broom or Batmans Batpod with a green screen behind. A guide will instruct you to ‘turn left’ or ‘cast a spell’ as you watch yourself on a monitor.

This is of course being filmed and you can buy a video souvenir but they are not cheap and we personally did not buy one.

It’s hard to get into character when you don’t have the full Batsuit on shouting WHERE’S THE TRIGGER at Bane in your deepest and harshest voice (with a peg on your nose)!

For us, the best (and only real unmissable) part of Studio 48 is the sound engineer insight called ‘art of sound’.  A guide will explain to you how sound was composed in space for the movie Gravity, it’s a truly fascinating and intriguing part of the tour.

Oh, and you can hold a shiny Oscar, like Mark winning his Best Actor award from the 1950’s.

Central Perk

Fans of TV show Friends will enjoy the entire authentic set of Central Perk cafe.

You can take a seat on the famous sofa, order coffee from imaginary Gunther and maybe even pretend that you are also being paid US$ 1 million per episode!

With a total of 236 episodes, Friends has to be regarded as one of the most iconic sitcoms of all time, right?! Classic feel good background noise at worst, engaging emotional rollercoaster at best!

It is one of the only American sitcoms that used to get replayed over and over again growing up in the UK but is still widely adored.

Netflix even paid over US$ 100 million for rights to stream re-runs between 2014 and 2019. Not bad for a show that finished all the way back in 2004. #timeless

Big Bang Theory

Moving swiftly onto another show where you can imagine earning a cool million per episode is one of America’s favorites: Big Bang Theory.

Big Bang is the longest running multi camera sitcom in history with almost 280 episodes across 12 seasons.

Imagine how much time each of the main actors playing Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, Penny and Howard spent filming in front of live audiences at Warner Bros!

Much like the Central Perk set, Big Bang sets Caltech Cafe, the Elevator and Apartment 4a can all be explored as part of the tour in Studio 48.

Tour Guides At Warner Bros

We’ll take a wild guess you consider yourself a bit of a TV and movie buff? We thought so too, but we were wrong.

Our tour guide set the benchmark for being considered a bona fide movie buff. Shout out to Erik, this guy lived for it!

These giant world beating movie studios want to give the best possible experience for those who travel from around the world to get behind the scenes of their favorite TV shows and movies.

The guides have to be fantastic, it is as simple as that.

Our advice to you is speak up whenever you have a question about anything. Ask away and your guide will enjoy responding!

Warner Bros Studio Tour Price

Warner Bros offers what is widely regarded as the best pure movie lovers tour out of all the studios in LA. We didn’t tour the other studio so can’t give a definitive agree or disagree on that claim.

If you truly love TV and movies, the price here won’t matter too much because you’re going to pay it anyway!

An adult ticket for the Warner Bros studio tour will set you back a fairly hefty sum of US$ 69 .

Which is the Best Studio Tour in LA?

Now you know what to expect and the price of Warner Bros, it’s important you know the most pertinent information about each of the competition.

There are 4 major movie studios to choose between in Los Angeles.

What are the most important aspects for you to consider when choosing which studio you want to visit?

Is it price, which movies they made, location (ease of access), what you will see or something else entirely?

We created this Warner Bros, Sony, Paramount and Universal comparison table to look at pros, cons and differences of each tour and to help you determine if Warner Bros studio tour is the one for you.

Warner Bros vs Sony vs Paramount vs Universal Studio Tours

Is warner bros studio tour worth your time and money.

Warner Bros is worth your money as long as you have some interest in Harry Potter, Batman, DC universe characters, friends or Big Bang Theory. Consider choosing one of the other studios if none of that sounds exciting!

Let’s take a quick look at what we liked, didn’t like and how much we would pay for this tour.

What Was Hot

• The sheer scale and magnitude of the Warner Bros studio grounds.
• We thought it would be more about sets and backlots but thoroughly enjoyed the costumes, props and production aspects.
• Our guide was extremely knowledgable about the industry and always had informative answers to questions.
• The tour is longer than any other studio offers (for the basic package).
• Parking the car was not a problem thanks to the multi-story underground parking lot. 

What Was Not

• Tours leave every 30 minutes from 8.30am – 3pm so it can at times feel a little like you’re on a conveyor belt of tourists. You will run into a number of other tour groups throughout.
• The tour slightly lacked a personal touch overall and would benefit from a few freebies or take homes.
• Paying for parking adds a further US$ 15 to the overall ticket price and we think that is a bit harsh as tickets are already expensive enough.
• In certain exhibits (such as DC Universe and Wizarding World) the tour group moves too quickly which makes it difficult to read all information boards.

It is definitely worth mentioning the GO Los Angeles card for those of you who intend to do more tourist attractions on your visit to Los Angeles.

You can seriously save money with this card but only if you get busy!

You have two options:

• Explorer Pass – 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7 ATTRACTIONS (value & savings increase the more attractions you do). Click to see options .
• All Inclusive Pass – 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7 DAY pass (value & savings increase the more days you do). Click to see options .

Warner Bros studio tour is included in all pass options. You could potentially save a substantial amount of money by including this tour with others in Los Angeles.

What Is A Fair Price?

We personally thought the Warner Bros studio tour was worth US$ 69 each. We probably would have paid up to around 80-90 dollars but any more and we would have written it off.

It’s not every day you get to go behind the scenes of a movie studio, especially when you’re a big fan of movies.

You have to set a reference point, like paying 10 bucks for a beer at a Dodgers ball game or US$ 100+ on a meal out in Beverly Hills and entrance to Warner Bros won’t seem so high!

If you love movies and have a morning or afternoon spare on your Los Angeles itinerary, we think the Warner Bros studio tour could be the one for you.

It certainly didn’t disappoint us.

Buy Tickets For Warner Bros Studio Tour

Are you sold on Warner Bros?

You can book your tickets right now with two options offering the same price:

• Get Your Guide

If you choose to take a tour of Warner Bros Studio in Hollywood, we hope you have a fantastic time!

Read More California Guides …

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• Alcatraz – Is the tour of ‘ The Rock ‘ worth the money in San Francisco?
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We hope this review helped you decide if the Warner Bros Studio Tour is for you!

Did you go to Universal, Sony or Paramount and how was it?

Please let us know if you have any questions or need any help planning your visit to LA in the comments below.

That’s All, Folks !

Mark and Kristen

Was This Post Helpful? Pin It For Your Tour!

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All Rights Reserved © Where Are Those Morgans, LLC. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, maps, graphics, etc.) in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.

Mark and Kristen Morgan are travel, hiking and photography experts. Over the last 6 years traveling full time, they have explored more than 40 countries and 30 US states.

Where Are Those Morgans has been featured in USA Today, Gestalten, Get Your Guide, CityPASS and Condé Nast Traveler along with various other publications. Read more about us .

Share this article!

Terry Zabel

Thursday 16th of February 2023

They tell you to get there a half hour early, our tour time was 1100, we waited until after 1140 for the video to begin

Mark and Kristen Morgan

Thanks for sharing your experience, Terry. The FAQ's page on the Warner Bros Hollywood Tour site does state "plan to arrive 30 minutes prior to your tour" so you can find a parking spot, check in and pass through the security checks before your time slot. Hope you enjoyed the tour!

• International

Israel-Hamas war

Taiwan quake

March 24 Moscow concert hall attack

By Heather Chen , Andrew Raine , Catherine Nicholls, Antoinette Radford, Maureen Chowdhury and Kathleen Magramo , CNN

Here's what we know about the four suspects in the Moscow concert hall attack

From CNN’s Masha Angelova and Josh Pennington

Each of the four defendants charged with committing a terrorist act in the Crocus City concert hall attack was brought to court individually in Moscow on Sunday.

They are accused of committing a crime under part 3, provision “b” of article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code (terrorist act), which the Russian Criminal Code states is punishable with up to life imprisonment.

Three pled guilty to all charges, according to state media news agency TASS .

Here's what we know about the accused:

• Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev: The 32-year-old was the first defendant brought to court. Mirzoyev, from Tajikistan, had a temporary registration for three months in the southern Russian city of Novosibirsk in Siberia, but it expired, according to RIA Novosti.
• Saidakrami Rachabalizoda: He appeared as the second defendant, and told the the court that he had Russian registration documents but couldn't remember where they were. He communicated through an interpreter, according to state media RIA Novosti. Rachabalizoda was reportedly born in 1994.
• Shamsidin Fariduni: He was born in 1998 in Tajikistan and is a citizen of the Central Asian country. Fariduni was officially employed at a factory in the Russian city of Podolsk and was registered in the city of Krasnogorsk, according to state media RIA Novosti.
• Muhammadsober Faizov: The fourth defendant appeared nonresponsive in a wheelchair and was accompanied by a doctor to his court appearance, as seen in Moscow City Court’s video shared on Telegram. Faizov was temporarily unemployed, before which he worked in a barber shop in Ivanovo, a city northeast of Moscow, and is registered in that city, according to state media RIA Novosti. He was reportedly born in 2004.

This post has been updated with more information on the charges against the suspects.

Moscow court orders preventive detention for all four defendants in concert hall attack case

The Basmanny District Court of Moscow on Sunday granted the investigators’ motion for detention, as the chosen preventative measure, for all four defendants in the Crocus City Hall attack case.

All four men have been remanded into pre-trial detention until May 22, stated Moscow City Court via Telegram.  

They are all charged with committing a terrorist act, according to the courts of general jurisdiction of the city of Moscow, which under the Russian Criminal Code is punishable up to life imprisonment.

Each of the four defendants was brought to court individually on Sunday.

Three pled guilty to all charges, according to state media news agency TASS. 

The names of the four accused in the case are Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Shamsidin Fariduni and Mukhammadsobir Faizov, Moscow City Courts announced via Telegram.

All four are from Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic, and have been in Russia on either temporary or expired visas.  

The court held closed hearings for each of the accused with no members of the public allowed, TASS reported, citing the court’s press service. 

2 defendants identified in Crocus City Hall attack

From CNN’s Masha Angelova, Michael Bodenhorst and Josh Pennington

The first defendant in the Crocus City concert hall attack case, Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, has pleaded guilty on all counts, the press service of Moscow City Court told state media RIA Novosti.

He will be held in preventive custody at least through May 22. 

Mirzoyev is one of two defendants implicated in the attack who are facing possible life imprisonment, as reported by state media.

The suspects — Mirzoyev and Saidakrami Rachabalizoda — appeared in a Moscow court on Sunday on charges related to the attack.

Both individuals are accused of committing a terrorist act and could be sentenced to life imprisonment, according to state media outlet RIA Novosti. The prosecution has requested detention as a precautionary measure for both defendants.

Authorities have petitioned the court to conduct Mirzoyev's hearing behind closed doors to safeguard the integrity of the proceedings, state media news agency TASS reported. 

First suspect apprehended in the Crocus City Hall attack arrives in court

From CNN’s Masha Angelova

The first suspect apprehended after the attack on Crocus City Hall that killed at least 137 people has arrived in court at the Basmanny Court of Moscow. 

Crocus City Hall killings are deadliest since Beslan school siege — these are some other recent attacks in Russia

From CNN Staff

The attack on Moscow's popular Crocus City Hall that left at least 133 dead has become the deadliest attack in Russia since the Beslan school siege in 2004.

Some other recent attacks include:

• September 26, 2022 : Eleven children and four adults were killed when a gunman wearing Nazi symbols opened fire at a school in the western Russian city of Izhevsk. The shooter, who was reportedly wearing a black T-shirt with Nazi insignia and a helmet, died by suicide following the attack.
• April 3, 2017 : At least 11 people were killed in a blast on the St. Petersburg metro. The explosion tore through a train as it was traveling between two stations in Russia’s second-largest city.
• October 31, 2015 : A Russian passenger jet, Metrojet Flight 9268 crashed  on October 31 after departing from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh,  killing all 224 people  on board. US intelligence analysis suggested that ISIS or its affiliates  planted a bomb on the plane .
• December 30, 2013 : A massive explosion at a train station in the Russian city of Volgograd killed at least 16 people, including one police officer, the Investigative Committee of Russia said.
• January 25, 2011 : A suicide bomber attacked Domodedovo Airport , Moscow's busiest airport, killing 35 people and wounding about 100, authorities and state television said.
• March 29, 2010 : Two explosions rocked the subway stations in central  Moscow during rush hour, killing at least 38 people and wounding more than 60 others, spawning widespread public outrage. A website associated with Chechen separatists, who have long fought for independence from Russia, claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Rescuers, robotic systems and canine teams are currently on site of Crocus City concert hall

From CNN’s Darya Tarasova and Eve Brennan

More than 300 “specialists” and 154 pieces of equipment are currently on site at the Crocus City concert hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow region, where a deadly attack took place Friday , Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Telegram on Sunday.

The ministry said more than 400 cubic meters of structures had been dismantled by rescuers while specialized robotic systems, canine teams and psychologists from the ministry continue to work.

More than 1,600 calls have already been received on the department’s hotline, the ministry added.

The post was accompanied by a video showing dozens of emergency workers digging through the rubble of the partially burned-down concert hall.

Remember : At least 137 people died on Friday after attackers opened fire on civilians at the Crocus City concert hall, and set the building ablaze. The Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, has claimed the attack and  released graphic footage  purporting to show the incident. 

Putin lit a candle in memory of victims of the concert hall attack

From CNN's Eve Brennan and Anna Chernova

Russian President Vladimir Putin lit a candle Sunday in memory of victims of the deadly attack at the Crocus City concert hall in Moscow region on Friday.

Putin also expressed deep condolences following the Moscow shooting, calling it a "barbaric terrorist act" in a video statement released Saturday.

More background: The deadly attack comes barely a week after Putin secured his fifth presidential term. The large-scale attack is damaging for a leader who portrays himself as someone able to guarantee order.

Death toll in concert hall attack rises to 137 — including 3 children, Russian Investigative Committee says

From CNN's Darya Tarasova 

The Russian Investigative Committee has updated the death toll in the Crocus City attack to 137.

In a statement released online, the committee said "the bodies of 137 people have been found at the site of the terrorist attack, three of which are children."

The committee added that 62 bodies have been identified so far. 

"For the remaining victims, genetic examinations are being carried out to establish their identities," the statement said. "The investigation of the crime scene continues." 

Russian Embassy in US says it did not receive notification of impending terrorist attack

From CNN’s Katya Krebs in Moscow and Eve Brennan in London

The Russian Embassy in Washington says it did not receive any warnings about a potential terror attack in Moscow from the US, Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti on Sunday.

The US diplomatic mission had warned Americans to “avoid large gatherings” at the beginning of March due to reports “that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow.”

Earlier this week Putin had dismissed those warnings, telling the FSB that the embassy warnings were "provocative" and "outright blackmail."

“We did not receive any notifications or messages in advance,” Antonov told RIA.

“We paid attention to this, but,… I had no contacts with either the White House or the State Department on this issue,” he added.

In light of Friday’s attack at Crocus, Antonov told RIA Novosti that contacts between the US and the Russian Federation in the fight against terrorism have been “destroyed,” adding that the fault was not Moscow’s.

“I always reminded the Americans that our president was the first who, in 2001, extended his hand to the Americans and declared his readiness to provide help. And something worked, it worked... and it’s not our fault that all of this has been destroyed today,” he said.

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