We just got home after spending about 7 hours wandering through the tour. I think that alone is the best endorsement I can offer, as I can't think of anything else that has held my attention continuously for so long. The experience began even before entering the building, when a gryffindor-masked parking attendant chatted for a moment regarding our Harry Potter themed bear. After a short walk to the entrance we passed quickly through ticket checks and security (a fast but thorough bag check and metal detector) and gained access to the main atrium. This contained a small cafe, as well as a food hall serving, somewhat disappointingly, standard museum food alongside a more exciting selection of film-inspired pastries. The food itself was good and not extortionately priced, but we had hoped that at least one of the main meals on the menu had featured in the books and films.

The tour itself begins with a short overview of the films and their marketing, before being ushered through two short films. These are pretty much the only guided sections of the tour, after which the experience is mostly free flow. They're a little cheesy, but still fun and feature a handful of the lead actors from the films. Without too many spoilers, the ending of the second film was legitimately an incredible experience.

The self-guided portion of the tour passes through several sections, from Hogwarts itself to the Forbidden Forest and Platform 9 3/4. After this point there is a small train-themed gift shop and a restaurant serving hot dogs, burgers and the famous butterbeer. Opinions on butterbeer tend to be like it or loathe it, so I'd suggest only buying as many as you'd want for the souvenir glasses, and grabbing a few bottles at the gift shop at the end if you find yourselves wanting more. Also note that while the midway gift shop claims some of its items are exclusive, staff at the final gift shop have some "secret drawers" where they can find them if you change your mind.

The tour then continues through the creature shop and animatronics, then into Gringotts, Diagon Alley and the artists' studio. It finishes with a rather incredible surprise which I'm definitely not going to spoil here, but any fan of the books and movies will love it.

The gift shop comes at the end of the tour, and is about what you'd expect. They have a wide range of Harry Potter merchandise priced rather high, but in generally good quality. A lot of what they sell is also available on the online store or in the shop at King's Cross Station, with a discount if you happen to have a gold membership.

Overall, it's a wonderful day out and definitely worth a visit.