Is the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood Worth a Visit?
Last Updated: July 29, 2023
We were initially skeptical of the price vs. experience of the Warner Bros Studio Tour Hollywood experience, but we’re glad we gave it a shot. Hopefully this article gives you a sense of whether it will be worth it for you! Is the Warner Bros Studio just a hyped up museum? By far, it was way better than we expected. And if you’re a die-hard fan of Friends, Harry Potter, DC Comics, Game of Thrones, Gilmore Girls, or The Big Bang Theory, you’ll likely have a blast.
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How long to spend at the Warner Bros Studio?
We’d recommend setting aside about 4-5 hours to fully enjoy the Warner Bros Studio Tour experience in Hollywood. We bought tickets for noon, but did not leave until 4:30pm.
The cool thing about visiting the Warner Bros. Studio is that some parts are self-led, whereas others are guided. We were very impressed by how well organized the whole experience was. The Warner Bros. Studio Tour gives you time to explore at your own pace, take a break, as well as giving you all the photo opportunities and nitty gritty details that led you to buy the ticket in the first place.
Best place to get Warner Bros. Studio Tour tickets?
We bought tickets to the Warner Bros Studio Tour with Viator because you can often find promo codes online. Here’s the link to the tickets we got! Alternatively, you can also pay full price at the official Warner Bros. Studio website.
How much are tickets to the Warner Bros Studio?
Tickets for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood cost around $70, at the time of this article. Warner Bros. also offers several upgraded packages, such as the Studio Tour Plus for $150, which includes food and an extra hour on the guided portion of the tour. Or, for the most dedicated movie fans, you can opt for the $300 Deluxe Tour. The Deluxe Tour includes a fancier lunch, a longer 3-hour guided tour, and access to the prop house.
Is there a parking garage for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood?
Yes, parking is available onsite for $15 per vehicle. It’s a 7-floor parking garage, well-labeled by Looney Tunes characters so that you won’t forget where you parked. Once you park, head to the elevators where you’ll press ‘G’ to get to the start of the tour at the ground floor. You’ll go through a quick security check and ticket scanner before starting your tour.
What is there to see at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour?
The Warner Bros. Studio does not officially divide their experiences into phases, but from our experience, we observed about 5 different phases of the tour. We wish we had known in advance that the Warner Bros. Studio Tour is not a quick thing. It’s more similar to an amusement park than a museum. There are interactive activities dispersed, and you’ll get hungry and need to stop at the Central Perk Cafe for a snack or even a meal. Below you’ll find the 5 phases of everything that’s included in the Warner Bros. Studio Tour.
Phase 1:
The first part of the Warner Bros. Studio Tours offers an overview of the studio’s history. You’ll get to read a bit of the remarkable story of the Warner Brothers themselves, who came from a Polish immigrant family running a shoe-repair shop. You’ll also get a sneak peak about what the rest of the tour experience will be about.
We spent about 20 minutes in this first section before moving on to where they place you in an auditorium to watch a brief intro video before your official tour starts. The video highlights many of the movie hits produced by Warner Bros. You’ll be surprised how many of your favorite movies fall under the Warner Bros.’s genius!
Phase 2:
Next, you’ll be shuttled around the back lots, which were honestly more exciting than we expected! On our tour, the trip around the Warner Bros. back lots included sets for homes of popular TV shows such as Pretty Little Liars, Gilmore Girls, Shameless, and Abbott Elementary.
We got to get out of the shuttle bus to take pictures on some of the sets! You get to explore the gazebo from Gilmore Girls, the Geller house from Friends, and the church from Pretty Little Liars, to name a few.
Our Warner Bros. Studio guide also took us to outdoor “jungle” filming sites, for films such as Jurassic Park and The Little Rascals. What looks like the “jungle” onscreen is sometimes nothing more than a little bamboo and a water reservoir! Our Warner Bros. tour also stopped by the set for Love Quinn’s deadly bakery shop “A Fresh Tart,” from Netflix’s You. This shuttle ride takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete.
Overall, this shuttle ride takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete.
Phase 3:
At phase 3 of the tour, you’ll go indoors to recharge a bit at Central Perk and see a variety of indoor displays. You can use the restroom, get some water, and get your favorite brew from Central Perk. 
They also sell sandwiches, hot dogs, and other snacks at surprisingly affordable prices. We got cafe au laits for under $4, which is actually cheaper than most cafes in California.
One of the highlights of the tour is getting to sit on the iconic Friends couch. However, there’s a line to get your photo taken on the orange couch and they move you along quite quickly after you get a photo. You’ll also get to sit on the couch from The Big Bang Theory and admire costumes from countless Warner Bros. movies, such as Crazy Rich Asians and Elvis.
Additionally, in this phase of the Warner Bros. tour, you get the opportunity to try out an immersive green screen experience riding the Batcycle or Harry Potter’s broom. You’ll have the option to preview the photos and videos and decide whether you’d like to purchase. We visited in July 2023, and one photo cost $25, with the second one coming in at $17, so we chose two photos for $42.
In total, Phase 3 of the Warner Bros. studio tour experience took us about 1 hour to get through.
Phase 4:
Phase 4 of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour is a stop at the famous Friends water fountain.
This is a very quick stop, no more than 15 minutes. Basically, you get on a 2-minute shuttle from phase 3, stop here to take the classic couch photo, and then move onto the final phase.
Phase 5:
Okay, for many of the Potterheads, this is the phase you have all been waiting for. Pulling Mandrakes out of their pots, mixing potions, getting sorted into your Hogwarts house, or taking a nap in the cupboard under the stairs.
Or, if you’re a DC Comics nerd, this is where you’ll get to see your favorite hero’s costume up close and personal, as well as their vehicles. This is your last stop before you leave through the gift shop into the main entrance, where you’ll get one last opportunity to buy more of your favorite swag.
Conclusion: Is the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Worth It?
Overall, we found the Warner Bros. Studio Tour to be worth it, because we were big fans of some of the prominently featured shows and movies, such as Friends and Harry Potter. It felt like a grown-up amusement park of film nostalgia.
However, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour is not cheap, so if you’re not much of a fan of any of the movies or shows we mentioned above, you may not find the Warner Bros. tour to be worth it. The tour is definitely designed for movie buffs and big fans.
Nevertheless, Warner Bros. Studios has produced so much content over the years, that there is likely something for everyone. Our guide asked us at the beginning what our favorite shows were, and then he tailored his tour of the Warner Bros. Studio back lot to our interests. So, be sure to speak up and let your guide know your favorite movies and shows! And who knows, you might even spot a Hollywood celebrity walking across the lot to their set! 