If you’re like many movie and TV fans, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood is the very first place to visit in Los Angeles. Located at one of the world’s most famous film studios, the Studio Tour provides you the experience of a lifetime. In fact it allows you to see where many movies and TV shows were made. What’s more, you can see authentic costumes and props from classics.
About Warner Bros. Studios/Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood
Warner Bros. Studios Tour Hollywood is located at its namesake studio, established by brothers Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack Warner in 1923. Origins of the iconic brand can be traced to Pennsylvania, and then to Culver City, California. Later on, the studio movies as a larger presence to Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard.
The First Talking Movie
Around this time, Warner Bros. made movie history by producing the first “talkie” movie, The Jazz Singer in 1927. Warner Bros. went on to help popularize several Hollywood legends in its early years. Most notably are Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. By 1930, Warner Bros. Studio started moving its film production to Burbank.
Warner Bros. History
Over its storied history, Warner Bros. Studios. has produced several iconic movies, such as Sergeant York (1941), Casablanca (1942), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), A Star Is Born (1954), The Music Man (1962) and My Fair Lady (1964). More recently, Warner Bros. Studio has also released some of the highest grossest movies ever. For example, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2011), The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and Joker (2019).
Animated Films
The world renowned studio has also produced a bevy of popular television shows and animated films, like Looney Tunes (1930-1969), 77 Sunset Strip (1958-1964), The Bugs Bunny Show (1960-2000), Wonder Woman (1975-1979), Friends (1994-2004), ER (1994-2009), Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) and The Ellen Show (2008 – present).
Warner Bros. Studios Today
Today, Warner Bros. Studios is part of a larger conglomerate that also includes entities like Turner, DC Comics, The CW, New Line Cinema and HBO. On most any given day, WB Studios is bustling with activity all across its 110-acre expanse, with films and TV shows in production and visitors arriving daily to attend a tour.
Studio Tours
Tours date back to the early days of Warner Bros. Studios but were formally organized in 1973. Over the past 20 years, the Studio Tour has grown to become one of the most popular attractions in Los Angeles and by far the most popular attraction in Burbank. A second location opened to the public in 2012 in London, England as Warner Bros. Studio Tour London.
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Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood
3400 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 977-8687
www.wbstudiotour.com
Hours
Daily from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. except for Christmas Day
How To Get There
By Car/Rideshare/Taxi
Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood is located off State Route 134 in Burbank. Well-known attractions in the vicinity include Griffith Park, Los Angeles Zoo and Universal Studios Hollywood. It is recommended that you use a GPS app like Google Maps or Waze. The fee for parking is $15. You can then use the elevators to get to the Tour Center. If you want to rideshare, you can be dropped off at the entrance.
By Public Transportation
The closet stop for Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood is .2 miles away at the Olive/Hollywood stop. Both LA Metro’s bus route 501 and Burbank Bus Pink Route serve the Olive/Hollywood stop. Visitors can connect to Route 501 or the Pink Route from LA Metro rail.
More Information on Public Transportation
Route 501 connects with the Metro Orange and Red lines at North Hollywood station and Memorial Park or Del Mar station on the Metro Gold Line. The Pink Route connects with the Red Line at Universal City/Studio City station or with MetroLink’s Ventura County line at Downtown Burbank Station.
Visitor Center
Visitors can purchase coffee at a Starbucks store or dine at Warner Bros. Studio Plaza Café. The Plaza Café is open weekdays for breakfast, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Ticketholders
Everyone must pass through security clearance and all guests 18 and over must have a valid photo ID. Acceptable IDs are a government-issued driver’s license or state-issued ID card or valid passport. After exiting the security line, you are led to a waiting area. While you are waiting, you can watch a short video about Warner Bros. Studios. Following the video, you will meet a friendly tour guide, who will then lead you to your cart. After that, you are on your way to the tour!
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Ticket Information: Studio Tour
Price: Adults $69 to $72, Children Ages 8-12 $59 to $64.
Children under 8 are not permitted on any studio tour. Children ages 8 to 17 must be accompanied by an adult.
2020 SoCal Savings: A special offer is available now until June 13, 2020 for residents of Southern California. SoCal residents can purchase tickets for $57, a discount of up to $15.
Advance Tickets
Advance tickets are recommended and all other guests who purchase tickets online can receive a ticket of $3 to $6. Prices vary by date such as on major holidays. Guests who purchase tickets online must select a time and date for a studio tour. Some tickets may be available onsite but are only sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Premium Tours
While the Studio Tour is the most popular, visitors can also buy tickets for the Classics Tour or the five-hour Deluxe Tour, which includes an exclusive lunchtime meal at the Warner Bros. Studios’ Commissary Fine Dining Room.
People With Disabilities
The motorized passenger carts at Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood can support most types of wheelchairs. Guests in need of a wheelchair during the tour should contact the Tour Center. There is no charge to borrow a wheelchair from the Studio Tour. Guests using wheelchairs will be able to board passenger carts via a ramp. Service dogs are also welcome and guests should contact the Tour Center in advance of the visit.
Guests who would like an ASL interpreter should contact the Tour Center 72 hours in advance of the tour.
Additional Information
- All guests should arrive at least 30 minutes in advance of the scheduled tour.
- Studio tours are offered in English, Spanish, French and Mandarin. ASL interpreters are also available as needed.
- During inclement weather, tour guides will spend more time visiting areas that are indoors or have covered shelter.
- Ticket holders who have to cancel a tour can receive a full refund if they cancel at least 24 hours in advance.
- Photography is allowed in most parts of the tour and the guide will inform guests when photography and/or flash photography are not allowed. Video photography is not allowed.
Length of the Tour
- Warner Bros. Studios Tours are approximately three hours in length, with two hours with a tour guide and an additional hour on the self guided tour of State 48: Script to Screen, Central Perk and the WB Store. During a good portion of the guided tour, guests will be transported on the passenger carts. However, there will be many times that guests will deboard the cart and walk around movie backlots, soundstages and in studio facilities like the props room. In one part of the tour, guests must access third floor of a building via two flights of stairs or elevator.
- Further information may be obtained through the Warner Bros. Studio Tour site, including the FAQ section.
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Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood Highlights
Backlot & Soundstages
Tour guides will lead their guests to visit backlots and soundstages where many scenes from famous movies and television shows were made. This includes Brownstone Street and Hennessey Street, where scenes from Funny Girl (1968), Spider-Man (2002) and Batman Returns (1992) were filmed, and French Street, with scenes filmed for Casablanca (1942), Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) and La La Land (2016).
Kings Row
Other notable spots include Kings Row for movies like East of Eden (1942) and the Music Man (1962), Laramie Street for Blazing Saddles (1974) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994). Visitors will also see the authentic water fountain from Friends, where the Ellen Show is filmed, and the spot where the 1975 album cover for Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here was photographed.
DC Universe: The Exhibit
This special walk-through exhibit features authentic movie props and costumes from Aquaman and Wonder Woman. The tour guide will lead guests to the exhibit, where guests can then walk about on their own, take photos and selfies. The Aquaman section features a not-to-scale statue of actor Jason Momoa. Guests will also walk through a re-creation of the underwater world of Atlantis and see costumes worn by other actors and actresses like Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman and Amber Heard.
Wonder Woman Display
The Wonder Woman section features clothing worn by Gia Gadot, Connie Nielsen and Chris Pine, in addition to replica of a vintage motorcycle and interactive pieces like the Collider from the God Killer scene.
Wizarding World: Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts
Harry Potter fans will especially enjoy this walk-through section devoted to the popular British-American film series. Several authentic movie props and clothing are on display, in addition to original artwork and creatures like Dobby the Elf and Aragog, the giant spider. Costumes of all the major characters are on display, including Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Lord Voldemort. Fans will also love seeing authentic props, like a flying broomstick, the Wizard Cup, the Golden Egg and the Golden Snitch, among many others.
Enter The Batcave: Batmobile Collection
Another walk-through exhibition, the Batcave features several extraordinary vehicles from the Batman films since 1989. On display are original Batmobile from the 1989 film Batman and Batman Returns (1992), as well as Batman motorcycles, the Tumbler and the Jokermobile from Suicide Squad (2016). Guests will also enjoy seeing the Batman statue from “The Dark Knight Rises”, an original Bat Signal, bat-masks and many other sensational movie props.
The Prop Department
Another significant highlight of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood is a brief tour of the Property Department. An enormous facility filled with every movie prop imaginable and dating back to the studio’s early days, the Property Department encompasses more than 200,000 square feet and over 450,000 artifacts that are available for rent.
Ground Level
Guests may only view the ground level but there are still countless movie treasures to see. This includes the White House Oval Office, thousands of light fixtures, antiques and items from iconic movies like Casablanca and the Maltese Falcon.
Self-Guided Tour/Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood
Stage 48: Script to Screen is at the entrance of the self-guided tour, where guests can use the bathrooms or purchase coffee and treats. The interactive tour introduces guests to the entire process of filmmaking from screenwriting and set design to special effects and stage lighting.
Guests will also see props from La Vie en Rose and Mars Attacks (1996).The exhibition also features wardrobes from stars like Lauren Bacall and Bette Davis. Moreover, you get to see outfits from film classics like Casablanca (1942) and My Fair Lady (1964). There are also several props from movies like The Music Man (1962) and The Exorcist (1973).
More Contemporary Props
More contemporary items are also on display, like the authentic outfit worn by Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix in Joker (2019), boxing gloves worn by Oscar-winner Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby (2004) and outfits worn by Keanu Reeves and Carrie Moss in The Matrix (1999).
Friends: Central Perk Set
Continuing on through the self-guided is one of the most popular and most photographed spots of Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood: the Central Perk set with the original couch from the popular TV series Friends (1994-2004). Here visitors can have pictures taken on the original couch from a staff member or take their own selfies. This stop on the tour will become even more important this spring with the announcement of the “Friends Reunion” to air on the new HBO Max in May, 2020.
The Big Bang Theory Set
Visitors can also see original costumes and took photos on the set from the television comedy series The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019). The Apartment 4A setting, CalTech cafeteria and the out of order elevator setting are the last exhibits of the self-guided tour. Visitors can also take pictures of themselves sitting on the couch inside Apartment 4A.
Central Perk Café
Named after the famous café from Friends, Central Perk Café offers gourmet coffee, as well as lunch items like salads, sandwiches, hot dogs and pizza. The café also sells tea and baked goods and pastries like cookies, muffins and croissants.
Studio Store
Just steps away from Central Perk, the official Warner Bros. Studio Store has all sorts of souvenirs and gifts related to Warner Bros. movies and TV shows. Among the items available are WB t-shirts, coffee cups, magnets and keychains, along with themed items like Harry Potter and DC Comics clothing. In the back exit of the Studio Store is the spot where visitors can take a cart back to the visitor entrance.
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About The Author
Randy Yagi is an award-winning freelance writer who served as the National Travel Writer for CBS from 2012-2019. More than 900 of his stories still appear in syndication across 23 CBS websites, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. During his peak years with CBS, Randy had a reported digital audience reach of 489 million and 5.5 million monthly visitors. Additionally, his stories have appeared in the Daily Meal, CBS News, CBS Radio, Engadget, NBC and Radio.com. He earned a Media Fellowship from Stanford University in 2012.