In March I visited the Harry Potter Studio Tour, and once I hit the end of it, I had a revelation.

This was my first time visiting the Harry Potter Studio Tour (officially called the mouthful “Warner Brothers Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter”). It hadn’t been a priority for me since I visited Leavesden Studios three times on behalf of MuggleNet.com when WB invited the site to the sets of Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows. I know, it’s a humblebrag, but really, it’s the reason I didn’t care to go back. “Psh, been there, done that,” I told myself every time I considered attending the Studio Tour.

But as time’s gone on, I’ve become more interested in involving myself in all areas of the fandom, and with a trip to England planned for March, I decided then was the time to do it.

I was excited to finally see the thing after hearing tons of positive reviews, and I wasn’t disappointed.

The Studio Tour begins with a video introduction from Dan Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint (which surprised me, but then I remembered they shot this before they started trying to distance themselves from Harry Potter). The screen goes up into the ceiling and suddenly the Great Hall’s huge entry doors are in front of you. A fan or two receive the honors of opening them, and then you’re in one of Hogwarts’ most iconic areas.

It’s a thrill to walk into the Great Hall at the beginning of the tour, and what makes this attraction so special is the endless photo opportunities. Once you’re in the Great Hall, you can take photos through 100% of the Studio Tour, opening up lots of great Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebooking moments (pretend you’re eating in the Great Hall, boarding the Hogwarts Express, or visiting the Dursleys at Privet Drive, for example).

We spent about two hours browsing the various exhibits, but workers say people on average spend three to three and a half. Someone spent as long as 13 hours absorbing everything, according to one employee.

Costumes, props, creatures, fake bodies, sets, broom rides, wand lessons, and so much more are available to you throughout the tour. It is by far one of the best Harry Potter attractions in the world. Whether you’re a Harry Potter fan or not, you can’t help but appreciate the lessons on what it takes to make a movie. In fact…

Is the Studio Tour just as good as the Wizarding World lands? Or better?

I was struck by a thought at the end of my visit: Is this just as good as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme parks in Orlando, Hollywood, and Japan? Like Universal’s themed lands, the Studio Tour has butterbeer*, butterbeer ice cream, and much of the merchandise you can purchase at the theme parks, plus authentic sets, the damn Hogwarts Express (the real one — not the fake one pulled by a wire at Universal Orlando), and all the props, costumes, and costume art.

Sure, the big difference is that The Wizarding World themed lands have a couple of rides. So? When people cry at Universal’s parks, they’re crying as they walk into Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade for the first time. This is what you’re doing at the Studio Tour. You’re walking into the Great Hall, inside the real Hogwarts Express, through Diagon Alley, through #4 Privet Drive, riding the Knight Bus, and seeing so much more.

As you probably have seen by now, the tour ends with one of its most remarkable features: A huge model of Hogwarts. The morning we visited the castle, it was being touched up by painters, which was a little surprising. Can’t they do that at night?

Other benefits over the theme parks: the Studio Tour is a lot cheaper. And parking is free. And there are far shorter lines.

Workers at the Studio Tour are happy to enhance your visit with fun stories. For example, in the concept art area we saw this depiction of Voldemort milking Nagini. The thing is, you can’t milk snakes like you would a cow — you have to take the venom from its fangs. We learned that the artist who created the art didn’t realize this until after he created it:

Another story was prefaced by a worker saying, “I’m not sure I should be telling you this.” While we were boarding the Hogwarts Express, which is the real train they used for filming, we were told that a visitor used the real bathroom on the train on its opening day at the tour. The toilet is marked as such at the end of your walk through the cabins, but plumbing isn’t hooked up in its new home at the Studio Tour. Unfortunately, the workers hadn’t locked the door, leading someone to use it. We were told that cleaning it out wasn’t a great experience.

*Going into this visit, one thing I was wondering was whether the Butterbeer would taste like it does in America. The answer appears to be no. The liquid part appears to be less sugary, which might be due to tighter sugar restrictions in Europe.

So, dear Europeans, the next time you grow bothered by the home of Harry Potter lacking a theme park, remind yourselves: You have an attraction that, in many ways, is better than what Universal has conjured.