Two Days in Watford, England

We got to Watford in the late morning on day 3 of our trip, and we stayed in another super walkable area. We had a little bit more planned out for our two days here, so it was nice to have more of a timeline for both our activities and free time. We had one main excursion planned for each full day we were there–the WB Harry Potter Studio Tour and the Elton John concert–so other activities were able to fall into place around those bigger ones.

✰✰✰

WHERE WE STAYED

Our Airbnb in Watford was very central to everything we wanted to do, which has been the main factor for all of our bookings. It was right down the road from Watford Junction, just across the road from a large outdoor/indoor shopping area and lots of restaurants, and only about a 20 minute walk down to Vicarage Road Stadium. Something that became glaringly obvious was that the UK is worlds ahead of the US in terms of public transportation–you can get literally anywhere you need to go by walking or taking a train, which is pretty much unthinkable in the states. We knew this ahead of time, of course, but once you actually get here and use public transport every day, it’s wild to realize how much more efficient it is to get around in countries and cities that prioritize easy navigation.

DAY 1 - HARRY POTTER STUDIO TOUR

Our first day in Watford began with us taking the train in from Queen’s Park, which only took about 45 minutes. Once we arrived, we shopped around a bit, picking up some last minute items and finding a place to eat. There was a nice mix of casual restaurants, fast food, and bars to choose from, and by the time we finished eating, it was time to check into our Airbnb. We walked back over the main road and got there in about 5 minutes, and we hung out inside for a bit until it was time to get ready for the tour. Watford Junction has shuttles specifically for the Warner Brothers Studio that take you directly to the lot–we got there in about 15 minutes on their two-story buses decked out with scenes from the movies on all sides of the vehicles.

Our time slot for the tour started at 4:30pm and we left around 8:30pm, to give you some idea of how long the whole experience can take. We ate dinner at the studio lot and then headed back home for some much needed rest before the concert the following day. The tour itself was so intensive that I needed to write an entirely separate blog post to try to do it justice–you can read all the details about the Harry Potter Studio Tour here or by clicking the button below!

DAY 2 - ELTON JOHN FAREWELL TOUR

The next day was pretty laid back for the majority of the morning. We got breakfast at a cute spot called Bill’s (great coffee and food), shopped around for a while, and then went back to the Airbnb to get ready for the concert around noon. The doors opened at 4:30pm, so we found a nearby pub around 2:00pm to get some drinks and appetizers before heading to Vicarage Road Stadium. We made friends at the pub who were also going to the concert, and we ended up seeing them there before the show started, which was a fun surprise. I didn’t think watching grown men chanting “USA! USA!” while hugging my stepdad and taking pictures with him in a Watford jersey would be a part of our trip, but here we are.

We got some drinks and stadium snacks before we headed to our seats to wait for the show to start, and I genuinely don’t think words can describe how surreal the whole concert was. Live music is one of my favorite things in the world, and getting to see *the* Elton John performing live, right in front of me, was just unbelievable. The atmosphere of the whole stadium was incendiary, and shouting along to all my favorite songs with thousands of other people–and, again, ELTON JOHN himself–was indescribable. To be a part of his final UK show ever, at his home stadium, was something I don’t think we’ll ever forget, especially considering he’s still just as good live as he was in the 70’s. We all got matching concert tees (as you do) and then we headed home around 10:30pm, needing rest for a very early trip back to London in the morning.