youtube warner bros studio tour

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood

• See all photos

TCM Classic Films Tour

Celebrity Homes Tour & Warner Bros. Studio Tour

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Classic film lovers: See James Dean’s apartment and more on new TCM tour at Warner Bros.

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

In 2021, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour created new interactive exhibits focused on the company’s recent history, unveiling areas dedicated to the DC Comics universe and the “Harry Potter” franchise.

This week, the popular Studio Tour in Burbank is doubling down on its more distant past.

Warner Bros. is now offering a Turner Classic Movies-branded version of its studio tour that will bring guests to previously off-limit areas of the lot, including vintage animation buildings, a mini rose garden and an apartment that once housed James Dean. The 90-minute tram portion of the jaunt — about 30 minutes longer than the studio’s standard tram excursion — will allow guides to go deeper into the history of the studio’s catalog to deliver factoids related to such films as “Casablanca,” “My Fair Lady,” “Rebel Without a Cause,” “Auntie Mame” and many more.

“We’re off the leash,” says Brad Taylor, a 15-year tour guide veteran with Warner Bros., noting that the TCM excursion will include time for guides to chat with visitors about their favorite films.

“We get to talk to the guests and really hang out with people who have the same passion that we do,” Taylor says. “I find that ‘classics’ guests are less about behind-the-scenes and more, ‘I can’t believe this is where we are.’ It’s just the look on their faces when they realize ‘Casablanca’ filmed here, or James Dean stood right here.”

The launch of the TCM tour arrives during the network’s 30th anniversary and close to 12 months after classic film fans were given a scare. In June, Warner Bros. announced that layoffs would hit TCM, including some of the network’s top executives, prompting concern from prestige directors such as Steven Spielberg, Paul Thomas Anderson and Martin Scorsese. After garnering national attention, key cuts were reversed and Warner Bros. sought to assure fans that TCM would continue to be handled with care.

Long live TCM! Our culture would be worse off without movies on TV

Without Turner Classic Movies and other channels for movies on TV, we’d lose the instructive pleasures of the happy accident, the unexpected discovery.

Aug. 1, 2023

TCM network hosts — Eddie Muller, Jacqueline Stewart, Ben Mankiewicz, Alicia Malone and Dave Karger — recorded new video segments for the outing. The tour will take guests into the lot’s Property House, an area not visited by the standard tour. Here, visitors can get glimpses of materials for a full set, including items for a complete Oval Office setting, but expect guides to highlight vintage items, such as a throne from the Errol Flynn pirate film “Captain Blood.”

Danny Kahn, vice president-general manager of the studio tour, says there have been numerous requests over the years from guests to delve a little deeper into the studio’s animation history. That’s why the TCM tour will for the first time take visitors to an area of the lot once known as “Termite Terrace,” which from 1955 to 1964, says Taylor, housed the animation department, a building with a sloped roof designed to capture sunlight. Animation legend Chuck Jones, says Kahn, had an office in the Termite Terrace area in the 1990s despite Warner’s moving animation production elsewhere.

Entertainment & Arts

How the Universal Studios tram tour defined the modern theme park

The most important theme park ride ever created? It may just be the Universal Studios tram tour, which dates to the silent film era. Once primarily a behind-the-scenes tour, the trek has evolved to define the modern theme park.

Aug. 3, 2023

Another unique tour locale is the exterior of the Dean apartment. When Dean resided there during filming of “East of Eden,” it was actually across the street from the lot, the apartment nesting above a pharmacy. But gradual studio expansion has led to the area now being on Warner Bros. property.

“That was an actual drugstore with apartments, and the studio rented it for him,” Kahn says. “I think it was to keep an eye on him and keep him on a short leash.”

The tour will also give tram riders a look at executive life at the studio, allowing them to briefly walk around a rose garden. The manicured spaces once held a tennis court as well as offices and personal screening rooms for the likes of studio mogul Jack Warner, with many of the structures dating to the 1920s. “It’s a really historic area of the lot that hasn’t really changed a lot in all these years,” says Kahn, noting the area is still in use by studio principals. “Jack Warner, when he ran the studio, privatized the first floor. That was a massage parlor that he had beneath his office.”

TCM Classic Films Tour

Where: The Warner Bros. Studio, 3400 Warner Blvd., Burbank 91505

When: Most days, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Cost: $95 for adults; $82 for children. A SoCal resident discount is available for $75

Info: (818) 977-8687 or wbstudiotour.com

Staples of the tour, such as a journey around the backlot city streets, a visit to the “Friends” set and cafe and recent additions highlighting the studio’s modern franchise films are included in the TCM trek, as is a pre-tour reception with beverages and pastries. All told, expect the tour to last about 3½ hours. A tour spokesperson says the first TCM-branded outing is scheduled for Wednesday, with trams expected to depart daily after that date. Adult tickets are $95, but there is a Southern California resident discount available for $75.

“It feels so good to have TCM here,” Kahn says. “People understand that the TCM brand is synonymous with classic film.”

More to Read

Jason Reitman and a group of directors have bought Westwood’s iconic Village Theater

Feb. 21, 2024

Tom Cruise teams with Warner Bros. in a deal to make new movies

Jan. 9, 2024

TMZ’s new ‘selfie’ tour of Hollywood isn’t just for Gen Z

Nov. 16, 2023

Sign up for The Wild

We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Todd Martens joined the Los Angeles Times in 2007 and covers a mix of interactive entertainment (video games) and pop music. Previously, Martens reported on the music business for Billboard Magazine. He has contributed to numerous books, including “The Big Lebowski: An Illustrated, Annotated History of the Greatest Cult Film of All Time.” He continues to torture himself by rooting for the Chicago Cubs and, while he likes dogs, he is more of a cat person.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Travel & Experiences

7 epic day trips you can take by train from Union Station

April 29, 2024

Need a little hope? Geffen Playhouse magic show proves hope is more than an illusion

Mark Taper Forum to reopen with ‘American Idiot,’ Larissa FastHorse’s ‘Fake It Until You Make It’

April 28, 2024

A new play about Jesus comes to the O.C. It could provoke ‘intense’ reactions

April 26, 2024

A visit to Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood and their ‘Classics Made Here’ tour

If you’re looking to take a studio tour while visiting Los Angeles, there are numerous options to choose from. Some of them are fairly basic tours of a movie studio, and on the opposite end of the spectrum is the Universal Studios Hollywood “World-Famous Studio Tour” which is more of a theme park attraction. But the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood is a nice blend of the two. You’ll get a lot of foot-on-the-ground access to the working studio lot, but there are also certain areas designed specifically for the tourist experience. And now, Warner Bros. Studios Tour Hollywood offers a specially guided tour for fans of Hollywood’s golden age, called “Classics Made Here.”

Full disclosure, one of my first jobs when I moved to Los Angeles was as a tour guide at Warner Bros. But a lot has changed since those days of mine, driving the extended golf cart full of tourists around the studio.

It begins in a gallery space where you’ll wait to hear your tour group announced for departure. In this room, you’ll see a large recreation of the iconic WB water tower and several soundstages with a map of the studio below your feet. It’s a very cool display, especially if you have some prior knowledge of the studio lot layout. Here you’ll find various galleries highlighting the history of Warner Bros. For those guests interested in the classics, you’ll want to spend extra time in the “Classics to Contemporary” section.

Once your group is called, you’re escorted into a movie theater where you’ll see a montage of Warner Bros. clips, getting you even more hyped for the tour. Although this is the same montage shown to the other tours offered, it still features some of the classics. It wouldn’t feel right having a WB montage without including “Casablanca.”

After the montage plays, several tour guides come into the theater introducing themselves to the various groups. The tour guides who give the “Classics Made Here” tour are specially trained. They are fans of the classics themselves and are able to share more knowledge of the classics. As we hop onto our golf carts to ride around the lot, this is the portion of the tour that differentiates itself most from the standard tour.

Our well-informed tour guide, Jorja, was sure to ask us at the top of the tour if we had any favorite classics. She asked this in order to make sure she was showing us what we wanted to see. So, if you’re going on a WB tour, don’t be shy when this question is asked. They all want to make sure you’re enjoying the tour, so speak up.

Each of the tour carts are equipped with several monitors that are able to show clips of the locations you’re visiting, seen in films and TV. Earlier, I mentioned how the montage in the movie theater was the same for all tour groups. In this case, the clips shown are specially made for the “Classics Made Here” tour, only featuring the classics and history of the studio lot.

For me, the magic of a studio lot has always been the backlot sets. In the Midwest backlot, movies including “The Music Man,” “East of Eden,” “Rebel Without a Cause,” “Bonnie & Clyde,” and so many more were all shot there. But these old backlot sets don’t still exist simply because of their history. They’re all still used today. In fact, while I was visiting the lot, they were setting up the space for a new shoot.

Perhaps the most iconic location on the “Classics Made Here” tour is the last remaining exterior set from “Casablanca.” On the backlot French Street, this façade has been used in countless projects. But it’s never changed too much in order to honor its place in cinematic history. French Street can also be seen in the classic WB film, “Now, Voyager” starring Bette Davis.

After visiting a couple of other backlots, including New York Street where classics like “The Big Sleep” and “The Maltese Falcon” were shot, we headed onto the front lot, which houses the soundstages. We went into soundstage 25, one of the few soundstages commemorated with a name and plaque. Stage 25 is called “The Big Bang Theory” stage, as all twelve seasons of the hit sitcom were shot inside. The stage is currently used for the show “Bob Hearts Abishola,” but that doesn’t mean it’s only used for current projects. On the sides of each soundstage there are plaques highlighting some of the projects that shot inside. Stage 25 was used for classics including “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” “Casablanca,” “Giant,” and more.

On the front lot sits soundstage 16. This is the largest soundstage on the lot, and one of the largest in North America. The stage was raised from the bottom up for the film “Cain and Mabel,” adding onto its height. Another classic shot in here was the drag race sequence in “Rebel Without a Cause” starring James Dean.

After our exploration of the backlot and front lot, our tour guide dropped us off at “Stage 48: Script to Screen.” Fun fact, in reality there are less than 48 stages on the Warner Bros. main studio lot. Stage 48 was given this name, as the building that once sat on this land was numbered building 48.

This self-guided portion of the tour links you back up with all other tours. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t classic memorabilia to check out. Inside, you’ll find costumes and memorabilia from “Casablanca,” and “My Fair Lady,” plus the leading ladies and gangsters of yesteryear cinema. It’s also worth noting that guests will be able to visit the real sets of modern classics like hit TV shows “Friends” and “The Big Bang Theory” in Stage 48.

After touring Stage 48, learning about the script to screen process, grabbing a bite at a recreated Central Perk, and shopping in a one-of-a-kind “Friends” themed store, it’s back on the golf cart for a short trip.

On the way to the tour finale, we took a pit stop by the “Friends” fountain in order to snap a picture. The original location of this iconic fountain was down the street at the Warner Bros. Studio Ranch, but the public cannot gain access to that smaller lot. It was recently moved to the main lot in order for tour guests to enjoy it. For those interested in the classics tour, it’s fun to note that although this fountain was made famous by “Friends,” it was also used by The Three Stooges.

After that short pit stop, you’ll hop on another golf cart taking you to the “Action and Magic Made Here” self-guided finale. In here you’ll mostly find props, costumes, and photo opportunities featuring DC Comics and Harry Potter. But, for those classics fans, the last thing you’ll see before entering the gift shop are the airplane scene costumes from “Casablanca” and Professor Harold Hill’s suitcase from “The Music Man.” It’s a nice reminder that without the classics that made Warner Bros. the brand that it is today, there would be no modern classics.

Overall, if you’re looking for a studio tour with a great mix of real-life studio production and elements created especially for tourists, you can’t go wrong with any Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood option. If you’re a fan of classic cinema, the “Classics Made Here” tour is the one you’ll want to book. For those of you who want an even more expanded tour experience, they offer a Studio Tour Plus, as well as a Deluxe Tour. Learn about all of your tour options at www.wbstudiotour.com .

Jeff DePaoli is a producer and voiceover artist living in Los Angeles. He can be heard as the voice of Disney Trivia on Alexa as well as the host of “Dizney Coast to Coast,” the ultimate, unofficial Disney fan podcast. Get your FREE gifts of “America’s Hidden Mickeys,” “On the Rohde Again,” “Theme Park Comfort Kit” and more at  DizneyCoastToCoast.com . DePaoli’s opinions are his own and do not necessarily represent Attractions Magazine.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign me up for the Attractions Magazine e-mail newsletter!

• Preplanned tours
• Daytrips out of Moscow
• Themed tours
• Customized tours
• St. Petersburg

Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro Tour is included in most guided tours’ itineraries. Opened in 1935, under Stalin’s regime, the metro was not only meant to solve transport problems, but also was hailed as “a people’s palace”. Every station you will see during your Moscow metro tour looks like a palace room. There are bright paintings, mosaics, stained glass, bronze statues… Our Moscow metro tour includes the most impressive stations best architects and designers worked at - Ploshchad Revolutsii, Mayakovskaya, Komsomolskaya, Kievskaya, Novoslobodskaya and some others.

What is the kremlin in russia?

The guide will not only help you navigate the metro, but will also provide you with fascinating background tales for the images you see and a history of each station.

And there some stories to be told during the Moscow metro tour! The deepest station - Park Pobedy - is 84 metres under the ground with the world longest escalator of 140 meters. Parts of the so-called Metro-2, a secret strategic system of underground tunnels, was used for its construction.

During the Second World War the metro itself became a strategic asset: it was turned into the city's biggest bomb-shelter and one of the stations even became a library. 217 children were born here in 1941-1942! The metro is the most effective means of transport in the capital.

There are almost 200 stations 196 at the moment and trains run every 90 seconds! The guide of your Moscow metro tour can explain to you how to buy tickets and find your way if you plan to get around by yourself.

Moscow Metro Tour

• Page active

Description

Moscow metro private tours.

• 2-hour tour $87:  10 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with hotel pick-up and drop-off
• 3-hour tour $137:  20 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with Russian lunch in beautifully-decorated Metro Diner + hotel pick-up and drop off. 
• Metro pass is included in the price of both tours.

Highlight of Metro Tour

• Visit 10 must-see stations of Moscow metro on 2-hr tour and 20 Metro stations on 3-hr tour, including grand Komsomolskaya station with its distinctive Baroque décor, aristocratic Mayakovskaya station with Soviet mosaics, legendary Revolution Square station with 72 bronze sculptures and more!
• Explore Museum of Moscow Metro and learn a ton of technical and historical facts;
• Listen to the secrets about the Metro-2, a secret line supposedly used by the government and KGB;
• Experience a selection of most striking features of Moscow Metro hidden from most tourists and even locals;
• Discover the underground treasure of Russian Soviet past – from mosaics to bronzes, paintings, marble arches, stained glass and even paleontological elements;
• Learn fun stories and myths about Coffee Ring, Zodiac signs of Moscow Metro and more;
• Admire Soviet-era architecture of pre- and post- World War II perious;
• Enjoy panoramic views of Sparrow Hills from Luzhniki Metro Bridge – MetroMost, the only station of Moscow Metro located over water and the highest station above ground level;
• If lucky, catch a unique «Aquarelle Train» – a wheeled picture gallery, brightly painted with images of peony, chrysanthemums, daisies, sunflowers and each car unit is unique;
• Become an expert at navigating the legendary Moscow Metro system;
• Have fun time with a very friendly local;
• + Atmospheric Metro lunch in Moscow’s the only Metro Diner (included in a 3-hr tour)

Hotel Pick-up

Metro stations:.

Komsomolskaya

Novoslobodskaya

Prospekt Mira

Belorusskaya

Mayakovskaya

Novokuznetskaya

Revolution Square

Sparrow Hills

+ for 3-hour tour

Victory Park

Slavic Boulevard

Vystavochnaya

Dostoevskaya

Elektrozavodskaya

Partizanskaya

Museum of Moscow Metro

• Drop-off  at your hotel, Novodevichy Convent, Sparrow Hills or any place you wish
• + Russian lunch  in Metro Diner with artistic metro-style interior for 3-hour tour

Fun facts from our Moscow Metro Tours:

From the very first days of its existence, the Moscow Metro was the object of civil defense, used as a bomb shelter, and designed as a defense for a possible attack on the Soviet Union.

At a depth of 50 to 120 meters lies the second, the coded system of Metro-2 of Moscow subway, which is equipped with everything you need, from food storage to the nuclear button.

According to some sources, the total length of Metro-2 reaches over 150 kilometers.

The Museum was opened on Sportivnaya metro station on November 6, 1967. It features the most interesting models of trains and stations.

Coffee Ring

The first scheme of Moscow Metro looked like a bunch of separate lines. Listen to a myth about Joseph Stalin and the main brown line of Moscow Metro.

Zodiac Metro

According to some astrologers, each of the 12 stops of the Moscow Ring Line corresponds to a particular sign of the zodiac and divides the city into astrological sector.

Astrologers believe that being in a particular zadiac sector of Moscow for a long time, you attract certain energy and events into your life.

Paleontological finds 

Red marble walls of some of the Metro stations hide in themselves petrified inhabitants of ancient seas. Try and find some!

• Every day each car in  Moscow metro passes  more than 600 km, which is the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
• Moscow subway system is the  5th in the intensity  of use (after the subways of Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai).
• The interval in the movement of trains in rush hour is  90 seconds .

What you get:

• + A friend in Moscow.
• + Private & customized Moscow tour.
• + An exciting pastime, not just boring history lessons.
• + An authentic experience of local life.
• + Flexibility during the walking tour: changes can be made at any time to suit individual preferences.
• + Amazing deals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the very best cafes & restaurants. Discounts on weekdays (Mon-Fri).
• + A photo session amongst spectacular Moscow scenery that can be treasured for a lifetime.
• + Good value for souvenirs, taxis, and hotels.
• + Expert advice on what to do, where to go, and how to make the most of your time in Moscow.

Write your review

Moscow Metro Underground Small-Group Tour - With Reviews & Ratings

Moscow metro underground small-group tour.

• See more images

Tour Information

Key Details

• Mobile Voucher Accepted
• Free Cancellation
• Duration: 3 Hrs
• Language: English
• Departure Time : 10:00 AM
• Departure Details : Karl Marks Monument on Revolution Square, metro stop: Square of Revolution
• Return Details : Metro Smolenskaya
• If you cancel at least 4 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.
• If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.
• Tours booked using discount coupon codes will be non refundable.

Go beneath the streets on this tour of the spectacular, mind-bending Moscow Metro! Be awed by architecture and spot the Propaganda , then hear soviet stories from a local in the know. Finish it all up above ground, looking up to Stalins skyscrapers, and get the inside scoop on whats gone on behind those walls.

Know More about this tour

We begin our Moscow tour beneath the city, exploring the underground palace of the Moscow Metro. From the Square of Revolution station, famous for its huge statues of soviet people (an armed soldier, a farmer with a rooster, a warrior, and more), we’ll move onto some of the most significant stations, where impressive mosaics, columns, and chandeliers will boggle your eyes! Moreover, these stations reveal a big part of soviet reality — the walls depict plenty of Propaganda , with party leaders looking down from images on the walls. Your local guide will share personal stories of his/her family from USSR times, giving you insight into Russia’s complicated past and present. Then we’re coming back up to street level, where we’ll take a break and refuel with some Russian fast food: traditional pancakes, called bliny. And then, stomachs satiated, we are ready to move forward! We’ll take the eco-friendly electric trolleybus, with a route along the Moscow Garden Ring. Used mainly by Russian babushkas(grannies) during the day, the trolleybus hits peak hours in the mornings and evenings, when many locals use it going to and from their days. Our first stop will be the Aviator’s House, one of Stalin’s Seven Sisters, followed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — and you’ll hear the legends of what has gone on inside the walls. Throughout your Moscow tour, you’ll learn curious facts from soviet history while seeing how Russia exists now, 25 years after the USSR.

Local English-speaking guide

Pancake snack and drink

Additional food and drinks

Tickets for public transport

Souvenirs and items of a personal nature

Tips and gratuities for the guide

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking

Dress standard: Please wear comfortable shoes for walking. For your Urban Adventure you will be in a small group of a maximum of 12 people

Traveler Reviews

This tour exceeded our expectations. Nikolai (Nick), our tour guide, was very knowledgeable, thorough, and has a great personality. He didn't take shortcuts and really covered everything that was on the agenda in great detail. We saw beautiful metro stations and learned the history behind them, including many of the murals and designs.

We did the tour with Anna her knowledge and understanding of the History surrounding the metro brought the tour alive. Well done Anna!

This tour was amazing!

Anna was a great tour guide. She gave us heaps of interesting information, was very friendly, and very kindly showed us how to get to our next tour.

Amazing beauty and history.

An excellent tour helped by an absolutely amazing guide. Anna gave a great insight into the history of the metro helped by additional material she had prepared.

great tour and guide - thanks again

great will do it again, Miriam ke was very good as a guide she has lived here all here life so knew every interesting detail.a good day