Just across the street from the Knight Bus, through the wall at Kings Cross Station, lies the Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley. That first step around the corner of that admittedly bland brick wall is, to be completely cliché, magical.
If you’re as big of a Harry Potter fan as we are I can promise you the first look is indescribable, and a little overwhelming. With so many sights to see it can be hard to know where to start. But not to worry! I’m here to help you through it.
Here’s my how-to guide to experience two perfect and full days of magic at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
The difference between the parks:
The entirety of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is split between two different Universal Parks: Universal Studios Florida, and Islands of Adventure. Each park includes its own unique shows, rides, and attractions while keeping you immersed in the Harry Potter universe.
You’ll be able to get food, butterbeer, souvenirs, and wands at both locations.
- Universal Studios Florida – Includes Diagon Alley and its corresponding shops, restaurants, and rides.
- Islands of Adventure – Includes the Hogwarts Castle, Hogsmead, and its corresponding shops, restaurants, and rides.
Best time to travel: “Best” is a relative term since there’s really no bad time to visit. Different seasons and holidays offer different experiences. Since we’re not the biggest fans of crowds, we decided to plan our trip around the least-crowded dates.
According to Orlando Informer, the best times to beat the crowds are:
- The second week in January – the second week in February
- September
- October
- Early December (before Christmas)
Check out their Crowd Calendar for more detailed information!
Climate: (Based on the averages in Fahrenheit for above dates)
- January – 72° / 51°
- February – 75° / 54°
- September – 89° / 74°
- October – 85° / 68°
- December – 75° / 55°
Helpful Additions:
- Early Access: If you stay at certain Universal Resorts, you will have the ability to enter certain parks before they open to the public. We found this super helpful for the Harry Potter sections of the parks as they are extremely popular.
- Universal App: This app is useful in tracking wait times for rides, ordering food-to-go, and mark your favorites to ensure that you can plan your stops ahead of time.
For our trip, we split each day between the two parks.
Day One:
- Morning in Diagon Alley
- Afternoon/Evening in Hogsmeade
Day Two:
- Morning in Hogsmeade
- Afternoon in Diagon Alley
- Evening in Hogsmeade
With tons of shops, food, and attractions, there’s a lot to explore!
Staying at the Loews Sapphire Falls Resort allowed us the perk of early admission to Universal Studios Florida. This was a must-have for me for two reasons.
- We wanted to be able to shop for wands without the shop being packed.
- We wanted to get some pictures in ahead of the crowd.
Once the park opened we beelined it to the back of the park toward Kings Cross Station. You’ll probably see a lot of other people doing this, but not to worry it wasn’t too busy once we did get there.
The entrance is a little funny. Right across from the Knight Bus, between Kings Cross and Grimmauld Place, there’s a brick wall. Don’t be fooled by the fact that it does kind of look like a bathroom entranced. Once you weave your way through it, you’ll be greeted with the nearly-empty Diagon Alley!
I’m not kidding when I say I turned into a kid in a candy store. Ollivanders was filled with tall, uneven stacks of wand boxes. Even after buying my wand I didn’t want to leave. A lovely witch at the shop helped my brother and I find our perfect fit. After a possibly-too-long discussion, I decided on an Ash wand. The design is very pretty and the finish is unique because it will wear and lighten after some wear.
Want your wand to pick you? Go through the Ollivander experience for the chance of being picked by the local wand expert to be part of the show and find your wand.
Did you ever wave twigs around in your backyard as a kid? Pretending to cast those classic Harry Potter spells? Getting an interactive wand will allow you to practice real magic!
All throughout the park, there are gold medallions on the ground, indicating the spots where you can try your hand at spell-casting. Make it rain across from the Fountain of Fair Fortune. Silence the fluttering canary at the Magical Menagerie. Keep your eyes peeled for these medallions as some of them are hard to find.
Be patient with yourself and others. Sometimes the sensors are a little finicky and can take a few tries!
While there are a few smaller, quick-stops for food around Diagon Alley, I highly suggest taking a break at the Leaky Cauldron. Pop in for a meal, a snack, or just to enjoy your Butterbeer. It may look busy, but after you place your order the staff will help you and your group find a spot to eat. The wait can vary depending on the time.
After getting our wands, we tucked into a hot breakfast and a taste of hot butterbeer to fuel up for the day.
Don’t fill up too much! There’s plenty of treats around the park you’ll want to save room for.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a great place to experience if you’re not one for rides. While rides aren’t the focus of the park, there are a few great ones to choose from.
Before we headed out for our afternoon break, we took a ride on The Escape from Gringotts. It’s an exciting, indoor, rollercoaster experience filled with dragons, dark magic, and a 30-foot drop.
Are you ready to be transported to Hogwarts? After taking the Hogwarts Express, we bustled out of the station into the cobblestone streets of Hogsmeade! We were immediately greeted with the can’t-miss, teal and pink window displays of Honeydukes. With all of the kids (and adults, who are we kidding) excitedly running around, it’s impossible not to feel inspired.
Sit back with a Butterbeer (or a muggle beer) at the Three Broomsticks. Hungry? Enjoy a meal while you relax in the stone hearth and plan your DA rebellion. We loved the Shepherd’s Pie here, but honestly, you can’t go wrong with meat and potatoes in pie form.
Just looking for a snack? Stop by Honeydukes! This colorful shop is lined with Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs, and Acid Pops. True, you can get these treats in almost any shop in the Wizarding World. But why not get them where the Trio would have?
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is known to be the most intense ride in the Wizarding World. Since our group wasn’t that big on rides, we decided against going on. That being said, this ride provides the most unique line experience: allowing you to wind your way through the hallways of Hogwarts!
Pro tip: You want the line to be longer.
I know, I know, it sounds painful. But trust me on this one.
For any of you who also aren’t big into rides, the park still allows you to experience the magic of Hogwarts without having to commit to the motion sickness.
The line for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey winds its way through the entire castle, allowing you to see every nook and cranny of those iconic hallways. Wander the greenhouse. Meet Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom. Watch the four founders have a little chat from their portrait frames. And once you reach the end? Either jump in the final line for the ride or follow the witch or wizard’s instructions toward the exit.
While Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure was being built while we were there, I’ve heard it’s a great coaster!
To end the night (and maybe the trip), sit back with the rest of the Wizarding World to experience the stunning light show on the castle. The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle combines dazzling lights and that famous, Harry Potter soundtrack to create a truly magical experience. Watch each house animal show their true colors as they wind their way around the spires, all ending in fireworks. We stuck around for a few of the showings, but hey, we didn’t want to leave!
What house do you belong to? Let us know in the comments below!
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