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Harry Potter World Orlando | The Wizarding Guide
Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida is one of my favorite theme parks ever and I must admit, largely due to Harry Potter World! Harry Potter World Orlando is officially called The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but I tend to call it Harry Potter World for short. I literally could spend my entire time at Universal Studios in this part of the park. It is actually huge and there is so much to do and it truly feels so magical!
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(Updated April 2024)
Park Hopper Pass for Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Harry Potter World Orlando is actually located in Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure so you will need a park hopper pass to see them both on the same day. You can either walk from one park to another to visit both (But it is quite the walk) or you can use my preferred method- The Hogwarts Express! You have to ride it both ways because each way is actually different and it’s fun to see the queue for both. Universal Studios contains Diagon Alley while Islands of Adventure contains Hogsmeade and the Hogwarts Castle and I absolutely love both parks!
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Hanging out at Diagon Alley at Harry Potter World
Shop my Harry Potter accessories here!
Wizarding World of Harry Potter- The Knight Bus
Before you arrive in Diagon Alley, you’ll see the Knight Bus right outside. It is definitely a fun spot and photo opp. You can wait in a short line to have an interactive experience with the attendant at the Knight Bus and the Shrunken Head will actually talk to you. It’s always a super fun start of the day at Harry Potter World.
Tip: If you don’t want the interactive experience, but you want the fun photo opp, just head to the other side and you won’t have to wait in line!
Diagon Alley
Universal Studios has done such a great job recreating Diagon Alley at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It looks just like the set in London! It’s truly incredible and very immersive. Right when you arrive to the Harry Potter World area, it looks like you are on a street in London. If you walk a little further, you will find the “secret” entrance to Diagon Alley. Right outside of Diagon Alley is also made to look like the London Tube and this is where you will find the Hogwarts Express that will take you over to Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure.
Diagon Alley Shops
There are many fun shops to visit in Diagon Alley and they are all worth visiting, especially for any Harry Potter fans. I really loved Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, the Weasley twin’s joke shop. This area also looks really cool on the outside and is a great place for some fun photos.
There are so many more shops to explore in Diagon Alley, you could literally spend all day perusing them. There is Madame Malkin’s Robes, Magical Menagerie (a shop full of all sorts of creatures and animals that Hagrid would truly love), Quality Quidditch Supplies, Sribbulus, Sugarplum’s Sweet Shop and more!
Tip: Another fun must do is to visit Gringotts Bank and talk to the goblins. You can actually exchange your money for wizard money that can be used any where in Harry Potter World. You can also ask the goblins any questions you might have!
So many fun knick knacks at the Weasley Twin’s Joke Shop
Ollivanders Wand Shop
Ollivanders wand shop is a must visit because it is a truly fun and amazing interactive experience! This should be one of the first places you visit because it can get really busy through out the day. Ollivanders Wand Shop is an interactive experience/show where the wand chooses the wizard! A group of about 8-10 people will be led into a small room and greeted by Ollivander himself. If you are the lucky wizard that gets chosen, the experience is even better. The one person that gets chosen gets to go through a series of events for their wand to find them. I got picked the first time and it was so much fun!
Tip: Often times either a child or a person decked out in Harry Potter attire will be the one chosen for this experience.
After the interactive experience, you have the option to check out the wand shop which is really cool. They have all of the character\’s wands and then some. If you splurge, you can actually get an interactive wand which I highly recommend because it will make your experience in Harry Potter World that much more immersive.
There are locations all over Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade where you can practice spells with your interactive wand and different magical things will happen, like making water come out of a fountain, making a skeleton move and more fun!
Knockturn Alley
Don’t forget to check out the dark and sinister Knockturn Alley while visiting Diagon Alley. This area is dark and fun and has a lot of the interactive experiences if you end up buying an interactive wand. This area also has Borgin and Burkes that has some really cool merchandise like Death Eater masks and costume replicas and apparel.
Harry Potter World Orlando Rides- Diagon Alley
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
This ride is a definite must and is one of my personal favorite in all of Universal Studios. It is an interactive 4D ride where you get to travel in carts in the underground caverns below Gringotts Bank. The queue is a lot of fun as well and is very interactive and you get to see very realistic looking goblins working right inside Gringotts Bank.
Tip: The Dragon above Gringotts blows fire at different intervals through out the day so make sure to stick around outside this area for awhile so you can see it, it’s really cool!
Diagon Alley Shows
There will be different shows and performances in Diagon Alley through out the day at the main stage. A cool show to watch is the Famous Tales of Beetle the Bard show. Props and puppetry are used to tell the stories from Beetle the Bard.
Diagon Alley Dining
There is one main restaurant and a few refreshment and beverage shops in Diagon Alley. The main restaurant is the Leaky Cauldron which is full of traditional British food. Breakfast is available until 10:30 AM and then after that you will find Fish and Chip’s, Banger’s and Mash and many other traditional British cuisine choices.
Make sure to check out Eternelles, a small drink shop where they have Gillywater and other fun elixirs that actually transform into different colors right in front of your eyes!
There is also Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour, the Fountain of Fair Fortune and the Hopping Pot that you can check out! Stop at Florean’s for Butter-beer flavored ice-cream or sticky toffee pudding!
Hogwarts Express
Hogsmeade Village
This Wizarding Village below the Hogwarts Castle is incredibly immersive and magical and actually feels like you are visiting the village from the books!
Hogsmeade Shops
Hogsmeade also has many notable shops to visit including Honeydukes (My personal favorite-where you can find chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans), Dervish and Banges, their own Ollivander’s wand shop, an Owl Post and Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods.
Make sure to visit the Owl Post where you can actually mail out letters with a Hogsmeade postmark! This will definitely make all of your Harry Potter loving friends super jealous!
Tip: Definitely make sure you go to the bathrooms in Hogsmeade Village because you can actually hear Moaning Myrtle!
Harry Potter World Orlando Rides- Hogsmeade Village
Hogsmeade Village has 3 main rides and they are all really fun and definitely all worth riding. It’s important to note that you can’t bring backpacks, cameras or bigger items with you on the rides and they will need to be put into lockers. There are lockers that you can rent for free while you go on the rides right before the line queues, but they can be quite the hassle sometimes because they fill up fast!
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is the ride inside of the Hogwarts Castle and it is an incredibly epic 4D ride. The queue itself goes through the castle and makes waiting in line a lot more bearable as you visit different parts of the castle including Dumbledore’s Office.
Flight of the Hippogriff
This small roller-coaster is a fun ride to go on for the whole family and it even includes Hagrid’s hut in the queue!
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
This ride is new and is an incredibly fun and interactive rollercoaster.
Hogsmeade Dining
The dining in Hogsmeade is the Three Broomsticks Restaurant and Hog’s Head which serves Butter-beer and Pumpkin Juice as well as alcoholic beverages. I love eating at the Three Broomsticks and dine there every time I visit Harry Potter World. It’s a rustic tavern with British fare and the setting and food is really yummy. Definitely try Butter-beer while you are at Harry Potter World Orlando. My favorite way is frozen, but you can try regular, frozen, hot or even in ice-cream form!
Tip: The Butter-beer kiosks are always really busy with long lines so stop in the Hog’s Head to get your Butter Beer!
Hogsmeade Shows
The two main shows in Hogsmeade are the Frog Choir and the Triwizard Rally and both are quite entertaining and fun to watch! Also, my very favorite show is the Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle! This show happens later at night and is an actual light show on the castle and it’s truly spectacular. Make sure to check showtimes and get near the Hogwarts Castle at least 20 minutes before the show to find a good spot!
Harry Potter World- Where to Stay
I recommend staying right on the Universal Studios property at Cabana Bay Beach Resort. The theming is really fun and bright which makes it great for pictures and it’s a resort style hotel so you could even spend a day at the hotel! The best perk of staying on property is that you get early access to the parks and can arrive before the main crowds do. Click here to book your stay!
Universal’s Aventura Hotel also offers early park admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ and Universal’s Volcano Bay water theme park 1 hour before park opening.
Other perks include a resort-style pool with a hot tub and kids’ splash area. There are also free transfers to all Universal Orlando theme parks and Universal CityWalk.
There is also a Restaurant Food Hall inside offering multiple cuisines for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Centrally located at Universal Orlando, Universal’s Hard Rock Hotel guests receive Free Universal Express Unlimited ride access to skip the regular lines at most popular attractions in Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure! This is a huge huge perk.
City Walk nightlife is 5 minutes’ walk away and accessible by water taxi. You also get early Park Admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ and Universal’s Volcano Bay water theme park 1 hour before the theme parks opens.
Another epic feature is the 12,000-square-foot pool with underwater music and rock and roll memorabilia decor on site. Guests can also enjoy American fare at Palm Restaurant on site for dinner. Velvet Bar features a full bar and appetizers.
Harry Potter and Character themed house
Coming to Harry Potter World with a bigger group? Then check out this house! It’s seriously so epic and fun for the whole family or group of friends.
One of the rooms is Harry Potter themed and there’s a Harry Potter themed movie room that includes robes to wear for a fun movie night! Other rooms are themed like Moana, Star Wars and princess.
How many days do you need at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter?
It honestly depends how much you want to fan girl (just kidding- sort of). You could do everything in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in one day. But if you want to take your time, go into every single shop, nook and cranny and take lots of photos- I would recommend 2 days if you can!
Is it worth it to go to the wizarding world of Harry Potter?
Yes, yes and yes! I have been several times now and I absolutely love it. If you are a Harry Potter fan, visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a must. It’s truly so so immersive!
Is butterbeer worth it?
Butterbeer is quite pricy and the price seems to just keep going up, but I love it so much and would definitely say it’s worth it! There are 4 different versions you can try too. The regular drink, frozen version, hot version and frozen yogurt version. Frozen Butterbeer is my personal favorite.
What are the new attractions at the Wizarding world of Harry Potter?
Universal Resort is opening a whole new 3rd park called Epic Universe in 2025 and with it will come an entirely new Harry Potter park!
The new Harry Potter World addition will include a 1920s themed Wizarding Paris and the British Ministry of Magic. The 1920s theme comes from the Fantastic Beasts films and will have whole new adventures in store.
Excited to see what they will unveil for this whole new park in Harry Potter World!
I hope you have the best time at Harry Potter World! Let me know if you have any questions about your upcoming trip!
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Wizarding World of Harry Potter | Perfect Itinerary
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