After writing the highlights from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Orlando post last week I was still bubbling with post-vacation excitement from our time at the park and decided to write it all out, every little detail I could think of from our trip, to create the ultimate guide to the Harry Potter part of the parks!

Like I said last week, we only had a day and a half to see everything at the Wizarding World but that was plenty of time to see it all. It was my first time at the Universal parks and I had no idea what to expect; Mom had done most of the planning while I dedicated my time to finding the perfect theme shirts to wear — priorities, right? – and we felt a little overwhelmed by all the information floating around so hopefully this helps someone out there plan a magical trip.
No one is paying me to write this, I just really love Harry Potter.
Universal CityWalk
When you get to the park area, you’ll go through Universal CityWalk first. It’s a huge area outside the park gates (a.k.a. free to go to) with shops and restaurants. This is where you’ll find your Voodoo Donuts, Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, the Blue Man Group, and The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar, among others. We got to the parks right around lunch time, so we stopped at Cowfish for some food and would definitely recommend it. My sister, who is never adventurous when it comes to food, ordered the The Cowfish Has Officially Left The Building burger (which is huge and topped with peanut butter, fried bananas, and bacon) and she. Ate. The. Whole. Thing. We were very impressed.
From CityWalk you can follow the path to the right for the entrance to Universal Studios Florida or to the left for Islands of Advneture.

Photo Tip – If you want a picture with the big, spinning Universal globe, the best spot comes as you walk towards the Universal Studios Florida entrance along the pretty white railing. You can also walk a bit further and get a picture right in front of it. The trick is really just waiting for “Universal” to make it around for each photo.
Universal Studios Florida vs Islands of Adventure
The best advice we got from friends when planning the trip as to get a 2-park pass. Although the two parks are right next to each other, you have to buy separate tickets to get into each. This means if you start in Universal Studios you have to either walk back out and enter the Islands of Adventure gates or take the Hogwarts Express to the other side (by showing your 2-park pass). This is key if you want to see both Diagon Alley (in Universal Studios Florida) and Hogsmead (in Islands of Adventure) and if you want to ride the Hogwarts Express (which you definitely do).
We talked about only doing one park since it would save money but finally we decided that if we were going to go, we wanted to really do it all and do it right so that if we got another opportunity to go to Orlando we could feel like we had really done the Universal thing and be excited for another new adventure. So, budget permitting, I 100% recommend getting a pass for both parks because it’s entirely worth it.
Universal Express Pass: Worth It
Express Passes used to not work for any Harry Potter area things but thank goodness they changed that! We did splurge on an express pass for our full day and it was so nice to have. We got lucky in a lot of spots and managed to beat the long(est) lines but once the heat of the day really hit, standing in lines outside for 60 minutes did not sound fun and we were very happy to have our express passes. The park staff told us the express passes usually cut wait time in half so if the regular wait time was 60 minutes we got on in 30 minutes, and usually even a little faster. If you can’t get an express pass it won’t ruin your trip but we definitely were glad to have ours.
Download the App
Before you get to the parks be sure to download Universal Orlando’s (free) mobile app. Through the app you can find a map of the parks, see wait times for rides, create a favorites list, and get updates about schedule changes or park announcements and special offers while you’re in the parks. Mostly we used it to check wait times for different rides, but it was super helpful. I think the app is just called “Universal Orlando” when you search the app store.
Universal Studios Florida: London & Diagon Alley
If you want the true Potter experience, Mom and I agreed that you have to go through the wizarding world like Harry did, i.e. starting with Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley is basically at the very back of the park so be prepared to make the hike back to it. We didn’t have a good understanding of how the park was laid out and were sure we’d never find it, but just keep going and you’ll get there. You can also find park maps on the Universal site if you want to be more prepared than we were.
Grimmauld Street
Before you get into Diagon Alley you’ll walk by Grimmauld Street. Here you can get a picture in front of 12 Grimmauld Place and every few minutes you can even see Kreachure peeking out of one of the windows.
The Knight Bus
You’ll also see the Knight Bus, complete with driver and Dre Head. Great photo spot and you can even talk to Dre Head. If you’ve already got a wand (or come back later with one like we did) you can get a picture holding your wand out to “call the bus” too!
Ministry of Magic Phone Booth
Don’t be fooled by its ordinary appearance – The telephone booth outside Diagon Alley and King’s Cross station is the entrance to the Ministry of Magic! If you go in the booth and dial MAGIC you’ll be connected with the Ministry of Magic and hear a different message each time.
Diagon Alley
Once you walk through the brick wall leading to Diagon Alley you will be completely transported to the wizarding world we’ve all read about and seen in the movies for so long. It was breathtaking. Serious props to Universal because they really did the damn thing; they did not mess around when creating this world for us.

Some of my favorites from Diagon Alley were visiting Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, the Gringott’s dragon (who breathes fire!), and talking to the goblin at the Gringotts Money Exchange (where you can actually exchange muggle money for Gringotts bank notes to use around the park). You can ask the Goblin any question and he’ll respond! Also if you go into the Magical Menagerie you can see a talking snake in the window (who speaks Parseltongue and English) and a Cumple-Horned Snorkack in the shop!
Ollivander’s Wand Shop was another favorite. I’m a Harry Potter sucker so we absolutely did the wand experience at Ollivander’s and got super lucky that there was no line. Even though some 11-year-old girl (who wasn’t excited about it) got chosen instead of me, it was still fun to watch and enjoy the magic. But also I loathe that little girl a little bit. I’m petty. It’s fine.
A Note About Wand & Spells – When you go to buy your wand, be sure to ask one of the witches working there to help you pick the right one for you. You can either buy a character wand or an Ollivander wand (I chose an Ollivander wand because you can only get those at the park) and you can choose to buy your selected wand as a regular wand or an interactive wand.
The regular wand just looks cool, but the interactive wands allow you to go around both parts of The Wizarding World and cast spells in different hidden places. There are also secret spell spots that you have to ask a witch to help you find as they are not marked on the map that will come with your wand. We had a lot of fun with the interactive wand, so I would recommend splurging on it! The three of us just got one to share and it worked out great.
The Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts ride is also in Diagon Alley and was a great ride! While you’re in line you get to see the inside of the bank (which was so cool) and the ride itself was fun. We made sure to go to this first thing when we got to the park so the line wouldn’t be too crazy and I definitely recommend doing the same. Even with an express pass the wait time can get to be crazy long.
While you’re in Diagon Alley you also can’t forget to pop into Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions for all of your robe needs (and to see the talking mirror) and go down Knockturn Alley. If you’re a dark arts fan you’ll love going into Borgin and Burkes for all your dark arts wares and you can see the Hand of Glory and the vanishing cabinet from book/movie 6. If you choose to get an interactive wand, you’ll also want to be sure to get all the spells in the alley.
Also if you go into the Magical Menagerie you can see a talking snake in the window (who speaks Parseltongue and English) and a Cumple-Horned Snorkack in the shop!
The Hogwarts Express
We got pretty lucky with the lines each time we rode the Hogwarts Express and didn’t have to wait too long but depending on the time of day the wait can be hours long. There are fun props along the lines which makes the wait feel less awful and when you’re in line on the Diagon Alley side you actually get to “walk through” platform 9¾. The experience is different going each way and definitely worth it to ride it to and from Hogsmead/Diagon Alley. As I mentioned before, you can only ride it if you have a 2-park pass so be sure to make a note of that when planning your trip.
Islands of Adventure: Hogsmead
After being in Diagon Alley I was sure nothing could be cooler but Hogsmead did not disappoint. There’s a spot where you can take a picture with the Hogwarts Express and conductor (once you walk into the Hogsmead area, not the actual train you ride on) and a good spot to get a picture of the Hogwarts Express Hogsmead sign. The Flight of the Hippogriff ride is in this area of the park as well as shops like Dervish and Banges and Honeydukes.
By this point in your day, if you haven’t already tried some butterbeer you have to stop and get a refreshing cup. The frozen butterbeer was my absolute favorite and perfect on a hot summer day. After finishing your big glass of butterbeer you’ll probably need to find the bathroom. Be sure to listen while you’re in there and you might hear Moaning Myrtle!

Another highlight for us was finding out you can get postcards post stamped at the Owl Post with the Hogsmead post stamp. We of course bought the full box set of postcards and got each one stamped after admiring all the magical stationary in the shop.
I think the most amazing part of being in The Wizarding World though was seeing the Hogwarts castle. Obviously I know what the castle looks like from the movies and I had seen other people’s picture of it from their trip to the park but seeing it in person was a totally different experience. Universal did an amazing job bringing it to life and the best part is you can go inside it while you’re in line for the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journeyride.
Photo Tip – the best spot to get a good picture of/with the castle is from the bridge to the left of it. That’s where we got this pic (below) and it’s one of my favorites from our trip.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey was our favorite ride and I 100% recommend it no matter how long the line is. Going through the castle while in line and seeing things like the statue guarding Dumbeldore’s office, talking portraits, and the defense against the dark arts classroom was a really cool experience and the ride itself was a great rollercoaster. Since the ride is all indoors, it’s not a “classic” rollercoaster but I liked it even more because of that.
Food
If you’re going to be at the parks all day, you’re going to need a bit more sustenance than butterbeer to keep you going. Luckily, there are some great options in both sides of The Wizarding World (and also in the other parts of the parks but that’s muggle food). In Diagon Alley you’ve got the Leaky Cauldron with a full menu to choose from. We stopped in for a snack at some point and actually thought the food was pretty good!
You also can’t miss Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour. Aside from just looking like a cool shop, they’ve got some crazy (yummy) flavors like chocolate chili, sticky toffee pudding, pumpkin juice, earl grey, and of course butterbeer. I went with one scoop of earl grey and one scoop of clotted cream and was a very happy witch.

In Hogsmead you’ve got the Three Broomsticks and the Hog’s Head (for drinks only). They have different entrances but are connected so even though we got food at the Three Broomsticks (which was also surprisingly good), we made sure to walk through to the Hog’s Head too. The barmaid there was super nice and told us lots of trivia we didn’t know – like the fact that the Hog’s Head at the part was actually used for filming the movie! Definitely worth a trip in to chat with someone and see the hog behind the bar.
Shows
There are a few different shows you can catch in both Diagon Alley and Hogsmead that run throughout the day. In Diagon Alley you can see Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees as well as The Tales of Beedle the Bard. We didn’t get to see the Celestina Warbeck performance, but we did see The Tales of Beedle the Bard and really enjoyed it. The stage area in Diagon Alley is covered so it was also a great chance to get out of the sun for a bit and cool off while watching the performance.
In Hogsmead you can see the Frog Choir and the Triwizard Spirit Rally. We were going to go to the Spirit Rally, but the show was cancelled for some reason so if anyone’s been or is going tell me how you like it! They did still bring out students from Beauxbattons and Durmstrang for people to take pictures with which was cool.
The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle is also in Hogsmead at the castle but only in the evening. We got super lucky that we were there for the first night of the lights and fireworks show for summer and it was totally worth fighting our way through the crowd to get a good spot. One of the wizards has told us earlier in the day that the best spot to watch the show is from the bridge to the left of the castle and he was not wrong! By the end of the day we were pretty tired and weren’t sure if we wanted to stay for the show but all three of us were super glad we did – totally worth it!

The website says it’ll be going from now until August 19thand then again September 1-3 but hopefully they’ll extend it longer because it really is spectacular.
If it rains while you’re there…
As you can tell from the photos, we got a bit rained on while we were there. Rain was not going to stand between us and all the Harry Potter fun, but we were in a different part of Islands of Adventure when it started raining. So we bought some rain ponchos where we were and then made our way back to Hogsmead…But when we got there we realized they also sell Wizarding World of Harry Potter ponchos (only in the Harry Potter parts of the parks) and were a little annoyed with our lame basic Universal Orlando ponchos. So moral of the story is if it rains while you’re there be sure to get the Harry Potter ponchos and learn from our mistakes!
Mom says…
Mom also wants me to be sure and remind you to wear good walking shoes – “this is not the time to be in cute sandals or flip-flops!” We averaged 7 miles each day and pretty much felt like our feet were going to fall off by the end of our trip. Both Diagon Alley and Hogsmead are way at the back of the parks so comfy shoes are a good idea.

If you’ve been to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, what was your favorite part? I’m not sure I could choose just one! And if you’re planning a trip, what are you most excited about?

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