Are you still waiting for your letter from Hogwarts? I gave up and went straight to the castle to check it out for myself. Why don’t you do that too: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando is a must-see destination for any fan of the world’s most famous wizard.
Opened in 2010, it continues to record staggering figures every year thanks to the expansion that seems to have no end. The main places from the saga are faithfully reproduced, from the talking pictures, to the snow on the roofs of Hogsmeade. There are long lines but the experience will be unforgettable. Indeed, magical.
PS: this article refers to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, if you are interested in the Californian counterpart read our guide on the Harry Potter Park in Hollywood.
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How to Get to the Harry Potter Park in Orlando
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is located in Orlando within the two parks that make up Universal Orlando Resort:
- Universal Studios Florida houses the Diagon Alley section
- Islands of Adventure includes the Hogsmeade section
Universal’s complex is located 15 minutes from Orlando and three and a half hours from Miami. I suggest you visit Orlando by renting a car to move freely beyond the area of the parks and visit Everglades and the many other attractions of Florida.
The cost of parking is $22 daily and this is the address to put in the navigator:
Theme Parks & CityWalk Parking Garage, 6000 Universal Boulevard Orlando, FL 32819 Latitude: 28.47399 Longitude: -81.46228
If you do not plan to rent a car, it is very easy to get around using cabs, buses and shuttles, the latter are often offered free of charge by hotels. For more information on accommodations that include various services depending on the park, take a look at the advice we gave on where to stay in Universal Orlando. For airport transfers take a look at this page.
Planning a Trip to Harry Potter World Orlando
Both areas dedicated to Harry Potter share their respective train stations and Ollivanders. In this store, in addition to selling wands, Ollivanders himself will entertain guests with a little show by having one of you choose a wand (or maybe it’s the other way around?).
Follow these tips to get the most out of visiting the Orlando Parks (and Harry Potter park):
- Choose lodgings near the parks and avoid sleeping in Orlando city. There are plenty of options for all budgets and prices are lower than in other American metropolises. To find out more, in addition to our previously reported tips on Universal Studios accommodations, you can also check out our general overview of where to sleep in Orlando.
- Dedicate 2 to 4 full days to visit more or less one park per day between Disneyworld (which consists of 6 parks plus Disney Springs) and Universal Studios Florida (which, in addition to the park of the same name, also includes Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay and the Universal City shopping area).
- Specifically, if you don’t have an Express pass, the Harry Potter park requires a full day on the busiest days. It’s best to spend the first few hours of the morning or the last few hours of the evening before closing to avoid long lines.
- If you purchase a Park-To-Park ticket (which includes both parks), take the train ride on the Hogwarts Express in both directions (from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade and back) because the outdoor scenery you’ll see will be different.
- The busiest times are June-July-August, December around New Year’s Eve and during Spring Break (approximately March).
Bonus tip: pair Orlando with Miami or a tour of the Florida Keys!
Diagon Alley vs Hogsmeade
As mentioned above, the Harry Potter-themed attractions are spread between 2 parks: Diagon Alley in Universal Studios Florida and Hogsmeade in Universal’s Islands of Adventure. If you’re short on time or budget, you’ll be faced with a difficult choice:
- the reconstruction of Diagon Alley is really evocative; to get there you must first take a walk through the alleys of London, not without noticing the building where Harry Potter moved in the last episodes and the Knight Bus, the magical double-decker bus of the saga. Around the corner, as if by magic, Diagon Alley will appear in front of you, where it is really hard not to get excited walking through the many locations that you loved in the film (Ollivanders, the Weasley brothers’ store, the Gringotts bank, the dark alleys of Knockturn Alley …). If you want to taste a butterbeer you can take a seat….
- In Hogsmeade, the original section of the park, we find the village the village of the same name and the famous magical castle of Hogwarts. Again, the quality of the reconstruction is excellent (here you will also find Ollivanders and the opportunity to taste a butterbeer) and, if you take the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride, you will be able to enter the castle with talking pictures.
In my opinion, the Universal Studios area (Diagon Alley) is a more impressive reconstruction but in Islands of Adventure you will find more rides. However, these are personal impressions: the truth is that both boast remarkable attractions and the best thing, if you are a fan of the famous wizard, is undoubtedly to visit them both (you can also do it in 1 day buying the special ticket), also because this way you will have access to Hogwarts Express, the magic train that joins the 2 parks and that at the same time represents a really fascinating experience for those who loved the movie.
In any case, if you really have to choose, you can get an idea of which one to go for by learning about the main attractions that await you in both sections:
Hogsmeade: Attractions, Stores and Places to Eat
Attractions
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The Forbidden Journey is a ride with 3D effects and real installations (like fire-breathing dragons). A broomstick ride that retraces some of the most exciting moments of Harry Potter’s adventures, including dementors and Quidditch matches. It is located inside Hogwarts Castle. If I were asked, “Would you want to go all the way to Orlando to do The Forbidden Journey and then come home right after?” I would answer yes a thousand times. For fans of the series, this is the top attraction. The line is always long and on New Year’s Eve the wait was up to about two hours.
- Flight of the Hippogriff. Near the castle there is also Flight of the Hippogriff, which refers to the part where Hagrid teaches wizards to fly on the hippogriff (one of the magical creatures). It’s an outdoor roller coaster. Fast-paced, but for everyone.
- Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. A motorcycle adventure accompanied by Hagrid along the forests in the surrounding area, passing through the most frightening fairs and fierce beasts of the saga. Like Flight of the Hippogriff, the ride is a roller coaster but decidedly more adrenaline-pumping.
Among the shows, don’t miss The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle, a light show projected onto the castle every month on select days. Here is the constantly updated calendar.
Best Places to eat
- Three Broomsticks: Do not miss the pub that appeared in The Prisoner of Azkaban.
- Hog’s Head. Another small pub that serves beer, whiskey and, of course, butterbeer.
Shopping
- Honeydukes is a beautiful sweet store, where you can also find the famous Every Flavor Beans.
- Dervish and Banges offers various accessories for wizards.
- Filch’s Emporium™ of Confiscated Goods. Here we find the treasures confiscated by the Hogwarts Keeper, Argus Filch.
- Owl Post. Here you can send letters with the Hogsmeade stamp or buy quills, seals, and various items of stationery.
Diagon Alley: Attractions, Shopping and Places to Eat
Diagon Alley has fewer rides than Hogsmeade, but many more stores and eateries, as well as the famous Knight Bus.
Harry Potter Rides Orlando
- Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. This is the most famous attraction of Diagon Alley and consists of a roller coaster in the dark with 3D effects. It doesn’t have any major descents and you won’t be upside down, so don’t worry if you’re not a roller coaster type; it’s an attraction for everyone even though it’s quite eventful.
Places to eat
- Leaky Cauldron. The Leaky Cauldron is where Harry stayed during the summer when he escaped from the Dursleys. There are no rooms to stay in here in Orlando, but you can always order something from the menu.
- Eternelle’s Elixir of Refreshment. This is a small kiosk that sells, as you might guess from the name, magical elixirs to drink.
- The Fountain of Fair Fortune. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Among the latter, butterbeer.
- Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour. The ice-cream parlor of Diagon Alley appeared in many books in the saga.
- The Hopping Pot. Many drinks, including the inevitable butterbeer!
Shopping
- Borgin and Burkes is a store selling dark magic items.
- Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions. This is where Harry purchased his first uniform.
- Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes is the name of the Weasley brothers’ store. Colorful and two-story, it sells products of all kinds, from games to food.
Other stores:
- Magical Menagerie
- Quality Quidditch Supplies
- Scribbulus
- Sugarplum’s Sweetshop
- Wands by Gregorovitch
- Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment
Fun fact: At Gringotts Money Exchange you can change dollars into the magical currency accepted in the park and shop freely.
Harry Potter World Orlando Tickets
The sore point: the price of tickets. As mentioned above, to fully enjoy all of the Harry Potter-themed attractions, you’ll need to purchase admission to both parks. The quality of the attractions, reconstructions of environments and stores is exceptional, with attention to detail and constantly evolving. Harry Potter fans will not be disappointed. For info on prices and the various types of tickets, take a look at our article on Universal Orlando, in particular the sections dedicated to how to skip the queues, how many days to invest in the visit and how to choose the entrance tickets.
