The day has finally arrived for Universal Orlando to open the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley! Today (and the next weeks or months) will be extremely busy at Diagon Alley. We’ve put together 3 tips to help make the most of your experience while avoiding many of the crowds!
1. Ride Hogwarts Express – Both Directions
The Hogwarts Express train is as much an attraction as anything else at Diagon Alley. The ride gave me chills when I first rode it. Each direction (Hogsmeade to Kings Cross and Kings Cross to Hogsmeade) offers a new experience. Be sure to get on board the Hogwarts Express and ride it both ways! As with all things Harry Potter, Hogwarts Express will be busy, but not nearly as much as other parts of the new Diagon Alley.
2. Interactive Wands
The new interactive wands from Ollivanders work in both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Be sure to get your map when you buy your interactive wand to find all the locations for casting spells! The wands provide a fun, new experience that you can do in both locations; avoiding some of the “grand opening” crowds and mania.
3. Diagon Alley!
This new area of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter offers SO MUCH to see and do! The primary focus will be Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts Bank. While the ride is amazing and so is the queue, unless you just absolutely must ride this ride, avoid it until the latest part of the day at the park. Diagon Alley has new shops, experiences, and food for you to try without entering the madness that is Escape from Gringotts.
Visit Leaky Cauldron, watch a street performance on the stage, try specialty flavored ice cream, sample the two new, exclusive beers, visit the new and improved Ollivanders, watch the Gringotts dragon breath fire, take a stroll down Knockturn Alley, or buy a prank from Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. The options are nearly endless! Try one or try them all! Just don’t make the mistake of focusing entirely on Escape from Gringotts and miss out on all that Diagon Alley has to offer during your vacation.
Book your Harry Potter and Universal Orlando package or theme park tickets today!
Want to get all our tips and tricks for visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter? We wrote a travel guide for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Hogsmeade! We included all our tips and tricks that we’ve learned over the last year to make your visit to the Wizarding World as magical as possible. Be sure to check it out!
Get your Harry Potter theme park souvenirs from the official Harry Potter shop, the WB Shop!