Have you still not received your letter from Hogwarts and are starting to give up all hope? Don’t despair! The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will make all your wizarding dreams come true. It’s time to finally ditch the boring status of mugglehood and join the leagues of witches and wizards as you hop aboard The Hogwarts Express.
Too wonderful and imaginative—not to mention crazy big—to be contained in a single theme park; the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is divided into Hogsmeade at Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida. The Hogwarts Express, fortunately, connects the two.
Ready to guzzle down butterbeer and get your magic wand? Here are the top things you can try out.
Exchange Muggle Money at Gringotts
Complete with a fire-breathing dragon on top and an impressive façade, the goblin-run wizard bank is a perfect replica from the movies and books. While the main building itself is a ride and not a bank, there is the Gringotts Money Exchange not far from there, where you can trade in muggle money for Gringotts ‘money,’ which can be used around the park.
Try the Indoor Rides
There are three indoor rides at Hogsmeade and one in Diagon Alley, so you can enjoy all of them pretty easily. The Hogsmeade rides are Dragon Challenge (racing roller coasters), Forbidden Journey inside the Hogswart Castle, Flight of the Hippogriff, while Diagon Alley has Escape from Gringotts.
Go Visit All the Shops
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter features faithful representations of many of the famous shops from the source material. You can find everything from Madame Malkin’s robe shop to the Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes joke shop, Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlor, Burkes in Knockturn Alley, Quality Quidditch Supplies and even Ollivander’s wand shop.
Get Your Magic Wand
A true treat for Potterheads, Ollivander’s magic wand shop offers visitors a chance to buy interactive wands. You can wave the wand and see magic happen in front of you! Your face is guaranteed to light up as you flick the wand and see something “spring to life.”
Dine at the Three Broomsticks or the Leaky Cauldron
Want to really feel like you’re a part of Harry’s magic world? Then the parks offer you a true wizarding dining experience at the Three Broomsticks and the attached Hog’s Head Pub in Hogsmeade, as well as the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley. Both the eateries offer traditional British pub cuisine.
Make sure you make the most of your trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter by booking a Universal Studios tour with us at Five Star Private VIP Tours. We’ll provide you with a custom private VIP tour experience like no other!
