Calling all Harry Potter fans. This post is dedicated to you! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Universal Studios in Orlando has two theme parks, each has its own Harry Potter experience.

Universal Studios Florida showcases Diagon Alley in all its grandeur. It also includes the Knight Bus, Grimmauld Place and King’s Cross Station.

Islands of Adventure has Hogsmeade and Hogwarts Castle.

I will be covering the tips in 3 Different posts, split up as below:

1>Magic Shows and Rides
2>Food
3>Shopping.

This Post primarily is for Magic Shows and Rides.

The two theme parks are connected by the Hogwarts Express, but you’ll need to have tickets for both parks to see everything (this is called a Park-to-Park ticket).

So, let’s begin the tips with that 😊

1>Park-To-Park Ticket

Get yourself a Part-To-Park Ticket so that you can treat yourself to the Hogwarts Express experience.

To visit 2 or more parks in a day you will need a Park-to-Park Ticket. The Hogwarts Express train connects both the Harry Potter theme parks in Universal Studio. You can travel an unlimited number of times in either direction.

Park to Park Tickets :
https://www.universalorlando.com/web-store/en/us/park-tickets/index.html?flr=0&days=1

Why is the Hogwarts Express traveling between 2 parks??
This is because the magical world of Harry Potter is spread across the Universal Studio Florida and the Islands of Adventure parks.

Are there different ways to travel between parks??
Yes, definitely. You can head back to the entrance of the park and cross over through City Walk.

But if you are a Harry potter fan you DO NOT want to miss this train ride for anything in the world.

In Universal Studios Florida you can board from the famous Kings Cross Station.

In the Islands of Adventure, you can board the train from Hogsmeade Station

You will ride in a train compartment with 6-8 passengers.

What is so magical about the Hogwarts Express train journey?

◾ You will experience so much here. Harry potter fans will instantly connect with all the things you see outside the compartment.
◾ Hagrid on his flying motorcycle, Harry, Hermione and Ron warding off dementors and buying  treats from the trolley, and the Weasley brothers driving their flying car.
◾ Fred Weasley flying by on his broom.
◾ Encounter magical creatures, like Buckbeak the Hippogriff.
◾ At the station, you will also find a very special illusion that makes it appear as though you really are walking through the wall to Platform 9¾.

See a compilation here : The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Tip:
💡Travel in both directions, you’ll thank us later.
💡Take a video instead of pictures, so you can get the full experience on tape.

2>Watch out these Magical things

Let’s start with the most obvious one, The Dragon.

The Dragon (Diagon Alley)
The Dragon is the most iconic structure in Diagon Alley. It sits right on top of Gringotts Bank.

Tip:
💡When you hear a roar of the dragon, be ready with your camera.
💡The dragon spits out fire so gloriously that the heat of its breath can be felt on the ground. This happens every 30 minutes.

See a compilation here : The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

 

The Red Phone Booth (Outside Diagon Alley)
Magic happens outside Diagon Alley as well. The Red British Phone Booth is outside Diagon Alley. Enter the phone booth, pick up the phone and dial the number 62442 (displayed on the phone) and it will connect you to the Ministry of Magic.

Gringotts Money Exchange (Diagon Alley)
I loved this shop. You will see a Grumpy Goblin sitting at a tall counter going about his business. The best part is, that you can talk to him and he will respond.

Apart from this you can exchange dollars for Gringotts money which can be used anywhere inside Universal Orlando.

Grimmauld Place (Outside Diagon Alley)
This place is also outside Diagon Alley, you will find it as you walk past the entrance to Diagon alley. This is a beautiful building and has some magic too.

Tip:
💡Wait outside the building and pay close attention to the windows. You will see the curtain move to the side and a House Elf peeping out the window.

See a compilation here : The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Public Conveniences (Hogsmeade)
Yep, it’s a bathroom. Do not miss seeing this, it will connect you to the movie.
You can hear Moaning Myrtle in here. I must be honest, I used the loo just to hear her.😃

The Knight Bus (Outside Diagon Alley)
I love-love this triple Decker bus. It is parked next to the London water fountain, right across from the entrance to Diagon Alley and the Grimmauld Place. Here you will find Stan, the driver, and the shrunken head. Try talking to the shrunken head you will be amazed to see him reply.

This bus travels to all destinations (nothing underwater) how cool right 😃

Tip:
💡After talking to Stan and the shrunken head, don’t forget to go around and explore the bus. Even though the inside is not accessible, you can see the beds and other arrangements inside the bus.

Knockturn Alley (Diagon Alley)
Knockturn Alley is a completely dark area located in the basement. It has a shop, and many spell opportunities. Here you will see Borgin and Burkes, a Closed Tattoo shop, a group of singing shrunken heads, Spiders running around, and emergency broom services.

Trick:
⭐Place your map under the Blue light of the stars, this will reveal hidden footsteps on the map.

See a compilation here : The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Tip:
💡Don’t miss looking at the sky, It has a nice dark effect, showing clouds and stars.

💡As you exit the place don’t miss the moving “Wanted photo of Bellatrix Lestrange”.

See a compilation here : The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Other small things but worth mentioning:

Here are some of the other magical things that you can see in Harry Potter’s land.

◾Self-knitting needles (Diagon Alley)

◾The Daily Prophet (Diagon Alley), where you can hear the wizard reporters inside working away.

◾In the window at Mr. Mulpeppers Apothecary(Diagon Alley), you’ll find a set of shark’s teeth in tribute to the retired ride.

◾The Wanted poster of the Prisoner of Azkaban outside Hogshead (Hogsmeade)

◾Hagrids motorcycle next to Gringotts bank. (Diagon Alley)

◾Funky designs everywhere. (Diagon Alley)

◾Cogg and Bell – Clock makers that made and repaired clocks. (Diagon Alley)

◾The Scribbling Quill (Hogsmeade)

See a compilation here : The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

◾There is a nonfunctional Owl post is Diagon Alley too. It makes noise, observe closely you will see Owl shit everywhere on it. (Diagon Alley)

◾The London Waterfront  (Outside Diagon Alley)

◾The entrance to Diagon Alley is hidden by a few slanted brick walls which look solid from the front view. (Diagon Alley)

3>Shows Offered:

There are several amazing shows throughout Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.

We loved them.❤️

◾Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees- Molly Weasley’s favorite singer performs daily with her band.

◾The Tales of Beedle the Bard show in Diagon Alley.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOKlPl4JabM&t=45s

◾Frog Choir in Hogsmeade.

See a compilation here : The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

◾Triwizard Spirit Rally in Hogsmeade.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4RCpz1XyZQ

◾The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle.

Check the Official Universal Orlando App for show performance schedules. You can also find the show schedules in the Guide map.
https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/plan-your-visit/hours-information/show-times/index.html

 

4>Top 2 Rides Worth experiencing:

The following two rides are our absolute favorite in the Universal’s Wizarding world, we still talk about these whenever we recall this trip.

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (Diagon Alley)

This 4-D ride takes places in Gringotts vaults, Along the way you’ll encounter Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Voldemort and Bellatrix. The ride is designed to be a constant chase from the villains while others help you out of the vault. It feels so real, in many places I ducked to escape the curse spells😃

The ride is intense, and you need to keep your belongings in the locker.😃

As you enter the building for the ride, you will feel like you are in the movies. The scenes are exactly like it, the giant chandelier, the marble floors and some very realistically looking goblin tellers.

 

You need to cross the hall way and wait for the Elevator, that takes you down to the vaults.

Notice,outside the building there is a statue of a Goblin on top of a tower of gold coins.

Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey (Hogsmeade)

The Hogwarts castle looked so unreal, but it was totally functional. It is modeled just like we see in the movies. Every little detail is amazing, from the talking Portraits, to the Password protected door, the sorting hat, Dumbledore’s office and so on. In some rooms you can see the shadows of people on the glass.

This motion simulator experience will have you following Harry and his friends around the castle on a broomstick while escaping dragons and dementors.

For this ride, you will need keep your belongings in the locker.

Here are all the clips put together for your viewing pleasure.

5>Know the Height Requirements of Rides

Save yourself time and possibly the tears of your children, by knowing the height requirements for the rides before you go.

Hogsmeade at Islands of Adventure:

◾Forbidden Journey
Must be 48″ (122cm).

◾Flight of the Hippogriff
Must be at least 36″ (91cm). Children between 36″–48″ (91cm-122cm) must be accompanied by a supervising companion.

Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida:

◾Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts:
Must be at least 42″ (107cm). Children between 42″–48″ (107cm-122cm) must be accompanied by a supervising companion.

Note: Hogwarts Express (transportation between the two parks): No min height

Okay Final Tip😂

◾Visit the Shutterbuttons shop in Diagon Alley
Here you can create a portrait of yourself that actually moves. You can purchase a DVD photo album in a collectible Shutterbutton’s tin to commemorate your visit to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

◾There is an ATM inside Hogsmeade which says Gringotts Bank.

And we are done 😀 Thank you so much.

Is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter on your bucket list? If you’ve been there, do you have any Harry Potter Universal tips to share? Tell us in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.

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Check out our blog page to read more about Universal Orlando tips.  And stay tuned to read about 2nd (Food) and 3rd part (Shopping) of the Harry potter tips.❤️

******Disclaimer******
The information on this Blog are based on my personal opinion and experiences.
There can be changes to the information in the future. And no, this trip was not sponsored.