Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley

After stepping through the secret entrance, be prepared to take the back-to-school shopping trip of a lifetime in preparation for your newest semester at Hogwarts. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ – Diagon Alley™ has everything you need, from brooms to butterbeer. Keep scrolling to see the 6 musts when visiting Diagon Alley™.

1) Visit Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes

If you’re a fan of the Weasley twins (who isn’t) your first stop should be Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. Once inside, you’ll find everything from Pygmy Puffs to extendable ears. It’s the perfect place to purchase HP fan gifts for the Holidays or any time of year. It’s directly connected to the Quidditch shop, which I found had the best Harry Potter gear of all the stores and hence purchased an epic Gryffindor Quidditch shirt, embroidered snitch and all.

2) Drink Butterbeer

This shouldn’t even have to be on the list. If you remotely love, like, vaguely know Harry Potter, you should be drinking this magic potion. The drink itself tastes like liquid butterscotch and if you’re not big into sweets should be shared with a friend. You can purchase the drink through Diagon Alley, and it comes plain, frozen or even warm in the winter.

3) Eat at The Leaky Cauldron

My recommendation is to not eat anything at Universal Studios until you land in Diagon Alley. There is only one sit down restaurant within, which is the famous Leaky Cauldron. This was by far my favorite part of the entire trip. The inside was beautiful and decorated for Christmas. The food was surprisingly delicious and they had tons of great options to choose from like Fish & Chips or Fisherman’s Pie. You could also purchase a variety of beverages, like Pumpkin Juice, Gillywater, or Otter’s Fizzy Orange Juice.

4) Let the Wand Choose the Wizard at Ollivanders

You know what Ollivander always said? “The wand chooses the wizard, Harry.” Your chance to be the chosen one is within Ollivanders walls. Once inside, you can choose from either character wand replicas or let the perfect wand choose you. Stacked with wands from from top to bottom, Ollivanders can become cramped when new witches and wizards are in town, so make sure you find time to squeeze your way in.

5) Ride Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts™

Something we DID NOT do (but definitely will next time we’re back) is ride the Escape from Gringotts. We were with a group of people on this trip, and I kept finding myself feeling really stressed that I wasn’t going to be able to explore all of the nooks and crannies Diagon Alley had to offer. They decided to all go ride the Escape from Gringotts, and Ryan and I decided to spend our time exploring the rest of Diagon Alley.

6) Take the Hogwarts Express

Another thing we didn’t have a chance to do, but is a MUST for when we head back. We only had tickets to Universal for the day, and in order to ride the Hogwarts Express, you need a park-to-park ticket. If you’re an HP fan and only going for that reason, then this pass is a must. It will take you directly from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade, and honestly who doesn’t want to hop on the Hogwarts Express? You can find it within Kings Cross Station, outside of Diagon Alley.

STICK AROUND FOR A WHILE

Love Harry Potter?

Be sure to read our London Christmas Guide, where we share details about the Warner Brother’s Studio Tour London and taking a day trip to Oxford (where many of the Harry Potter scenes were shot).

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