How to Do the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando in 1 Day—2024

WWoHP Guide
Written By Megan Hamilton
 For the Harry Potter super fan, use this as your 1-Day 2-Park Itinerary for experience nearly everything in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Note there are only 6 attractions to experience between Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. However, there's  SO many magical things to see and do.
If you're wanting to explore the other lands at Universal Orlando, I’d plan on roughly 5-6 hours for the WWoHP. Less time is needed if you're visiting on a lower crowd day. More time if you want to see EVERY DANG DETAIL.
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Tips: BEFORE You Visit The WWoHP

1.Be Strategic About When You Visit

  • I love using Undercover Tourists Crowd Calendar to see how buy the park is expected to be.
  • If possible, choose weekdays.
  • Avoid dates around holidays and school breaks.

2. Utilize Early Park Admission 

  • On-site Universal hotel guests and Universal AP’s have access to utilize EPA when it's offered at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.
  • This gives you an hour PRIOR to general park admission.

3. Download the Universal Orlando App

4. Familiarize yourself with the lay out of IOA and USF.

6. Use Single-Rider Lines to re ride your favorite attractions.

When Should you Arrive Universal Studios

  • Get to turnstiles 45 minutes before the park opens.
  • Make sure you have your tickets out and ready to be scanned.
  • Once you’re through the turnstiles, head to the BACK of the park towards Diagon Alley
  • Look for the Leicester Square Station Sign, the entrance to Diagon Alley

Explore Diagon Alley

Ride Harry Potter and The Escape from Gringotts

  • Do the regular line at least once before doing single-rider.

Eat Breakfast at The Leaky Cauldron  

  • Save money by ordering off the kids menu. It’ll include a small Butterbeer.
  • Look for Sirius Black’s wanted poster

Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions 

  • Here you can try on + buy house robes.
  • Stop in from of the talking mirror. She’ll comment on your outfit!

Ollivander’s Wand Shop

  •  Don't leave without doing the Ollvander’s wand experience.
  • Pro Tip: The more decked out in HP gear you are, the more likely you’ll get chosen. Yes, that means adults can ben chosen too!
  • If you don’t get chosen, head into Ollivander’s to choose your interactive wand. If you have time later on in the day, you can try as many times as you want to get picked. You can politely decline purchasing the wand that selected you.

Grab Ice cream from Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour 

  • Typically open for EPA + Park opening
  • You’ll notice the line is almost always out the door as the day goes on.

Gringotts Money Exchange 

  • Trade your muggle money for wizarding bank notes. These can be used for food, drink and merchandise at most locations at Universal Orlando. These also make for a group WWoHP souvenir,
  • Don’t feel like you have to buy a bank note.  Go inside for the experience too talking with the goblin working.

Explore All The Other Diagon Alley Shops

Magical Menagerie

  • Adopt your pet (Plushies)t! (If staying on-site you can have purchase sent to the front of the park for pick up later in the evening once the park closes.
  • In one of the windows, you’ll find Nagini.

Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment

  • Look Up! You’ll see a prop used in the Harry Potter movies.
  • Ornaments, Harry Potter apparel, mugs, pins, umbrella’s and more.

Scribbulus

  • Connected to Wiseacre’s 
  • Stationary, backpacks, magnets, and more!
  • Pro Tip: 1 of 2 secret spell locations is right out side of Scribbulus.

Globus Mundi 

  • Wizarding World Travel agency.
  • Knight Bus, Hogwarts Express, and Hogwarts House accessories 
  • You’ll find the large selection of Harry Potter Pins in here.

Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes

  • Look up! You'll see Umbridge on her unicycle, fireworks going off
  • Adopt a Pymgy Puff and take part in a fun adoption ceremony.

Quality Quidditch Supplies 

  • Hogwarts house specific apparel, pins, water bottles, lunch boxes, jewelry, and more.

Try a WWoHP Drink

Try a fun WWoHP specialty  drink or grab a fun alcoholic beverage. You can't leave without trying at least one Butterbeer!

Drink Locations in Diagon Alley:

  1. The Hopping Pot

  2. Fountain of Fair Fortune

  3. Eternelle's Elixir of Refreshment

  4. The Leaky Cauldron

Non-Alcholic Specialty Drinks:

  • Otter’s Fizzy Orange Juice,
  • Tongue Tying Lemon Squash
  • Fishy Green Ale

  • Pumpkin Juice

  • Peachtree Fizzing Tea

  • Butterbeer

    • Hot

    • Regular

    • Frozen

Practice Your Spells

  • You’ll need an interactive wand. If Ollivander’s was busy, Wands by Gregorovitch is another location to buy.
  • 11 spells in Diagon Alley
  • 2 secret spells
  • 5 spells in Knockturn Alley

Catch the WWoHP Shows

There are 2 WWoHP Performances in Diagon Alley.  Both are performed on the Carkitt Market Stage. Check the Universal Orlando app for showtimes.
  1. Tales of Beedle the Bard 
  2. Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees.

Explore Knockturn Alley

Look for 2 interactive wanted posters

Go Inside Borgin and Burkes 

  • Your one stop shop for everything Death Eater and Dark Arts related.
  • Look and listen for the vanishing cabinet
  • Interactive Hand of Glory
  • Boggart
  • Troll foot umbrella hodler

Practice Your Spells

  • Knockturn Alley has 5 really fun spell locations

Walk Around The London Waterfront

  • Stop by the Knight Bus and talk with the Stan and Dre-head.

    • Don’t forget to head to the back of the Knight Bus!

  • 12 Grimmauld Place. 
    • Look for Kreacher peaking through the upstairs window.
  • Dial the Ministry of Magic inside the red phone booth.

King’s Cross Station to Hogsmeade

  • Cross the barrier to platform 9 3/4. (Makes for an iconic photo op).
  • The Hogwarts Express will take you to Hogsmeade over to Islands of Adventure.
  • Once at Hogsmeade Station-  either head into Hogsmeade, or get back on the Hogwarts Express to experience the journey back to London (which is 100% different).

Explore Hogsmeade Village

Ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey 

  • Loose items will need to go into a locker outside of Hogwarts
  • Do the full queue at least once before using single-rider

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure 

  • Often during lunchtime, you'll see Hagrid's with it's lowest wait time,
  • Loose items will need to go into a locker. A 3 pronged fanny pack is okay.

Grab Lunch

Eat At The Three Broomsticks 

  • Aim to eat at off peak eating times to avoid the lunch crowds.
  • Perfect time to grab another Butterbeer or draught beer.

Watch Both WWoHP Shows

  • Frog Choir 
  • Triwizard Spirit Rally

Explore All The Shops

  • Honeydukes
  • Dervish and Banges
  • The Owl Post
  •  Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods

Stop For a Snack

  • Chocolate Frog
  • Ginger Newt Cookie
  • Baked Apple Pie- Three Broomsticks
  • Try another form of Butterbeer

Mail a letter + postcard from the Owl post

Practice Your Spells

  • Hogsmeade has 9 spell locations

Hogshead Pub

  • Butterbeer or an Adult Beverage
  • Great place when the ButterBeer carts have a long line outside.

    • Hot Butterbeer sold here!

Ride Flight of the Hippogriff

  • Worth riding again at night if its a short wait.  (Under 15) 
  • You can see a beautiful view of Hogwarts, especially during castle light show!

Watch The Hogwarts Castle Light Show

  • Ask a Team Member for the anticipated time of the first show, as the showtimes aren’t on the Universal app.
  • Usually starts at dusk, and runs every 20 minutes until park close.
  • Last show of the night typically starts right at park close.
  • Grab a Butterbeer and enjoy it during the show.

Ride Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at NIGHT!

  • It’s an entirely different experience at night!

Grab Dinner

  • You have a couple of options, but ultimately it’ll come down to how much time you have.
    • Eat dinner at either The Leaky Cauldron or The Three Broomsticks.
    • Consider a dinning option outside the WWoHP you want to try.

      • Mythos

      • Green Eggs & Ham

      • Finnegan’s

      • Today Show Cafe

    • Grab another snack to hold you over until you get dinner in CityWalk.

How To End The Night

  • Do you want to re-ride Gringotts or see Diagon Alley at night? If so, take The Hogwarts Express to back to Diagon Alley
  • Do you want to end the night strolling around Hogsmeade?

Related Posts:

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Megan Hamilton
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