Diagon Alley at Universal Orlando Celebrates One Year

July 8, 2015

Today marks one year of the opening of Diagon Alley at Universal Orlando. The new addition to the park was the perfect complement to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade at Islands of Adventure. The main attraction there is the Gringotts ride, but the whole alley is filled with surprises that you just can’t miss!  To celebrate Diagon Alley’s birthday, we would like to share a few tips with you. If you are a true Happy Potter fan, here are a few things you must see at Diagon Alley:

Hogwarts™ Express! at platform 9 ¾ 0 – If you purchase a Park-to-Park admission ticket or if you have an Annual Pass, you can travel from the streets of London in Diagon Alley straight to Hogwarts aboard the Hogwarts express.  Please note that if you buy a two separate one-park tickets to enjoy Universal and Islands on different days, you won’t be able to board the train.

Gringotts money- visit the Gringotts Money Exchange where you can actually exchange your muggle money, read dollars, for wizard money! The exchange rate is one to one, so if you exchange ten dollars you will get 10 Gringotts Bank notes. You can also talk to the goblin while you wait in line, so go prepared to ask a clever question to this grumpy, old goblin! The wizard money is accepted anywhere at Universal Orlando!

Cast a spell – besides buying the replica wand of your favorite wizard, you can now buy a want that fits your magic style. Stop at Ollivanders and let a wand pick you. Your wand will allow you to cast spells all over Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade where you see this symbol on the picture. This unique experience really makes you a part of the story and it’s a favorite among the kids.

The leaky Caudron- You can have a meal at your favorite London pub. The old pub is an amazing replica of the movies serving typical dishes like fish and chips and Fisherman’s Pie and Guinness Stew. In all honesty, the entrees are quite bland. But this quick-service pub won’t disappoint with the dessert menu! Fun fact: you will not be able to get a soda there as they do not serve muggle beverages.

Snake encounter- visit the Magical Menagerie shop to hear the snake talk in Parseltongue to you. Or is it speaking English? It’s hard to know the difference when you’re gifted enough to understand and speak Parseltongue.

Butter Beer Ice cream – If you’ve been to Hogsmeade, you have probably tried Butterbeer or Pumpking Juice, but now they also have Butterbeer flavored ice cream! The taste is not as singular as the Butterbeer itself, but it definitely resembles it.