Las month we went to Los Angeles, California and among other things we visited Universal Studios Hollywood. And maybe the most incredible attraction to see and explore is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The land is not so big but it includes the shops of Hogsmeade, the Hogwarts Castle, eating at the Three Broomsticks and two rides. One little roller coaster called the Flight of the Hippogriff and the incredible ride of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
The land is small, and you can see all of it in a couple of hours easily. But even if it´s small it is an incredible experience for all, not only for potterheads. I’m not a big fan of Harry Potter but I saw all the movies, so I knew the story, the characters but I do not own any merch of HP. But at the end of the day, I want it all.
The Universal Studios Hollywood includes much more to see and experience but, in this post, I’m going to only talk about the Harry Potter experience.
The tickets to the park start at $109 for one day, if you buy it online. And the price goes up depending on the date and how much time before you buy it. The earlier the cheaper. You can buy the Express ticket which includes one fast line pass for every ride, but just one. If you want to enter one ride two times, the second time you have to wait in line. The Express ticket start at $189, so it is a lot more pricey and you don’t really need it. You can experience all the rides with the regular ticket in one day if you arrive early. We almost did all the rides in the park and they kick us out of the park at 7 pm because that day they had a special event.
Going to the park is expensive, but it is worth it.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is located on the upper lot at the bottom of the park. From the entrance just keep walking until you find a big stone gate with the cutest little town that is obviously taken from the Harry Potter universe (you can spot it at the map above).
This little town if filled with shops where you can buy anything, like a wand at Ollivanders, an owl, a robe or anything related to the franchise. You also can eat at The Three Broomsticks but I’ll tell more about that later. This area is called Hogsmeade and it is directly taken out of the movies.
If you keep walking you will be surprised with the big reveal of Hogwarts. The park was designed that way, so you are walking in this cute town and then the big castle just reveals to you. The closer you get, the bigger it gets. It attracts you and inevitably you need to go inside.
Inside the castle is located the first of the rides, “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey”. But before you ride it, you have to go through the queue.
The queue is like the foreplay, as you go forward you discover Hogwarts. You pass numerous rooms including Dumbledore’s office, a big hall with old pictures that moves, a room where you meet with Harry, Hermaione and Ron. All filled with a lot of detail and surprises.
At the end of the queue, you will find the ride. It is weird, spectacular and very hard to explain but it is definitely an experience you have to live. All the videos you’ll find on YouTube doesn’t make any justice to the ride. You have to experience it.
As soon as you exit Hogwarts you will find the Flight of the Hippogriff, a little roller coaster with the Harry Potter theme. It is not great, it’s very simple but you will experience great views of Hogwarts from it. Those you can’t have it anywhere else. Also, the line is short, and it is worth it just for the view.
At this point you might want to go to another part of the park to hit some rides or maybe repeat “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey”. What’s important is to spend some time until you are hungry.
When you finally need something to eat, you’ll have a lot of burgers to choose in the park. But if you want to continue the Harry Potter experience, I highly recommend you head to The Three broomsticks and get a meal there. There’s a lot of options, even vegan.
We got Fish & Chips, a Shepherd’s Pie, Mac&Cheese, a Butterbeer, Iced Tea and a Sticky Toffee Pudding. I just looked like a great feast Hogwarts style.
You can eat inside or at the back of the restaurant, there is an open area with a great view of Hogwarts. Which is maybe the best experience of all, just looking at the magnificent castle.
The level of immersion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is spectacular. You really feel you are living the story. One little detail and great example of this are the restrooms at Hogsmeade you can hear the crying of Myrtle, if you follow the stories you know what I’m talking about.
See you soon.
Eduardo from @elteamgordo.
Sounds like you had a great day out despite the rather steep price. And I think those express tickets are a real rip off. Tbh, with technology nowadays, they can easily let people book real time for a 15 minute slot instead of chargeing am arm and a leg. But I guess they got to make money somehow
It was a great day, we also did a lot more stuff from other franchises but wanted to share the Harry Potter experience by itself. It is very expensive, but I think is worth it. And yes those parks are money makers machines. All is designed so you spend more. Disneyland is even better at this but I'll share that experience later. Thanks for reading!!
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