One of my favorite parts about visiting Harry Potter World was all the magical shops they have created in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. I cannot wait to share some of my favorite Wizarding World Of Harry Potter Stores with you.
Jump to:
What You Should Know Before You Go
- I wrote another post all about Harry Potter World Tips, if you are just starting to plan your trip, head there first.
- Harry Potter World is divided between 2 different parts of Universal. Hogsmead is located in the Islands of Adventure area and Diagon Alley is located in Universal Studios.
- You can either walk to the 2 areas or take the route I suggest- the Hogwart's Express. To ride Hogwart's Express you will need the park-to-park tickets.
- I highly recommend these as opposed to the single park tickets. The train is very fun and should be ridden both ways.
- Another thing I want to note before we too far into this is Harry Potter World is a theme park and the price of items in the stores will reflect this fact. I just want to spare you the sticker shock. 🙂
Store Listings For Each Area
Hogsmead
- Ollivander's Wand Shop
- Honeydukes
- Dervish & Banges
- Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods
- Owl Post
Diagon Alley
- Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes
- Globus Mundi
- Magical Menagerie
- Gringotts Exchange
- Borgin & Burkes
- Madame Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions
- Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment
My Favorite Stores
Let me just say right off the bat, I really think you should check out every single store in Harry Potter world. Even if you are only window shopping and don't plan to buy, they are still so fun to look around in.
I am going to share my favorite shops, and I am listing them in order of the ones I liked best. Really though, I think I could have written something about every single store as I loved them all.
Weasley's Wizard Wheezes Store
I had to make this my first. Fred and George Weasley were some of my favorite characters from the book, their final scene with Umbridge was epic. So naturally, I was really excited to check out their shop.
The outside is painted in bright colors and has a 20-foot robotic Weasley twin on the building. You cannot miss it in Diagon Alley. This magic shop in Harry Potter cannot be missed!
It did not disappoint!! It was bright, fun, and had all the detailing I imagined it would have.
They sell shirts, toys, games, and joke items. Remember the extendable ears and decoy detonators, they even have those. There is also a variety of candy here as well- Skiving snack boxes, love potion, etc.
Weasley's also carries Pygmy Puffs. I didn't buy one of these, but now I kind of wish I had. Apparently, it is a thing that everyone does...maybe I am experiencing FOMO.
Ollivander's Wand Shop
Ollivander's was the first shop we went into upon arriving. We did the Ollivander's at Hogsmead, but they have the shop in Diagon Alley as well.
We waited in line for the wand ceremony, but if I had it to do all over again, we would skip the line and just head in. If you have a child who is hoping to be chosen or would really love the ceremony, wait in line.
I recommend getting there early in the morning as soon as you can as that line gets crazy long. We had early access, Ollivanders was the first shop we hit, and we still had to wait about 30 minutes.
Our boys are old enough that they didn't care about the ceremony. They really just wanted to look through and choose their wands.
I love the eclectic and cluttered nature of Ollivanders. The number of wands they had was just incredible. We spent a good amount of time here as each of the kids buying wands really took their time looking through the wands. It really was a highlight of the trip.
My youngest chose Newt Scamander's wand ( I love that guy!), his friend went with Sirius, and my nephew chose Hermione's wand (much to my sister's delight).
They all got the interactive wands, and I highly recommend them. The wands come with a beautiful box, and a 2-sided map of locations in the park to use the wand. They are well worth the $55+ they cost.
The shop was dark, moody, and exactly what you would think Ollivander's would look like.
Honeydukes
Honeydukes is another must-stop. If you remember this sweets shop from the books, you cannot resist visiting.
It is a bright, beautiful shop, and I loved the displays of candies.
Now, let me just say as a food snob, I will be the first to admit it, this is really low-quality candy and chocolate. No dark chocolate in sight... But, I had to remind myself, it was the experience not just the quality of the goods. 🙂 Now, if you ask my kids and my husband, they said everything was delicious. So, take my comments as you will.
I will tell you the one thing I did like from here- the butterbeer fudge. It was actually pretty good.
I bought a chocolate frog (of course), lemon sherbet drops, butterbeer fudge, and exploding on bonbons. The bonbons were fun with the pop rocks in the middle.
Another shop you should certainly hit.
Borgin & Burkes
This shop surprised me. Well, I should say I was surprised by how much I liked this shop. The movies made me want to steer clear of Knockturn Alley, I trust Mrs. Weasey's feelings on the subject, but in Orlando, I couldn't resist!
So many memorable scenes from the books happen in this shop. It is the largest shop in the section of Diagon Alley that deals with the dark arts.
Borgin & Burkes is creepy, but also so fascinating. Just like every other shop I visited, the details are what draw you in. There is dim lighting, just as you would imagine.
Some of my favorite clothes in the Harry Potter world were in this shop, plus of course all their other merchandise. Don't miss the chance to head down Knockturn Alley into this little gem.
Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour
Without a doubt, stop here! Try the soft serve butterbeer ice cream. As noted above, I am a food snob. Trust me though, this ice cream really was good!
It is a cute little shop and if you hit it at the right time of day, you can walk right up to the counter with no delays.
Gringott's Bank
This is right next to Gringott's roller coaster ride. Here you can exchange muggle currency for the Gringott notes. All transactions are watched over by an animatronic Goblin.
They come in $10 or $20 notes and can be used anywhere in the Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, or Citywalk. We exchanged some and used them throughout the park.
I think the stop is worth it! The line was very short when I went in and we were able to exchange our money quickly.
Magical Menagerie
This is a whimsical pet store where you can buy all types of magical creatures- Hedwig, Scabbers, Fawkes, Aragog, etc. I loved seeing all the creatures from the Harry Potter movies and Fantastic Beasts in this shop.
That isn't all though. I bought our ornament for the Christmas tree this year here as well. They have pygmy puff slippers, candles, magnets, etc.
This is another shop you should take your time in and check out the details.
Dervis and Banges
Remember the "Care of Magical Creatures" book? Well, yes they have that here. Thankfully it is behind bars. This is such a fun touch in this eclectic shop.
This shop has all you need- house gear, shirts, scarves, and robes. etc. Look up to, they have a great selection of broomsticks.
Dervish and Banges also feel a little chaotic. There are several entrances, so the flow of traffic is constant. I love it!
Conclusion
While I only shared my favorite shops, check them all out. You also should check out the carts as well. They carry tons of merchandise and goodies also.
Whatever you do, just enjoy yourself. Harry Potter world Orlando is truly magical and such a fun experience!
Don't forget to check out my other posts, Tips For Visiting Harry Potter World and Rides at Harry Potter World.
For more tips, recipes, and travels, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!