Which Wizarding World of Harry Potter is the Best? Part 2

With three Wizarding Worlds to pick from now, which of Universal Orlando’s Harry Potter-themed lands packs the most punch? This week, our junior contributor at the Unofficial Guides, seventh-grader Henry Wright, concludes his comparison of the three areas and reveals his pick for which Wizarding World of Harry Potter comes out on top!

After previously evaluating the Wizarding Worlds on Food, Rides, and Theming, Hogsmeade was in the lead by one point, followed by Diagon Alley and Ministry of Magic.

Which Wizarding World has the Best Souvenirs?

There are four shops in the Ministry of Magic: Tour en Floo, Les Galeries Mirifiques, K. Ramelle, and Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magiques. Tour en Floo is a general store with everything anybody could ever want from this land. It’s right outside of the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry exit. Les Galeries Mirifiques is your one-stop shop for all of the gear and memorabilia you might need. It’s on the other side of Café L’air De La Sirène. Next is K. Ramelle, a less incredible version of Honeydukes. However, it’s still a good place to satisfy a sweet tooth. Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magiques is the Epic Universe wand shop. For anybody who speaks French, Baguettes Magiques literally means Magical Baguettes. (I didn’t know that wands were referred to as baguettes!) Cosme Acajor sells the signature triangular boxes. There is a lot to explore in Ministry of Magic with a wand. 

Overall, the Ministry of Magic gets a 6/10 for its shops. It offers pretty standard stuff and no signature things from the movies.

Hogsmeade has five shops: Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods, Ollivanders, Owl Post & The Owlery, Dervish and Banges, and Honeydukes. Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods is a shop full of standard merchandise such as T-shirts, house crests, and other toys. There are also less-standard gifts such as Death Eater masks and other movie costumes. Ollivanders is the wand shop, so naturally, it sells wands. It’s smaller than the one in Diagon Alley. It has selections of movie characters’ wands and personalized wands that you can choose. Owl Post & Owlery is a shop selling stationery, quills, ink, and other owl-related gifts. You can mail your own letter by owl post. The Owlery is right next to the shop and is exactly that, an owlery. Dervish and Banges is a Quidditch and magical items shop offering things like the Golden Snitch, Broomsticks, and the Monster Book of Monsters for sale. Honeydukes is an awesome sweets shop selling everything from the movies. It’s amazing. Make sure to try some Chocolate Frogs with wizard cards inside.

Overall, Hogsmeade gets a 7/10 for its shops.

Diagon Alley boasts 11 shops in this land: Magical Menagerie, Borgin and Burkes, Wiseacre’s Wizard Equipment, Shutterbutton’s, Ollivanders, Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions, Scribbulus, Gringotts Money Exchange, Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, Quality Quidditch Supplies, and Sugarplum’s Sweetshop. Magical Menagerie is a shop selling all of the stuffed animals you could possibly want. Borgin and Burkes is in Knockturn Alley and sells all of the things imbued with dark magic. It tends to be less busy because it’s in a back area of Diagon Alley. Wiseacre’s Wizard Equipment is a store selling all the essential supplies and apparel in the Harry Potter Wizarding World. Shutterbutton’s is a photography shop. You can pay to have your own moving photos; you must have an appointment to do this. Ollivanders is the wand shop. This one is bigger than the one in Hogsmeade and offers the same experience where you can watch a wand choose a person.

Madam Malkin’s is a robe/clothing shop where you can buy authentic replicas of the costumes in the movies, such as Hermione’s Yule Ball Gown from the fourth book/movie. Scribbulus is just like the Owl Post in Hogsmeade, except it doesn’t have owl-related things; it has quills, inkwells, and stationery. At Gringotts Money Exchange, you can exchange regular money for special Gringotts bills that have no value outside of Universal. Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes is a joke shop from the movies. It has all manner of mischief such as Skiving Snackboxes, U-No-Poos, and Puking Pastilles. Quality Quidditch Supplies is pretty self-explanatory. It has everything, including bludgers, quaffles, and snitches. Lastly, Sugarplum’s Sweetshop is basically Honeydukes but with a slightly expanded selection.

Overall, Diagon Alley gets a 9/10 for its shops. There are a lot of them!

Which Wizarding World has the Best Layout?

If “best layout“ is defined as how close everything is to each other, then Hogsmeade would be the best in this category, if not for Hogwarts Castle. It’s pretty spread out once you get past the Hogsmeade village. Otherwise, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is pretty close to the village and likewise with Flight of the Hippogriff. Overall, Hogsmeade gets a 7/10 for its layout.

Diagon Alley can feel very tight and congested. It’s also a little hard to find things because there’s so much happening all at once. There are many secret areas, and there’s a lot going on. Overall, I’d give Diagon Alley a 6/10 for layout.

Ministry of Magic has a central hub, and you can see everything from the middle. The circus tent is a good marker for the center. There isn’t too much going on, and it’s easy to see everything. Overall, I’d give the Ministry of Magic an 8/10 for layout. 

Which Wizarding World is the Most Accessible?

This category is rated based on shade, comfort, and walkability. All of the shops and attraction queues within the Wizarding World are accessible, although guests using wheelchairs or other mobility devices must be able to walk independently in order to board Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey or the motorbike seats on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.

Hogsmeade has shade, the queues are mostly indoors, and the shops are all indoors, but there is not a lot of shade on the main path. Hogsmeade is very walkable. Overall, I’d give Hogsmeade an 8/10 for accessibility.

The Ministry of Magic is mostly outdoors, and it’s definitely the largest land. It’s definitely walkable, but it’s not that comfortable in terms of shade. Overall, I’d give the Ministry of Magic a 7/10 for accessibility. 

Diagon Alley has shade, and it’s mostly shaded and/or indoors. It’s the smallest land. It’s definitely walkable and has a lot of indoor space. The only thing is that, sometimes on rainy days, it gets incredibly crowded. Overall, I’d give Diagon Alley a 9/10 for accessibility.

Which Wizarding World Wins?

The Ministry of Magic ends up in third place, Hogsmeade in second, and Diagon Alley has the highest score, so Diagon Alley wins! Of course, just because Henry rated Diagon Alley the highest doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go to the other two lands—they are all fantastic!

Which Wizarding World of Harry Potter is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

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