The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley expansion has a lot of detail, just like its neighbor Hogsmeade.
We toured the park this morning and naturally took endless photos. While we didn’t include all of our pictures here, we wanted to share our best. With each photo – which we kept as large as possible so you can appreciate the detail – you’ll see a little description to get a sense of the scope of the park.
It would be impossible to photograph everything because there are so many stores, details, and surprises around every turn. The expansion raises the bar when you compare it to what you saw at Universal Orlando’s Hogsmeade. Read our initial impressions article for our thoughts on the big things.
The Leaky Cauldron sign actually has water leaking from it, though it’s hard to tell from a photo.
The dragon is positioned perfectly in between two lines of shops. Here’s the right side.
… and the left.
Delicious, new ice cream flavors, including Butterbeer, await you in here.
The dragon roars.
One of many, many cleverly designed storefronts.
A competing wand shop – Ollivander’s is better, of course.
Another example of a great storefront (you can’t go into this one unfortunately).
A goblin watches over his bank.
The first Gringotts entrance.
A statue of a merperson.
One of several places to purchase beer, including special Potter varieties.
An interactive wand will make this statue come to life.
The tap handle with a dragon on it is an original beer here called Dragon Brew.
A nice (and dirty) place for owls to rest.
Look out for Bellatrix! … On the Gringotts ride, at least.
Within the ice cream shops are these delightful decorations.
Another place to purchase beer, but this one really promotes butterbeer from its storefront.
Keep a close eye out for this house elf. He may be hard to spot.
The guardians of Gringotts.
Gilderoy!
When you see these, you’ll know you can cast a spell here. They instruct you what motion to make with your interactive wand.
Do your spell here and the window front will do something for you.
Remember this from ‘Half-Blood Prince’?
A selection of beers in The Leaky Cauldron.
A look at The Leaky Cauldron ordering area.
The front of the Hogwarts Express at London.
Hedwig is ready to board the train.
The conductor is ready to send the train on its way.
A view of the train from the Hogsmeade station.
This bank teller will help you turn your Muggle money into magical bank notes. He’ll also talk with you.
A view from outside of his office.
A third view.
Last but not least, one more view of Hedwig at Platform 9 3/4.
