We disembarked at King’s Cross Station, and came out to rain which was annoying! We saw the tall purple Knight Bus (which we’ve seen before at the Harry Potter Studio Tour here in the UK) and sheltered to wait out the downpour.
Then we had to try and find the entrance to Diagon Alley – I knew it must be close, but we honestly couldn’t find it! I had to ask someone where it was. It is tucked away behind a wall, so if you can’t find it…. you’re welcome! I’m pretty sure when we came out I noticed a tiny sign pointing the way… but oh well, we got in there in the end!
I remember the first time seeing Hogsmeade back in 2011 and how blown away we were with how it felt like you had literally stepped into the world of Harry Potter. But… Diagon Alley is something else. It is AMAZING!
It was very busy when we went and being on my ECV didn’t help matters at all. Sadly people do not see you so will suddenly stop, or walk across your path, making it quite dangerous for all involved in that situation. I hope to revisit when I am more mobile so I can go inside the shops – and the ones you can’t go inside, you can certainly peek in the windows as they’re all themed up!
There are several places to eat and drink including The Leaky Cauldron, and Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour. There are places to shop including Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, Quality Quidditch Supplies and Sugarplum’s Sweetshop.
The big attraction though is the Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts ride. And the Ukranian Ironbelly Dragon that sits atop Gringotts Bank which is stunning!
It breathes fire every now and again, but there doesn’t seem to be a schedule. The best thing to do is ask a nearby wizard when the dragon will breathe fire again – sometimes it’s all fired-out for the day – so you don’t want to be hanging around for hours for no reason! Also listen out for a growl (which is what we did) as that is a sure fire sign (pun totally intended!) that the Ironbelly is gonna blow!
You’ll get a good view of the dragon from most places in Diagon Alley. We happened to be on the side as it breathed out its firey breath – and I couldn’t believe the heat that you could feel! It was truly amazing to see!
My descriptive words cannot do Diagon Alley justice, and really, neither can photographs, but I hope you can see from all the photos I’ve shared with you, how awesome it is!