The Perfect Time to Ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Universal Orlando

Okay, we know a LOT of folks are visiting Universal Orlando specifically to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

That includes a visit to go inside Hogwarts Castle to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. However, when should you get in line for that ride? Should you do it first thing? Or should you wait until later in the day? Well, we have an answer!

You’ll find Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey inside Hogsmeade at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal’s Islands of Adventure. The ride is inside Hogwarts castle, so you’ll get to go through a fun queue that includes moving paintings — just like in the books and movies.

The ride will take you high above Hogwarts as you join Harry and his friends on an adventure that will put you face-to-face with some familiar friends…and enemies.

One thing you should know is if you’re staying at a Universal hotel (or part of another select group of Universal visitors), you can enter The Wizarding World of Harry Potter up to one hour before its official opening time. That means this ride is open for that early park admission, which could give you a heads up on getting a chance to ride it first thing. However, this perk is only for those staying at Universal Orlando hotels.

Universal’s Islands of Adventure entrance

So here’s the thing, if this ride is a priority ride for you, you’ll find the shortest wait times during this early park admission period or right at park opening. You’ll want to make a beeline straight for Hogsmeade and jump in line to get on the ride quickly. Almost everyone else will be heading to Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, so you can take advantage of that to get inside Hogwarts fast.

If you’re by yourself or don’t mind being split up from your group, though, you can ride faster by using the Single Rider line. This line is used when Universal needs to fill up empty seats on the ride before it begins. It’s usually a pretty quick way to get on a ride, so that’s another option for you if you want to ride it later.

Now, if your priorities are Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and VelociCoaster, you may still want to head to those rides first. Forbidden Journey is an older ride, which means even later in the day, wait times are generally lower for it. But if it’s your priority (and we can understand going inside Hogwarts being the first thing you want to do at Universal), you’ll want to head there first.