Diagon Alley is one of the most magical places in the Harry Potter world. It’s the first place Harry is introduced to the magical world in the books, and it’s filled with a variety of shops full of interesting magical objects. From owls and toads to broomsticks, Diagon Alley has it all.

There are definitely Diagon Alley shops that are more exciting than others. However, some provide more interesting and essential items than others, and some are just plain more exciting all around. The shops at Diagon Alley can easily be ranked from worst to best.

TWILFITT AND TATTING’S

Twilfitt and Tatting’s is a wizarding clothing store that is mentioned a couple of times in the books. It’s mainly a place where fancy and rich wizards and witches shop, and it’s also known to have somewhat of a reputation for serving pure-blood customers such as Narcissa Malfoy.

Because of the fact that it’s associated with pure-blood ideology, and also that it doesn’t even sound that interesting, Twilfitt and Tatting’s is near the bottom of the list of wizarding shops in Diagon Alley.

FLOREAN FORTESCUE’S ICE CREAM PARLOUR

While most of the Harry Potter shops in Diagon Alley feel distinctly magical, Florean Fortescue’s doesn’t seem that much different from an ice cream shop in the Muggle world. While it’s not the most exciting because it’s a fairly regular sweet shop, it does seem like a fun place to hang out.

Harry spent a lot of time studying here during the summer before his third year at Hogwarts. Plus, Florean Fortescue seemed like a nice man, and he would often give Harry free sundaes while he studied. It’s one of the locations actively operating at Universal Studios, complete with a variety of wizarding world flavors, like butterbeer ice cream.

GRINGOTTS

There’s no denying that Gringotts is one of the most important places in Diagon Alley, even if it’s not exactly a store. It definitely is an important site of many plot points in the series, and it’s filled with a lot of mysteries and magic.

However, Gringotts also seems like a rather old-fashioned and even kind of barbaric institution given the fact that they keep dragons in cruel conditions and threaten to let thieves die.

MADAM MALKIN’S ROBES FOR ALL OCCASIONS

Madam Malkin’s is the second of the robe shops on Diagon Alley, and it’s also the most popular. This is the place where students get their uniforms for Hogwarts, and it’s also where wizards and witches shop for other things such as dress robes and traveling cloaks.

While it might not be filled with the most magical items, it would definitely be interesting to see all of the selection at a store like this. Plus, since clothes are a basic necessity and also say a lot about a culture, Madam Malkin’s is definitely a foundation store in Diagon Alley.

FLOURISH AND BLOTTS

Flourish and Blotts is the main bookstore mentioned in the Harry Potter universe, and it’s where Hogwarts students get all of their books for school. This shop is filled with fascinating books about magic including spellbooks, books about divination, history of magic books, and much more.

Just thinking about all of the knowledge someone could find in Flourish and Blotts is enough to make anyone excited - just ask Hermione Granger. This is definitely an important store, and it’s also really fascinating to think about.

SLUG AND JIGGER’S APOTHECARY

While this store isn’t mentioned very often compared to other shops in Diagon Alley, it’s definitely an exciting one to think about. This is where the Hogwarts students buy ingredients for potions class, and it’s definitely an interesting exercise to think about all the weird and magical ingredients a student could find here.

This is definitely one of the stores that seems the most witchy of all, and it’s probably full of some gross items as well since there are plenty of dried insects that get added to potions.

THE LEAKY CAULDRON

The Leaky Cauldron is the pub that acts as the entrance to Diagon Alley. So, in a way, it exists in both the Muggle world and the magical one, even if Muggles can’t see it. There is something so comfortable and homey about The Leaky Cauldron, and it would be amazing to get to spend the night there.

Because of its special place as the entrance to the magical world, and also the first place Harry himself enters into the magical world, it’s an important shop.

QUALITY QUIDDITCH SUPPLIES

One of the most exciting things about the wizarding world is Quidditch. As the main wizarding sport, Quidditch combines all of the exciting things about Muggle sports but then throws in magical elements. For many Hogwarts students, hanging out at Quality Quidditch Supplies would be really exciting.

This is one of the Diagon Alley shops where most people in the wizarding world get their brooms, and they often have the newest and most expensive brooms available.

EYELOP’S OWL EMPORIUM/MAGICAL MENAGERIE

One of the most magical things about reading the Harry Potter books is learning about the magical creatures. Being able to have an owl as a pet at school would definitely be an exciting thing, so having magical pet shops to peruse would be one of the best things about Diagon Alley.

Eeylop’s Owl Emporium mostly sells owls and tools to take care of them. The Magical Menagerie sells many other magical pets including rats and cats. Their functions are the same: finding wizards and witches their perfect companions.

WEASLEY’S WIZARD WHEEZES

While the Weasley twins joke shop doesn’t open in Diagon Alley until Harry is in his sixth year at Hogwarts, it definitely made a big impact. This colorful, wacky store is the pinnacle of magical joke shops.

The Weasley twins sold a variety of exciting joke items here including pygmy puffs, skiving snack boxes, extendable ears, and more. What’s more is that these items now exist in reality as the shop is one of the highlights of Universal Studio’s version of Diagon Alley stores.

OLLIVANDER’S

If there’s one shop that’s the most mysterious and essential in all of Diagon Alley, it’s Ollivander’s. This is where wizards and witches get their wands, and without a wand, it’s hard to do any magic at all.

There is something so fascinating about wands and their components and how they are made. While Ollivander might not be the most appealing character, his wand shop is definitely one of the best things about Diagon Alley stores. Universal Studios clearly thought so too since kiosks based on his shop, as well as his shop itself, appear all over their Harry Potter themed areas.