Edinburgh Harry Potter Self-Guided Private Tour
Description
Forget about crowds, schedules or lines! With our company's self-guided experiences your smartphone is your new private guide. Welcome to Edinburgh, the birthplace of Harry Potter! JK Rowling wrote all seven Harry Potter novels in this city and Jule will help you discover that was involved in this incredible story. Walking the streets of this magical place, Rowling undoubtedly took some inspiration from the city which she then used in the Harry Potter novels. On our tour, we’ll be exploring places that may have served as inspirations for places and characters in Harry Potter. In this incredible experience, you'll have the time to stroll around Edinburgh's Harry Potter Trail at your own pace, you'll have the opportunity to take astonishing pictures and enter any attraction you fancy along the way. Please note: when booking, you will get an email with instructions on how to download our app and unlock the tour.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Welcome to the “birthplace of Harry Potter” – You can hardly fail to notice the prominent slogan above the entrance of the Elephant House Café. This is where JK Rowling spent a great deal of time writing the first Harry Potter book in, and even parts of the second and the third.
This is the graveyard that can be seen from the back of the Elephant House Café, and it is believed to have inspired the graveyard of Little Hangleton in ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Step in with Jule to discover all it's haunted attractions and why is this place so related to the novels J.K. Rowling wrote.
The graves of Thomas Riddell, Esq. and Thomas Riddell, Esq., his son, are probably the most well-visited graves in all of Edinburgh. This is ironic, as we know very little about the actual Riddell family that lies buried here. Discover the story behind this character and more!
Discover all headstones from famous (and not so famous) characters of the Harry Potter Sagas that are scattered around all over this amazing graveyard.
On the wall to the left of the gates, you can see a black tombstone with the portrait of a man on it. This is William Topaz McGonagall – otherwise known as the worst poet in English-speaking history. Learn why this character is related to a famous Harry Potter Character
Learn the history behind one of the buildings that were the inspiration of Hogwarts, the school of wizards, in Harry Potter history.
Hogwarts is also described as a castle-like school, situated on top of a hill, with a giant lake to one side. Guess what, Edinburgh Castle is just like that! Learn the history behind the castle and its relation with Harry Potter's Hogwarts, another stepping stone of the story and a must-visit of Edinburgh's attractions.
Diagon Alley in the books is described as a cobblestone street, lined with coloured shopfronts on either side. While strolling about Victoria Street, Jule will tell you all the secrets and similarities between both magical places.
Museum Context is the first Harry Potter Shop that was opened in Edinburgh. This shop is a must-see for Harry Potter fans, with a great photo opportunity on the third floor as an added bonus!
Enjoy the amazing view of this spot while imagining the whole story of Harry Potter taking place right in front of you.
This is part of the University of Edinburgh and is where you will find the School of Theology and Divinity. Inside, they have an old library that resembles the one of Hogwarts, and they even have a great hall where students have their meals.
The building with the clock tower across the valley is the Balmoral Hotel, the most expensive hotel in Edinburgh. This is also the place where JK Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This is obviously a big change from her humble beginnings of writing in cafes across the city and really emphasises how much Harry Potter changed her life.
On the ground you can see some golden handprints – these are the handprints of people who have won the Edinburgh Award. This is a prize that is given out yearly since 2007 to one person who has made Edinburgh famous around the world or has impacted the city positively in another way. In 2008, the Award went to JK Rowling, as Edinburgh is now known as the birthplace of Harry Potter thanks to her.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- This is a Self-Guided Audio Tour download the Exploro App
Reviews(14)
It was well laid out. I could have bought only one instead of one per person. We were able to start and stop as the group needed.
So glad the layout worked well for you and your group, Sarah! And great tip you spotted there — one purchase can absolutely be shared across the whole group, so no need to buy one per person next time. The freedom to start and stop as everyone needs is exactly what we hope for. Thank you for the kind words, and we hope the Harry Potter magic followed you all around Edinburgh!
A very nice visit experience! We can go at our own pace and do it even in several steps if we wish. Ideal when you like to visit freely, the experience allows you to take a fairly extensive tour of the old town. Voice feedback and explanations on the app are very clear, interesting and well documented. A very good idea to have designed this self-guided tour!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed exploring Edinburgh Old Town at your own pace — that freedom is exactly what our self-guided tours are designed for. We're also very happy that you found the commentary clear, engaging, and well-researched. It means a lot to us that you appreciated the flexibility of pausing, continuing, and discovering the city on your own terms. Thank you for choosing our tour and for taking the time to share your experience — we hope to guide you again on a future adventure!
Loved the fact that I could take this tour at my own pace, gave me time to get a coffee when I wanted and look in shops. Two small complaints-the order seems a little chaotic definitely some back and forth whereas it would have been easier to do what’s closer to each other. Second one, if there’s a way to include a map or something at the cemetery-I wasted way too much time trying to find all the stones and still never found all of them. Otherwise I enjoyed it.
Hi Melissa, Thank you so much for your thoughtful review — we’re really glad you enjoyed the freedom of exploring at your own pace and taking breaks whenever you wanted. That flexibility is exactly what we want our self-guided tours to offer! We also really appreciate your feedback on the route order and the cemetery stop. You’re absolutely right that a smoother flow and clearer guidance in some tricky locations would make the experience even better. We’re currently working on refining our maps and directions, and comments like yours help us improve for future travelers. It’s wonderful to hear you still enjoyed the tour overall, and we hope you’ll give our updated version a try in the future. Thanks again for choosing us to explore Edinburgh! Best wishes,
It was awesome to be able to wander the streets of Edinburgh and get the bonus addition of all the Harry Potter related facts. We could take our time and detour when we wanted to and pick it back up after. Exactly what we wanted.
Hi Annie! You just nailed exactly what this tour is all about — magic on your own terms! 🧙♀️✨ We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed strolling through Edinburgh’s magical streets with the flexibility to stop, detour, and soak it all in. That’s the beauty of doing it your way! Thank you for taking us along on your adventure — and we hope to be your trusty guide again on your next trip (wizard-themed or not 😄). With a swish and flick,
It was difficult to get into and slightly difficult to navigate. I believe the app and actual tour need adjusted
Hi Tina, thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry to hear you had a challenging experience with navigation on our Edinburgh Harry Potter tour. We're constantly working to enhance our app's usability and content. Your insights are invaluable, and we will consider them seriously to improve the experience. We hope to provide you with a smoother journey next time!
Fantastic tour covering all of the city! Saw everything I wanted and more, but the best part was our tour guide, Adam! He is funny, enthusiastic, and he made the whole thing exciting! One of the best tours I’ve been on in the UK and Adam was a huge part of that!
Dear Jakob, Thank you for your fantastic review! I’m delighted you had such a great time exploring Edinburgh and that Adam made your experience so memorable. Your kind words inspire us to continue delivering exciting and immersive tours. We hope to welcome you on another tour soon! Best wishes,
This tour takes you to all the wonderful Harry Potter inspired spots. It has a brief summary at each location followed by directions to the next. However, I would definitely recommend starting at point one as that is where the directions are written from. We tried to do a few out of order and it was very difficult finding certain spots due to the spotty GPS thru Edinburgh. Also the Elephant Shop was under construction and they had a temporary one on Victoria Street. We were not able to go in because it had 45min wait. The tour itself was informative and could be stop and started if you want to go into a shop or spot along the way.
Hi Janet, thanks for sharing your experience. Following the tour in sequence definitely provides the best experience as it's designed to tell a story and navigate efficiently. We appreciate your feedback and are glad you enjoyed the magical spots!
Looked like it would be fun but could not access the audio without WiFi. I probably missed a step and welcome advice so we can still use the tour
Hi Dennis, we’re sorry to hear you had trouble accessing the audio. Our tours are designed to work offline, so you shouldn’t need WiFi. It sounds like there may have been a misunderstanding in the setup process. Please contact our support team, and we'd be happy to guide you through accessing your tour properly so you can enjoy it to the fullest!
Interesting narration, easy to follow directions. App worked well. Especially liked the cemetery. Wish it included the other Hogwarts school building that served as inspiration but it might be too far away. 👍
Thanks for your wonderful review! We're thrilled you enjoyed the Harry Potter tour in Edinburgh. We appreciate your suggestion about including additional locations, and we'll consider how we might incorporate more distant sites in future updates. Your enjoyment is our top priority!
This self guided tour is amazing for all Harry Potter fans! It's organized very well, and all of the instructions and the map are correct. The hardest part was following the directions around the graveyard, but I was able to find everything. The map is exceptionally helpful, too! Definitely recommend!
A perfect score – 10 points to Gryffindor (or your house of choice)! Thrilled to hear you enjoyed our Harry Potter tour and found the map and instructions spot-on. The graveyard can be a bit tricky, but hey, that’s part of the magic, right? Thanks for the recommendation, and may your future journeys be filled with enchantment!
