Harry Potter Edinburgh Top Sights Tour with Holyrood Palace
Description
Set off on a magical tour of Edinburgh with our fun Potter-head guide, and see the places that inspired JK Rowling to create her wizarding universe. Then, enter the prestigious Palace of Holyrood House to see a slice of Royal life in Scotland! This tour is ideal for Potter fans and history buffs! Starting at Tron Kirk on The Royal Mile, head to historic Waverley Station then to Edinburgh University Old College - a famous old campus that inspired JK Rowling’s creations. We continue through the atmospheric Old Town, visiting Greyfriars Kirkyard to see Tom Riddle's Grave, and the Elephant Café where JK Rowling dreamed up Harry Potter's world! Get amazing views of Edinburgh Castle on our way to Victoria Street - said to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley. We finish near Edinburgh City Chambers where you’ll learn about JK Rowling’s impact on the city. After the tour, you'll be given your tickets for the impressive Palace of Holyrood, the British Monarch's official Scottish residence!
Tour Options
Itinerary
After meeting your guide and fellow Potter-heads near Tron Kirk Market, your tour starts with a stroll along Edinburgh’s world-famous Royal Mile!
We’ll stop at a great viewpoint to see the historical Waverley Train station, much used by JK Rowling and an inspiration for trains being an iconic part of a young wizard's journey.
Looking over Edinburgh New Town, your guide will point out some key features that played a major part in the creation of the magical Harry Potter world.
Next, we’ll pass by this famous old campus which provided lots of inspiration to JK Rowling’s creations…. This place might remind you of Hogwarts!
We continue through the atmospheric streets of the Old Town, where your guide will show you many of the city’s most famous historical landmarks.
In this spooky graveyard you will see many recognisable names from the Potter world - this is the site of Tom Riddell’s grave and a number of other names used for JK Rowling’s characters.
You’ll enjoy wonderful views of this beautiful old castle, which plays a huge part in Scottish history as well as inspiring JK Rowling's Potter Universe.
With its colourful independent shops, overhanging street signs and the cobbled street that twists and turns out of view, it's easy to see why this is said to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley!
We end the tour at the City Chambers where we see the impact that JK Rowling has had on Edinburgh itself, and her huge contributions to the local community.
After the tour, you’ll be given your tickets for the Palace of Holyrood, the formal house of the British Monarch in Scotland, and a fascinating historical site!
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- 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
Reviews(10)
Jackson was an excellent guide. Very knowledgeable and funny. He was always mindful that our group was keeping up and allowed time for us to take photos. Loved the experience and Jackson!
Probably not what you're looking for. The walk was relatively short (a couple of hours in total with stops) so it isn't difficult to do. The real problem for us was that it was more about "rumors" and "hearsay" about what "might" have inspired JK Rowling and where she "might" have sat while thinking about here stories... things like that. As we toured more of Edinburgh and Scotland in general, it became clear that most places take credit for inspiring the Harry Potter series and related movies - and, honestly, that's probably accurate. The architecture throughout Edinburgh and Scotland overall reflect much of what we see in Hogwarts, Diagon Alley and many other locales in the series. I honestly don't feel like we experienced anything that was legitimately tied directly to anything in Harry Potter. That said, there's inspiration everywhere in Edinburgh, so take the time to see all of the wonderful schools while there. One final note of disappointment: We purchased this tour with the addition of Holyrood. Note that all the tour guide did was provide tickets to Holyrood and point us in the general direction. There was no explanation or insights provided on Holyrood and the tour guide essentially thanked eveyone and ended the tour. We could have purchased the tickets ourselves on a day/time more convenient if there was not going to be any guide to talk us through Holyrood.
Amazing palace ! Traveling around the world I seen many palaces and castles and this one was amazing from the audio guide ( must have you will thank me ) to the gardens what a beautiful place ! In Edinburgh do not skip !
We LOVED our tour guide, Jackson. He kept the tour fun and exciting. He was very knowledgeable. And we also loved his hops, skips, and jumps.
If you are a fan of Harry Potter, this is the tour for you! JK Rowling lived and was inspired from the locations we visited. We saw the coffee shop where she wrote and the streets and cemetery names familiar to all that know Potter. Benjamin was a fantastic guide who took us into the Edinburgh museum and the University of Edinburgh where more inspiration came. Finally we were handed tickets to the Palace of Holyrood House to explore on our own.
Paul was our tour guide. He is a true Harry Potter fan. This tour is fun and entertaining while learning a bit of history about the city as well.
Jackson was the perfect guide for the Harry Potter experience. He was fun, up beat, and made the entire group feel welcome. I learned new things about JK and it was exciting to see the places that inspired her characters and shaped what became the amazing Harry Potter phenomenon. Jackson did such a good job that later in the day I returned to The Elephant Cafe to drink a butter beer with a shot of whiskey. He is truly an assest!!!
This was a really fun tour that I learned things that I would never have known. Jackson was really knowledgeable & enthusiastic. It was also a great way to see Edinburgh.
Our tour guide Paul was wonderful. We really enjoyed him. He gave us great historic information and humorous antidotes. We couldn’t have had a better guide.
Benjamin was a fantastic guide, informative and entertaining. A great tour for Harry Potter fans but also a great orientation of the city.
