Harry Potter’s Edinburgh: Explore the Magic of J.K. Rowling's Inspiration Behind the Iconic Series
4.3
37 Ratings
Edinburgh
Embark on a self-guided audio tour of Edinburgh to discover the magical inspiration behind J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Explore secret alleyways, visit Diagon Alley, and uncover the gravestones of iconic characters. Don't miss the chance to see Hogwarts School of Wizardry and visit the cafes where Rowling wrote her masterpiece.
Duration: 1 hour
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Edinburgh Castle - The tour starts outside the castle and doesn’t venture in. You’ll be shown one of the filming locations for the Harry Potter movies.
  • The Writers’ Museum - The tour briefly stops outside the Writer’s Museum where, if you choose, you can pause the tour and venture inside.
  • Victoria Street - The tour passes through Victoria Street where there are a number of Harry Potter-related stores.
  • Greyfriars Kirkyard - The tour takes you through the Greyfriar’s Kirkyard where you’ll visit the graves of some familiar names.
  • The Elephant House - The tour ends at the Elephant House which claims to be the birthplace of Harry Potter.
What's Included
  • VoiceMap App for Android and iOS
  • Lifetime access to this tour in English
  • Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
What's Not Included
  • Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route
  • Smartphone and headphones
  • Transportation
  • Food and drink
Additional Information

Join me, fellow non-magical beings, as we embark on an audio-guided exploration of the Edinburgh that planted the seeds of inspiration for J.K. Rowling’s widely celebrated masterpiece! We’ll delve into the hidden passageways of the Old Town, initiating our journey at Edinburgh Castle. Later, we’ll meander to ‘Diagon Alley’ and discover the tombstones of Voldemort and other renowned personalities from the Harry Potter saga. We’ll also stumble upon ‘Hogwarts School of Wizardry’ en route and optionally, you can pause at the infamous and less-known cafes where J.K. Rowling penned down her thoughts before Harry Potter achieved its best-seller status.

Our expedition will encompass:

• An awe-inspiring vista of the Edinburgh Castle from the promenade located in front
• The Royal Mile, the most prominent street of Old Town
• The Writer’s Museum, a paradise for literature enthusiasts
• Victoria Street, one among Scotland’s most frequently captured streets
• The Grassmarket: here, we’ll narrate the intriguing story of an extremely fortunate woman from the 18th century.
• Greyfriar’s Graveyard

Location
Castlehill
Before arrival, please install the VoiceMap mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. This is a self-guided audio tour that you can start, pause, or restart at any time and complete at your own pace. Detailed starting point instructions are available after downloading.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.3
(37 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Grace_w
Jun 16, 2024
Download the tour! - I was not sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised! We chose this option because we didn't want to be tied down by a scheduled tour. We downloaded the tour beforehand and were able to click play whenever we wanted. The app itself is super cool and I will certainly be looking for tours like this in other destinations. It was also super informative and wasn't overboard on Harry Potter. There was a greater focus on the history of the city and how it informed or influenced the books. We learned so much about the hidden and often dark histories of some of Edinburgh's most iconic landmarks.
Review provided by Viator
Lori_s
Jun 10, 2024
Seeing the books on Harry Potter come alive - Since we knew we would becoming in later afternoon to Edinburgh, this tour was great for us to do on our own at our own time. The audio tour gave very good instructions and we enjoyed learning more about places in Edinburgh that influenced JK Rowling's books about Harry Potter. Victoria Street is awesome!
Review provided by Viator
Christianemil_k
Jun 5, 2024
It was an overall... - It was an overall excellent tour, the cemetery was the best part aswell as Diagonal Alley with attached shops.
Review provided by Viator
Lynda_h
Apr 10, 2024
Great app 👍🏻 - Very impressed 😁 Was myself and grown up granddaughter we had a really good time, great that you can stop and start at your own pace
Review provided by Viator
266bj_rns
Apr 6, 2024
Nice and easy - Wonderfully relaxed and well done. Not too much and not too little. English spoken in an understandable way, which is not always the case.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rachaelv1313
Dec 26, 2023
Lovely little HP tour at my OWN PACE - What a fabulous and flexible way to do a walking tour! I love love loved that I could go at my own pace and that it was a specialized tour, for a tailored topic!! HARRY POTTER FANS UNITE!! not to mention.....it was SO MUCH CHEAPER than a walking tour :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tevia_o
Nov 28, 2023
So much fun - We absolutely loved this self-guided tour! The insider information, little tid-bits, and narration are fantastic! Great for adults and children; I highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
663elkem
Aug 31, 2023
Entertaining and easy to understand - Great tour. Just download it and off you go. It's virtually impossible to get lost and the mix of Joanna K. Rowling, Harry Potter and history is entertaining and entertaining.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jill_w
Jun 3, 2024
Poor directions and map - It was tricky to use as no road names in the map. We got lost a lot and gave up Not useful to help navigate
Review provided by Viator
Cjaudasgoldcoast
Sep 29, 2023
Very interesting until I got lost - It was very interesting until I got lost 15 min into the tour. It didn't matter how many times I rewound, read the map and listened to the recording, I could not make sense of where to go after visiting the writer's museum and emerging from the alley. Being completely new to Edinburgh may not have helped.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
1
Adult
June 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today