The Best Edinburgh Harry Potter Walking Tour
Are you a Harry Potter fan with a passion for history? Then it’s time to connect your chimney to Diagon Alley’s Floo Network and join us on a unique small-group Edinburgh Harry Potter and History walking tour!
This Old Town tour brings together Edinburgh’s darker tales and classic Potter Trail sites. Showing how the city became the ‘birthplace’ of Harry Potter. Along the way, you’ll uncover hidden viewpoints of Edinburgh Castle, meet the city’s beloved Greyfriars Bobby, and delve into stories of brutal executions and forgotten legends.
Book now for an unforgettable journey where the stories and sites will transport you into the magic of Edinburgh!
Harry Potter Walking Tour Highlights
The Harry Potter tour will start at the National Library of Scotland. Here we will discuss the hardest period of J K Rowling’s life, how she began her venture in creating the Harry Potter books and what inspired her to create Diagon Alley. We will then find ourselves in the heart of the old town, where we will explore the gruesome history of public executions, find one of the most incredible viewpoints of Edinburgh Castle and navigate through the beautiful streets to arguably the most haunted graveyard in the UK, Greyfriars Kirkyard.
Set amidst the hauntingly beautiful gravestones and mausoleums we will firstly meet Greyfriars Bobby, the incredibly loyal dog who stole the hearts of the nation. Before discovering four gravestones (including the grave of Tom Riddle) which are believed by Harry Potter fans to have inspired J K Rowling to name some of the characters. On the way out of the graveyard we revisit the realm of dark tales this time featuring the notorious Burke and Hare, and the Covenantors Prison.
Towards the end of the experience, you will visit two cafes where Jo spent her time writing the early chapters of her iconic books. Before finishing up at the City Chambers. If you would like to try deep fried mars bar or/and haggis please ask!
Top Rated Edinburgh Walking Tour
Donald M2024-09-28 Do it! Fantastic tour, ridiculous value for money. Rob was a perfect host, knowledgeable and interesting, with some great dad jokes which we all loved. If you’re a Potterhead it’s a must, and a great way to see our capital too Laura S2024-09-19 Highlands and Isle of Skye 4 day tour My mum and I did the 4 day tour of the Highlands and the Isle of Skye. It was incredible. From the moment we left, Rob entertained us with history, stories and dad jokes. We got to see castles, ruins and so much nature. Highlights were the Creag An Tuirc walk, Hagrid's hut, Dumbledore's grave, the steam train, Isle of Rum and the Quirang. I mentioned that I love birds and he made sure to point out any birds of prey especially that we saw. He was happy to adjust the tour based on our wants and needs. I have celiac disease and he worked hard to make sure we were eating in restaurants that served my needs. I am also a coffee person and he found great coffee shops for us to enjoy each day! On the day we did the boat trip we had to adjust our trip and visited the Isle of Rum instead of the Isle of Canna. It was so lovely and such an interesting trip to learn about the culture on that island. In the Isle of Skye we stayed in these beautiful pods on a large piece of land. Though Rob called it "glamping" it was much nicer in my opinion. The amount he was able to squeeze into 4 days is truly astounding. This was a once in a lifetime trip and I highly recommend using Rob for your tour. He is compassionate, attentive and a great listener as well as being quick to laugh. We truly had the best time and can't wait to return and hopefully go with him to see the puffins!! swifties012024-09-18 A great mix of old, new, and imaginary We had a great tour on a lovely, sunny day. The walk covered some very interesting spots in Edinburgh, and we learned a bunch about Edinburgh's current culture, in addition to some fascinating tidbits about the inspiration for some of the Harry Potter characters and settings. I can happily recommend this tour! Frances O2024-09-11 Wonderful 4 day Isle of Skye tour with Rob Carr tours What a wonderful trip, the scenery was breathtaking, the itinerary was well thought out and varied. The Jacobite ( Harry Potter) train ride is a must. I loved our cosy glamping pods. Nothing was too much trouble, Rob was professional and great fun, be prepared for terrible jokes. I would highly recommend Rob’s tours whether it’s a walking tour or a longer tour of the highlands. Loved it. Thank you Rob. AmyMMc2024-09-10 Wonderful tour! My daughter and I had such a fun time on this tour. Rob was knowledgeable and quite funny. He had a lot of dad jokes to share along the way. Not only was it a Harry Potter tour, but we learned more about the city as well. I highly recommend this tour with Rob! Mara2024-09-06 Definitely recommend it Such a fun and kind guy, easy to speak with. He knows a lot and loves to share it with you. Definitely recommend it! I really enjoyed it will be back to book another tour with Robert! Jim P2024-09-05 Great entertaining tour informative and fun Met Rob with my family and another couple, was great to be in a small intimate group. Rob was outstanding at his job, the tour was fun and informative. Robs personal knowledge of the area and of Harry Potter combined with his ability to entertain my teenage kids and us adults was terrific. I would definitely advise those looking for a great tour to book Rob. Thank you for your time, my kids loved it. Sian S2024-09-05 Really fun relaxed tour We had a really fun 2 hours on our tour with Rob seeing some amazing Harry Potter sights and learning some history about Edinburgh. Rob is a great guy and made everyone in the group feel at ease so lots of laughs were had and his knowledge was really vast. Really enjoyed our time and will definitely be booking more tours with Rob next time we're back in Scotland . Marta Ł2024-09-05 10/10 - I truly recommend tour with Rob! We were on a tour with my non-Potterhead boyfriend and despite of his fear that he will not derive as much fun from this tour as me, he claimed after, that he had much fun too. Rob is such a nice and funny person with a huge knowledge about not only HP and Edinbrugh/Scotland history but also cuisine. He has great advices on where you can taste unusual Scottish delights - such as donut inspired by traditional dessert. Rob's tour is very interactive, he not only lectures - he ask questions about our guesses about histories, he joke a lot and I see that he personalizes a bit the tour based on real-time feedback or tourist's reactions. I highly recommend. Moose7172024-08-28 Good mix of history and Harry Rob was a great guide. Knowledgeable about the history of Edinburgh as well as Harry Potter. Adjusted focus of the tour stories based on our interests. Made museum and food recommendations as we walked. Nice tour - great guide.
Where to Find Us
Start – Meet outside of the National Library of Scotland on George IV Bridge, EH1 1EW
End – City Chambers, 253 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1YP
Terms and Conditions
These terms and conditions, together with any other written information brought to your attention before we confirm your booking, shall form the basis of your contract with Rob Carr Tours. Please read these terms and conditions thoroughly and if you have any further questions contact us immediately.
Booking Process
Bookings can be made via our website at www.robcarrtours.co.uk, by telephone, by email, or via OTAs such as AirBnB Experiences or Indie Travel. Our online booking system can process payments via Stripe, PayPal and we are also able to take direct bank transfer. We will not issue your booking confirmation until the payment has been processed. For all walking tours full payment will be required at the time of booking (unless agreed otherwise). Note that we cannot be held responsible if any tour in which you are interested in becomes fully booked or unavailable prior to full payment being received from you.
Cancellation by You
If you wish to cancel or make any amendments to the tour, please notify us immediately in writing as cancellation charges may apply. Note the date the written communication is sent will be the effective date of cancellation. In the event of cancellation by you, cancellation charges may be payable, as set out below.
Walking Tours
For walking tours with a set itinerary, which are available for booking on scheduled dates from scheduled departure points, the following cancellation charges shall apply (depending on the effective date of cancellation):-
- cancellation more than 7 days before the tour departure: 100% refund of the tour price;
- cancellation less than 7 days before the tour departure: 100% charge of the tour price;
- in the event of a ‘no show’ you will be charged 100% of the tour price.
Cancellation by us
Rob Carr Tours reserves the right to cancel tours which experience unavoidable and unanticipated circumstances beyond our control. If we cancel then we will always refund the total amount received from the customer.
Change to itinerary
The itinerary must be taken as an indication of what each Group should accomplish and not as a contractual obligation on the part of Rob Carr Tours. Any changes in itinerary may be caused by local political conditions, delays, mechanical breakdown, weather, border restrictions, sickness or other unforeseeable circumstances. It is a fundamental condition when booking the tour described that you accept flexibility of the itinerary and acknowledge that delays and alterations with resulting consequences, comfort or disappointments are possible.
Insurance
There is no travel insurance cover provided as part any of the products sold by Rob Carr Tours. We do not accept responsibility for lost personal possessions and/or luggage on any point of the tour as well as any additional expenses experienced through delays, sickness, weather or other grounds out with our control. Additionally, we strongly recommend to purchase a travel insurance policy covering personal possessions, medical, travel, cancellation etc.