Free Harry Potter Tour Edinburgh
About our free Harry Potter tour of Edinburgh
Every day from the Royal Mile. An hour and a half through the city that inspired JK Rowling: the real Diagon Alley, the original Hogwarts and the cafés where she wrote. Pay what you think it was worth.
JK Rowling wrote her first book of Harry Potter in Edinburgh. Come to the Free Harry Potter Tour to explore the magic world that inspired JK Rowling to create the Universe of Harry Potter.
Walk the Diagon Alley, see the real Hogwarts and meet the characters who are part of the magical world of Harry Potter.
On this FREE Tour of Harry Potter you will discover the relationship between the city and the author, the facts and locations that inspired JK Rowling to write her books and the places where she actually wrote them.
The FREE Harry Potter tour is but not only for fans of Harry Potter. It is based on the world of Harry Potter, but anyone who is interested in literature, mystery and magic will have an amazing time with us.
Disclaimer: The FREE Harry Potter tour has been made by Harry Potter fans to popularise the books of JK Rowling and the magic world of Harry Potter in Edinburgh. The FREE Harry Potter tour is an unofficial tour and is not endorsed by or associated with Warner Bros, JK Rowling or any related part.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Daily departures. Check exact times in the calendar. Book to secure your place.
Language: English
Prefer Spanish? See the Free Tour de Harry Potter.
Meeting point: 154 High Street
In front of The Copper Still on the Royal Mile. Open in Google Maps.
Pay what you like
Booking is free. At the end, you decide how much to give your guide, in cash or by card.
Look for the yellow umbrellas!
What you’ll discover on the Harry Potter walking tour
Discover the place where Lord Voldemort is buried
Get surprised with the cafes and the hotel that inspired JK Rowling to write her books and the places where she actually wrote them
Explore the street which was the origin of Diagon Alley
See the real Hogwarts School which inspired Rowling
The worst poet in the history of the English literature and the Hogwarts teacher called after him
The real life Quidditch
And much more..!
This is an unofficial tour, made by fans, and is not endorsed by or associated with Warner Bros or JK Rowling.
Harry Potter places in Edinburgh
JK Rowling was living in Edinburgh when she wrote the first books, and the city is full of places that bring the saga to mind:
- Victoria Street: the curved, colourful street that many link to Diagon Alley.
- Greyfriars Kirkyard: the graveyard with the tomb of Thomas Riddell and other names that sound familiar, such as McGonagall.
- George Heriot’s School: the four-towered school next to Greyfriars, often named as an inspiration for Hogwarts.
- Old Town cafés: such as Spoon and The Elephant House, where Rowling wrote parts of the early books.
- The Balmoral Hotel: where she finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007.
On the tour we visit several of these places and tell you how they connect to Harry Potter.
Free Harry Potter tour Edinburgh: good to know
Booking confirmation
Your confirmation email or a screenshot on your phone is all you need.
Card payments
You can tip your guide in cash or by card. Our guides carry their own card reader.
Groups
Groups of up to 12 people can join our free tours. If you are more, please book a Private Harry Potter Tour.
School groups
School groups of any size should book a private tour.
Reduced mobility
Let us know in advance and we will adapt the route so it is accessible, without changing the essence of the tour.
Pushchairs
There are a few steps and some uneven paving, but the tour can be done with a pushchair.
Minimum group size
Tours need a minimum of 6 people, children included, to go ahead.
Weather
Tours run come rain, snow or shine. Please dress for the weather.
Children
Children are very welcome as long as they are accompanied by an adult.
Dogs
Well-behaved dogs are welcome on a lead.
What our guests say about the Free Harry Potter Tour
City Explorers has a 5.0 rating on Google from 27,002 reviews. Here is a selection of real reviews, updated every week. Tap any review to read it in full.
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Dr Rory can tell a story! I couldn't believe how quickly the tour ended. When I looked at my watch and hour and a half had passed! Get a tour, get it with Rory !
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Griem was a fantastic tour guide ! He was very helpful, showed a great amount of knowledge about the city, and I loved his sense of humour:))
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Great tour, got all the major sights and lots of history. Kenny, our guide, was very knowledgeable and eloquent he made the tour very interesting and fun at the same time.
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I highly recommend this tour! Rory’s gory stories were amazing, you can really tell he loves the job and makes the tour feel very special!
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Amazing tour with a great guide. Rory was very funny, informative, and a really excellent storyteller. I would definitely recommend it to everybody interested in Harry Potter. We were four people and paid 50 punds, definitely worth every penny.
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Rory was an amazing and funny guide. He told us a lot of fun facts and showed us cool places related to Harry Potter.
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My husband and I very much enjoyed the morning tour with Graem. He had a lively sense of humor and an impressive knowledge of the history on and around the Royal Mile and Edinburgh. The two hour walk did include some hills and stairs, but still very doable for us (late 50s/early 60s). Would definitely do again! In fact, we opted to take the afternoon Harry Potter tour with professor JS. She was hilarious and our group was small. Mg husband was the “Harry Potter hostage” as the non-fan person on the tour. He was picked on by everyone which only made the experience more fun. The HP trivia ranged from simple to obscure. We saw many inspiration points for the books, all an easy walk around the Royal Mile. Fans, do this!! Take a hostage, like I did, lol.
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Free Harry Potter Tour with Rory. Good job explaining Rowling influence on Edinburgh and some of the connections in the novels
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We had a tour across the city of Edinburgh with our guide, Theis. It was so much fun and knowledgeable thanks to the passion with which she spoke of the city and its connection to Harry Potter. She also made it fun with assigning us Hogwarts Houses and turning her little quizzes into a House Cup.
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We had such a great experience on the free Harry Potter walking tour in Edinburgh! Our guide, Theis, was friendly, entertaining and incredibly knowledgeable. She made the tour fun and engaging while showing us the hidden Harry Potter connections around the city. Perfect for Harry Potter fans and anyone wanting to explore Edinburgh. Highly recommended! ⚡🪄
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Absolutely loved the tour with Professor SJ, learned so much about Harry Potter. She was so engaging through out the tour and would recommend this to any potter head
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We did a Harry Potter tour with Sjoukje. She was very enthusiastic and told a lot of wonderful stories. Definitely recommend going on a tour with her!
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Professor SJ was amazing!! Very interesting fun facts about the Harry Potter series and the city. Lovely tour :)
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Cobin led our scout troop around Edinburgh on the Harry Potter tour. He kept the scouts engaged through his narrative & humour. Thoroughly recommended!
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We had an amazing time on the Harry Potter tour with Theis! She was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and made every stop come to life with fun facts and great stories. Highly recommended for any Harry Potter fan visiting the city!
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Professor S.J.‘s free Harry Potter tour was one of the absolute highlights of our time in Edinburgh! From start to finish, she was incredibly engaging, knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about both Harry Potter and the city’s fascinating history. She brought the Wizarding World to life by weaving together behind-the-scenes stories, historical facts, and the real-life locations that inspired J.K. Rowling. Whether you’re a lifelong Potterhead or just curious about Edinburgh, this tour is magical, fun, and full of surprises. What amazed me most was the amount of effort, energy, and heart she puts into a tour that’s completely free. It felt like so much more than a walking tour—it was an unforgettable experience. We laughed, learned, and saw parts of Edinburgh we never would have discovered on our own. If you’re visiting Edinburgh, do yourself a favor and book this tour. And please remember to tip—Professor S.J. absolutely deserves it. Thank you for making our visit so magical! I hope she knows how much joy she brings to people. What an unforgettable experience!
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Professor SJ was amazing! Super engaging during the tour and tested our Harry Potter knowledge throughout. Would highly recommend.
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Made two tours. The edingbugh tour: Loved every part of it. Theis was amazing and made the tour fun and interesting! The harry Potter tour with sarah: loved the vibes of bei g part of harry potter houses and answering questions to gain points for the houses 😉 also so many references to tje places and people in the books. Loved it!
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Rory was so fun and knowledgeable about Harry Potter and the connections made with Edinburgh and its history!
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This was a brilliant Harry Potter tour. Theis, our tour guide, was very informative and funny. She took us to some awesome spots in Edinburgh and explained facts apart from Harry Potter. Very comprehensive tour!
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Sarah was a very knowledgeable and nice guide. Being a fan of Harry Potter herself, she could bring over the enthusiasm associated with the books. We got to hear interesting things about places around the city that had inspired J. K. Rowling complemented with a lot of history and information about Edinburgh itself.
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Theis did a wonderful job sharing the wonders and connections of Harry Potter, J.K. Rawling, and Scotland. Tour was very enjoyable!
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Glen was a spectacular guide. Very knowledgeable about the city. Gave an outstanding tour. I was also fortunate enough to have Dan on the Harry Potter and Ghost tours. He is a great story teller.
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Professor SJ Has been one of the best tours I have meet round the world. Extremely empathetic and able to include and keep everyone involved. Extremely funny and well knowledge about Harry Potter with an incredible talent of story telling, plus some very exclusive information!! Will recommend to everyone!
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Our guide Theis is very knowledgeable and keeps the tour interesting with pop quizzes about JK Rowling and Harry Potter stories. And dividing the group into different houses. Overall decent effort for a free tour. It’s a very good walk, we clocked a lot of steps!
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Our guide Theis was amazing! We learned a lot of new facts about the origins of Harry Potter in a fun and delightful way!
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Kenny was absolutely fantastic!!! A wonderful blend of history, local history, recommendations, Harry Potter info and wit. Highly recommend!!
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We absolutely loved our tour with the amazing Professor SJ! Coming from Germany we entered a fierce competition with an American couple about deep Harry Potter trivia. Although we thought we knew everything there is to know Professor SJ taught us a lesson about secret knowledge and hidden treasures. Must do for all Potterheads coming to Edinburgh. 100 points for Professor SJ for her wonderful and detailed tour ! Special hint to get a few extra house points during the tour: 62442 PS: Greetings to her father!
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Prof.Sj did a phenomenal job, the Harry Potter tour was great, she had interesting story's about J.K.Rowling and fun facts about the books and movies. She did a great job at quizzing our knowledge, telling stories about J.K. Rowling and facts about the real city of Edinburgh. Thank you:)
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Professor SJ was nothing short of magical. This tour was easily the highlight of our time in Edinburgh! From the very start, SJ guided us through the city like a true Hogwarts professor, revealing the real-world inspirations behind Harry Potter while also showing us some of Edinburgh’s most beautiful spots. The stories and locations felt like stepping straight through Platform 9¾ into the wizarding world. SJ kept the tour lively, fun, and completely spellbinding from beginning to end. If you’re visiting Edinburgh and even slightly Potter-curious, this tour is an absolute must. Without a doubt the best thing we’ve done in the city — mischief managed.
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Selected real reviews from Google · Updated 20 October 2026