Magical Harry Potter Things to Do in Scotland with Kids
If you’re looking for Harry Potter things to do in Scotland, including both Edinburgh and the Highlands, you’re in the right place!
I’ve been reading the Harry Potter series with my oldest daughter since she was about 6 years old. We share a love for the series, and our tradition is to read each book together, and when we finish it, we watch the corresponding movie together.
For her birthday trip when she turned 9, we visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando.
So it was only fitting that for her 11th birthday trip, we took a Harry Potter themed trip to Scotland to take in the filming sites as well as the places that inspired JK Rowling.
Here’s everything we did related to Harry Potter on our 1 week trip to Scotland!
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Harry Potter Things to Do in Scotland
In Edinburgh
1. Free Harry Potter Walking Tour
One of the best things to do in Edinburgh for Harry Potter fans is a free Harry Potter walking tour.
You need to register online ahead of time since they limit the number of guests on each tour, but other than that, the tour is free! You are encouraged to tip your guide at the end of the tour if they did an excellent job.
The tour takes you to places around Edinburgh where JK Rowling worked on the Harry Potter books, along with places that inspired characters and places in the series.
You’ll meet at Bobby’s Sandwich Shop near Greyfriars Bobby where the tour begins. We started by walking through Greyfriars Kirkyard (more on that in a minute) and ends on Victoria Street.
To prepare for the tour, know which Harry Potter house you belong to, and bring a “wand” of some sort with you to practice casting spells (a pen or pencil is fine).
The tour takes about an hour and a half, so plan accordingly!
2. Visit Victoria Street
Colorful Victoria Street is said to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley, and it’s not hard to see with the colorful storefronts, cobblestone streets, and quirky shops.
I would recommend arriving around 8 or 9 a.m. to take photos, but if you want to slowly wander around ducking in and out of shops, then be sure to come back later in the day. Most shops don’t open until after 9 or 10.
Be sure to climb the Upper Bow Street steps to a bird’s eye view of the street from the Victoria Terrace!
3. Shop at Museum Context
Museum Context has a few locations in Edinburgh, one of them being on Victoria Street. It is a Harry Potter themed shop with souvenirs and goods from Weasley-esque sweaters to quills, books, notepads, and wands.
Save up some spending money to buy some Harry Potter merch, but also take your time and enjoy the experience. The shop is small with crowded shelves, reminiscent of the shops described in Diagon Alley.
There’s also usually a line to get into the shop, but you won’t have to wait long. We arrived mid-afternoon when the street was bustling with people, and only waited 5 or 10 minutes.
4. Have the Magical Afternoon Tea at Department of Magic
If you want a more hand-on experience to truly feel immersed in the story, head to Department of Magic and enjoy the Magical Afternoon Tea!
We booked the first time slot of the day online ahead of time at 12:30 p.m. and we had the place to ourselves for the majority of our experience.
Included in the afternoon tea is a tower of sandwiches, scones, and sweets, and everyone gets to choose one of the teas from the menu.
Each tea comes with an instruction sheet and the materials needed to brew your own potion so you really feel like you’re in Potions Class with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The only thing missing is Snape.
You may have to crush or muddle ingredients, stir in spices, or follow certain directions like stirring counterclockwise a certain number of times. Then once you’re finished, they bring out a boiling, steaming clear kettle of water that truly turns your tea into a magic potion.
There are several other fun Harry Potter-related beverages you can order, too! We tried shooters that tasted like Felix Felices and the Herbology 101 drink. Both were delicious and interactive!
I also loved that we got to take home any leftover food from the tower of snacks included with the tea. We were snacking on our treats for the next few days.
5. Have a Butterbeer at the Elephant House
The Elephant House is a cafe where it is rumored that JK Rowling wrote parts of the Harry Potter series. Unfortunately, the original cafe had a fire, but there is another location you can visit on Victoria Street.
You can order a butterscotch beer that tastes very similar to the butterbeer at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and enjoy it with a view of Victoria Street!
6. Find JK Rowling’s Handprints
Head to the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and find the Edinburgh City Chambers courtyard where all of the handprints of the Edinburgh Award Winners are impressed into the cement.
Among these handprints you’ll find JK Rowling’s handprints, which were once gilded, but most of the gold has now worn away from years of fans placing their hands on it.
7. Stroll through Greyfriar’s Kirkyard
You’ll visit Greyfriar’s Kirkyard, a historic churchyard in Edinburgh, on your free Harry Potter walking tour, but you could also come here on your own to wander the same walking paths JK Rowling herself used to frequent on her writing breaks.
She found inspiration from several of the names on headstones in the cemetery, including McGonagall, Moodie, Potter, Black, Scrymgeour, and Thomas Riddell.
In addition, from the graveyard you have a clear view of a grandiose private school that divides their students into 4 houses, which may have been the inspiration for Hogwarts. Just a notes, though: this school is still operating, so I would recommend not taking photos, especially if kids are outside. Feels like an invasion of privacy.
In the Highlands
While Edinburgh itself is teeming with castles, cobblestone streets, and a feeling of magic in the air, the Highlands remind you of the wild, untamed landscapes present throughout the story and in the background of the movies.
Here are a few things to do and see in the Scottish Highlands that are Harry Potter adjacent.
8. Ride the Hogwarts Express
The Jacobite Steam Train, aka the Hogwarts Express, is one of the ultimate Harry Potter things to do in Scotland. The train runs between Fort William and Mallaig twice a day, crossing over the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct along the way.
Onboard the train, a trolley comes around offering chocolate frogs, butterscotch hot chocolate, and more wizard-themed treats.
We ended up booking a 1-day group tour from Edinburgh where we took a mini coach bus from Edinburgh, through the Highlands, and ending up in Mallaig where we road the train back to Fort William. (Our guide drove the bus from Mallaig to Fort William and picked us up there to take us back to Edinburgh).
Be sure to book tickets several weeks (or months) in advance to secure tickets on the Jacobite Steam Train! We had a hard time finding tickets, but there was a small amount of availability left on group tours that included the Hogwarts Express, so that’s why we chose the group tour.
In addition, it was nice to do it that way, otherwise we would have had to take a train from Edinburgh to Fort William to catch the train.
Here’s the tour we booked: "From Edinburgh: Hogwarts Express and Scottish Highlands Tour"
9. Visit the Glenfinnan Viaduct
The Glenfinnan Viaduct is a stunning railway bridge featured in the Chamber of Secrets Harry Potter movie. The Jacobite Steam Train (the Hogwarts Express) crosses over the bridge 4 times a day, and it has become a tourist attraction for fans of the franchise to watch the train cross over the Viaduct.
We got to see the Glenfinnan Viaduct twice on our trip to Scotland, once on our Hogwarts Express and Scottish Highlands One Day Tour, and once on our 3 Day Isle of Skye and The Highlands Tour from Edinburgh.
Unfortunately on our 1-day Hogwarts Express tour we only had 20 minutes there, and we weren’t able to time it right with the train crossing the bridge.
We did get to see it on our 3-day tour where we had a little more time to hike out to the viewpoint.
It’s very cool to see in person, and definitely a bucket list experience for Potter fans!
10. Take in the Glencoe Scenery
We made a few stops in Glencoe on our 3 Day Isle of Skye and The Highlands Tour from Edinburgh, and while we didn’t get to see specific Harry Potter filming locations, if you’re exploring on your own you can find the spot where Hagrid’s Hut was filmed in Prisoner of Azkaban near Clachaig Gully across the street from Clachaig Inn (read more here).
The hut is no longer there, but you can still enjoy the beautiful background of the scene. And truly, all of Glencoe is jaw-dropping. It’s my goal to return one day with the whole family and road trip through the Highlands, spending plenty of time in Glencoe.
11. Visit Loch Schiel
Loch Shiel is used as a filming location for the Black Lake at Hogwarts in the Prisoner of Azkaban movie as well as the Triwizard Tournament in Goblet of Fire.
We could see Loch Schiel from one of the high viewpoints at the Glenfinnan Viaduct Visitor Center. You just follow this sign:
And climb up the hill to the top. It only takes a few minutes, and from there you can see both the Glenfinnan Viaduct, and if you look the other direction you’ll see Loch Schiel.
Where to Stay
While in Edinburgh, we used IHG points to book Hotel Indigo Edinburgh Princes Street as well as the Holiday Inn Express Royal Mile.
Both were family-friendly hotels in great locations!
In Inverness on our 3-day Isle of Skye and Highlands Tour we stayed at Columba Hotel Inverness, which offered a free continental breakfast and a great location as well.
Other Scotland Content:
1 Week Scotland Itinerary with Kids
Unmissable Things to Do in Scotland with Kids
Review of A Scottish Highlands 3-Day Group Tour with Kids
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Emily Krause is a Florida-based travel blogger who writes about exploring the world with kids. On A Mom Explores you’ll find best family travel destinations, Disney World tips, and how to make travel with babies and toddlers a little easier.
Emily believes that exploring starts in our own backyards, and adventure can happen anywhere with the right mindset.
