• Established 2012 •
The ORIGINAL and BEST
magical walking tour of Edinburgh
Featured in
Prepare to enter a secret world...
Grab a wand and join your robed guide on the original tour of Edinburgh designed especially for Potter fans!
You’ll discover the magical locations that inspired characters and scenes in the series, visit the places
where JK Rowling wrote the books, and even learn a spell or two along the way...
See where Lord Voldemort is buried
Discover in which café Rowling wrote the FIRST Potter book
Take a trip down the real life Diagon Alley
Find out which house you would be in at Edinburgh's very own school of magic
Learn who the world’s worst poet was, and which Hogwarts
teacher is named after him
... and much, much more!
Even if you’re not a Harry fan, there’s still plenty to entertain you on this lively and atmospheric tour, full of colourful characters from Edinburgh’s mysterious past. Suitable for families. Muggles welcome!
Founded in 2012 we are the original and most highly rated walking tour in Edinburgh for Potterheads - accept no imitations!
If you would like a little more insight into what we cover on the tours, below is a video that we made recently for the Edinburgh Evening News featuring two of our guides Richard and Will. This video does contain a few of what we would consider tour spoilers so if you'd prefer to retain more of the magic of the tour before you join, maybe best to scroll on!
All scripted tour content is © 2012 The Potter Trail, and is not licensed for public performance or reproduction.
Please note everything below relates to our public tours in real life. We have not yet set a date for these to resume.
If you would like to experience The Potter Trail in real life your only option is to book a paid private tour with us from July 15th:
You can also still book a private video call tour from anywhere in the world:
How Much Does It Cost?
The Potter Trail costs… absolutely nothing!
Yes, you read that right. We’re currently offering this spellbinding tour for FREE. At the end of the tour we will pass around the sorting hat and give you a chance to contribute any donations.
You’re never under any pressure or obligation to give anything; feel free to give whatever you thought the tour was worth. Our professional guides work hard and with real passion to entertain you, and we
value your support.
Why are we doing this? Well, we know what it’s like to be travelling on a budget, so we’d rather give a tour for free and let folks who can afford it choose to support our tour.
For those who want an extra special, personally tailored experience,
private bookings are available. Click the button for more information ➔
Do I need to book?
Our public tours require no booking and if you show up at the right time and place, you’ll be guaranteed a spot! We may send two guides out to split the group if gets too big but we never turn anyone away from our tours. Our tours start promptly at the times stated below, so we recommend arriving 5 – 10 minutes beforehand.
Where and When?
Where does the tour start and finish?
At the statue of Greyfriars Bobby at the junction of Candlemaker Row and George IV Bridge. The tour finishes on Victoria Terrace (the raised section of Victoria Street). This is a 2 minute walk from the starting location.
Is there a way of catching up with the group if I'm running late?
We do normally leave pretty sharply on the hour! If we are splitting a large group you may find half a group still waiting just across the road from the statue outside Greyfriars Art Shop. Failing that we will be somewhere within Greyfriars Kirkyard. We'll be in there for at least the first half hour of the tour, either somewhere to the left of the kirk when you come in or further to the back through the Flodden Wall arch. Look for the guides in the black capes!
How long does the tour last?
1 hour 30 mins. At quieter times this can be nearer 1 hour 15 mins, depending on how busy the city is.
When does the tour start?
September - March - 2pm every day
April - August - 12pm and 4pm every day
PLEASE NOTE: There will no tours running on Dec 24th, 25th and 26th.
Some of the tours listed above are specially extended with live magic - scroll down to find out more!
Click the portrait to see
Magus Negus in action
Extended Magic Tours
On special dates, the tour is extended to 2 hours with the addition of magic from Edinburgh’s premier family-friendly conjurer, MAGUS NEGUS!
He is a real-life magician who aims to delight, dazzle, and maintain the secrecy of the existence of the magical realm (if you are a muggle, please don’t read that last bit – thank you). Presenting a mixture of classical illusions with a unique Potter twist, he has over 10 years’ experience performing for families, international audiences, and even Hollywood film directors!
So whether you’re a witch, wizard, or muggle, you’re going to be in for some serious surprises and maybe even some fantastic beasts...
30% of the money collected at the end of tours featuring Magus Negus will go directly to fund the Anne Rowling Clinic - an organisation set up by JK Rowling to provide clinical care and research to improve the lives of people with degenerative conditions affecting the brain. You can find out more about what they do here.
Unfortunately Magus Negus won't be featuring on our tours for a little while. He is also currently not available for private bookings. We hope he will be back in action for his annual Halloween special - watch this space!
Calendar
Find out exactly when our public tours are running here. We hope to start running these again in September but this all depends on the easing of lockdown in Scotland.
Viewing on mobile, or just can't see the calendar? Here's a link to it.
If you've been on a tour,
why not leave us a review?
We'd love to hear how you enjoyed your tour, and our main source of publicity is our reviews on TripAdvisor. If you enjoyed the tour, please leave us a nice review to help us reach more Potter fans.
We are also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We absolutely love hearing about your experiences on the Potter Trail, and seeing the amazing photos you take. If you have memories of the tour that you'd like to share with us, find us on social media using the links below!
Whichever way you choose, thanks in advance for getting in touch with us.