FREE PUBLIC TOURS
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The original magical walking tour of Edinburgh's Old Town
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You will need to book in advance to get a place on our Free Public Tours. Please read all the information below carefully before booking.
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We ask you to bring something you can use as a wand on our tours. This can be anything roughly wand-shaped - pens, pencils and umbrellas all welcome!
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THE FREE TOUR MODEL
Yes, you read that right. We’re currently offering this spellbinding tour for FREE. At the end of the tour our guides will welcome any donations via cash or contactless card payments. All of our guides are equipped with card readers.
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.
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Most walking tours in Edinburgh cost approximately £20 per head - if you can afford it we would love a donation in that range!
A percentage of your donation will also go to the Scottish Trans Alliance. You can find out more about what they do and why we're donating here.
Where does the tour start?
Our tours start at Bobby's Sandwich Shop near the junction of George IV Bridge and Candlemaker Row. The address of the start point is 4 Greyfriars Place, EH1 2QQ, Edinburgh.
Tours end on nearby Victoria Street.
The tour will last between 75 and 90 minutes depending on how busy the city is.
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Is there a way of catching up with the group if I'm running late?
We do normally leave pretty sharply on the hour so it's best to aim to arrive at least 5 minutes before your tour's scheduled start time. Our guides are easy to spot, they all wear black capes and usually carry our big blue potter trail umbrellas.
You will get a text from your guide on the morning of the tour and if you are late, this is the number you should text/call to find the group. If you respond to the guide's question confirming you plan to attend or you text them in advance of the tour, then they will know to wait for you.
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What time does the tour start?
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11am, 12pm, & 4pm every day ​
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Our guides will be waiting at the start point from 10 minutes before the tour start time. Please aim to be at the start point by then. The guides all wear black capes and usually we carry our blue potter trail umbrellas. You will have your guide's number from the text they send on the morning of your tour to confirm your attendance.
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BOOK A PLACE ON OUR FREE TOUR
Bringing a larger group?
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If your group is larger than 6 then you must book a private tour with us. Trust us- it's much more fun this way and allows us to cater to your group's interest and ages.
Any bookings for Free Public Tours larger than 6 will be immediately cancelled even if they are booked under multiple names. If the guide discovers on the day that a group exceeds the capacity, either via the addition of unannounced party members or by splitting the group across multiple bookings, we reserve the right to charge your group before the tour begins. This charge will amount to £10 per party member. The guide's assessment of whether you constitute a larger group is final.
We ask that you respect this policy. We have learned from experience that larger groups within our public tour sometime do not behave respectfully toward the other attendees or the guide. We're certain you'll have a better experience with a tailored tour, which is what we want to provide for all our guests.
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We do also offer discounts for school and educational groups which you can find here.
Bringing children under 7 years old?
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This a literary walking tour and is not suitable for children under the age of 7. In our experience they will not engage with the content. Please do not bring children under the age of 7 on to the free public tour. More information.
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!
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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...
Our team donate 30% of the money collected at the end of tours featuring Magus Negus to a Multiple Sclerosis charity.
Click the portrait to see Magus Negus in action
Magus Negus will next be on The Potter Trail at 12:30pm on:
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TBC for October
Magus Negus can also be booked privately any day at 1.45pm
If the date you want is sold out...
During busy periods our Free Public Tours can sell out pretty fast, but we do tend to receive one or two cancellations per day. If the day you are looking to book for is unavailable we can put you on to a list to be contacted on the morning of the tour if we do receive any cancellations.
If you would like to be included on this list then please email one of our Head Wizards at contact@pottertrail.com along with the day you were looking to book for, how many people are in your group and a contact number.
For info on what the tour covers
(and why we're the best in Edinburgh)
Want a more personalised one-on-one tour with one of our guides? We may have a Private Tour slot available for you!
Any questions?
You might find an answer on our FAQs page!
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