Are you a Harry Potter fan? If so, Edinburgh is a place for you! This post will tell you about all the Edinburgh Harry Potter locations you need to visit.
JK Rowling actually lived in Edinburgh when she wrote Harry Potter so she took a lot of inspiration from the city.
We chose to do a Harry Potter Walking Tour when we were in Edinburgh. The tour was free however it is requested you tip the guide at the end. If you’re a big fan, I would really recommend the tour. We learned lots of interesting facts about Harry Potter and Edinburgh in general. You can find out more information HERE.
The Elephant House Cafe
The place where Harry Potter began (supposedly). If you’re a big fan, like me, you may know, the idea for Harry Potter came to Rowling on a train ride from Manchester to London.
So Harry Potter didn’t technically begin here, as the sign on the doos says. However, when working on the earlier books, Rowling did use to sit in here and write. The toilets have become a shrine to the Harry Potter series so make sure to check them out!
We visited here for breakfast and the food was really good!
Balmoral Hotel
The place where Harry Potter was finished. By the time JK Rowling was working on the last books, she was far too famous to sit in a cafe. So she went to the Balmoral Hotel. She planned to stay for a night and ended up being there for about 4 months!
There is even a JK Rowling suite, the exact one she stayed in! This, of course, does come with quite a large price tag! If you would like to have a look at the Balmoral Hotel can do so HERE.
Photo from the hotel’s website
Edinburgh City Chambers
In 2008, Rowling was awarded the Edinburgh Award for the Harry Potter series. Her golden “Hollywood Style” handprints can be found outside to prove it.
Located just off the Royal Mile and free to view!
Victoria Street
This is thought to have been the inspiration for Diagon Alley. I loved Victoria Street because it has two levels. You can walk along the street or above the row of shops!
It had an old broom shop and a joke shop, just like in Harry Potter. The broom shop has rebranded itself as a Harry Potter merchandise shop and sadly, the joke shop has closed.
I have also done a London Harry Potter walking tour and was shown the inspiration for Diagon Alley there as well. In my opinion, the one in London looked more Diagon Alleyesque but I do believe, she would have taken inspiration from more than one place.
Even if you’re not a Harry Potter fan, this is a beautiful street to check out!
Greyfriar’s Kirkyard
Greyfriar’s Kirkyard is essentially a graveyard. Apparently, Rowling used to walk through here fairly often and this is where she found the names of some of the characters. These include Tom Riddle, Moody, and McGonagal.
The Kirkyard is free to enter but it might take you a while to find the graves if you’re not using a walking tour guide!
Potterrow Port
In my opinion, this is quite an ugly underpass. Apparently, Rowling and David Yates visited Edinburg to look for inspiration for the films. Including, the order of the Phoneix. Potterrow Port is said to be the inspiration for the underpass that Harry and Dudley were in when the dementors attached them.
It is said that the underpass had to be recreated in the studio as the Scottish weather was too poor to film in. I’m not 100% convinced that this is all facts though!
Edinburgh Castle
The walking tour didn’t feature Edinburgh Castle. But, I don’t think Rowling could have lived in Edinburgh and not taken at least some inspiration from the glorious castle. We visited the castle and it gave me such Hogwarts vibes!
Again, I do believe she will have taken inspiration for Hogwarts from multiple places. Of course, will be her own invention!
Thank you for reading my post on Edinburgh Harry Potter locations to visit. I hope it has helped you find some interesting places to see on your trip.
Please check out my guide on the BEST THINGS TO DO IN EDINBURGH as well!
Happy Travelling,
