Day 1: Arrival in Edinburgh – Edinburgh Tour
Your driver-guide will be waiting to greet you off your plane in Edinburgh and welcome you to our bonnie wee land before showing you to your luxury tour vehicle.
From the airport, we’ll drive through the City Center, stopping at any of the city’s numerous fantastic tourist destinations on the way to your accommodation in the city center: The Balmoral Hotel.
Once you’ve dropped your bags, checked in, and had a chance to freshen up after your flight, we’ll spend the rest of the morning exploring the Old Town of Edinburgh, where you’ll see the cobbled streets, winding alleys, and architecture that inspired JK Rowling when she penned the Harry Potter series.
Next, we’ll stop at The Elephant House for a spot of lunch and coffee. Providing visitors with spectacular views of Edinburgh Castle, The Elephant House is known as the birthplace of the Harry Potter series, as it is in this small, quaint cafe that J.K. Rowling started to write the series.
Indeed, Rowling was an avid fan of Edinburgh cafes while penning the iconic series, as you’ll see when we visit Spoon (previously Nicholson Cafe), another cafe famous for hosting the author frequently during the development of ‘Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone’.
In the afternoon, your driver-guide will take you for a walk around Greyfriars Kirkyard; a burial yard filled with notable Scottish academics and authors, the names of which you may recognize from the series such as Thomas Riddell, William McGonagall, and Elizabeth Moddie!
Finally, you and your driver-guide may have enough time in the day to take a short walk up Arthur’s Seat, where you can catch a beautiful sunset over Edinburgh’s Old Town before returning to your accommodation.
Funnily enough, The Balmoral Hotel (your accommodation for the first night of your Harry Potter tour) was also where J.K. Rowling stayed when she wrote the final chapter of the last book of the series: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
In the evening, you may want to venture out to Edinburgh City Center to take advantage of the city’s delightful selection of bars and restaurants or enjoy a well-deserved rest at The Balmoral ahead of a busy second day!
Day 2: Glasgow University – Moor of Rannoch – Fort William
On the morning of the second day of your private Harry Potter tour of Scotland, we leave our beautiful capital, Edinburgh, and travel to the country’s largest city: Glasgow.
Your driver-guide can give you a quick tour of the city center before your group heads to Glasgow’s beautiful West End and Glasgow University.
Once you arrive, you will be able to instantly appreciate just where J.K. Rowling got her inspiration for Hogwarts from…
Originally built back in 1451, Glasgow University is the fourth-oldest English-speaking university in the world and looks almost identical to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Once you’ve explored the university’s grounds and buildings, we’ll stop for some lunch at one of the West End’s beautiful eateries before driving to Fort William.
En route, we’ll stop at the Moor of Rannoch (the place where the Death Eaters board the train in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1) and through Glencoe, where, if we’re on time, you’ll have the chance to witness the sun setting over the beautiful Ben Nevis area.
That evening, your driver-guide will drop you off at your accommodation for the night and allow you time to explore the quaint wee town’s traditional bars and restaurants.
Day 3: The Hogwarts Express: The Jacobite Steam Train – Heritage Center – Glenfinnan Viaduct – Fort William
On day three of our Harry Potter tour, your driver-guide will take you for a short drive from your hotel to the Jacobite Steam Train to Mallaig, which fans of the series will recognize instantly as ‘The Hogwarts Express’. Your group will get to ride the train in your own private carriage (as seen in the Harry Potter movies) for just under two hours before you reach Mallaig – where your driver-guide will be waiting to greet you and continue your tour.
Throughout the train journey, you’ll travel over the Glenfinnan Viaduct (shown in numerous Harry Potter films) as well as a beautiful view of Loch Shiel (where you’ll also recognize from the series).
In the afternoon in Mallaig, your driver-guide will take you to the Heritage Center and some fantastic local eateries before a short tour of Scotland’s stunning west coast.
Your group has the option of hopping back on the Hogwarts express to Fort William in the evening, or if you’d prefer, your driver-guide can take you across the rural roads where you can stop for pictures of the Glenfinnan Viaduct from a distance or visit various other tourist attractions along the way before returning to your accommodation for the night.
Day 4: Fort William – Glencoe – Steall Falls – Loch Etive – Glasgow or Edinburgh Airport
As we enter the final day of your Scottish Harry Potter tour, your driver-guide will pick you up from your accommodation in Fort William to take you to the beautiful Glencoe Area.
One of the first destinations in this stunning mountain range is Steall Falls (a waterfall that features in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when Harry faces a Hungarian Dragon) which requires a short trek into the Nevis range.
Next, your driver-guide will take your group to Loch Etive – a beautiful loch south of Glencoe where Harry and the gang are dropped after fleeing from Gringott’s Bank in the final movie. Don’t worry if you don’t fancy a dip yourself (although that’d quite literally be an immersive experience), you can still appreciate and explore the area by foot, taking pictures of the surrounding glen and its dramatic peaks.
In the evening, your driver-guide will take you down the West Coast of Scotland and back to Glasgow or Edinburgh (depending on your onward journey) in time for your flight.
And alas, our magical Harry Potter tour of Scotland must come to an end; your driver-guide will escort you to your check-in desk to make sure of no last-minute issues before wishing you farewell and a safe onward journey. We hope to leave you with fantastic memories, a new friend over the sea, and a longing to return to our bonnie wee country in the future.
