Edinburgh is a beautiful historical city, moreover, it is also the birthplace of Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling spent most of her writing career here and she took a lot of inspiration from the surrounding area. All of us muggles who were disappointed that our Hogwarts letter got lost in the mail and didn’t have the chance to attend the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, can get a consolation price by visiting this city that heavily inspired the worldwide phenomenon!
I visited Edinburgh in January of 2023 and here are things I recommend doing while exploring the capital city of all the wishful witches and wizards.
Walk the Diagon Alley
Victoria Street reminds me of none other than the famous Diagon Alley, a street full of magical shops and pubs for all the wizards and witches. Unfortunately, none of the shops from the books and movies is real, but at least Victoria Street offers a few Harry Potter-inspired shops full of souvenirs. Museum of Context is a small, but magical place to be, full of books, wands and other memorabilia and I would recommend to take a quick look and explore it.
Make potions!
My favourite spot in Edinburgh was the Department of Magic tavern. As you can tell by the name, it is a pub inspired by Leaky Cauldron. Inside, you can order not only butterbeer but also drinks and prepare them yourself! Immerse yourself in this experience as if you were a wizard who is preparing their own potions! There are plenty of options from Dragon’s Inferno, Herbology 101 or Dark Lord potion. Each one of the drinks is prepared differently with fun, specific intructions you must follow! It’s a perfect break from all the walking in the city!
Visit the famous graveyard & J. K. Rowling’s handprints
Greyfriars Kirkyard is a graveyard famous for its story behind the gravestones. It is believed that J. K. Rowling used some of the names on the headstones in her story. The most famous one would be Tom Riddle, a dark wizard and the arch-nemesis of Harry Potter. You can also find names such as Robert Potter, William McGonagall or Elizabeth Moodie. Make sure you’re being respectful when taking a stroll through the graveyard, though. It’s still a graveyard!
A small, bonus stop is located near Edinburgh City Chambers. There you can see the handprints of a few Edinburgh Award winners, including J. K. Rowling.
