Harry Potter Edinburgh Attractions (2025 Guide): 5 Things To Do In Edinburgh With Harry Potter Fans

Are there any kids that don’t go through a phase of being absolutely crazy for Harry Potter? Our youngest is deep in his Harry Potter phase. Books, films, toys, and most of our conversations revolve around the Wizarding World.

So when we were in Edinburgh this week, officially the birthplace of Harry Potter, we knew we had to make everyone’s favourite wizard the focus of our trip! Here are 5 things to do in Edinburgh for Harry Potter fans!

1. Visit Victoria Street, The Inspiration For Diagon Alley

Victoria Street is a beautiful curved street with brightly coloured buildings.

It was named after Queen Victoria and is a UNESCO world heritage site in its own right. It is also said to be one of the streets that JK Rowling used as inspiration for Diagon Alley.

We walked down the street, posed for pictures, and then visited both of the Harry Potter shops that have homes here.

The Museum of Context (the best and official Harry Potter shop on Victoria Street) often has a queue to get inside but it’s worth waiting for. There are so many unique souveniers and curiousities here and a photo opportunity on the top of the 3 floors that is a lot of fun.

It’s not Harry Potter related, but there is also a hot chocolate shop called Knoops on Victoria Street, where we stopped for a break. I had a 70% dark hot chocolate with chilli and it was one of the best hot chocolates I’ve ever had, so I have to recommend it!

2. Explore Edinburgh Castle

Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, an imposing school on a hill. It has a lot in common with Edinburgh castle. Which explains why the castle was one of the inspirations for Hogwarts!

You won’t find any Harry Potter touches here, like you will on Victoria Street. But it is one of the best tourist attractions in the city, and somewhere that I really wanted to visit, so the Harry Potter connection gave a great excuse to visit! And both boys loved the castle, as well as its iconic views.

3. The Potion’s Cauldron

If you’ve ever enjoyed a bottle of butterbeer then it’s likely it was the famous Butterscotch Beer from the Potion’s Cauldron, which is shipped around the world.

For copyright reasons the theme here is more ‘witchy’ than Harry Potter but it is a lot of fun.

We paid £36 for the four of us to enjoy a premium potion making class. This took around 30 minutes, and we each made our own magic potion with sweets and surprises. Our session was led by a witch who welcomed us to her coven. It was a fun, immersive experience that the boys really enjoyed.

With the premium ticket you can also each choose a sealed bottle of potion to bring home: and I have 4 bottles of butter beer in my fridge to prove it!

4. Measure Your Hands Against JK Rowlings

If you’re exploring Edinburgh on a budget then you’ll be pleased to hear that the final 2 Harry Potter experiences won’t cost you a penny – and this one was one of my Potter fan’s favourites!

If you go into the courtyard of the Edinburgh City Chambers and then go to the pavement on the left hand side you will see a row of paving slabs with hand prints. right in the top left corner you’ll find JK Rowling’s hand prints.

These are by far the most popular prints here: all the other prints are gold gilted, but these ones have been touched so often the gold faded away.

It was a fun diversion to measure our hands against hers and see how big they were. The Chambers are also a beautiful building in their own right.

5. Visit Tom Riddle’s Grave

It may sound a little morbid, but JK Rowling took the names of many of the characters in her books from the grave yard just outside her children’s school. Which means that visiting this graveyard is an important part of Potter lore for fans of the book series.

And no grave is considered more significant than that of Tom Riddle. In fact, apparently this grave is so popular with Potter fans that parties and even weddings and engagements regularly take place here.

It did feel a little odd to be visiting a grave yard as a tourist attraction. But the boys found it fascinating to spot the names of characters they know and love. If you do visit stick to the pavements, don’t walk on the grave. Keep your voice down. And above all, be respectful. Harry Potter is a great story, but this is real life!

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