The Ultimate UK Harry Potter Trip: An Itinerary for 2 Magical Weeks Through England and Scotland
This blog post has been a long time coming. As an avid Harry Potter fan (millennial to the core ✊), it feels like a pilgrimage to road trip through the UK to see the filming locations of our favorite films. It transports us into that magical fantasy realm, so needless to say I waited a long time to make the journey. “I did my waiting…12 years of it…in Azkaban”…or America.
It took me months to plan this trip and was potentially the most complicated one I’ve ever planned (perhaps second to my honeymoon to Istanbul and The Maldives). Still, I learned A LOT by going on the trip myself about what you really can do in a day, how long to spend in each destination, and all the little tips and tricks for navigating the UK…like literally navigating driving on the opposite side of the road.
In this Harry Potter trip itinerary, I’m taking you through day-by-day, step-by-step so you, too, can make the pilgrimage to England and Scotland. I’ll even share some recommendations for extras if you have more than 2 weeks like visiting Wales to see Dobby’s grave on the beach. Not to mention and as always, I’ll share EVERYTHING you need to know about making this dream trip a magical reality – like parking situations, public transit, and cost breakdowns for everything.
Ready to unlock the magic? Alohamora!
Can’t read this now?
Don’t worry, I know this is a long blog post, so to help ease the planning process, I’ve created a free downloadable version of this itinerary. It has a run down of the itinerary, public transit stops, parking info, and the map.
Just tell me where to send it.
Did you know? I actually created a group trip company to take you to these exact same destinations on wizard-themed itineraries? We’re headed to England and Scotland in 2027, so if you’d rather join a group and have it all be planned for you, check out Periodic Escapes here!
Map of Your Harry Potter Trip Itinerary
England and Scotland Harry Potter Itinerary
Disclaimers
Before I dive in, I want to preface this itinerary by letting you know that it’s A LOT. These spots span 8 films, over a decade of shooting, and across 3 countries. I’m telling you this for two reasons.
1) because I’ve had to cut things out – during my own trip, I just didn’t have the time to make a 4 hour detour to hike 2 hours to see one location that was used for 5 minutes of one film. Maybe you do! If so, I’ll include optional add-ons at the end.
And 2) because it is a lot of driving. Yepp, this is a road trip and it’s best taken via car. Sure you may be able to access these spots (some of them) via public transit, but definitely not all of time and definitely not in a timely manner.
(However, I’m happy to report that now you can with my group trips! We have private transit taking us everywhere, so if that sounds easier, view the England itinerary here and the Scotland itinerary here).
This itinerary was designed to maximize your time and the locations you’ll check off. We drove a total of 1133 miles and covered 29 filming locations. Phew! Let’s call this a trip, not a vacation.
Final disclaimer, this trip isn’t cheap. I’ll share how much everything cost us plus how you can save including the one thing I didn’t do to save money and totally regretted!
Day 0: Fly into London + Optional Highlights
To start off, I recommend flying into London. That’s mainly because it’s the biggest international airport on this route. I have you leaving from the Edinburgh airport, but if round trip tickets are cheaper to and from London, I’ll share how to get back to London at the end of the itinerary. You can also do the reverse to fly into Edinburgh but take a train to London to start this itinerary.
Welcome to London! I know it’s jetlag day, so what you get up to (or don’t) is totally up to you and your body. If you’ve never traveled abroad with big time changes, the jetlag may hit you extra hard. It’s an adjustment and often the first day you arrive is shot.
However, if you’re feeling up for some sightseeing, here’s a brief one day London itinerary with what I recommend. Adjust as necessary.
First make it to your hotel to drop off your bags. You’ll be staying there for 1 to 2 nights depending on when you get in.
We stayed at the Hampton Inn Old Street London, which we booked with points to reduce our costs. It’s around $150+ per night and came with breakfast and was close to a bus stop, which we took everywhere!
From your hotel, I recommend a visit to the Tower of London. It’s one of the must-do’s of the city. It was a palace, fortress, and prison, so it holds the crown jewels, medieval torture devices, and lots of military garb. It’s also where two of King Henry VIII’s wives were beheaded – Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard.
Tickets are £34.80 with a £5 discount for students, or there are guided tours with a Beefeater for a unique experience.
From there, you can go on a nice walking tour of the city. Exit the Tower and cross over Tower Bridge (often confused for the London Bridge). It was used in Spider-Man: Far From Home, so that’s a fun little bonus filming location for my Marvel fans. (Stay tuned for another on Day 6).
You can go inside if you like to see the museum and learn more about it. Tickets are £13.40 for adults, or consider a London Pass, which gives you access to a bunch of attractions.
Once you cross, head to the right and walk along the Queen’s Walk, which takes you along the River Thames. If you’re interested (read: have the energy), you can tour the HMS Belfast, the military ship on the water. Tickets for that are £28 for adults or £25.20 for students.
Keep walking and navigate towards Borough Market. This is one of the oldest and largest markets in London and a great spot for food. I LOVED my sandwich from The Black Pig and thought it was well worth the £13 (it can definitely be shared). But, don’t fall for the TikTok-famous chocolate covered strawberries from Turnips for £9. The chocolate hardens in 5-10 minutes rendering the entire cup of strawberries completely inedible!
You can take the tube from there to the London Eye on the Jubilee line toward Wembley Park and get off at Waterloo.
Walk toward Big Ben and the Parliament Building to see it up close. Another filming location, this bridge is most famous (at least to me) from 28 Days Later, when it shows it abandoned in a zombie-infested world. The director’s daughter and friends actually just kept back traffic to make it appear that way!
Keep walking to see Westminster Abbey, where royal events take place like coronations, weddings, and funerals.
Finally, you can walk along St. James’ Park toward Buckingham Palace to see it from the outside. Note that the changing of the guard only occurs on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 10:30am. Feel free to swap around this walking tour if you want to catch it!
If you need another meal, I recommend Nando’s, a local piri-piri chicken chain. It’s a quick service restaurant with locations all over town.
Day 1: Harry Potter Sites around London
Who’s ready for MAGIC? Me!
Today, I’m taking you around all the best Harry Potter locations in London. There’s A LOT so this is definitely a full day.
If any of these don’t interest you, you can totally skip whatever, of course. It’s your trip!
I recommend having breakfast at your hotel or a local coffee shop to maximize your time (and budget). Black Sheep Coffee and Cafe Nero were local coffee shop chains I saw.
Start your day at Kings Cross Station for a fun photo opp with Platform 9 ¾. They open at 8 am everyday, except Sundays when they open at 9 am. I recommend getting there early around 9 am if you can. Queues can get very long if you don’t plan ahead.
To find it, head inside Kings Cross Station looking for signs to the trains (not the Underground as that’s a separate entrance). Cross the main thoroughfare passing the large timetable board and walking toward Platforms 9 and 10. Before you reach the turnstiles to pay to enter a platform (for the actual trains), you’ll see the photo opp and Platform 9 ¾ shop.
The photo opp is fun because they’ll give you a scarf and make it look like you’re moving. You can also have someone in your party take your photo on your phone, so you don’t nee to purchase the official one.
The photos are £15 for one or £20 for two. They’ll take multiple groupings of your party as well as individual shots if you request and each photo purchase comes with a digital copy.
The shop is fun (and potentially dangerous 💸) to browse with official merch like robes, wands, bags, prints, and so much more! It’s very similar to the Harry Potter Store in New York (just much smaller). I may have walked away with a new crossbody bag…sorry not sorry.
Word of caution that you’ll have to hold whatever you buy all day if you don’t return to your hotel.
P.S. If you happen to be around on September 1, that’s Back to Hogwarts Day aka when the students travel on the Hogwarts Express to school each year. In the past at 11 am on September 1st in Kings Cross Station, you could gather with fellow fans to look at the timetable where they’ll add in Hogwarts on the board! However, they’ve stopped doing this as of 2024 because it was so disruptive to passengers needing to actually use the station.
Once you’re content, head straight out and look down. You’ll spot some official blue stickers on the floor that commemorate all the movies filmed at Kings Cross.
Another filming location is right across the street at St. Pancras Station, which was used as the exterior of Kings Cross in the films just because it’s more aesthetically pleasing than the actual Kings Cross. You’ll recognize it best from when Ron and Harry fly the Ford Anglia in Chamber of Secrets.
Head onto the tube to Piccadilly Circus where we’ll start a little walking tour of a few locations. Piccadilly Circus was the place where Hermione apparated the trio to from Bill and Fleur’s wedding in Deathly Hallows Pt 1. It’s a bink and you miss it moment, but still an iconic spot none the less.
You can walk to the Lego Store if you want to see a life size Gringotts bank teller counter and goblin. Easy to get distracted in here, but a fun stop if you want!
Next up is the Harry Potter statue at Leicester Square. You’ll spot some other familiar British favorites like Mary Poppins, Paddington, and Mr. Bean.
Keep walking to Great Scotland Yard, which was actually two filming locations. One corner was used as the entrance to the Ministry of Magic in Order of the Phoenix when Arthur and Harry descend in the telephone booth. The opposite corner is where Ron waits to ambush the Ministry workers to polyjuice them in Deathly Hallows Pt 2.
Take Bus Line 15 to the Monument stop to visit Leadenhall Market for lunch and two locations. We actually ate at Eataly just up the street, an Italian marketplace with locations in Los Angeles, New York, and Las Vegas. I was craving pasta, what can I say.
At Leadenhall Market, there are lots of options though with great reviews, so take your pick!
You may reconigze this as where Hagrid and Harry are walking discussing what he will need for school in the Sorcerer’s Stone. Here, you’ll also find the exterior door used as the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron in the same scene. It’s been painted so it looks a bit different, but still it’s cool to see.
When you’re in Leadenhall Market, you’ll want to navigate to the Bull’s Head Passage. I found it easier to look at the maps inside Leadenhall Market since they were well marked. But here’s the exact location.
There’s three more spots – two filming locations and one ambient location. Plus a bonus, if you have wiggle room in your budget, time, and energy.
I actually think the ambient location was one of my favorites. It was St. Dunstan in the East Church Garden. It has beautiful ruin archways, benches, and ivy everywhere. It was giving Hogwarts Legacy if you’ve played! It’s also free to enter and a 6 minute walk from Leadenhall Market, so that’s a win!
Make your way to Millennium Bridge via Bus Line 15 to St Pauls Churchyard. This was the site where the death eaters wreaked havoc in Half-Blood Prince. It’s free to walk across and has some great views of the surrounding city.
For your bonus location, visit St. Paul’s Cathedral. It’s on one end of Millennium Bridge. This is the site with the iconic spiral stairs that is seen in a few of the films. You do need advanced tickets, which are £25 for adults or £22.50 for students. To get to the top of the stairs, you’ll have to visit for the Triforium tour on Wednesdays or Fridays at 12:30 pm, which is a £15 ticket add-on.
As much as I wanted to see the stairs, I couldn’t justify the price. But, you do you!
The final location is the exterior shots of 12 Grimmauld Place aka the Order the Phoenix Headquarters. This is actually Claremont Square, which you can reach from St. Paul’s Cathedral/Millennium Bridge via Bus Line 4 to stop Angel Islington. You’ll want to walk to around number 24 on Claremont Square to see the exterior.
Please remember that these are people’s homes! I personally didn’t feel comfortable taking photos of myself in front, so we just popped by and left.
That’s everything! Tired yet?
Grab some dinner and rest up, tomorrow is another big day….and the day after that and the day after that.
PS. You can book a guided walking tour if that’s more your speed! Just check the locations as they can change and may not include everything that you want to see.
Need a dinner recommendation? We did an Indian food tour and absolutely LOVED it! Book it here.
Feeling overwhelmed? Download this itinerary, so you always have the most important info in your back pocket!
Day 2: Warner Brothers Studio Tour in Leavesden
Time to check out and drive an hour and 15 minutes north to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour in Leavesden/Watford.
You can also arrange for a bus tour, so you don’t have to drive.
This is one of the holy grails on this trip. It’s absolutely incredible and worth every cent of the £53.50 admission price.
The tour features an inside look at how these movies were made including sets, costumes, props, technology, illusions, hair and makeup, and SO MUCH more!
A couple times a year they rotate an overlay that is featured throughout the tour. When I visited, it was a Prisoner of Azkaban overlay so there were extra sets, costumes, and behind the scenes from that movie in particular – like how they filmed the Knight Bus, the technology behind the boggart wardrobe, and sets like the Leaky Cauldron.
In general, the tour is split into three sections.
The first focuses on sets, props, and costumes.
The middle section has some walkthrough sets like 4 Privet Drive and a Hogwarts covered bridge and a break with food including butterbeer and butterbeer ice cream!
The final section is focused on creature effects, hair and makeup, and the art department.
There are tons of signs, an interactive passport with stamps to collect, and photo opps that make this tour an all day event.
You can also book an extra experience like afternoon tea. Note that you HAVE to book these when you purchase your original ticket – you CANNOT add them on later at any point.
Speaking of tickets, I highly highly recommend booking the first time slot of the day. This place gets crowded (rightfully so), and it becomes exponentially less enjoyable as the crowd levels increase.
To do so, you’ll need to book tickets months in advance. In fact, I booked our tickets for the Warner Bros Studio Tour first out of anything I booked for this trip. I bought them December 1 for our June 8 tour, and even then the VIP tours were already sold out!
There is parking on site, or like I mentioned, you can arrange to take the bus through the studio tour when you purchase tickets. There are also third parties that sell a combo ticket – bus and admission. I personally booked direct, but totally up to what looks good for you.
Because you’re spending the majority of your day there, don’t worry, there’s plenty of food for all meals in the main lobby entry way including a Starbucks, sweets cafe, and full dining hall – plus the extra food options in the middle of the tour.
As far as time goes, we spent 3.5 hours there. I think had we never been to Universal Orlando where they have a few similar recreated sets, we definitely would have spent longer. I’d give yourself a good 4 hours.
Since it’s the only thing on the docket today, you can take your time!
As for lodging goes, you have a couple options. We actually moved hotels and stayed at Hunton Park Hotel, which is a filming location in and of itself. It’s a 5 minute drive from the Studio Tour, and on the way to the next stop – meaning it positions you well for tomorrow, rather than driving to and from central London again.
As for the filming location, the fountain was used as the background for the iconic moving photo of Lily and James dancing. You can see it in a couple films when Harry is missing his parents.
If you want to stay in London another night, you totally can! Tomorrow we’re on to Oxford!
Day 3: Oxford
Today I guarantee you’re going to feel like you’ve stepped into Hogwarts and that’s because many of the iconic locations of Hogwarts are actually Oxford.
Now, let’s get our bearings first, because *one does not simply visit Oxford*. First, the best way to get there is to make use of the Park and Ride system. For my fellow Americans reading this, this may feel a bit unfamiliar, but it’s going to pop up again, so let’s figure it out now, okay?
Scattered around the city of Oxford on the outskirts are Park and Rides. Here you park your car, then take a bus into the city center. It costs £4 for one adult or £5 for two and includes the cost of your parking plus a bus fare to and from the parking lot (aka car park).
You’ll pay at a little kiosk near the bus station hub and it’ll ask for your car registration — that’s your car’s license plate. I always recommend taking a photo of your license plate and making it a “favorite” in your photos, so you don’t have to make the walk of shame back to your car to get that info later.
We parked in the Thornhill Park and Ride because it was closest to us when driving from Leavesden. That means it’s probably going to be the closest for you, too!
You’ll take the Park & Ride Bus 400 from stop B to the Queens Lane stop.
Okay that’s part one.
Part two is about Oxford itself. The university is made up of multiple colleges – kind of like how our universities have the School of Law and College of Agriculture for example.
Each college at Oxford has its own admission scheme and touring options.
To see all the Harry Potter locations, you’ll visit three colleges – New College, Bodleian Libraries, and Christ Church.
I recommend a visit to New College first because it’s the most flexible and opens earliest. To navigate there, enter New College Lane on your maps. You’re looking for a brown nondescript door. That’s the entrance!
You don’t need tickets ahead of time, but they do have admission to enter at £8 for adults or £7 for students. They only accept card payments!
There’s a couple things to see here. First is the Draco tree aka where Moody turns Draco into a ferret in Goblet of Fire. Its location is in the Cloisters quad. To find that area is a little tricky because it’s unmarked. As soon as you enter past the admission station, turn left and left again (basically a left U-turn) through the doorway on the left behind you. As you approach the quad, you’ll see the tree (it’s impossible to miss!).
This quad was also used in Goblet of Fire when Harry finds Cedric to warn him about the dragons and Harry and Ron have a little spat (“you know what…stay away from me”).
Another location to see in New College is the dining hall. While it wasn’t the iconic dining hall you’ll see later in Christ Church, its very similar and was similarly used as inspiration for the Great Hall at Hogwarts.
To get there, go back toward the main entrance and walk away from it toward the stairway in the back left corner. It goes up to the hall entrance to the left.
That’s all for New College!
Next up the Bodleian Libraries and Divinity School, which is a two-for-one. The two locations here are the Divinity School and Duke Humphrey’s Library, which is part of the Bodleian Libraries. You do need advanced tickets for a tour to see the library.
I did the 60-minute tour and found it incredibly interesting, although if you just want straight Potter, you only need the 30-minute tour. Seeing the Divinity School is included in all tours, or you can book a ticket to see the Divinity School separately if you don’t care about the library.
Tickets, which go on sale a month in advance, for the Divinity School alone are £2.50, or tours start at £10 per person. The 60-minute tour was £15.
The Divinity School was the infirmary in Sorcerer’s Stone and the hall where Professor McGonagall teaches the Gryffindors to dance ahead of the Yule Ball.
Duke Humphrey’s Library was the Hogwarts Library in Sorcerer’s Stone including the Restricted Section!
If you need a break for lunch somewhere in here, I recommend Turf Tavern. It’s tucked away on New College Lane in a little alley. It’s a great spot with lots of tables both inside and out, a menu with something to please everyone, and was even frequented by the cast of the films while they shot at Oxford. As with all food in the UK, it’s not cheap, but it’s worth the visit!
The final stop at Oxford is Christ Church, which is home to the iconic steps that the first-years ascend to the Great Hall to be sorted in Sorcerer’s Stone.
Christ Church is the most important college to get tickets ahead of time for as they frequently sell out. They’re released each Friday the week before, so it’s best to be ready and set some alarms. When I visited there were lots of signs indicating they were sold out, so if you didn’t have a ticket, you were out of luck. Tickets are £20 for adults or £18.50 for students and include an audio guide.
Anyway, you’ll recognize the stairs immediately…and so does everyone else. Please be patient here for photos as everyone is trying for the same shots.
When you’re ready to move on…although I totally understand the urge to hang out there all day…go upstairs to the Great Hall.
Inside looks very familiar as this was the inspiration for Hogwarts’ Great Hall. Listen to your audio guide to learn about the paintings and stained glass including the Alice in Wonderland window.
You can continue your self-guided multi-media tour through Christ Church, although there’s only one more Harry Potter location and that’s a final corridor before exiting. It was used as a hallway when Harry finds out his father was also a seeker in Sorcerer’s Stone.
I need to share a couple more notes on Oxford to aid in your planning process, because no, apparently, that wasn’t enough yet.
First, sometimes parts of Oxford close to the public. Check closures for New College here, Bodleian Libraries here, and Christ Church here.
Another thing, I recommend either staying in Oxford for a night or driving to your next hotel to get settled before exploring the surrounding area tomorrow.
In Oxford depending on when you are visiting, you definitely want to see if you can spend the night in the University, specifically Christ Church. During school holidays, you can spend the night and explore at night and eat breakfast in the Great Hall.
Availability is only in March/April, July, August, and September and they sell quickly and can change rapidly, so check back often. Spring dates become available around November and summer dates in January.
Book your stay here or check here for dates.
Please note that only those 18 and older can stay there.
We stayed in Mercure Oxford Eastgate Hotel, and while it got the job done and had an elevator and small parking lot (at £15 per night extra), it wasn’t anything special. In fact, the shower was designed so horribly with the soap dispensers at eye level, that it was dangerous!
Instead, I would drive the extra hour and a half to the next hotel, and base yourself there for 2 nights. I LOVED this next hotel. It was a refreshing change of pace because it was an aparthotel, meaning there was a kitchenette, so we could cook our own meals!
It was called Cotswold Aparthotel and I highly recommend it. It’s central to the next day or two (depending on how you choose to alot your extra day – see Day 13).
Finally, there’s one filming destination you can add in if you want. We personally skipped it as we weren’t feeling up for another activity on this day, especially because it required a ¾ mile walk.
It’s a visit to the Harry Potter Tree, which is the tree used in Snape’s memory flashbacks. It’s recognizable for the giant hole in the trunk.
The tree is located 30 minutes from Oxford in Woodstock. To access it for free, you can navigate to The Causeway, a public footpath. The trail is ¾ miles to the tree, where you’ll find a sign explaining the significance to the films.
Parking can be tricky, but there is a car park called Car Park Woodstock Central that is ¼ mile from The Causeway entrance.
Related read >> How to spend a Harry Potter day at Oxford University
Day 4: Lacock Abbey, Lacock, and Gloucester Cathedral
Before I dive in today, when you’re driving from Oxford to Lacock, you can add in a stop to Stonehenge! It’s on the way and a piece of history, specifically prehistoric metholithic history. Tickets were too expensive for me to justify at £31 minimum per person, but if it’s on your travel bucket list, definitely add it in.
Anyway, today is a BIG day…as if the others haven’t been. Still, we’re starting off at Lacock Abbey today. This is a National Trust Site – the first of a few – so admission is a bit heftier at £20 and you don’t need to purchase them ahead of time. Just pop by the desk on your way in.
There is a car park (parking lot) just around the corner, but I do recommend getting there a bit early just in case it gets crowded, especially during summer.
Lacock Abbey was the filming location for a number of rooms in Sorcerer’s Stone including Professors Quirrell’s and Snape’s classrooms and the Mirror of Erised room. In order these are The Warming Room, The Sacristy, and the Chapter House.
Plus, the cloisters are where Harry walks under his invisibility cloak and stumbles on Snape threatening Quirrell in Sorcerer’s Stone.
The Warming Room features a 16th century cauldron that was seen in the film, but it really is an artifact of the abbey, so that’s fun!
A note that you can’t enter some of the rooms due to their delicate floors.
While that’s all for Harry Potter locations, Lacock Abbey is still worth touring. The most notable thing to see is a bay window that was the subject of the world’s first photographic negative.
At the Abbey, there’s a historic bakery and brewery that are on view (they’re no longer in operation). And there’s an operating cafe if you need a bite!
Before you depart Lacock, there’s a couple more filming locations to see.
First, is 21 Church Street, which is the home of Lily and James Potter. It can be a little tricky to find. As you navigate there in your maps app of choice, just know that you’ll walk to the end of the road to the left of the church and it’s all the way at the end.
Next, the intersection of Church Street and Cantax Hill is the location where Dumbledore and Harry apparate to in Half-Blood Prince to track down Slughorn.
If you walk down Chapel Hill, you’ll pass Sughorn’s Hideaway House on your left. It’s a private residence, so please be respectful when viewing the exterior. It’s actually in Google Maps as “Horace Slughorn’s House” so you can navigate straight there.
That’s everything in Lacock! Ready to move on?
The other stop today is to Gloucester Cathedral. It’s an hour and 15 minutes from Lacock Abbey.
You’ll want to navigate to Hare Lane South Car Park, which is the closest parking lot.
Upon arriving at the Cathedral, a £5 donation is recommended, but admission is free.
The filming locations here are the cloisters. Specifically, these ornate halls were the backdrop for many scenes in Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Half-Blood Prince.
The cloisters are four halls that surround a quad. I’ll take you through them in a clockwise direction. When you first enter, look at the corridor to your right, which is where Percy leads the first years to the common room and the door to the left was covered in the fat lady portrait.
Walk down the hall straight ahead of you. This is where Harry and Ron were watching students go to class in Half-Blood Prince, then get called out by Professor McGonagall.
Turn right again down the North Corridor. Here you’ll see the Monks Lavatorium (a washing area) with distinctive long sinks. This is where Harry eavesdrops on Snape and Malfoy in Half-Blood Prince and from where Harry and Ron peek around to see the troll approaching the girls bathroom in Sorcerer’s Stone.
As you make your way to the final hall, you’ll notice damage to the floor. This is when the crew flooded the girls bathroom in Chamber of Secrets. They accidentally truly damaged the 14th century floors, so a protective coating was added. Now, you can see an outline of where the water was.
This corridor was also where the “enemies of the heir, beware” message was written although a dummy replica wall was created so as to not damage the actual walls of the cathedral.
For more information on the filming here, there’s an interactive screen in the cloisters when you first walk in, so be sure to read more!
If you need a bite, Gloucester Cathedral has a cafe on site that I’ve heard good things about from some friends who have visited. We went back to our aparthotel and cooked dinner for ourselves.
*Note: If you want to add in your extra day here to explore the Cotswolds, it’s certainly worth it in my opinion. The Cotswolds is made up of multiple small towns that are super picturesque with small shops, unique things to do, and historic charm. See Day 13 for more ideas on how to spend a day in the Cotswolds.*
Day 5: Hardwick Hall and The Shambles
Ready to drive north? I hope so because today is one of the longer driving days of the trip. But if you’re from the US, this will probably feel more manageable as we’re more used to long road trips. And don’t worry, there’s some stops built in, of course.
We’re headed to Hardwick Hall first, which is located in Chesterfield and is the perfect stop on the way to York. It’s about a 3 hour drive from the Cotswolds area.
This National Trust site was the exterior filming location for Malfoy Manor. It features Elizabethian architecture perfect for our favorite dark wizard family.
Admission is £23.10 for adults and includes access to the home itself, the gardens and grounds, and my favorite, the ruins!
The gardens are quite beautiful, especially in late spring through autumn. The home has some incredible rooms with historic decor and furniture on display.
But, for me, the star of the show were the ruins, which used to be a home. Now, it’s several stories of open views across Derbyshire including Hardwick Hall. It’s stunning! It’s very Hogwarts Legacy.
For lunch, I highly recommend The Hardwick Inn, just down the road from the exit. You’ll pass it on your way out and they have some fantastic classic British fare for lunch at reasonable prices (under £10 per person), which you’ll notice is incredibly challenging to find.
I had the light bite meat and potato pie (the smaller portion) and it was still a good portion which was filling and delicious!
Once you’re fueled up and ready to go, make the 2 hour drive to York. I know, it’s a long driving day, but worth it!
In York, there’s a couple things to see related to Harry Potter. First is The Shambles. This shopping street is said to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley as it’s one of the best preserved medieval streets in the world, where the buildings date back to the 14th and 15th centuries.
What I loved about The Shambles was how into the theming the shops were. You can visit The Shop That Must Not Be Named, a Harry Potter merchandise shop, and The Potions Cauldron, where you could sample potion drinks and spot the cutest little fairy door on the outside of the doorway.
But my favorite was The Society of Alchemists, a cosmetic and body shop featuring magical elixirs, fragrances, and more. They had their own Falkor from Neverending Story.
For dinner, I recommend The Market Cat pub just a block from The Shambles. They have local beer on draught and freshly baked pizza and garlic bread. So delicious!
For an historic stay in York, we chose The Fat Badger, from the 17th century. This inn is full of character with a beer garden, cozy pub, and moody rooms. While we enjoyed the charm, the bed was very soft and the space was extra cramped because of the antique furniture. Not saying it was bad, but it may not be for you if you prefer more space and harder beds.
To conserve space in our hotel room, we transferred our belongings to our backpacks, leaving the suitcases in the car, so we didn’t need to lug our suitcases around. This was a useful technique but a bit cumbersome. Just so you know!
York is one of the historic cities on this itinerary that doesn’t have parking because it’s so old. You can’t just tear down buildings to build a parking lot.
We parked at the Marygate Car Park, which was £16 for overnight parking.
For another filming location in York, the scenes where Harry questions Hagrid about Platform 9 and ¾ and where the Order is seen walking Harry to the platform in Order of the Phoenix were both shot in the York train station. There’s an upper bridge that you’ll recognize. We elected to skip it because it didn’t seem like a worthwhile stop for us, but it’s up to you!
*Alternate extra day stop to Malham Cove (see day 13)*
Day 6: North Yorkshire Moors Railway Goathland Station and Durham Cathedral
Today is another big driving day, but again, the sights are worth it!
Start by heading a bit east to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s Goathland Station aka Hogsmeade Station. The drive will take about an hour from York.
There is a small parking lot at the station, although if it’s full, there’s a bigger lot up the road called Goathland Car Park. A note here to be careful driving to Goathland Station from York because there are TONS of sheep along the road without fences.
Drive slow!
At the railway station, you don’t need a ticket to enter and look around. It’s actually an historic station with a small cafe and museum train car that you can walk inside.
I have to take a quick pause to tell you that of all the places I visited dressed in full Potter garb, Goathland station was by far the most awkward one. I say that because complete strangers saw me taking photos and started taking photos of me without asking. In fact, they complained that I was hiding my face from them as they pointed their phones at me. The audacity.
Anyway, all this to say, if you’re not looking to draw attention, this spot may be one to skip the Hogwarts apparel.
The next drive is an hour and a half to Durham to see Durham Cathedral. Similarly to Oxford, there’s no great parking in Durham so you’ll need to take the Park & Ride.
We used the Belmont Park & Ride, took the bus into town, and then walked to Durham Cathedral. The Park & Ride costs £2.20 per person and the cathedral is free to visit.
There’s only one route that comes here so, you’re good to hop on whichever bus comes! We took it to Leazes Road – Millburngate Bridge then walked up a (very steep) hill to the cathedral.
Durham Cathedral is most known for the quad (called the Cloiser Garth) which was used in Sorcerer’s Stone when Harry releases Hedwig (it was covered in fake snow for that) and in Chamber of Secrets when the two Quidditch teams meet and Ron casts “eat slugs!”. The cloisers surrounding the quad were used for Dobby’s epic emancipation scene from Lucius Malfoy and for my Marvel fans, it was also Asgard in Avengers End Game’s time heist.
The Cathedral Chapter House was also McGonagall’s transfiguration classroom. To access it, you can visit Monday through Saturday 10 am to 4 pm or on a Durham Cathedral Museum tour.
This was one of my favorite locations because there were a ton of other Potter fans in full robes casting spells and shooting videos in the quad. It was so fun to be among fellow fans!
You have a couple options this evening for lodging. I’ll share what we did!
We drove up to Alnwick, which is tomorrow’s main destination, and stayed at The Dirty Bottles Lodge. We were hoping for their wizard themed stay, Hallow & Crux, but they were booked by the time we knew our dates.
Instead, we were excited to be hosted at the Bottles Lodge, an apartment fit for four people. It was so nice and roomy with separate bedrooms, a living space, and updated bathroom with a bathtub! There’s no kitchen, but the Dirty Bottles doubles as a restaurant and bar. And let me tell you…the food was GOOD. We ate all our meals here!
So we drove to The Dirty Bottles from Durham, which was a 50 minute drive. For dinner, we shared their Smokehouse special which comes with 2 meats and 2 sides for only £15!
The closest parking for the hotel was at Pottergate Car Park just across the street and up the road.
If you’d like to stay in Durham then drive to Alnwick tomorrow, you totally can. However, the activity tomorrow at Alnwick Castle is so unique and a must do, that I think it helps to already be in Alnwick to secure your free tickets, which you have to get the day of. More in a moment…
Alternatively, you can choose to stay in Durham tonight then make the drive to Alnwick tomorrow morning.
Day 7: Alnwick Castle
Since we were still at the Bottles Lodge as part of The Dirty Bottles this morning, we enjoyed breakfast, which was included in our stay.
If you need a spot, Flower Cafe looks nice and well-reviewed, although it looks like they’ve put a pause on full kitchen menus right now — so just drinks and small pastries!
The highlight today is a visit to Alnwick Castle (pronounced Anne-ick). It was used in Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets.
The Outer Bailey is where the first years are taught to fly by Madame Hooch including where Neville’s flight goes awry and where Harry learns the basics of Quidditch from Oliver Wood.
The castle courtyard is where Harry and Ron admonish Hermione after Charms class and the infamous LeviOsa moment and the inner courtyard is where Hagrid is seen dragging the Christmas tree.
Finally, from Chamber of Secrets, the Inner Bailey and Rampart Wall are where Ron and Harry crash the Ford Anglia and where it spits out their luggage before driving off.
The best part of Alnwick Castle to me is their Broomstick Training! It happens every day at 11:30 am and 2 pm, but is weather dependent. The most important part is that although this opportunity is included in your general admission ticket to the castle, you need to get free tickets the day of for the experience.
That means when you arrive at Alnwick Castle, you should go straight to pick up these free tickets from the Artisan’s Courtyard. They do prioritize children as well, so fingers crossed the weather stays clear and there aren’t too many kids.
When we visited, we actually picked up our tickets when it was raining and they told us if the weather didn’t clear that we would still be able to do a photo opp under the cover of their roofed courtyard. Luckily, the rain stopped and the sun came out to dry the field!
The lessons are SO FUN and last 30 minutes. It’s silly and I guarantee it’ll heal your inner child.
They give you some time after for photos and tips for capturing the magic.
Other than the broomstick lessons, Alnwick Castle is truly a fascinating place with over 900 years of history. We spent some time exploring the home and were especially interested in the exhibit on the War of the Roses, a bloody war that inspired Game of Thrones.
Alnwick Castle also has gardens to explore that is included in your ticket!
Tickets to Alnwick Castle are £20.50 and are actually annual passes that are good from the first date of use. Depending on the weather and your determination to do the flying lessons, you could book an extra night in Alnwick to try broomstick lessons again tomorrow. Your ticket will still be valid!
Otherwise, once you’re done at Alnwick Castle, make the drive to Edinburgh. It takes 1.5 hours from Alnwick.
Quick PS before we move on to Scotland and because I can’t shut up and I just have to tell you everything. I was really excited to see Barter Books, one of the largest bookstores in the UK that’s in an old train station in Alnwick. BUT the parking lot was SO AWFUL that we left without ever parking.
It’s not just that the parking lot is small, it’s that its only wide enough for one car and the parking spots are angled to favor cars coming in, so if it’s full or someone is trying to leave, there’s nowhere to go. There’s nowhere to turn around or skirt to the side to let a car out.
I say this as someone from Los Angeles, a city with notoriously horrible parking. Anyway, if you can visit via public transit, I think it could be worth it, but if you’re driving, just a word of caution.
Okay huzzah, we’re onto Edinburgh!
Check in to your hotel and find somewhere to park. We stayed at the Hampton Inn West End to use some Hilton points we had. The parking was less than ideal as the lot closed from 12 am to 7 am so we couldn’t access our car during that time. More on that in a bit.
Still, we liked the hotel. It was more roomy and free breakfast was certainly welcome! We stayed for 2 nights.
If we had a big budget (or at least a bigger one), I definitely would have splurged on The Witchery, a beautiful gothic hotel with amazing Potter-feeling rooms.
We didn’t arrive in Edinburgh until around 6 pm, so assuming you don’t either, I recommend grabbing dinner from Makars Mash Bar, one of the most unique and delicious restaurants we went to during the whole trip!
They serve a meat or veggie on custom mashed potatoes. I had their handgrown mushrooms in a red wine au jus on bacon and chive mashed potatoes and my husband had haggis on aged cheddar mashed potatoes. YUMMM.
I recommend making reservations ahead of your trip because it gets super busy! We just walked up and put our name down and it was an hour and a half wait.
We waited in the Frankenstein bar down the road, which I saw on TikTok, but I’ll tell ya, it didn’t live up to the hype. I’d try somewhere else if you need to wait for a table.
I promise the food at Makars Mash Bar is worth the wait!
Related read >> How to spend 1 day in Edinburgh
Day 8: Harry Potter Locations in Edinburgh
While none of the Harry Potter movies were actually filmed in Edinburgh, the author did write the books from here and the look and feel of the films was heavily inspired by the city.
Instead of trying to see it all yourself, I highly highly recommend the free Potter Trail. This is a walking tour of the city to all the most iconic Potter inspiration spots including Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetery where the author found some of the names in the series like McGonagall, Tom Riddle, Moody, and more!
You’ll visit Potter Row, the Elephant House, and Victoria Street, which was the author’s inspiration for Diagon Alley.
I am a huge Potterhead…obviously…but I learned so much on this tour. And it was free! You’re encouraged to tip your tour guide at the end and an amount of £15 – 20 per person is recommended as a standard tour price. However, you really don’t have to pay if you cannot afford it. The tour is meant to be accessible to all budgets.
That said, you still need to make reservations ahead of time because the tours are very popular and fill up.
Before you leave Victoria Street, they have a couple Potter shops to browse including the Museum Context, a multi-floored merch shop, The Enchanted Galaxy, another magical shop, and John Kay’s Shop, a bookstore that inspired Flourish and Blotts of the wizarding world.
Feeling hungry for lunch? I’m convinced I found a gem because the food was good and the prices were even better! By now, I’m sure you’re feeling the budget squeeze, especially from daily food.
Try Bobby’s Sandwich Shop with the bright orange front outside of Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetery. The sandwiches and bagels are around £6 or less. We both got bagels with cream cheese for £3 each. Like ??? Bobby, where have you been this whole trip?
Once you have some food in you, I have another Harry Potter activity and I was skeptical about this one but it became one of my favorite things we did on the whole trip!
It’s a visit to the Department of Magic, a potion-making tavern. While you can make reservations ahead of time, you don’t need to if you’re not visiting during peak season! Plenty of people walked in when we were there (this was early June), although they can sell out.
The idea is that you get to brew your own potions, which are alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks. Start by choosing your potion from the Spellbook. Then, you get all the ingredients and instructions and get to brewing!
I did Herbology 101, where I brewed a lemon raspberry drink in a little pot. I had a tiny pail of soil (aka chocolate pop rocks), a stirring shovel, and berries to plant. So cute and seriously so delicious!
We also got shots with the package we booked and they came in a “smoking” treasure chest.
And it was all pretty affordable especially given that you’re also paying for the experience. It cost £17.50 per person for the potion experience and a shot.
Department of Magic is good for kids or non-drinkers, too, because you can get non-alcoholic versions of everything. They also have snacks and an afternoon tea experience.
For the rest of the afternoon, I recommend a visit to the National Museum of Scotland or Edinburgh Castle. I love a good museum so that’s what we chose, especially because the museum is free!
Tickets for the Edinburgh Castle are £19.50 for adults and our budget said no, thank you.
Still, I’ve heard wonderful things and the history looks fascinating!
The National Museum of Scotland has some incredible exhibits that are so varied. I couldn’t believe this museum was free to be honest given how much there was to see. It’s 7 floors with exhibits on Scotland (check out the Lewis chessmen, the inspiration for wizards chess), nature, fashion, transportation, and so much more!
Don’t miss the view from the terrace, which you can get to via the elevator in the Scottish History exhibit.
When you’re ready for dinner, head to Bertie’s Proper Fish and Chips on Victoria Street. You can make reservations, although I found that was only necessary if you come at peak meal times.
They have some of the best reviewed fish and chips in the city. I certainly loved mine and the garden peas I added because ya girl was craving some veggies (dear UK, chips are not vegetables, please consider anything green…thank you).
I would be doing you the biggest disservice if I didn’t share where I went for dessert. I’m a chocoholic and I’m pretty sure this place changed my life. It’s called Knoops and is a couple doors up from Bertie’s.
They have cold and hot chocolate drinks where you can choose the percent chocolate you want! Siri, play Where Have You Been by Rihanna.
I got cold chocolate with oat milk and my chocolate at 75% dark. It blew my mind and I’m pretty sure if I keep writing about it and stewing on it, I might book a flight to Edinburgh before I finish this post.
Okay, moving on…
Day 9: Edinburgh to Fort William
Today’s an early day. Apologies in advance, but I promise it’ll be worth it! And if you’re really not vibing with the early timing, keep reading for an alternative option.
Here’s the goal, get to the Glenfinnan Viaduct by 10 am to see the Jacobite Steam Train aka Hogwarts Express cross the viaduct at 10:45 am.
This is a long drive (I think the longest on the trip), so if you need to break this part of the itinerary up to better suit your driving capabilities, please do! The drive is 3 hours and 15 minutes from Edinburgh to Glenfinnan Visitors Centre.
Remember when I said our parking situation in Edinburgh was dodgy and they closed from 12 am to 7 am, that meant despite being ready to drive to Glenfinnan Viaduct at 6:30 am, we were locked out and couldn’t get to our car. Just a heads up as you locate the best parking lot for you, decide when to leave in the morning, and what you decide to leave in your car (aka not medication).
While arriving 45 minutes early to Glenfinnan Viaduct may seem excessive, I’d almost argue that it’s the bare minimum, so let me explain!
The Glenfinnan Viaduct viewing point takes 20 minutes to get to from the parking lot AND the parking lot (including the overflow lot) fills up about 30 minutes to an hour before the train crosses. And there’s no alternatives. If you can’t park, you can’t see the train.
We arrived at 10 am and even in the time it took us to pay the £5 parking fee on the machine, the lot was close to full.
And yepp, it costs £5 to park, but there’s no other admission.
Once you’ve parked, make sure you don’t need the bathroom or food, because once you start the trek to the viewing area, you probably won’t have time to go back.
You’re definitely going to want to come prepared for wet, muddy conditions on the trek and at the viewing point, which is just a hill that the trail crosses through. There’s no platform or benches, just FYI.
Another pause (sorry), but if you have time or if you want to build this into your packing or itinerary, I highly highly HIGHLY recommend coming prepared for midges. These are grain-of-sand sized little flying bugs that LOVE the Scottish Highlands and unfortunately, also love biting humans. They’re so annoying and their bites even more so.
To prep for them, you can find any outdoors store in Edinburgh or Fort William to purchase Smidge spray (a targeted body repellent) and a head net (specifically for midges…they’re too small for products not designed for them specifically). We found our gear at Nevisport in Fort William and they open most days at 9:30 am so you can stop there first if you need!
Anyway, back to the trek to the viewing point for the 10:45 am crossing, which is on the left hill when you’re approaching the viaduct. You’ll follow the trail, pass under the viaduct, through the gate, and up the hill.
You’ll wait with everyone and the train will cross around 10:45 am. The time can vary depending on when it leaves the Fort William station (where it’s coming from). However, as long as everyone is standing around, you haven’t missed it.
If the train is on time, it may blow the horn to announce its arrival and even slow down! If it’s running late, it may go quickly past, so be prepared for the latter just in case.
Some news as of mid June! The Jacobite Steam Train operates twice daily but for a few months was only operating their morning service because of a local ordinance to due with their historic locking mechanisms not being up to modern code. However, they’ve since gotten everything squared away and now both the morning and afternoon services are operating!
This means that not only can you see the train pass over the viaduct at 10:45 am, but again at 1:20pm. That means if you want to take this day slower, you absolutely can! You can see the afternoon passage instead. I’d aim to park around 12:25pm.
And you can see the train pass back over the viaduct at 3:10 pm and 6:05 pm, but it will be facing the opposite way since it’s returning to Fort William, so you’d have to navigate to the other hill to see it head on. The parking lot gets similarly full, so plan accordingly. You don’t need to pay for parking twice if you visit in the morning, as your fee is good for a whole day.
Once the train has passed, you can head back down. There’s actually another filming location here that makes for a great 2-for-1 special!
Go to the visitor center, where there’s a light to cross the street and go to a monument. Follow that path and if you walk past the monument you’re at Loch Shiel, which is actually the Black Lake in the Potter films!
Can’t you just see Hogwarts sitting atop a hill on the right in the distance?
I recommend grabbing a bite from the cafe at the visitors center when you’re ready.
And before heading out, don’t miss a visit to Eilean na Moine aka Dumbledore’s Grave. This little island is an iconic location and was featured throughout the films, most notably when it became Dumbledore’s Grave site.
You can only see it from the mainland — you can’t go to it. Unfortunately, there’s no parking lot here, there’s just a pull off on the left side of the road. It’s limited in space, rocky, and muddy, so please drive and park carefully.
The sight is worth it though! Super beautiful!
At the end of your sightseeing, make the trip to Fort William where I recommend you base yourself for the remainder of the trip. Can you believe this is our last new city?!
For dinner, there are a few restaurants in Fort William, but I won’t lie to you. Our budget was feeling extra stretched at this point, so we bought some sandwiches from M&S Food Hall (a grocery store) and they were delish…and only £5 max.
To stay in Fort William there are a TON of guest houses and bed and breakfasts along the lake. We stayed in Muthu Fort William, which is a budget location chain. It wasn’t the best if I’m being honest. The people, location, and parking were great, but the space was outdated with a lack of outlets, little space for luggage, no iron, and no AC (which I thought would be more common, but this was the first place without it!). If you’re on a budget, it totally works and it did for us.
However, at this point in the trip, I would have much rather prioritized somewhere with a kitchenette so we could cook more of our own meals or at least store refrigerated sandwiches from the grocery store.
Day 10: Jacobite Steam Train
Today’s your day to actually ride the train! Woohoo!
Depending on availability, feel free to swap your Day 9 – 11 around because they’re all based in Fort William. You can also swap things around if you don’t want to make that super early drive to the Glenfinnan Viaduct. We’re morning people, so it worked better for us this way.
The Jacobite Steam Train is now running their morning and afternoon service. The first route travels from Fort William at 10:15 am to Mallaig, which takes 2 hours. Then you’ll have 2 hours to get off the train and explore Mallaig, a little fishing town. Then you’ll take the 2 hour ride back and arrive back in Fort William at 4 pm. For the afternoon service, you’ll leave Fort William at 12:50 pm and be back by around 6:50 pm.
Overall it’s a 6 hour adventure, so it’s the only activity for today. There’s also no one-way tickets, you have to take the full journey there and back again…a wizard’s? tale.
The most important thing when chatting about riding the steam train is that you HAVE to get tickets early…I’m talking as soon as they open for the season because they sell out every year.
I got our tickets in November for the afternoon service (in June). Unfortunately, our tickets were canceled as they were only doing the morning service when we were there. That’s no longer the case, so you won’t need to worry about cancelations (there were legal things happening at the time of our visit).
There are a few different car types and they range in amenities and price. The standard class carriage is the bottom tier and looks very much like a regular train. The first class open carriage has nicer seats, tables, and includes a coffee or tea each way. Finally, the compartment carriage is the one that looks like the Hogwarts Express with enclosed compartments. Tickets are £65 per person, £98 per person, and £398 per carriage (up to 6 people), respectively.
There’s a buffet car where you can get food and drinks including wizard-themed ones like chocolate frogs and Bertie Botts Every Flavoured Beans.
The train operates from late March to Late October, so be sure to plan accordingly.
When you book your tickets, you can’t choose which side of the train you get to sit on, so fingers crossed you’ll get the left on the way to Mallaig and the right on the way back (that’s how you see the viaduct curve). You also can no longer stick your head or hands out of the train due to safety concerns.
Finally, you can go over the viaduct and see Dumbledore’s Grave from the cheaper ScotRail train if you don’t care about the train itself but rather the journey. No judgment, either way, but I wanted to let you know it’s an option and from £9.15 per person per way.
Day 11: Steall Waterfall
Are you ready for your final day in Fort William? I know, it’s flying by!
Today is all about Steall Waterfall, which was a filming location for Goblet of Fire when Harry battles the dragon in the Triwizard Tournament and is seen in a few backgrounds of quidditch games. It’s also the second largest waterfall in Scotland with a 390-foot drop!
Disclaimer: This is a hike. If you’ve never read Periodic Adventures (this blog) before, this may be new info for you, but I am NOT a hiker. I want to love it, but my body isn’t a fan. The allergies, asthma, back problem triple whammy is a no go.
However, I like to push myself and for Harry Potter, I found myself braving this trail.
It was worth it!
It’s actually a quite short hike in terms of distance at only 0.6 miles there and back. However, it’s challenging because it’s super rocky, wet, and muddy. And by rocky, I mean full on rocks and waterfalls you’ll need to traverse.
When the rocks are wet, it can be slippery and dangerous. Wear good shoes and go slow! It took us 40 minutes to go the 0.6 miles.
To get to the start of the hike, you’ll navigate to Glen Nevis Upper Falls Car Park and you’ll want to arrive early because the parking lot is quite small and fills up. It can fit about 20 cars.
And just another note (that should be the title of my autobiography)…the closest bathrooms are actually at the Glen Nevis Lower Falls Car Park before you reach the Upper Falls Car Park, so if you need to go, do so before you pass the opportunity.
This is a totally free activity so that’s nice! Woohoo!
When you arrive at the falls, you can hang out there or if you’re feeling super brave (read: have a death wish), you can walk the tightrope across the flowing water to the rocky other side where there’s another trail. It could not be me, but it was fun (albeit a little terrifying) watching others cross.
When you leave or upon driving in, there’s a spot to see the famous highland coos! It’s exactly 1 mile from the Glen Nevis Upper Car Park. When you’re navigating there or back, watch your GPS or odometer to see when you’re a mile out. You’ll see a couple pull offs and in the field in the distance on the left side of the road on the way in, there’s cows! Highland cows!
There’s a ton of them and they’re so freaking adorable!! Highly recommend stopping!
For the rest of your day, I have a couple recommendations. First, you can simply enjoy the peace and quiet of Fort William. I fully recognize that this itinerary is A LOT. It’s hard to be on the go constantly. So, if you want to rest, Fort William is a beautiful place to do so.
I recommend a walk to the Municipal Gardens that overlook the lake, called Loch Linnhe.
You can also take a cruise on the lake to Seal Island to see some wildlife. Tickets are £45 for adults.
Alternatively, you can take the ferry across the lake if you just want to get out on the water. Tickets are £2 each way for adults, but they don’t operate on Sunday.
Finally, you can take the gondola up the Nevis Range Mountain Resort for some epic views of the surrounding mountains.
Day 12: Hagrid’s Hut, The Kelpies + Scottish Owl Centre
Today we’re headed back to Edinburgh to start the journey home. Can you believe it?
Don’t worry, there’s 3 stops along the way to break up the drive and continue the Harry Potter goodness.
First, as you leave Fort William, you’ll drive southeast through Glencoe where you’ll pass Clachaig Gully. This is the site where Hagrid’s Hut and his pumpkin patch was and you’ll instantly recognize the scenery. It takes about 30 minutes to get to from Fort William.
It was used in Prisoner of Azkaban, Order of the Phoenix when Umbridge fires Hagrid (that b*tch), and in Half-Blood Prince when Hagrid, Harry, and Slughorn send off Aragog.
To get there, you actually can navigate straight to Hagrid’s Hut (it’s in Google Maps!). You’ll find a few pull offs on the sides of Glencoe Studio Gallery (that’s the street).
From there, you’ll take the path on the north side of the road. There’s a fork that leads to the right to Hagrid’s Hut! You’ll know it when you see it.
You’re definitely going to want good shoes as it can get muddy, slippery, and rocky.
Hagrid’s Hut site is free to visit but there are no amenities on site as it’s just a path into the countryside.
The closest amenities is at Clachaig Inn just up the road where there’s a pub and restaurant. Please note only customers and hotel guests may park there.
As you keep driving toward Edinburgh, you can stop at the Three Sisters, which is a meeting point of three waterways that join into one set of pools and waterfalls.
There’s a car park, but it does fill up pretty quickly, so I’d aim to get there pretty early. This path from Fort William through Glencoe to Edinburgh is very popular and is often driven by large coaches, too. All this to say be patient, drive safe, and take the parking if you see it.
Time for the big drive – 3 hours to The Kelpies. There’s a cafe, museum, and park here, so it’s the perfect midday stop. It’s also one of the most iconic sculptures in Scotland!
You’ll want to drive as close as you can get – that’s where the car park is for The Kelpies (not just the greater park that the sculpture resides in). Parking costs vary by season and can range from free to £4.40 per car.
Otherwise seeing The Kelpies is free and not ticketed. You can just walk right up to them and take a break with some lunch!
Be sure to go in the visitor centre to see a cool size comparison, which compares The Kelpies to icons like the Statue of Liberty and the Sphinx.
Before going to Edinburgh, you absolutely have to make this last stop to The Scottish Owl Centre! Tickets are £9.50 for adults and £8.50 for students.
Here you’ll see the largest collection of owls in the world with 150 owls and a number of various species!
They’re on display by ecosystem and species. I loved the Rainforest Realm, Wee Owl World, and of course, the snowy owl, like Hedwig!
Don’t miss the indoor flying display that happens daily at 1:30 and 3:30 pm. It’s absolutely delightful and incredibly interesting to learn more about a few types of owls in particular. The burrowing owl, Dug, was a hoot!
A little disclaimer that many of the owls eat other small prey, so you may see dead chicks on the ground in the cages. That’s totally normal, but for anyone sensitive to that sort of thing, I wanted to let you know.
As you make your way back into Edinburgh, I have a couple recommendations on how to spend your evening if you have the time.
We actually did a few things, returned our rental car to the airport, took the Caledonian Sleeper Train to London, and flew home from there.
If you’re flying from Edinburgh today, that totally works. But should you have some extra time, I highly recommend an Islander workshop to build your own Harris tweed handbag. It’s the most unique souvenir from your time in Scotland and will always remind you of traipsing to your favorite Harry Potter sites!
For dinner, I’d recommend The Piper’s Rest for traditional Scottish fare like haggis or the cullen skink (a seafood soup). We went with Civerino’s (literally right next door to The Piper’s Rest). They have a massive mozzarella stick that was so delicious with their garlic truffle aioli. I also loved their pork ragu pasta and caesar salad. But, they are known for their pizza!
If you are taking the Caledonian Sleeper train to London, I hope you sleep well and have less stuff to lug around than we did! Haha!
Related read >> Caledonian Sleeper train review
Day 13: Extra day (use for return travel or fill with optional add-on)
There’s so much to do outside of just the Harry Potter locations, that I really wanted to give you an extra day to fill it with something meaningful for you.
Whether that’s more time in Edinburgh or London, or one of these other ideas:
Cotswolds
We filled our extra day with an exploration of the Cotswolds. This collection of cute towns was calling to me. I just wanted a day in the English countryside enjoying the little things.
It was a great day, so here’s a couple stops I recommend. First, a visit to Stow-on-the-Wold mostly to see the famous Tolkein door called the Door of Durin, which is said to have inspired JRR Tolkein to write the Lord of the Rings universe. It looks exactly like the Mines of Moria door, just more woodland, less rock.
The shops here are adorable. I loved the cheese shop, The Cotswold Cheese Company, and the baker’s school where I got a seriously yummy brookie.
There’s a large parking lot in the city center, but it gets SUPER crowded, so try to get there early or look for street parking if you can’t find anything.
Visit Bourton-on-the-Water for the most adorable town with little bridges over a stream of water through the center of town. We grabbed lunch here from Bakery on the Water. They had the best hot chocolate and the cutest terrace in the back to see the water from.
We also enjoyed the Model Village, which is a 1/9th scale model of Bourton-on-the-Water. It’s seriously so adorable! Tickets are £4.50 per person.
Some other things to do in Bourton-on-the-Water are the Cotswold Motoring Museum, Birdland Park and Gardens, and the Dragonfly Maze. There are a couple free parking lots on the sides of the main roads.
Check out Bibury, a town with historic 14th century homes, called Arlington Row. It’s more residential, so don’t leave your lunch plans for Bibury. But, it’s really beautiful and the epitome of Cotswold charm. There’s street parking throughout the town.
Some other Cotswolds towns to visit if you have time are the Upper and Lower Slaughters (those are two separate towns) and Castle Combe, which is often considered the most beautiful.
Add in a day exploring the Cotswolds between your Lacock Abbey/Gloucester day and Hardwick Hall day.
Isle of Skye
Option 2 for how to spend your extra day would be to take a day trip to Isle of Skye. See the Fairy Pools, The Fairy Glen, and The Storr (a mountain peak to see via hike). Everyone in Fort William asked if we were visiting Skye and when I said that we didn’t have time, they were all so disappointed for us 🙈. Needless to say, it’s one of the best spots in Scotland and one of the most beautiful areas! I’ll certainly make it a point to visit next time!
Add in a visit to Isle of Skye when you’re based in Fort William.
Malham Cove
If you want to add in one more Harry Potter site, you can add in Malham Cove, which was where Harry and Hermione first go once Ron leaves in Deathly Hallows part 1. It’s a curved limestone formation and they filmed on the top of it.
To get there, you’ll have to hike the 1 mile there and back trail, which takes about 30 minutes and has about 400 steps to climb up (and back). Park at Malham Cove Visitor Centre for £2.70 and use the bathrooms here (there’s none further on).
The best way to get to the Malham Cove trail is by going through town and finding the footpath. Third Eye Traveller has some fantastic directions here.
If you choose to add in Malham Cove, I’d add it in as a day trip when you’re based in York, then add in a second night in York!
Edinburgh or London
Obviously London and Edinburgh are massive cities with a ton of history and things to see, do, and eat! You can always add in your extra day at one of these cities.
For a Harry Potter day, you can see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London. It’s an 8 hour event because it’s a play split up in two parts with a long intermission in between. I’ve heard great things, but we just didn’t have the time to commit such a long day to just one thing. If we had extra time, I would have loved to do it!
Day 14: Depart from Edinburgh or London
I’m leaving this day open as your departure day from either Edinburgh or London. If you took the sleeper train, you’ll get into London around 7 am and can have breakfast on the train.
That gives you all day to get to the airport, whichever you’re flying from.
If you have more time, feel free to drop your bags using Nanny Bag or the like and explore a bit more. We considered visiting The British Museum and grabbing coffee, but just couldn’t fathom doing any more things. Introverts gonna introvert.
It’s okay though because I wrote the first 5000 words of this blog post from Heathrow 🥴.
FAQs about your Harry Potter road trip
How much does this itinerary cost?
You know I love a cost breakdown. Let’s make your fandom dreams a reality…starting with how much you’ll need to do that.
I didn’t list the optional and/or free activities below like the Potter Trail but you may still need advanced reservations for those especially the Potter Trail!
| Item | Cost for 1 Adult | Discount? | When to book |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Paul’s Cathedral | £40 | student | 1-2 months in advance |
| Warner Bros. Studio Tour | £53.50 | 6+ months in advance (ASAP) | |
| Oxford – New College | £8 | student | upon arrival (no advance tickets available) |
| Oxford – Divinity School / Bodleian Library Tour | £10 | 1 month in advance | |
| Oxford – Christ Church | £20 | student | 1 week in advance |
| Lacock Abbey | £20 | upon arrival (no advance tickets available) | |
| Gloucester Cathedral | £5 recommended | upon arrival (no advance tickets available) | |
| Hardwick Hall | £23 | upon arrival (no advance tickets available) | |
| Alnwick Castle | £20.50 | online discount | no advanced tickets needed |
| Department of Magic | £17.50 | 1-2 weeks in advance | |
| Jacobite Steam Train | £65+ | ScotRail route | as soon as tickets are made available in November each year |
| Scottish Owl Centre | £9.50 | student | upon arrival (no advanced tickets needed) |
| Islander Workshop (optional) | £60 | 2-3 weeks in advance | |
| Parking | £35 | ||
| Rental Car | £500 | ||
| Gas | £150 | ||
| Food | £350 | ||
| Accommodation | £1600 | ||
| Public Transportation | £40 | ||
| TOTAL | £3026 |
When is the best time to go?
We made this Harry Potter trip in mid-June and it certainly had it’s pros and cons. The good thing is that everything was operating and open – meaning the Jacobite Steam Train, Oxford colleges, etc.
We luckily didn’t have any school closures or events like graduation stopping us from seeing what we wanted.
The cons were that things were already getting quite crowded since summer is peak season for UK travel and reservations were certainly necessary for mostly everything.
Another con is that the midges in Scotland were coming out. They were beyond annoying and I can’t imagine being in the Highlands in peak midge season (summer). The last con is that because Oxford was still in session, we couldn’t spend the night on campus, so we couldn’t access the college filming locations at night. I would have loved to see the iconic Christ Church steps at night without the crowds and eat breakfast in the Great Hall.
Given all that, I’d recommend visiting during late March/early April or September. That way you avoid the majority of midges, everything will be open, and you can spend the night at Oxford.
Where should I fly into and out of?
We flew into and out of London. Although we picked up our rental car in London and dropped it off in Edinburgh, we took the Caledonian Sleeper Train from Edinburgh to London so we could fly back from Heathrow.
If you want to avoid that step, you can fly into London and out of Edinburgh.
Can I reverse this itinerary?
Yes, totally! If you do, I recommend starting in Edinburgh and ending in London.
Do I need a car?
For this itinerary, yes. While public transportation is certainly quite good in the UK, especially in all the cities, a car is necessary to get to all the stops on this trip.
There’s just too many filming locations that are not well connected to each other via public transportation.
If you’re on a strict budget, you can also consider nixing anything from the itinerary that you can’t get to on public transportation. Just know it might limit you.
Is driving hard on the opposite side of the road?
I know this is a big concern and it always causes some anxiety for me. I’ve now driven on the other side of the road in New Zealand and Ireland, so I know how it feels to be thrown into a reverse world.
I’ll say that at first, it feels so incredibly weird, but you do get used to it. Although you might gravitate toward the passenger side as the driver for a while.
Honestly, to me, the hardest part isn’t driving on the other side of the road, it’s navigating different styles of roadways. For example in the UK, roundabouts are everywhere and range from a practically nonexistent circle on the ground to a multi-lane curve with four traffic lights.
We also discovered that they use miles and miles per hour for their unit (not kilometers), so that’s confusing.
Finally, just as a tip. When you’re filling up your tank of gas, you fill it up first, THEN go inside to pay.
What is parking like?
Parking is tricky. No two ways about it. Hopefully with all the details in this itinerary, you’ll know exactly where to park at each stop.
But, between Park & Rides in some cities, limitations for driving in the city center, and car parks with their own hours, it can be daunting.
My biggest tip here is that instead of navigating to your destination, navigate to the parking lot. Don’t try to figure it out once you get there.
Tips for saving on this itinerary
Choose your accommodation wisely
I have a couple thoughts on this. First, as you’re choosing hotels, try to book ones with breakfast included and kitchenettes, or at least a mini fridge.
That will save you the most because you won’t have to eat out as much, which is the biggest expense aside from flights, transportation, and accommodation. Even a mini fridge will let you keep some sandwiches from grocery stores. Of course, with a kitchenette, you can cook some of your own meals, which will save you tons!
Frequent the grocery stores
I loved M&S Food Hall for their grab and go section, but they really all have something! You can also pick up road trip snacks. We loved having grapes, chips, and cookies on hand.
Consider a meal deal
On this same note, the UK has what’s called a “meal deal” which consists of a main (usually a sandwich), drink, and snack like potato chips (not fries). They’re an inexpensive option at grocery stores!
Pack a collapsible cooler
This will help you stock up on those grab and go items and snacks for your road trip. Plus, it’s great to have a bag dedicated to food on road trips, so just because you have to fly to the UK to start this road trip, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have those little comforts.
Here’s a highly rated one that’s quite roomy!
Pack camping meals
I got a lot of heat for this on social media when my husband and I packed dehydrated meals on our honeymoon to the Maldives to save thousands on meals.
We didn’t do that this time mostly because we had very limited space, but I sure wish we had taken the time to make room. It would have saved us hundreds and we regretted it so much by the end of the trip.
Not to mention every single hotel in the UK has a proper kettle (huzzah for tea country), so you can make these meals so easily!
Utilize that student ID
The UK has what’s called a Concession price on admissions to attractions and that usually includes a student discount. Even if it doesn’t specifically say a student price, but it says Concession, be sure to ask if that includes students! We saved tens of pounds because of our student IDs!
I also found that the big cities had student discounts in a number of their restaurants and bars, especially Edinburgh. Doesn’t hurt to ask!
Budget for gas
Gas is expensive here! Like $7-8 USD per gallon, so be sure to add that into your budget when you’re planning.
We paid around £50 for each tank fill up, which is around $65 USD.
You’ll save if you fill up closer to the cities as gas in the remote parts of the countryside are more expensive.
Really consider what experiences you want
I know it can be easy to have wide eyes when planning your Harry Potter bucket list trip. There’s so much to see and do and lots of locations are just as amazing as the next.
But really stop and consider what experiences are important to you and your budget.
For example, I booked the Jacobite Steam Train first class ticket first thing. But, when it was canceled because it was the afternoon session, I honestly wasn’t that heartbroken. It turns out I really just wanted to see the train cross the viaduct. I didn’t feel the need to be on it.
On that same note, do you need to be on the steam train itself or would the cheaper ScotRail that takes the same journey be enough?
Similarly, I asked myself, do I need to go to the top of the spiral stairs in St. Paul’s Cathedral for £40 each?
Just some types of questions to consider as you’re booking your trip.
What should I pack?
Aside from your usual travel essentials and clothes the most important things to bring for this trip specifically are:
- Umbrella
- Rain jacket
- Good boots (I wore combat boots from Thursday (the brand), but hiking boots would work too)
- Layers (I like Merino Wool because it’s anti-microbial meaning you can wear it over and over again)
- Midge protection (I’d purchase there to ensure the headnet mesh is fine enough for midges)
- Collapsible cooler bag
- Snacks including dehydrated meals
- A wand (for photos and FUN)
Is it okay to dress up?
Yes, 100%! I wore Hogwarts student attire complete with Ravenclaw robes at all the locations and aside from Goathland Station, no one paid me any attention. In fact, I think it made people happy to see someone super into it.
Most of the staff who greeted us got so excited to guide us to the filming locations and it always sparked conversation about Hogwarts houses.
I have a lot of extra time, what should I do?
I’d add in all the things that I covered in the extra day (day 13). You can also add on a trip to Wales to see Dobby’s grave site at Freshwater West Beach.
I’d also consider taking this itinerary and just slowing down to do less in a day. Really take your time. Don’t just go to the sites for photos and move on, but take the tours, learn the history beyond Harry Potter, and slow down.
I’m short on time, what can I skip?
One way to adjust this itinerary would be to split it into two main sections and cut out the middle.
You can do London, the Studio Tour, Oxford, and Lacock with Gloucester in a few days, return to London, take the train to Edinburgh, then do Edinburgh, Fort William, and Glencoe in another few days. That would cut out Hardwick Hall, Durham Cathedral, York, Goathland Station, and Alnwick.
Just some options!
I want to do this, but it sounds hard…
I won’t lie to you, this trip (while totally doable) is not the easiest thing to plan. Even with this itinerary, it can be overwhelming and cumbersome.
There are a lot of filming locations across a lot of area.
I have good news though, you can join me on a group trip to England or Scotland (or both) to check off a ton of these spots. It’s fully planned for you. Plus, we have private transit, a local guide, and free time built in so you can explore to heart’s desire.
Looking for more UK ideas and tips?
- What to expect on the Caledonian Sleeper Train
- First timer travel tips for London
- London Harry Potter sites to visit
- Self-guided Harry Potter tour of Oxford
- Oxford things to do for a day
- The Cotswolds day trip itinerary
- Review of the Warner Brothers Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter
- Edinburgh 1 day itinerary
My Travel Essentials
- Travel Insurance – Going on an international trip? Don’t forget travel and medical insurance with SafetyWing.
- Travel Card – If you’re new to travel hacking, fear not! My favorite card for beginners gives you $750 in rewards when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months, plus lounge access, 10x points on hotel bookings, and free TSA pre-check!
- Get Your Guide – Check out Get Your Guide for a one-stop-shop for booking travel activities.
- Booking.com – This is my favorite hotel search aggregator, specifically for reading reviews. On Booking.com, the reviews can be searched for keywords like WiFi, breakfast, pool, amenities, etc.! So helpful!
- Anti-pickpocket bag – Worried about having your valuables swiped? PacSafe makes the best travel bags with zippers and straps that lock and with mesh steel enforced fabric.
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- Staycation Idea – Check out Resort Pass, which gives you day passes to resorts so you can use their pool, spa, and fitness center, a great staycation idea!
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This is too awsum. Gosh can only imagine the amount of hours spent on this planning May I please have a copy of the pdf.
Yepp, just sent it to you!