Harry Potter Spots in Edinburgh

I have always wanted to go to Edinburgh, all the Harry Potter related places were a very great extra. Here is a list of places you should go to, when you are a potterhead. 
The Elephant House

It's the birth place of Harry Potter, where J.K. Rowling spent some time writing Harry Potter. There are some frames in there with her pictures on and you should definitely go to the toilet there, the walls are full of Harry Potter related quotes and words. 
Nicolson's Café (now Spoon)

This is where J.K. Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Outside the café there is also a little sign with her photo on and the information. 
Greyfriars Kirkyard, George Heriot's School

On the graveyard, you will find graves of people, who have inspired some names for the books: Moodie, McGonagall and most famously Thomas Riddell. The spelling is a bit different, bit still. Next to McGonagall's grave, there is the George Heriot's School, it inspired Hogwarts. The graves are not easy to find. You have to go to the back of the church through an archway and then to the right or towards the gate to the school. 
City Chambers for J.K. Rowling's handprints

City Chambers is located on the Royal Mile, you can hardly miss it. There are a lot of fingerprints there, I thought I will never find them. I started on the left hand side though and they were right there. What a special moment!
Shops: Boy Wizard and Museum Context

Both shops are located on Victoria Street (the inspiration for Diagon Alley) and several other locations. Both sell lots of Harry Potter merchandise and they are just full of magic. A must-see place for every fan. 
Victoria Street (Diagon Alley)

It was inspiration for Diagon Alley and it's so pretty!!! It's colourful and very cute. There is also a Diagon Alley sign in Candlemaker Row. 
The Balmoral Hotel

J.K. Rowling finished the last chapter of the last book in this hotel. The suite is now named after her. 

Potterrow Port (Order of the Phoenix)

It has inspired the tunnel/walk way for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, where the dementor attacked Harry and Dudley. 

Edinburgh - Travel Diary

Friday, April 12. Could have been the 13th, with the things that went wrong. I got up early and went to the airport with enough time, just to drop off my suitcase and being told that my flight has a delay of over five hours. The plane was supposed to take off at 11.30 am, the new time was 4.50 pm. Well, I went to Starbucks for coffee first and then went into some shops before security. After an hour, I went through security and walked around, trying to find out, how I can get my money back. Then I went to the center bar to get some lunch and a drink, we got a 20 francs voucher for lunch. So that killed another hour. Then I got another coffee at Starbucks, sat down and read my book. Unfortunately, I was sitting in a restaurant area, so I had to move. About 90 minutes before the new boarding time, I finally had a gate and slowly went there. At the gate, I enjoyed some snacks, continued reading and started talking to a lovely Scottish lady. After that, they moved back the takeoff time several times until it stopped at 5.10 pm. Boarding was obviously late, but at 5.00 I entered the plane. You now think that I was finally able to go. Well, you thought wrong, eight passengers didn't turn up, so they had to take out their luggage. Due to that, we lost our starting slot and the new one was only 50 minutes later, because plane traffic is high around London, fabulous... Well, the plane started moving at 6.00 pm. And we landed in Edinburgh at 7.10 pm (UK time) and guess what, the ground staff wasn't ready for us. Well, I arrived at the hotel at around 8.00 pm, quickly checked in and went for a little walk around the area before the sun was gone. 

Victoria Street

I got up very early on Saturday because I wanted to make most of the day. The road leading from my hotel to the Royal Mile is called Victoria Street and it was an inspiration for Diagon Alley, it's so pretty. It was a sunny day and I headed straight to Starbucks for breakfast. Then I walked up the Royal Mile to the castle, where I took some pictures of the view around, then waited for my entry time. At 9.30 am the doors opened and I started exploring the castle. There is so much to see, you can get an audio guide, but I didn't. That meant I read all the signs carefully (in the beginning anyway). It was very interesting and it's just so pretty. I think I spent about 1 1/2 hours there, before walking down Royal Mile again towards Canongate. A must see stop was the City chambers, to see J.K. Rowling's golden handprints on the floor. I popped into some shops on the way, like The Boy Wizard, one of the Harry Potter stores and some typically Scottish ones. The walk to Canongate and Holyroodhouse is quite long and my hands started to get cold. I just quickly looked at Holyroodhouse, before heading to Calton Hill. A lot of steps later, I made it and I spent quite some time up there, there is so much to see: the National Monument of Scotland, The Nelson Monument and the Dugald Stewart Monument. The views all around are absolutely fantastic. Well, after that it was time for some lunch, I headed to John Lewis and the restaurant there. Then I of course explored the department store a little bit. At Starbucks, I stopped for a coffee and walked to the area between The Balmoral Hotel and the Scott Monument, where I just sat down, enjoyed my coffee and the view. Then I hit some shops (didn't buy anything) and enjoyed the sunshine in Princes Street Gardens, with a great view of the castle. Towards 5.00 pm I walked back to the old town, went into Museum Context, the other Harry Potter store, and then took a look at The Elephant House (where J.K. Rowling wrote the first part of the Harry Potter series). Another must-see for Harry Potter fans is Greyfriars Churchyard, especially some graves, which inspired names in the books: Riddell, Moodie, and McGonagall. Next to the cemetery is also a school, which apparently inspired Hogwarts (George Heriot's School). The funny thing: I also saw the school from my hotel room window. Back at the hotel I ordered room service, watched tv, enjoyed a bubble bath and chilled. I walked over 21 km, quite exhausting, in a good way of course.

Calton Hill

Princes Street Gardens

On Sunday I slept a bit longer and went to Starbucks for breakfast again. Then I bought some Harry Potter stuff at The Boy Wizard (a Hogwarts jumper, a bookmark, and some magnets) and headed to the New Town. I went into the shos properly this time. I also spent a lot of time at Waterstones, also for lunch. At Jenners, I tried on some clothes, because Ted Baker had 30% off everything. I found some great tops. The weather was very cloudy the whole day and very windy and cold, so I decided to go to the National Scottish Portrait Gallery. They had a really nice photo of the queen standing in the Scottish Highlands, that was very pretty. For dinner I went to the Pizza Express, I had a yummy vegan pizza. I didn't want vegan, but it had the perfect toppings. The rest of the night was spent with tv and a bath. 

Calton Hill

Princes Street Gardens

Scott Monument

Edinburgh Castle

Monday marked the end of my time in Edinburgh. From one Harry Potter city to another, London calling...  (next blog post)

I really enjoyed my time in Edinburgh, it's a beautiful city with so much to offer. I love the mixture between old and new and of course the Harry Potter aspect of it. Keep your eyes peeled for some Harry Potter tips as well. 

View from Edinburgh Castle