Harry Potter walk through Edinburgh's old town: what is real and what is legend

The first thing worth knowing: no Harry Potter film was shot in Edinburgh. The saga was filmed mostly at Leavesden Studios, in England. What Edinburgh has is something else: J.K. Rowling lived here from the end of 1993, wrote a good part of the books in old town cafés and finished the last one here. Some places have a proven connection; others are only said to have inspired her. This walk separates one from the other. It is about 2 km, almost flat, and takes an hour and a half.

What is documented

• The cafés where she wrote. Rowling often wrote in cafés; one of them was Nicolson's, which her brother-in-law part-owned. The Elephant House, at 21 George IV Bridge, says the writer worked in its back room, with views of the castle and Greyfriars, and that she introduced herself to the staff in 1997, after the first book's success. The café burned in July 2021 after a fire in the neighbouring premises and was closed for more than four years; it reopened in December 2025 and is open every day from 9:00 to 18:00, no booking needed.
• The Balmoral, room 552. In this hotel next to Waverley station, Rowling finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on 11 January 2007, and wrote so on a marble bust in the room. Today it is the J.K. Rowling Suite, one of the hotel's suites.
• Rowling's hands at the City Chambers. In 2008 she received the Edinburgh Award, and the council reproduces the hands of each recipient on a slab in the City Chambers courtyard, right on the Royal Mile.

What is said, and why

• The graves at Greyfriars. In Greyfriars cemetery lies a Thomas Riddell, and it is believed his name may have inspired Tom Riddle, the future Voldemort; there is no confirmation from the author. There is also the grave of the poet William McGonagall: the surname matches the professor's, and that is all. The cemetery is a good place anyway: enter by the gate next to the statue of Greyfriars Bobby.
• Victoria Street. This curving street of colourful façades, which drops down to the Grassmarket, is presented as the model for Diagon Alley. It is an idea that circulates among fans and shops; the author has not confirmed it. At number 30, a second Elephant House café opened in 2023.

With a guide: The Potter Trail

The Potter Trail has run the walk since 2012 with guides dressed as wizards. The public tour is free, with a voluntary tip at the end, but you must book: it leaves from 4 Greyfriars Place, opposite Bobby's Sandwich Shop, at 11:00 almost every day, and ends on Victoria Street after 75 to 90 minutes. It is in English and recommended from around age 7. Bring something that can serve as a wand: a pencil or an umbrella will do.