Literary Tour to Britain – Inspirations for Harry Potter

Our 24-hour Tour Director will meet us at the airport and remain with us throughout our Harry Potter tour in Scotland and England until our final airport departure.

Glasgow was named European Capital of Culture in 1990, something that might surprise many who do not know the city outside of its industrial reputation. It is the largest city in Scotland and the second largest in Britain; it is also filled with unique medieval and Victorian architecture, incredible art, traditional music and a well-respected university. It has been revitalized in recent years and is now a modern city ready to be explored.

Visit the University of Glasgow, whose main building is known for resembling Hogwarts. The school's courtyard looks similar to where Harry first learned to fly his broomstick in the film adaptation of the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

We continue on our journey from Glasgow to Edinburgh. For the next two evenings we will enjoy the convenience of our centrally-located Edinburgh hotel, where daily breakfast will be included.

Edinburgh is widely regarded as one of Europe's most attractive cities, due primarily to its impressive medieval and Georgian districts and surrounding Lothian Hills. It is as famous for the arts as it is for its long and turbulent history. Both the Old and New towns are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Stop at the Elephant House, a famous cafe where JK Rowling wrote much of the Harry Potter series.

Enjoy an evening meal with your group.

"We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience" - John Dewey On every evening of the program, we will set time aside to update our Reflection Journal and share thoughts and impressions that have come to the fore in the course of the day.

Visit Edinburgh Castle, a place filled with history, legend and lore. Our visit will include St. Margaret's Chapel, the State Apartments, the Great Hall and the Crown Chamber, which houses the Honours of Scotland (Scottish Crown Jewels).

Explore Greyfriars Kirkyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a number of notable Edinburgh residents are interred at Greyfriars. The kirkyard is famous throughout the world for being the final resting place for those who have died but ultimately became the inspiration for J.K. Rowling's characters in Harry Potter. In the graveyard you will find names such as William McGonagall and Tom Riddell. The entire Kirkyard is rumored to have been the inspiration behind the resting place of Harry's parents in Godric's Hollow.

Take a walking tour along Victoria Street. Many believe that Edinburgh's eccentrically beautiful Victoria Street was the true inspiration for Diagon Alley. The street is lined with multicolored buildings and shops selling all kinds of wares. The street is famous for being curved. Just off of Victoria Street is Candlemaker's Row, an alley that has a plaque calling it Diagon Alley!

Enjoy a tour of Mary King's Close; a warren of underground medieval streets and spaces. In the 1600s, Closes were at the heart of Edinburgh's busiest and most vibrant streets running down the hill from the Royal Mile. When more modern buildings were constructed above, level with the hill, the closes found themselves underground and forgotten. For years since, the hidden Closes of Old Town Edinburgh have been shrouded in myths and mysteries, with blood curdling tales of ghosts and murders.

Enjoy an evening meal with your group.

Visit Alnwick Castle. Home of the Percy family and the Dukes of Northumberland since 1309, it is the second largest castle in England that remains inhabited and is familiar to many visitors as the location used for Hogwarts' exterior in the Harry Potter movie series. Harry and Ron crash-landed the Weasley family's flying car in the Inner Bailey. We will visit the dungeons and the gun terrace and wander through the grounds of this wonderful castle.

Spend time at The Alnwick Garden to explore the Treehouse at Alnwick Garden which is large enough to house a full-service restaurant. The Treehouse is spread across 6,000 square feet of complex buildings, linked by suspended walkways.

Explore the Kirkleatham Owl Centre, home to one of the largest and most diverse assemblies of owls in the British Isles. We will watch flying displays and meet baby owls, as well as falcons, buzzards and vultures.

Make a stop at Goathland Railway Station, famous for appearing as Hogsmeade station – the Hogwarts Express stop in the Harry Potter films.

Visiting York is like walking through a living museum. Its medieval structures are impressively preserved in its timbered houses and winding, cobbled streets, surrounded by the remains of the city walls. Founded by the Romans in A.D. 71, York was, for a long time, a strategic point used by both Saxons and Vikings.

We will visit Clifford’s Tower, one of the remaining parts of the original castle built by William the Conqueror. As we climb to the top of the tower we will be rewarded with views of the city.

Visit York Minster, which traces its origins from the early 7th century and features stunning stained glass from the Middle Ages.

Take a walk through the Shambles, Europe's best preserved medieval street, although the name is also used to collectively refer to the surrounding maze of narrow, twisting lanes and alleys as well. The street itself is mentioned in the Domesday Book, so we know that it has been in continuous existence for over 900 years. The Shambles are also thought to be another inspiration Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter Series.

Enjoy an evening Ghost Walk through the haunting streets the Shambles.

We continue on our journey from York to Warwick. Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, lies upon the River Avon. According to tradition, it was founded in A.D. 914 and the name ‘Warwick’ means ‘dwellings by the weir.’ The most popular landmark is Warwick Castle, although the town center is also known for its historic architecture, which includes a mixture of Tudor and 17th century dwellings.

Visit imposing Warwick Castle, surrounded by gardens, lawns, and woodland where peacocks roam freely. This is one of England’s finest castles and our tour will include the State Rooms, Great Hall, armory and ramparts.

Oxford has long been an important stopping point on central routes from the north of England to London, but it is more well[activity title="known as the home of England’s first university. With its spectacular architecture and famous scholars, including some of the world’s most important writers, the university is a uniquely integral part of Oxford and of England as a whole. Breakfast and dinner will be included at the hotel.

Take a Walking Tour to view many of the colleges that make up Oxford, as well as the Sheldonian Theater and the Bodleian Library. Each of the buildings we pass has a long history and is associated with notable literary alumni, including Geoffrey Chaucer, Lewis Carroll, Oscar Wilde, C.S. Lewis and Evelyn Waugh.

Visit Christ Church College, Oxford’s largest and grandest Renaissance College, which was founded in 1525 by Cardinal Wolsey. The college’s Christ Church Cathedral is the smallest in England. The stairway to the Great Hall was used as a set for several Harry Potter movies. As well, the Great Hall served as inspiration for the fictional dining hall in the series.

View the Bodleian Library, the main research library of the University of Oxford, and one of the oldest libraries in Europe. The Bodleian is one of six libraries where a copy of each book copyrighted in the United Kingdom must be deposited. The gothic vaulted ceiling of the Divinity School was used as Hogwarts' Infirmary in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

We continue on our journey from Oxford to London. En route, we will stop in Watford.

Visit the Warner Brothers Studio Tour London to explore the magic of the Harry Potter films. This unique tour takes you behind-the-scenes and showcases a huge array of beautiful sets, costumes and props. It also reveals some closely guarded secrets, including facts about the special effects and animatronics that made these films so hugely popular all over the world.

London is the largest city in Europe"]quite a feat, considering its location on a relatively small island. London's location is perfect for an administrative, communications and trade center, as the Romans realized when they founded their city in AD 43. London is filled with countless historic and cultural treasures that meld seamlessly in this exciting, contemporary city. For the next three evenings we will enjoy the convenience of our centrally-located London hotel, where daily breakfast will be included.

During our time in London we will explore the areas of Westminster and Whitehall, including Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade, Parliament Square, Downing Street, St. James's Park and Buckingham Palace.

Enjoy dinner this evening in Covent Garden, home to some of the city’s liveliest restaurants, pubs and cafés.

Explore King’s Cross Station, the train station that has inspired many books, movies and songs, and is currently most famous as the starting point of the Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter book series.

Explore the London Zoo, one of the oldest in the world. It was originally founded in 1828 as a collection for scientific study, but was eventually opened to the public. There are currently over 750 species of animal here and those who are fans of Harry Potter will recognize the Reptile House as the location where he discovers he can speak to snakes.

Enjoy some free time to shop and explore Oxford and Regent Streets, the places to find the very finest brand-name world-class department and fashion stores.

Enjoy an evening meal with your group.

Visit Westminster Abbey, where English kings and queens have been crowned since 1066. Our Blue-Badge Guided Tour will include the Royal Chapels, containing the tombs of the English monarchs, as well as Poets’ Corner, featuring memorials to many famous British literary figures.

Enjoy a Thames River Cruise, a relaxing way to view many of London’s most magnificent sights. Our trip will take us past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben and under the famous Tower Bridge.

Visit the Tower of London, one of Britain’s most fascinating and important historical structures. Begun as a fortress by William the Conqueror, the Tower is now primarily associated with the legendary figures imprisoned and executed here over the centuries. Our visit includes the armories, a display of instruments of torture and execution and the breathtaking Crown Jewels Exhibit.

Leadenhall Market was designed in 1881, with cheese mongers, butchers, florists, and some commercial retailers. Harry Potter and Rubeus Hagrid passed through Leadenhall Market on their way to the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley on 31 July, 1991.

This evening we will dine in a local restaurant near to Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, two of London’s most vibrant and lively areas.

This evening we make the final entries in our Reflection Journal and share some of the most significant observations and perspectives that have taken shape during our cultural and literary tour and how these experiences may be most relevant for us all as we return home.

Our rewarding and enjoyable Inspirations for Harry Potter tour comes to an end as our Tour Director accompanies us to the airport on our final day.