Harry Potter & Filming Location Tours Day tours from Edinburgh to Hogwarts at Alnwick Castle, Outlander’s Scotland and more
Walk through the real castles, villages, glens and coastlines that became some of the world’s most recognisable places on screen.
The Film Set Was Already Here.
There are castles that look fictional, mountains made for adventure and villages that could pass for another century without much help.
Scotland has spent decades appearing on screen as somewhere else: Hogwarts, Inverness in the 1940s, the French port of Le Havre, New Asgard and even the landscape around James Bond’s ancestral home.
When you visit, you’ll often find the reality is every bit as interesting as the fiction.
Our guides connect the scene you recognise with the castle, community, landscape and history that were there long before a film crew arrived.
Compare Our Harry Potter & Filming Location Tours
Two dedicated filming-location day tours from Edinburgh, plus longer Highland tours that pass famous screen locations. Tap a tour for live dates and prices.
| Tour | Length | Departs from | Highlights | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alnwick Castle & Rosslyn Chapel Day Tour Seasonal: March–October | 1 day approx. 9 hours | Edinburgh | Hogwarts at Alnwick Castle, Rosslyn Chapel (The Da Vinci Code), Leaderfoot Viaduct (Indiana Jones) and St Abbs (New Asgard). Ages 7+ | £96 pp |
| Outlander & Castles Day Tour Seasonal: March–October | 1 day approx. 7½ hours | Edinburgh | Midhope Castle (Lallybroch), Culross (Cranesmuir), Blackness Castle, Falkland and Dysart Harbour | £96 pp |
| Loch Ness & Highlands 2-Day Tour From 7 Nov 2026, then year-round | 2 days 1 night in Fort William | Edinburgh | Glenfinnan Viaduct from the Harry Potter films, plus Loch Ness, Glencoe and Stirling Castle | £196 pp |
| Isle of Skye 3-Day Tour | 3 days 2 nights on Skye | Edinburgh or Glasgow | Glencoe (Skyfall) and Eilean Donan Castle (The World Is Not Enough) on a Skye adventure | £248 pp |
Lowest adult price per person, checked in our booking system on 23 September 2026; prices vary by date. Scheduled tours take no more than 16 travellers. Day tours need a 50% deposit and multi-day tours a 25% deposit. Multi-day prices don’t include accommodation. Castle and chapel admission are paid separately.
Harry Potter & Outlander Day Tours from Edinburgh
Two very different filming-location tours from Edinburgh: walk through Hogwarts at Alnwick Castle on a day across several movie worlds, or visit the castles and villages of Outlander.
Harry Potter & More
Da Vinci. Indiana Jones.
Alnwick Castle & Rosslyn Chapel
Four completely different movie worlds in one cross-border day.
Walk through Hogwarts at Alnwick Castle, explore Rosslyn Chapel, see an Indiana Jones location and finish in the fishing village transformed into New Asgard.
Outlander
Through Scotland.
Outlander & Castles Filming Locations Tour
Visit Lallybroch, Cranesmuir and some of the series’ most recognisable locations.
Travel through historic villages, castles and harbours while your guide connects Outlander’s fictional world with the genuine Scottish history behind each location.
Some Filming Locations Need a Bigger Adventure.
Glenfinnan, Glencoe and Eilean Donan are further north, so we visit them on our longer Highland tours.
Harry Potter Scenery
Inside a Bigger Journey.
Loch Ness, Glenfinnan & Highlands
See the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct and Loch Shiel as part of a broader Highland adventure taking in Loch Ness, Glencoe, historic castles and some of Scotland’s most dramatic scenery.
Explore the 2-Day Highlands Tour
James Bond Country
Isle of Skye 3-Day Tour
Travel through Glencoe, seen in Skyfall, and stop at Eilean Donan Castle, which appeared in The World Is Not Enough, on a longer Highland tour.
What Brought Scotland Onto Your Screen?
Start with the story you love, then see the Scotland behind it.
Step Back Through the Stones.
Historic towns and castles across central Scotland became Jamie and Claire’s world, and many are worth seeing even without the screen connection.
Find Hogwarts in the Real World.
From Alnwick’s castle grounds to Glenfinnan Viaduct in the western Highlands, some of the series’ most recognisable locations can still be visited today.
Follow Bond Into the Highlands.
Some of Bond’s most atmospheric Scottish moments use landscapes that need almost nothing added to feel cinematic.
Several Movie Worlds in One Day.
The Borders and east coast let you move between completely different productions in the space of a single day.
Six Locations Worth Visiting With or Without the Camera Crew.
The best filming locations work because the place itself already has a story.
Outlander
Midhope Castle
The instantly recognisable exterior of Jamie Fraser’s family home.
Outlander
Blackness Castle
A formidable fortress on the Firth of Forth that became one of Outlander’s darkest locations.
Harry Potter
Glenfinnan Viaduct
The sweeping Highland railway viaduct known around the world from the journey to Hogwarts.
Bond · Harry Potter
Glencoe
Towering mountains that have provided a backdrop for productions including Skyfall and Harry Potter.
James Bond
Eilean Donan
One of Scotland’s most photographed castles, and cinematic long before Bond arrived.
Harry Potter
Alnwick Castle
Explore the castle grounds used during the earliest Harry Potter films, including the famous flying lesson.
The Real Story Is Usually Better.
We love the films. We also think you should know what happened before the director shouted “action”.
Blackness Castle had centuries of history before it became Fort William, and Culross was worth exploring long before it stood in for Cranesmuir.
These are genuine historic places with stories of monarchs, Jacobites, clan conflict, religion, engineering, fishing, war and everyday Scottish life.
That’s why our filming-location tours are guided Scotland tours first. The screen connection gets you there, and the real place is what you’ll remember.
See What Makes Scotland’s Wild DifferentSee the Scene, Then Explore the Place.
The best filming-location day is still a great Scotland day even if somebody in your group has never seen the film.
More Personal Touring.
Smaller groups make it easier to explore historic sites, villages and locations without feeling like part of a convoy.
The Stories Behind Every Scene.
Hear the filming connection alongside Scotland’s real history, legends and the stories that give each place context.
Walk Into the Location.
Explore castle grounds, villages, harbours and Highland landscapes rather than viewing everything from the vehicle.
The Location Matters Too.
We choose journeys where Scotland itself remains the star, even after the film connection has been explored.
Build a Private Filming Location Journey.
A private tour gives you the freedom to spend the day around the films, series and locations that mean the most to you.
Follow Outlander across several days, build a Harry Potter journey into the Highlands, hunt down Bond locations or combine film sites with castles, whisky, landscapes and family history.
Find More of Scotland on Screen.
Planning your own route or looking for inspiration? Explore our guides and interactive Scotland map.
Explore Harry Potter, Bond, Outlander, Braveheart, Monty Python and more.
A broader list of well-known screen locations to add to your Scotland plans.
Find filming locations alongside castles, landscapes, islands and other places worth visiting.
What Travellers Say About Our Filming Location Tours
Real reviews from guests on our Alnwick Castle (Harry Potter) and Outlander day tours.
Loved this trip. Jorgie or Georgie was our guide. She was fantastic. She made sure we had the scoop before we visited each site and also pointed out many details that we may have missed.
Amazing tour, stunning visits with a really kind and knowledgeable tour guide, Géorgie. I really appreciate the small group and highly recommend.
We had such an incredible experience on this Outlander tour today! It truly exceeded all our expectations. The guides were absolutely fantastic—so knowledgeable, friendly, and genuinely passionate about what they do. They made every stop come alive with stories and insights, and their enthusiasm was contagious. … We would absolutely recommend it to anyone—whether you're a fan of Outlander or just looking for a unique and unforgettable way to explore Scotland.
Harry Potter & Filming Location Tour FAQs
The main things to know when choosing between our filming-location and movie-inspired Scotland tours.
View All Tour FAQsIs there a Harry Potter tour from Edinburgh?
Yes. Our Alnwick Castle & Rosslyn Chapel Day Tour leaves Edinburgh at 8:30am and returns at approximately 5:30pm.
It visits Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, used as Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, where Harry first learned to fly a broomstick.
The tour runs from March to October, welcomes travellers aged 7 and over and is from £96 per person. Alnwick Castle and Rosslyn Chapel admission are paid separately.
Where are the Harry Potter filming locations in Scotland?
The best known is Glenfinnan Viaduct in the western Highlands, the railway viaduct seen on the journey to Hogwarts. Glencoe’s mountains have also provided a backdrop for the films.
Alnwick Castle, just across the border in England, was used for Hogwarts exteriors in the first two films, and our Edinburgh day tour visits it. Our 2-day Loch Ness & Highlands tour visits Glenfinnan.
What is the best Outlander tour from Edinburgh?
Our dedicated Outlander & Castles Filming Locations Tour is designed specifically around locations used throughout the series.
Current planned stops include Blackness Castle, Culross, Falkland, Dysart Harbour and Midhope Castle.
Can I visit Lallybroch?
Yes. Midhope Castle is the real building used as Lallybroch, Jamie Fraser’s family home in Outlander.
Our scheduled Outlander tour includes Midhope when the location is accessible. The interior of the castle isn’t open to visitors.
Location access can occasionally change because Midhope sits on a working estate.
Which tour visits Harry Potter filming locations?
There are currently two useful scheduled options depending on which part of the Harry Potter story you want to see.
Our Alnwick Castle & Rosslyn Chapel Day Tour visits Alnwick Castle, used as Hogwarts in the first two films.
For Highland scenery, our two-day Loch Ness & Highlands tour visits Glenfinnan and the famous viaduct seen in the films.
We don’t currently run a dedicated scheduled Harry Potter steam-train tour.
Can I ride the Hogwarts Express?
No. The steam train associated with the Harry Potter films is the Jacobite Steam Train, which crosses Glenfinnan Viaduct.
Our current scheduled tours don’t include a ride on the Jacobite Steam Train.
Our two-day Loch Ness & Highlands tour instead visits Glenfinnan, so you can see the viaduct and the surrounding Highland scenery as part of a wider Scotland tour.
If riding the train is particularly important to your trip, you can also ask us about private-tour planning options, subject to railway operation and ticket availability.
Which James Bond locations can I see?
Glencoe and nearby Glen Etive are strongly associated with Skyfall, while Eilean Donan Castle appeared in The World Is Not Enough.
Our longer Highland and Isle of Skye tours are usually the best way to see these locations as part of a wider Scotland trip.
Is Alnwick Castle actually in Scotland?
No. Alnwick Castle is in Northumberland, England.
Our day tour begins in Edinburgh, travels through the Scottish Borders into England and then returns to Scotland via the east coast.
That cross-border route is what allows us to combine Alnwick with Rosslyn Chapel, Leaderfoot Viaduct and St Abbs.
Are attraction tickets included?
Usually not. Entry arrangements vary between tours.
On the Alnwick Castle & Rosslyn Chapel tour, admission to Alnwick Castle and Rosslyn Chapel is currently paid separately.
Blackness Castle and Midhope Castle admission are also separate from the scheduled Outlander tour price.
Check the individual tour page before booking for the most current included and excluded items.
What are the minimum ages?
Most of our scheduled group tours are for travellers aged 12 and over.
The current Alnwick Castle & Rosslyn Chapel tour is suitable for ages 7+.
Families with younger children can contact us about creating a private filming-location tour instead.
How much walking is involved?
These are Active Sightseeing tours, so you should expect to spend meaningful time outside the vehicle.
Walking may include castle grounds, cobbled historic villages, harbours, paths and uneven Highland terrain.
Comfortable footwear and light waterproof clothing are strongly recommended.
Can you create a private Outlander or Harry Potter tour?
Yes. Private touring is particularly useful for filming-location trips because we can build the route around the specific productions and locations your group cares about.
We can also mix filming locations with Scotland’s castles, landscapes, whisky, family history and other interests rather than making the entire trip about one theme.
Start Planning a Private TourVisit the Places Behind the Stories.
Follow Outlander, walk through Hogwarts, cross the Highlands with Bond or spend a day moving between some of Scotland’s most memorable movie locations.
