Walk the cafes where Rowling wrote on napkins, the graveyard where she found her characters' names, and the streets that became Diagon Alley. Edinburgh didn't just inspire Harry Potter — it made him.
Every stop traces back to primary archaeological and heritage records. Not AI-generated guesses. Here's how each narration gets built.
Each stop pulls from OpenStreetMap (the open mapping database used by Apple Maps and Tesla), Wikidata (the peer-reviewed structured-data project), the heritage authority below, and primary historical texts where they exist.
Cross-referenced against Modern excavation publications · academic peer-review.
Every sentence is checked against the verified sources above. Anything that can't be supported gets cut.
Spot anything inaccurate? Email [email protected] — fixed in the next pass.
The cafe that calls itself the "birthplace of Harry Potter." Rowling wrote in the back room with its view over Greyfriars Kirkyard toward the castle. Survived a fire in 2021 and reopened. The toilets are a fan graffiti shrine.
A real gravestone in Greyfriars Kirkyard bearing the name Thomas Riddell — widely believed to be the inspiration for Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort's birth name. Other Potter names are carved nearby.
Four towers and four houses — visible from the Elephant House. Founded by "Jinglin' Geordie" Heriot, jeweller to King James VI. The resemblance to Hogwarts is hard to dismiss, though Rowling has never confirmed the link.
Edinburgh's curving, colourful street of independent shops — widely cited as the inspiration for Diagon Alley. The painted shopfronts, the curve, the steps: it's hard to walk here without seeing Ollivanders and Flourish & Blotts.
Where Rowling finished Deathly Hallows. She signed the back of a marble bust: "JK Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (552) on 11th Jan 2007." Now the J.K. Rowling Suite.
The true first cafe — owned by Rowling's brother-in-law, where she could linger over a single coffee for hours. Less famous than the Elephant House but arguably where the Philosopher's Stone was actually born. Now a Chinese restaurant.
Tap "Start Walking Tour" and allow location access. The map shows all 18 narration points.
Follow the suggested route or explore freely. GPS tracks your position. Reach a site and the narration plays automatically.
The real Edinburgh history, the Harry Potter connection, and Rowling's personal story — from single mother on benefits to the most successful author alive. What's confirmed, what's fan theory, and what's somewhere in between.
Narrations play when you reach each site. No buttons, no track numbers. Walk naturally — the stories find you.
Premium narration that sounds like a documentary. Warm and knowledgeable, not a textbook reading.
Every narration is drafted, cross-checked against primary sources, then passed through a second editorial pass that strips unsupported claims. Dates, names, and citations verified.
See all narration points on the map. Tap any point to hear it early or replay it later.
Spend an hour or a full day. Skip sites, revisit favourites, take breaks. The tour adapts to you.
Three ways, all built in:
The map-tap option means you can stand anywhere — even at home before you travel — and play any narration. GPS just makes it hands-free while you’re actually walking the site.
No. Use the “Download for offline” button before you go, and the entire tour — audio, maps, narration text — works without any data connection. Tap-to-play and the map both work fully offline. GPS itself doesn’t need data; only the download does.
Two backstops. First, the map shows every site — just tap the marker for the place in front of you. Second, you can manually queue any narration even when GPS is off. The platform never assumes GPS works; it’s the convenience layer, not the gate.
The audio runs ~2.5 hours walking total, but you walk at your own pace. 18 narration points across the site. Most visitors take 2–4 hours; some spread it over multiple visits. Your access lasts 30 days from purchase, so revisit as often as you like.
One purchase covers one device session. Most couples share earbuds and use a single phone — the audio is paced for that. If you want everyone listening on their own device, each person needs their own purchase. We do not gate sharing aggressively; we trust visitors to do the right thing.
Full refund if you never trigger a single narration on-site. Partial refund based on how far you got. See the refund policy for specifics.
GPS-triggered audio tours for heritage sites worldwide.