Quills and Magic Wands Tour for Kids

Learn a few magic tricks - and some literary history- with one of our family experts

$442

Private

N/A

Semi-private

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Tour Details

About the Tour

Private Tour: $ 442
Duration: 2 hours
Location: Edinburgh

Photos & Highlights

Follow in the footsteps of the Harry Potter series and learn about the wider literary history of Edinburgh
Led by a local literary expert
Writers' Museum, Victoria Street, and Grassmarket

Tour Description

The streets and spires of Edinburgh have inspired writers for centuries, from Walter Scott to Robert Burns. However, these days the most famous is JK Rowling, who wrote much of her revered Harry Potter series here, gazing at Edinburgh Castle. In this 2-hour Harry Potter Tour of Edinburgh for Kids, we'll dive deep into Edinburgh's literary history, enjoy some fun, hands-on activities, and discover all the places in the city relevant to Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

At the Writers Museum

Who were the most important writers in Scotland? Why? How did they write and what about? Our walk will start at the Writers Museum where we'll meet some of Edinburgh's key writers, including Scott, Burns and Stevenson. Here we'll learn about what it meant to be a writer in the nineteenth century. We'll also don some 19th outfits, grab our quills, and try to write a Burns verse or two. We may read from some of Burn's writings and discover that poets did not just write about love, but also about their favorite food!

Discovering Scottish Identity

Using paintings and original manuscripts in the museum we'll talk about the work of Walter Scott and Burns, as well as how their use of language and imagery helped shape a Scottish identity. Why did some writers use Gaelic? Why are some of the people in the paintings wearing a kilt? As we meet more Scottish writers like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Louis Stevenson, we may decide to use some of Sherlock Holmes's investigative skills to them to solve a literary mystery or learn about Stevenson's inspiration for his intriguing characters and adventures.

Harry Potter Tour of Edinburgh for Kids

With a solid taste for Edinburgh's writerly bent, we'll dive headlong into the world of Hogwarts and Quidditch. Our stroll will take us into a part of Edinburgh that provided much of the inspiration for the Harry Potter saga, along the way learning all sorts of interesting tidbits about Rowling's creative process. Together, we'll develop a better picture of the fantastic world that she created, connecting real buildings, people, and traditions with fictitious ones.

Take Aways

At the end of the walk, we may sit down for a hot chocolate in one of Edinburgh's charming cafes or libraries while finishing up our activities and learning all about the origins of Harry Potter's spells and characters. Families will come away with a greater understanding of Edinburgh's literary legacy and its most enduring characters as well as having gained a renewed interest for some these incredible authors.

Included in the price of the tour is the cost of an activity pack per child.

For a more general overview of Edinburgh designed for families take a look at our Edinburgh Old Town for Kids Tour. Need a break from the kids? Try our Edinburgh Whisky Tour.

Where You'll Start

Tour Experts

Helen

Alex

Alex Collins is a PhDl student in the History of Art at the University of Edinburgh, where he researches medieval art and architecture.. He studied his MA in Art History and English at the University of St Andrews in 2009, before working in heritage and local government. At the University of Edinburgh, Alex teaches art and architectural history.

Irene

Born and raised in Milan, Irene moved to Edinburgh in 2009 where she obtained her MSc in 2010 and PhD in 2015. She specialised in Italian Renaissance Art and her doctoral thesis looked at the artistic patronage of the Vespucci family in fifteenth-century Florence. She was an intern at the Queen’s Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and collaborated with the Education Department of the National Galleries of Scotland. Irene currently teaches History of Art at the University of Edinburgh. She loves art, coffee, yoga, and the sun – not necessarily in this order. Despite her reluctance to sit on planes, she is a travel addict and she hopes to tour the world one day. Edinburgh stole her heart and it is now her second home.

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3 Reviews

This was a great way for my kids to explore Edinburgh. I think it was a good balance of writing/inspiration and some of the Edinburgh history in general and some of the Harry Potter influences which was fun but not over the top.

Sarah

Apr. 30, 2018

Our docent was lovely. Activities in writers museum were engaging for younger ones.Well done!

Katherine

Dec. 26, 2017

She was great at keeping the tour interesting for the variety of ages in our group. We loved the WRiter's Museum and would probably not have gone there on our own. Of course the Harry Potter material was amazing!

Dorothy

Apr. 2, 2017

Tour Experts

All Context Experts are scholars or specialists in their field.

Helen

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Alex

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Irene

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