ITINERARY

Day 1

 

Guests depart on flights to London Heathrow (not included). Guests are responsible for making their own flight arrangements into London. Please arrange flights to arrive at Heathrow no later than 10:00 AM. Magical Tours will assist with transportation information, but flight connections are the responsibility of each tour participant. There is available transportation between London Heathrow and Gatwick airports, but adequate time must be allowed for the transfer if arrival will be at Gatwick.

 

This tour is planned to arrive into London, and depart from Edinburgh, Scotland. The tour ends in Edinburgh, but for those guests who prefer book their return flights from London Magical Tours will be pleased to arrange inexpensive transportation from Edinburgh to London. In most cases  one extra night in London will be required for this option. It’s also a great time to spend a few days in London. Magical Tours will be happy to help plan your London extension.

 

 

 Day 2

 

Our tour group will rendezvous at a Heathrow area hotel at 12 Noon. All morning arrivals, and for those already in central London or at a Heathrow hotel, please make your way to the assembly point. There is an inexpensive shuttle bus from the main Heathrow terminals to the nearby hotel, or guests may wish to take a taxi instead.

 

Our private van will pick us up at assembly point for our journey to our first stop, Black Park, the forest near London that has been used as a filming location for many Harry Potter movie scenes, including being the site of Hagrid’s hut in the first two films, and the last scenes of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, plus many more! There we’ll enjoy a picnic lunch before continuing on to

Oxford, the "City of Dreaming Spires",  and one of the most important filming locations for the Harry Potter movies. Our unique hotel is right in the center of old Oxford – the perfect location!

 

We begin our afternoon exploration of Oxford with a visit the Great Hall which was the model for the Hogwarts Great Hall, the famous grand staircase. Then we’ll enjoy a nice Welcome Dinner together

at a nearby restaurant before turning in for the night. For our “high energy” guests, our hotel is in the perfect spot for an evening of pub-hopping and rubbing shoulders with the Oxford students who will certainly be out as well.

 

 

Day 3

 

After a very nice breakfast at our hotel we’ll resume our walking tour of Oxford. We will visit the famous Bodleian Library with the “Hogwarts trophy room”, the “hospital wing”, the library Harry visited in his invisibility cloak, and more! Everyone will enjoy the locations associated with the Harry Potter films, but there are many other amazing sights to see in Oxford, and an incredible number of connections to the world’s most beloved books and literary characters.

 

For lunch together we’ll make for the perfect spot in Oxford: the small pub where great literary figures gathered in years past. In this charming little place, C.S. Lewis first read aloud his work, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; and J.R.R. Tolkien first entranced listeners with his reading of The Hobbit.

 

Then after a very fun lunch we’ll set off for our next destination: Gloucester, where we will visit the famed Gloucester Cathedral, which was heavily featured as a movie backdrop for both Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as well as for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This magnificent cathedral is a stunning sight !  After a leisurely tour of the cathedral and its famous cloisters (with plenty of photo opportunities) everyone will have free time to explore Gloucester a bit and have dinner at a historic 14th Century inn set right in the heart of the town, described as one of the finest examples of a medieval galleried inn to be seen in Britain today! Guests will feel as if they’ve been magically whisked off to The Leaky Cauldron. Our group will dine together, but guests will order from the menu independently at their own expense.

 

After a full day we return to Oxford for some free time on the town.

 

  

Day 4

 

After breakfast we make our way to the outskirts of Greater London for an amazing experience.

Today we’ll travel to visit the recently-opened Leavesden Studios, Warner Brothers “The Making of Harry Potter” for an exciting tour of many of our favorite sets from the Harry Potter films. For true Harry Potter fans this experience is not to be missed! This exciting studio tour reveals behind-the-scenes information as well as a chance to actually be in the amazing sets from the beloved films!

 

During our fantastic tour at the studio lunch will be on your own at one of the great cafes available. Have a Butter Beer, and take in the magic! Everyone will delight in the amazing gift shop it’s almost a museum of the magical world all by itself, but you can buy whatever you like!

 

After our wonderful studio tour we’ll head back to Oxford, where everyone will have some free time to explore and have dinner on your own in this unique university town.

 

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Day 5

 

After a nice breakfast we’re off to the most enchanting village in Britain, which we often refer to as “Godric’s Hollow”. We’ll be checking in to our amazingly cozy rooms, right in James and Lilly Potter’s neighborhood. After settling into our charming and historic B&Bs we will enjoy a unique meal: a real English Cream Tea in a beautiful English garden – an experience you’ll never forget!     

 

After lunch we’ll have a leisurely tour of the nearby abbey, a very historic site right on the Avon River, and a very important filming location for several Harry Potter movies. The will be time for an excellent tour of the abbey grounds, cloisters, and museum in the afternoon.

 

After the abbey tour everyone will have free time to explore the village, take lots of pictures, and pick the perfect place for dinner on your own.

 

 

Day 6

 

After an incredible home-cooked English breakfast we will head for another remarkable destination:

After a delicious home cooked breakfast we’re off on our exploration of the area by private van. Our first stop will be the magnificent Highclere Castle, noted as the home of The Earl and Countess of Carnavon and the location of Lord Carnarvon’s impressive Egyptian museum.  The 5th Earl of Carnarvon discovered the Tomb of the Egyptian Boy Pharaoh, Tutankhamen, in 1922 with his archaeological colleague, Howard Carter. And last but not least, Highclere is the filming location for the Downton Abbey series, the hugely successful drama with millions of viewers in the UK and over 100 countries around the world.

 

Afterward we’ll stop off in Marlborough (no, not for a smoke…) for lunch on your own in a nice local café. The adventure continues with a visit to some of the most fascinating and mysterious places on earth, beginning with the enigmatic village of Avebury. There we’ll explore the huge stone circle that surrounds the village. We will also have time to examine the mysteries of nearby Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow (where Barrow-Wights lurk!). This entire place holds a particular mystique, and is another main area in Britain for the appearances of the enigmatic Crop Circles, which mysteriously show up in local wheat fields. J.R.R. Tolkien was drawn to the Avebury area as an inspiration for parts of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. These ancient monuments have baffled historians for centuries, and are some of the most magical places on earth.

 

Dinner will be on your own near Avebury at one of the most picturesque inns you’ve ever seen. We’ll be glad to snuggle into our cozy beds on our return to our enchanted village.

 

 

Day 7

 

After a delicious home-cooked breakfast we’ll make our way to the world’s longest hedge maze. In Goblet of Fire only the School Champions were allowed to enter the maze for the third challenge; but  here everyone gets to join in the fun of having our own adventure quest, and maybe even getting lost in this giant maze. If we find our way safely out of the maze, we’ll have a fun lunch on your own at one of the many family-friendly cafes there. There is something to appeal to everyone here – from tours of the magnificent stately home to an abundance of kid-oriented attractions. It’s a great place to run off some energy!

 

After lunch we’ll travel to the world-famous Stonehenge. No visit to this part of England would be complete without an up-close look at one of history’s greatest mysteries. This ancient monument has baffled historians for centuries, and is one of the most magical places on earth. As very well-informed travelers our guets will be able to draw comparisons between Stonehenge and Avebury, the two most significant ancient monuments in Britain. And it’s worth noting that the area between the two sites is the epicenter of crop circle formations! If we’re very lucky we may get a chance to visit one.

 

After everyone is rounded up for our return to our “home away from home”, we’ll enjoy a casual stroll down our street to enjoy a fabulous dinner together in one of the most enchanting (and renowned) restaurants in all of Britain. This is sure to be a highlight of your visit to Britain, and one you will fondly remember for a very long time!

 

 

Day 8

 

This morning we'll have an early breakfast before our First Class train journey to Edinburgh, Scotland, home of J.K. Rowling!  Lunch will be an onboard “train picnic”. After our arrival in Edinburgh we’ll check into our hotel right in the heart of the city – the location couldn’t be better!

 

After we settle into our ideally-located accommodations in old Edinburgh we’ll enjoy a short walking tour and welcome dinner together at the restaurant where J.K. Rowling wrote most of the first Harry Potter book.

 

 And later, for those who are strong of heart, we’ll have a ghost walk into one of the scariest places in the world: deep in the underground Vaults of Edinburgh. If we emerge safely, we’ll scurry back to the safety of our hotel, and hide under the covers – or maybe enjoy some night time fun in this always lively city.

 

 

Day 9    

 

We’ll start the day with a fun walking tour of the upper portion of Edinburgh’s famed Royal Mile to make you comfortable in your new neighborhood. This fascinating main street is so full of intriguing shops, you might feel as if you’ve discovered the real “Diagon Alley”. Our tour will reveal some of the old city’s most famous tales and legends. We’ll have breakfast along the way at a very special place that played a big part in Harry Potter history!

 

Afterward it’s on to the awesome Edinburgh Castle for a terrific tour of the castle that was an inspiration for J.K. Rowling’s image of Hogwarts. There will also be time to explore the castle at your own pace. Then the group will rendezvous for a short trip to an ancient Scottish castle in the countryside for an up close and personal encounter with owls! This will be an experience you will never forget! Everyone will get to handle and learn about flying owls, and to try your hand at really flying different kinds of owls just like those that appear in the Harry Potter movies. It’s an amazing experience!

 

After we’ve become experts in owl-flying we’ll have a wonderful dinner together in the castle’s

Dungeon! After dinner we’ll head back to the city for a free evening. This delightful capital and university town offers a very lively nightlife, and there’s something for everyone, from traditional Scottish music to live pop performances. Or if you didn’t get enough fright before, you might even want to take another ghost walk! Whatever you choose, fall under the spell and enjoy a memorable evening taking in one of the world’s greatest cities

 

 

 

Day 10

 

After an early breakfast we’ll board our train to travel to Durham, England. In this scenic northern English town we’ll visit the magnificent Durham Cathedral, one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in Britain. The setting is one of the most familiar filming locations for the early Harry Potter movies. Durham, the ancestral home of George Washington, is filled with history and legend, and is always a favorite destination for Magical Tours guests.

 

The next stop is Alnwick, England, the location where many, many exterior shots of “Hogwarts” were filmed. As soon as we arrive we’ll have lunch on your own at the castle's snack bar or restaurant or in one of the town’s cozy cafes outside the castle walls. The absolutely breathtaking Alnwick Castle and village alone are worth a trip to the British Isles! You will feel as if you really are at Hogwarts! We may even see an owl-flying demonstration and some other nice surprises where Harry’s first flying lesson took place!

 

In the evening we will go to one of Britain’s most enchanting restaurants for a meal you’ll never forget!

And after our visit there we’ll return to Edinburgh in time for some last-minute packing before tomorrow’s departure for the US.

 

 

Day 11

 

The tour ends with breakfast at our hotel. Guests will be assisted with airport transfers or with departures to other destinations.  Today’s transportation will be the responsibility of individual guests.

 

After this magical experience you’ll never think of the Harry Potter books and movies in the same way because – for a little while, at least – you will have lived in Harry’s world yourself!

NOTE: Ages 6 – 17 must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or chaperone.

 

                    The MAXIMUM for this small group tour is 16 persons, and the MINIMUM is 8.

 

                                                   All prices are based on double occupancy.

 

 

DISCLAIMER: These themed tours are not official 'Harry Potter' events and are not endorsed, sanctioned or in any other way supported, directly or indirectly by Warner Bros. Entertainment, the Harry Potter book publishers or J.K.Rowling and her representatives. All rights to the series of “Harry Potter” books are the property of J.K. Rowling and her publishers including Scholastic Press, et al. Film rights and image trademarks are the property of Warner Brothers, Inc. Any references to trademarked and copyrighted materials are not intended as anything more than an effort to bring well-known imaginary figures and places in literature into the context of an actual travel experience in Great Britain. Though the places we will visit are quite real and historically significant, the theme of this tour is based upon entirely imaginary characters and places. When the tour itinerary refers to such imaginary characters or place names, there is no intent to imply that they are real people or places, or that they pertain to factual events.

 

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