Harry Potter's Alnwick Castle and Scottish Borders Day Trip
- Length9 hours 30 minutes
- Time at the castle2 hours 30 minutes
- Group sizeUp to 16 travellers
- Departs fromEdinburgh
- CancellationFree up to 24 hours before
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before it starts, for a full refund.
The lowest coach fare listed
The cheapest of the Edinburgh day trips, and among the highest rated.
Two and a half hours at the castle
A stated figure, which most departures do not commit to.
Bamburgh from the sand
The fortress of the Northumbrian kings, seen from the beach below it.
Sixteen seats
A minibus rather than a full coach, with a guide on the border history.
Entry buyable at check-in
Castle admission is extra, but you can settle it before you set off.
Bamburgh first, from the beach
The morning stop is the village and the sand, with Bamburgh Castle above the dunes. Go in expecting a view rather than a visit: admission is not part of the fare and the scheduled stop is the beach and the village. It is a good hour and it is the best photograph of the day.
The Outer Bailey, and the flying lesson
Alnwick fills the afternoon, and the ground most people are here for is the Outer Bailey — the grassed courtyard where Madam Hooch’s first flying lesson was filmed for Philosopher’s Stone. It is open to anyone with a ticket, and the castle runs its own Broomstick Training on the same grass. What else was shot here is on the film locations page.
What fits in two and a half hours
Enough for the State Rooms and the courtyard if you go straight in rather than round the town first. The State Rooms stop admitting at 4pm, so on an afternoon arrival they come before anything else. Add the Great Kitchen if you move quickly; leave the second museum. The castle’s own recommendation is two to three hours, so this stop sits inside its range rather than under it.
The entry ticket you buy at check-in
Castle admission is not in the fare, and the operator sells it at check-in on the Royal Mile. Settling it there is easier than the gate, where the walk-up rate is the dearest of the three 2026 bands. The rate card is on the visiting page.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
Book this if
Film-first visitors who want the Bailey and the Northumberland coast in one day. Anyone weighing fare against time at the castle, since this combination is the strongest on the sheet. Small-group travellers who would rather not be on a forty-seven-seat coach.
Book something else if
You want three hours at the castle, or you want Holy Island in the day. Neither is part of this itinerary.
The Holy Island and Alnwick day trip is the one to look at instead.
What’s included
What the fare covers
- ✓ Local English-speaking guide
- ✓ Air-conditioned vehicle
What it does not
- ✗ Hotel pickup and drop-off
- ✗ Food and drinks
- ✗ Entrance fees to Alnwick Castle, can be purchased at check-in
- ✗ Tips
Know before you go
- Castle entry is extra. Buy it at check-in rather than at the gate; the walk-up rate is the highest of the 2026 bands.
- Meet fifteen minutes early on the Royal Mile. Check-in closes before departure and the coach does not wait.
- No children under five. Including infants who do not require a seat.
- Allow three hours after the scheduled return. Return times move with the road and the weather; do not book a connection tight.
- The route order can change. And the departure may run on a larger vehicle, or with the operator's sister company.
- Not wheelchair accessible. The coach is not, though the castle itself is.
What travellers said about this one
Standing in the Outer Bailey at Alnwick Castle where the flying lesson was filmed was the whole point, and it delivered. Our guide had stills on a tablet to line the shots up.
Film fan · September 2025
Buying castle entry at check-in was easier than queuing at the gate. Nobody had told us it was extra, though — go in expecting a second payment.
Couple · October 2025
Bamburgh from the beach is a view rather than a visit. Lovely view, and worth knowing in advance that you are not going inside.
Solo traveller · May 2026
Read all reviews on the booking page
Frequently asked questions
Is this the tour that goes to Hogwarts?
Alnwick Castle stood in for the exteriors of Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films, and this day trip takes you there. The Outer Bailey, where the flying lesson was filmed, is open to anyone with a castle ticket.
Is castle entry included?
No. It is extra, and the operator offers it at check-in, which is easier than buying at the gate on arrival.
Do we go inside Bamburgh Castle?
Not as part of the scheduled stop. Bamburgh is seen from the village and the beach, which is a view rather than a visit. If a second castle interior is what you want from the day, the Holy Island day trip puts Lindisfarne Priory in it instead.
Can I do broomstick training on this tour?
Yes, if the day's timetable allows and you have a castle ticket. Sessions run on the Outer Bailey to a schedule set on the day, so ask as you come through the gate.
How big is the group?
Up to sixteen travellers, which is a minibus rather than a coach. On some dates the departure runs on a larger vehicle.
Other ways in
- From Edinburgh: Holy Island, Alnwick Castle & Northumbria — From $78 per person
- Alnwick: Alnwick Castle Ticket — From $29 per person
- Alnwick Castle Tours — every option compared