- By MuggleNet Editorial Staff
- 7 Oct, 2026
- Latest
For many of us, visiting the places connected to the Harry Potter story is already a rather lengthy travel wish list. There’s Platform 9 3/4 in London, the historic halls of Oxford, the streets of Edinburgh, and, of course, a journey through the Scottish Highlands aboard the train that we all know so well.
But what if you could put them all into one trip and add the worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis along the way?
History Bites Tours is bringing travelers across England and Scotland in summer 2027 for a nine-day journey through the lands that gave birth to Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings.
From Platform 9 3/4 to the Scottish Highlands
The tour begins in London on July 9, with sightseeing around some of the capital’s most recognizable landmarks and the option to visit King’s Cross Station and Platform 9 3/4.
From there, the itinerary heads south to seaside Bournemouth and nearby chalk cliffs of Old Harry Rocks before visiting Stonehenge and continuing to Oxford.
And if you’re traveling with Potter at the top of your reading list, Oxford is where things get really magical.
The tour includes locations familiar from the Harry Potter films, including Duke Humfrey’s Library and Christ Church College. The latter provided several recognizable locations and visual touchstones for Hogwarts, including the Bodley Tower staircase seen in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Its iconic dining hall also served as the real-life inspiration for the Great Hall of Hogwarts
But Oxford also provides the perfect opportunity to explore the connections between the literary worlds at the center of the trip. Tolkien and Lewis both spent significant portions of their lives in Oxford, taught at the university, and were famously members of the Inklings, the informal literary group whose members discussed their works together.
Stops on the History Bites itinerary include places associated with both authors, including Tolkien’s former home at 20 Northmoor Road (where he wrote The Lord of the Rings), Lewis’s home The Kilns (where he wrote Narnia), Magdalen College and Addison’s Walk, and The Eagle and Child.
In other words, you can spend one part of your day exploring locations connected to Hogwarts and another tracing the history of Middle-earth and Narnia.
Image © Jack Delany
Next comes Edinburgh.
The Scottish capital has become an essential destination for many Potter travelers, and History Bites has several familiar stops planned, including Greyfriars Kirkyard, Victoria Street, the Elephant House, and the Balmoral Hotel, where Rowling famously completed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Because you will be traveling with historian Solomon Schmidt, who wrote the definitive biography of J.K. Rowling, you will have the unique opportunity to hear intriguing stories he uncovered about the creation of Harry Potter.
The itinerary also leaves time for Edinburgh itself. Travelers will visit Edinburgh Castle and have free time in the evening to explore the city independently.
That balance is part of the format throughout the trip. Although transportation and a substantial itinerary are arranged in advance, History Bites builds in opportunities for travelers to break away from the group and explore on their own.
Image © Helene Sula
All Aboard the Hogwarts Express
Then it’s time to head into the Highlands.
The tour travels from Edinburgh toward Fort William, stopping at scenic viewpoints and Potter filming locations along the way, including a location used for Hagrid’s Hut. There’s also an optional visit to the gorgeous Glen Nevis, where scenes from the Potter films were shot.
And then comes something that has probably appeared on more than a few MuggleNet readers’ bucket lists: a ride aboard the Jacobite Steam Train.
The 84-mile round-trip journey between Fort William and Mallaig passes through some of Scotland’s most spectacular scenery and crosses locations instantly recognizable from the Harry Potter films. The Jacobite’s route includes the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct, making this about as close as we Muggles can get to actually taking the Hogwarts Express.
The journey concludes with a celebratory dinner at the Atholl Palace before returning to Edinburgh.
Meet Your Tour Guide
Leading the journey is historian and author Solomon Schmidt, who has written ten books, including works about Tolkien, Lewis, and Rowling.
His latest book, A Pen to Change the World: The Life of J.K. Rowling, examines Rowling’s life and career and draws upon interviews conducted for the project. His work on Tolkien and Lewis has also brought him into contact with prominent Inklings scholars, including Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey and the late Walter Hooper, who served as Lewis’s secretary.
With that background, the trip goes beyond arriving at a filming location, taking a photograph, and climbing back onto a coach. The stories of the three writers are explored in-depth throughout the journey.
What Guests Have Said
Guests who have taken this tour have raved about it, describing it as “the trip of a lifetime” and saying they would “go again in a heartbeat.” Heather S. commented, “live your dream: take the tour,” and Ellen M. said, “If you get a chance to go on tour with Solomon Schmidt of History Bites, don’t let the chance pass you by.” Based on 100% 5-star reviews, History Bites Tours has received the TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Award and is in the top 10% of listings worldwide.
What’s Included?
The July 9–18, 2027, tour includes nine nights in four- and five-star hotels, nine breakfasts, five lunches, one dinner, transportation by dedicated luxury coach, scheduled entrance and guide fees, and a ticket aboard the Jacobite Steam Train.
Travelers also receive wireless headsets, a History Bites Tours shirt, and copies of Schmidt’s books about Rowling, Tolkien, and Lewis.
For Potter readers who have always wanted to see the real-world places connected to the wizarding world (but wouldn’t mind making a few detours into Middle-earth and Narnia along the way) this is a tremendous opportunity to make quite a few literary pilgrimages in a single trip.
The History Bites UK tour runs July 9–18, 2027: spots are limited and are already filling. You can view the complete itinerary, pricing, registration information, and tour details on the History Bites Tours website.
This article is sponsored by History Bites Tours. MuggleNet received compensation for this story.
