The World of Harry Potter

Welcome to England

Arrive at Manchester Airport where your driver will collect you and take you via private coach to the city of Liverpool.  Enjoy a panoramic tour of the city and head through Liverpool’s Queensway Tunnel where Harry and Hagrid sped through on Sirius Black’s giant flying motorcycle while being pursued by death eaters in the Half Blood Prince.

Check into your central 4* hotel before enjoying the rest of the afternoon at your leisure. Why not spend the afternoon visiting the award winning exhibition ‘The Beatles Story.’ Home to the world’s largest collection of Beatles memorabilia, this immersive journey tell the story of how ‘four young lads from Liverpool were propelled to the dizzy heights of fame and fortune from their humble beginnings.’ Tour the museum at your own pace with a ‘Living History Audio Guide’passing through replicas of monumental locations such as The Casbah Coffee Club, Matthew Street and The Cavern Club.

Durham and North East England

After a traditional breakfast at your hotel your driver will collect you and take you to Durham.

Your guide will meet you and take you to Durham Cathedral to wander through the ancient cloisters.  These cloisters were used for the filming of the Sorcerer’s Stone – becoming the snow covered quadrangle where Harry magically releases Hedwig from his hands.  Harry returned to the UNESCO World Heritage Site the following year in Chamber of Secrets with the incredible building providing the setting for Harry and his friends turning animals into water goblets.

Next visit the adjacent Durham Castle, originally built in 1072 under the instruction of William the Conqueror, the castle has been inhabited continuously since the 11th century and today is part of Durham University.

After checking into your central 4* hotel, the rest of the afternoon will be free to spend at your leisure exploring the wonderful local area.

Hogwarts

After breakfast your driver and guide will collect you and take you to Alnwick Castle – used as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the first two Harry Potter films. The castle is the second largest inhabited castle in England and has been home to the Duke of Northumberland’s family, the Percys, for over 700 years.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was filmed on location here in Autumn 2000 and the following year the cast returned to film the Chamber of Secrets.

The Outer Bailey is recognisable as the area where Harry and his fellow students learned to fly with Madame Hooch and where he learnt the basics of Quidditch from Oliver Wood. The courtyards and baileys of the castle were used to film Hogwarts students and professors going about their daily activities and where Harry and Ron crashed the Weasley’s Ford Anglia into the Whomping Willow.  The Lion Arch was the main passageway in and out of Hogwarts, heading towards Hagrid’s cabin and the Forbidden Forest.

Why not learn to fly in the Out Bailey with the Castle’s World Famous Broomstick Training.

After spending the day exploring the castle and learning to fly you will travel back to your hotel where the rest of the evening will be free to spend at your leisure.

London

After breakfast at your hotel, your group will take the train to London where you will check into your 4* central hotel.  London is a wonderful city mixing royalty, history, heritage and countless cultures. London incomparable blend of influences, traditions and history made it an unmissable destination for travellers.  Britain’s biggest city has it all – and then some.

The remainder of the day will be spent at your leisure to explore the capital. Why not ask us to organise a sightseeing bus ticket for you to see all the main sites of the city, or travel down the Thames on a boat cruise.

Harry Potter in London

After breakfast at your hotel your driver and guide will meet you and take you in a Harry Potter journey around London.  Visit filming locations and discover the inspiration behind the sites and the stories as your guide brings the magic to life.

Visit King’s Cross Station and have your picture taken at the barrier to Platform 9 3/4, see St. Paul’s Cathedral, Big Ben, London Bridge and many more.  See where the Knight Buss squeezed through the oncoming double decker bus in Prisoner of Azkaban, walk in the footsteps of Hagrid and Harry as they entered the Leaky Cauldron for Diagon Alley, see the locations of Gringotts Bank, the bridge destroyed by the death eaters at the start of the Half Blood Prince, Grimmauld Place and the street entrance to the Ministry of Magic.

Return to your hotel (and the Muggle World) to spend the rest of the evening at your leisure.

Windsor

After breakfast you will head to Windsor Castle and Windsor’s Great Park where Harry, Ron and Hermione took refuge in the woods during the Deathly Hallows.

Enjoy a tour of the oldest occupied castle in the world and official residence of HRH Queen Elizabeth II. Discover 900 years of British heritage as you visit the castles luxurious State Apartments, adorned with priceless, historical artworks, step inside the stunning St. George’s Chapel; burial place of Henry VIII and view Queen Mary’s incredibly ornate dolls house. Summer visitors can enjoy the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony.

After some free time exploring the spectacular caste, your journey will then continue onto Oxford, stopping in the town of Bracknell – filming location for Privet Drive.

Check into your 4* central hotel and spend the rest of the evening at your leisure.

Oxford and Blenheim Palace

After a traditional breakfast at your hotel, your magical journey will take you to Oxford; the ‘City of Dreaming Spires.’ You will start by exploring Christ Church Castle which provided the location for many Harry Potter scenes.

The staircase leads up to the Tudor Great Dining Hall which was used as an inspiration for the great Hogwarts Dining Hall.  The hallways of Christ Church were also used to film the scenes Hermione shows Harry the Quidditch trophy his father won.

You will also visit Bodleian Library – where Duke Humfrey’s library was used as the restricted book section of Humfrey’s while Divinity School was used as Hogwarts Infirmary after Harry’s encounter with you know who.

After an independent lunch, your group will then travel to Blenheim Palace – birthplace of the ‘Greatest Briton of all time’ – Winston Churchill. Presented as a gift from Queen Anne to John Churchill in 1704, it is the only non royal house in the country to hold the title of palace and was designated a World Heritage Site in 1987. Explore the incredible palace and surrounding landscaped gardens before heading back to your hotel to spend the rest of the evening at your leisure.

Gloucester and Lacock

After a traditional breakfast at your hotel, your group will continue your Harry Potter journey onto Gloucester.

Many of the scenes from the Harry Potter movies were filmed in Gloucester Cathedral including Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, the corridor where the fateful words ‘The Chamber of Secrets has been opened’ first appeared and where Harry and Ron hid from the troll in Sorcerer’s Stone. Enjoy a tour of the cathedral and hear about some of the special effects and tricks used to transform the magnificent cloisters into the corridors of Hogwarts.

After some free time for lunch tour group will continue onto Lacock Abbey, whose interior was used as Hogwarts for a number of scenes in the first two films.  The cloisters served as Hogwarts Corridors on many occasions including the Potions Classroom, Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom and the room where Harry discovered the Mirror of Erised.

Your group will then travel back to London to spend the rest of the evening at your leisure.

Home Time

After a traditional breakfast, your transfer will collect you and take you to the airport for you to continue your journey home.