Edinburgh, home of Harry Potter

Scotland is a place full of magic and beauty and I really enjoy writing about it. It has also been the source of inspiration for many famous writers like the amazing J.K. Rowling and her fantasy novels of Harry Potter. She wrote most of the Harry Potter books in the stunning city of Edinburgh, and if you visit the city, you can still visit some of these places today. She wrote her first books in several coffee shops when she first moved to the capital of Scotland in 1993 with her baby daughter, where her sister and brother in law were living - after divorcing her Portuguese husband. 

Cover Picture Credits to jentakespictures

But this article is not about J.K Rowling’s life, which is very interesting though – the previous paragraph was just a short introduction to have a bit of a background. In this article, I will write about one of the most famous coffee shops in Edinburgh in which J.K Rowling wrote some of the first Harry Potter books: The Elephant House. As the author said in an interview, “…Edinburgh is very much home for me and is the place where Harry evolved over seven books and many, many hours of writing in its cafés” and that shows quite well in this cosy and cute coffee shop.

The Elephant House

The Elephant House is one of the most famous of the Harry Potter related attractions in Edinburgh and it attracts lots of visitors and Harry Potter fans every day.  It was probably the place where the author wrote her second and third Harry Potter books, in one of the tables next to the windows with views to the huge Edinburgh castle. 

Check out the video of J.K Rowling’s interviews at the Elephant House by the time she started working on the novel. 

This place has become a very famous tourist attraction some years after that interview, and now is likely to have queues of people waiting at the door. I recommend visiting it outside of the busiest times of the day, so avoid brunch or lunch time, so you can skip long lines of people too. The bathroom is now a place for Harry Potter fans to do some graffiti and it is definitely worth visiting this coffee shop if you visit Edinburgh. The Elephant House also offers food and delicious cakes that are totally recommendable, and its prices are not really high. 

The Elephant House was just one of the several places in Edinburgh that ended up changing J.K Rowling’s life, making her one of the most famous writers in the world nowadays. If you’re a Harry Potter fan and you visit Edinburgh, then you have to visit this coffee shop and try its delicious cakes! 

The Elephant House

21 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EN, Reino Unido