Complete Potterhead, 8hr rite-of-passage unwrapping Harry Potter

We had an absolute blast with Sam on our 8-hour tour! My 10 year-old Harry Potter obsessed daughter and I are doing a Harry Potter road trip for her birthday. Sam’s stories, activities and sights (and of course his wizard robes!) were above and beyond. Sam walks and talks fast so be ready for a workout! We covered a ton and the time flew by. We passed several other group tours and it made me glad we had the privacy and flexibility of Sam’s private tour. He was able to modify based on our interests and even made time for us to stop off at a couple of shops. He left us on Victoria Street where he gave us the insiders tip of grabbing a butterbeer from the take away window at The Elephant House to enjoy while we waited in the line for Museum Context. Our feet are tired but our hearts are full. Thank you, Sam, for a wonderful day in Edinburgh!

Sam took us through the nooks and crannies of Edinburgh and Rowling’s life and writing process. He was very conversational, patient, and enthusiastic! Our 11 and 15 year olds had a great time!

Sam is simply the best. We did the full 8-hour tour, and it was very inexpensive, and he provided value beyond what I hoped. In the months leading up to our tour, Sam offered guidance for what to see and do on our own in Edinburgh, and we were able to plan a weeklong trip that was perfect. We were traveling around New Year's, so a lot of things were closed, and he researched the city and found everything that would be open and sent me more recommendations than we even had time for. It was wonderful.

Then the actual tour itself! It start with Sam sorting us into houses, and it ended with a House Cup championship. I felt like we saw everything there was to see in Edinburgh. Sam took us to a museum where we were able to use some nifty little stools to rest our feet and we walked all over the city. We saw things that I've never seen or heard of before from any other tour company. He knows ALLLLLLLL the sights and nooks and crannies.

Because we had a private tour, we were able to ask questions and Sam guided us through the city in a way we've never experienced before. We ate lunch together at the restaurant where JK wrote the first book, and we had a wizard duel at Tom Riddle's grave. It was just such a wonderful experience.

I highly recommend Sam's tour to any Harry Potter enthusiast. We're super fans, despite the recent controversy, and we wanted to know everything. We left the tour feeling like we had done that. It was just so so so so good. If you have the stamina for an all day tour, definitely go for the 8 hour option. If you're not so sure about the time, go for a shorter one. But definitely go with Sam. He's by far the best in the city.

Sam is a Harry Potter fanatic, like me. I have always had a hard time finding someone who is as into the HP world as I am. But now I bow down to Sam and pledge my allegiance to him. He obsession inspires me. It inspired my entire Edinburgh trip.

I signed up for the longest tour that he could offer, a measly 6 hours. His tour is different because 1. He is a wizard 2. As far as the subject of Harry Potter and JK Rowling’s life is concerned, San definitely got an Outstanding in his OWLs and NEWTs. He is dedicated to his (witch)craft. He has tried to step into JKR’s shoes when she was in Scotland and has tried to find every little thread of relation between Harry Potter and her stay in Scotland, way beyond the obvious connections that all the muggles talk about (the names taken from Greyfriar’s Kirk, the curved street that inspired Diagon Alley). After all, your environment seeps into you and comes out in your creations in ways that might not be obvious, even to the author. And Sam is adamant to trace every step and day of JKR’s life to figure out what was she thinking and what inspired her when she was writing. He is the closest you will come to a Pensieve with JKR’s thoughts. For example, Sam claimed that there is a similarity between Dobby and another famous local Scottish character (I won’t spoil), and once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it. I believe that he is right and JKR did get the idea of Dobby from this character. I can’t believe that The Daily Prophet is not reporting on it.

And this is a testament to Sam’s dedication in pursuing the Scottish connection. He brought Edinburgh alive for me. I saw Harry Potter and JK Rowling everywhere. It was as if he peeled a few layers of Edinburgh and I could see things that I couldn’t earlier. It was truly magical and I would do it again. Him and his tour deserve an Order of Merlin, first class, indeed.

My family and I most often speak of the tour with Sam when we talk about our trip to Edinburg. I hope we will return one day and do it again.

Really enjoyed this Harry Potter tour! Good mix of Potter facts, JKR's very interesting backstory, and Edinburgh history. Plus a few spells and other fun bits I won't spoil....!

No favourite part as it was all brilliant. Informative, funny and very knowledgeable. Sam patiently answered all our questions from both young and old alike. Loved the fire at the end.

This was such a great tour and Sam was a fantastic tour guide. He was incredibly professional and knew so much about not only Harry Potter but the history of Edinburgh. I would recommend this tour to anyone and everyone, I learned so much about the city of Edinburgh and this was easily one of our best days in the city.

This is the BEST Harry Potter Tour BY FAR! Sam makes this tour very special, goes above and beyond with his knowledge of all things Potter and JK Rowling. He is creative, and you can see how much effort he pours into this tour. He wants you to enjoy yourself!! We did the 6 hour tour, which was very in-depth, going to places I'd never dreamed of going (basically you are seeing the whole city of Edinburgh..or at least all the best parts!). We wrote letters to JK Rowling in the very cafe that she wrote many of the Harry Potter novels. My favorite was hearing the back-story of JK Rowling and how she persevered through trying times to ultimately become one of the best writers of all time. What a special time with my daughter (age 20 who has always adored the Harry Potter books). This was priceless.

We were so lucky to have Becky guide our Potter tour. She was incredible and so knowledgeable! We didn't want the tour to end! We even had non Potter fans with us who were totally converted! Would definitely do this again.