Get your wizard robes on and your wand at the ready for an exciting trip around York. We’ve tracked down all the places you can visit to create your very own Harry Potter York inspired family day out!
From a trip down Diagon Alley (ok, the Shambles!) to a round of Wizard Golf or completing the brand new Mumbler Mythical Creature Quest to creating your very own potion, you can plan a perfectly magical family day out in York!
There is a spellbinding new addition to Homestead Park this summer! With amazing Harry Potter character sculptures in the gardens, you can pretend to fly on a broomstick and get some great photos of the kids. With Dobby, Harry, Hermione and more, all Harry Potter fans will really enjoy the display!
Plus of course, you can enjoy the play area whilst you are there too! You can discover more parks and play areas in York, by reading our blog here!
📍 The Homestead, 40 Water End, York YO30 6WP
Follow our very own Mumbler Mythical Creature Quest to find eight mythical creatures hiding around the city of York. Can you unscramble the clues to uncover the magical Mumbler password?
You can download your Mumbler Mythical Creature Quest here or pick up a copy of our map from Visit York Information Centre on Parliament Street.
We’d love to see you out and about on our Mumbler Quest, so if you do take some photos, don’t forget to use the hashtag #MumblerMCQ so we can share the fun you are having!
And if that wasn’t enough we’ve created lots of Magical and Mythical fun for you to print off and enjoy at home for FREE! You can enjoy…
👀 Looking for the answers? Shush…don’t tell the kids you’ve cheated, but if you do get stuck on your Quest or want to check your answers are right, then you can find the answers on our Mumbler Mythical Creature Quest page here.
There has been much speculation if the Shambles inspired Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books and films. The Shambles is one of the most beautiful medieval streets in the world. You feel like you are stepping back in time or entering a magical world as you wander down the cobbled street with its overhanging buildings. JK Rowling claims she’s never seen or visited the Shambles but we still think it’s very magical!
For wizarding fans, there are plenty of places on the Shambles to stock up on magical supplies.
🧙♂️ The Shop That Must Not Be Named – this independent gift shop, sells everything a potential witch or wizard might need from wands to spellbooks and of course a wide range of Harry Potter merchandise. You really will feel like you’ve taken a trip to Diagon Alley to stock up on supplies for Hogwarts School after a visit to The Shop That Must Not Be Named!
🧪 The Potions Cauldron – a visit to this magical drinks emporium is a must to fully embrace your magical day in York. Enjoy a drink that comes to life with a potion spell or mix your own slush potion that has magical powers!
You can also enjoy the new Secret Potion room – learn the secrets of potion making and have a potion mixed for you by a Wizard! The Potions Experience at The Potions Cauldron lasts 25 minutes and is £5.99 per Wizard. And NEW for Summer 2024 – hop on over the road for the new Potions Academy! A 30 minute experience where you and your mini wizards-in-training can get hands on in a Potions Class under the guidance of your “Potion Master”. A Broom Academy is also set to follow later this summer…
👻 The Ghost Merchants – York is well known as being the most haunted city in Europe, so why not treat yourself to your very own handmade York Ghost. Each ghost is original and embossed with a maker’s mark.
🛍 Shambles Market – The Shambles Market is just a stone’s throw from the Shambles. It’s a brilliant place for families with its own food court, which has plenty of outside seating and food options. With more than 70 stalls, why not stock up on some gifts, food, flowers or handmade crafts whilst you are there.
🌙 If shopping isn’t for you, or you want to avoid the inevitable crowds, a wander down the Shambles when it’s dark can be equally magical! You might need to remember the Lumos charm so you can light up your wand!
📍 The Shambles, York
⏰ Most shops on the Shambles are open 7 days a week – opening hours vary.
Another location in York that fans think featured in the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is the bridge at York Railway Station. Many fansites claim that the scene where Hagrid walks with Harry Potter into the station and then disappears before Harry can ask him if there is any such thing as Platform 9 3/4’s was filmed at York Station! From our research, we conclude it was actually filmed in Kings Cross and St Pancras Stations in London. Of course, if you are ever in London, you can visit Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station.
If you want to get swept up into your own magical adventure in York, then a visit to the magnificent grade 2 listed building of York Station will provide some great photo opportunities for budding witches and wizards off to Wizarding School on the train. If you have any train enthusiasts in your family, they will appreciate taking in all the sights and sounds of York Station – and a little bit of train spotting…maybe not the Hogwarts Express though.
📍 York Station, Station Road, York YO24 1AB
There is one feature from the Harry Potter films hiding in the National Railway Museum in York – the Platform 9 ¾ sign! It is quite hidden away in the North Shed so you will need to look hard to track it down!
If you need a clue it’s hiding next to a statue of Britannia which was originally at Euston Station. The very station that JK Rowling said she was thinking of when she was writing the Harry Potter books!
In the Station Hall, you can explore over 100 years of railway life in this historical section. As you soak up the vintage atmosphere, it’s easy to imagine you are setting off to Wizarding school!
Plus you can see the original Rocket. George and Robert Stephenson’s world-changing locomotive that proved steam-powered locomotives were suitable for general use. Whilst there is plenty of magic on board the Hogwarts Express, it surely runs on steam, not magic!
Back in 2012 the Olton Hall (better know as the Hogwarts Express) paid a visit to the NRM. Maybe one day it will visit again?
📍 Leeman Road, York YO26 4XJ
⏰ Open Wed – Sun 10am – 5pm and week round in school holidays
💰 Entrance is free (pre-booking recommended)
ℹ️ Find out more about the National Railway Museum on York Mumbler
You can enjoy a thoroughly magical experience at the World’s most magical golf course!
Enjoy 9 magical golf holes where you will see a bubbling cauldron, magical portals and even a giant picture frame where you become part of the painting.
Find out at the end if you have the magical powers of a serpent, basilisk, unicorn or wizard whilst enjoying your magical potion drink!
📍 14-16 Coppergate Walk, York, YO1 9NT
⏰ Open from 10.30am – 6pm with extended hours on weekends and school holidays. Pre-book online.
💰 from £6.99 for age 3 upwards. Includes 9 holes and golf and a magical potion drink at the end
ℹ️ Find out more about the Hole In Wand on York Mumbler
👻 Join The Magic Hatter on his Wizard Walk of York! Enjoy a quest to find magical creatures as you wander the alleys and snickelways of the city. You will be very entertained on this wonderfully whimsical tour, which is perfect for little witches and wizards! Tours run on selected evenings, starting from the bottom of the Shambles, opposite the Golden Fleece. Find out more here. Plus check out our Mumbler Review of the Wizard Walk of York when Sarah took along her 6-year-old wizard, Ted!
👻 If you want to learn even more about York and its haunted past then there are plenty of Ghost Walks and Tours lists on Visit York’s website – just check the suitability for your family & children’s ages before you book.
👻 Plus don’t forget York Mumbler’s very own trail! You can download your Mumbler Mythical Creature Quest here. On our short, family-friendly walking trail you will need to track down the 8 creatures hiding in York city centre.
If you do enjoy the Mumbler Quest, we’d love you to tag us in your photos so we can share your fun! #MumblerMCQ
Our sister websites, Ryedale Mumbler & Wharfedale Mumbler have lots of fun places to visit further afield in Yorkshire so please visit their websites too! We’ve highlighted a few magical and Harry Potter-related sights you can see beyond York below.
Discover Northwood Trail, England’s Fairy Sanctuary Located in a 100-acre wood, just 11 miles from York is this woodland fair sanctuary.
You can enjoy a beautiful woodland trail and a Fairy Museum. There is also a natural play area for smaller children and a den building for older ones.
There is also a woodland kitchen that serves organic teas, coffee and locally produced food.
📍 Buttercrambe Wood YO41 1AP
⏰ Opening times vary – check the Northwood Trail website for details
💰 Adult £11.95, Child 3-15 £6.90, under 3s free, Family 4 £31.90. Tickets must be booked online. Special events are often available.
ℹ️ Find out more about Northwood Trail on York Mumbler
Just a few minutes walk from the picturesque village of Goathland is the railway station. It famously became Hogsmeade Station in the Harry Potter films.
Whilst you are there, you could enjoy a beautiful walk or a ride on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and really feel like you are being transported off to Hogwarts. Don’t forget to pack some chocolate frogs for the journey!
📍 Goathland is approximately 40 miles/an hours drive from York
Some of the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was filmed at Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales. Harry and Hermine set up their camp on the magnificent limestone pavement at the top of the Cove. Malham Cove created the perfect atmospheric and somewhat errie location for the film.
From Malham, there are lots of fantastic walks you can do and some lovely pubs to visit when you need a rest!
📍 Malham Cove is approximately 55 miles/a 2 hour drive from York
🪄🧙♀️ We wish all wizards, witches and Harry Potter fans a very magical day out in York 🧙🪄
Any use of the term Harry Potter or anything connected therewith in this Blog is for purely descriptive purposes. We are in no way affiliated with the Harry Potter brand, and the Blog is intended to merely help any little wizarding fans have a great time in York, which we hope it does!
