Have you ever wanted to go on the train journey to Hogwarts via the Hogwarts Express?
Of course you have!
I have been dreaming about hopping aboard the Hogwarts Express to the magical Wizarding World ever since we saw Harry Potter board the magical steam train from King’s Cross station in the Philosopher’s Stone.
But did you know that you can ACTUALLY buy tickets and ride on the Hogwarts Express in real life?
OK, so it’s not exactly called The Hogwarts Express in the real world. Nor is it located at King’s Cross station in London.
Located in the Scottish Highlands, in Fort William, there is a train line called West Coast Railways who run an old school train service featuring “The Jacobite” steam train.
In fact, the Harry Potter movies filmed using The Jacobite steam train as the Hogwarts Express!
And along the journey you take, you will even pass other famous Harry Potter film locations, like the famous “bridge” the Glenfinnan Viaduct as well as Loch Eilt which is the final resting place for Albus Dumbledore.
Truly, the Scottish Highlands and The Jacobite steam train are as close to Hogwarts and the Hogwarts Express as you could possibly get in.
But what about the real-life details on how to book The Jacobite steam train and experience this magical journey?
I’ve got you covered with everything you need to know in this blog post.
Everything you need to know about booking tickets on the Hogwarts Express
🎟 How to book train tickets for The Jacobite steam train
For non magical folk, you can buy tickets on their website or via any of the links below.
I really recommend booking tickets a few months in advance as they sell out super quickly. But for last minute potential tickets keep reading for more details…
And it can be really handy to book as part of a tour – so here are some good options to help you out too.
💸 Which tickets should I buy ⤵️
I would recommend buying the Standard seats.
Standard seats on The Jacobite cost roughly £50 per ticket – this is what we had for our journey.
They also offer First Class Tickets (£72 per ticket) and even those with a private table which are £180 (total for two tickets).
Lastly, you can book out the Compartments which are very Harry Potter-esque train compartments that you can book out entirely.
Think what you see in the first few films when they board the train, those private sliding door style compartments.
But truthfully, all of the carriages feel just like you’re stepping straight onto The Hogwarts Express!
So I think it’s best to go for the cheaper option. It’s not like Harry, Ron and Hermione were travelling to Hogwarts in First Class after all.
🚂 Can you buy tickets the day of the train journey?
I’d highly recommend booking your tickets in advance, especially if you are not local to the area.
But there is always a chance you can turn up at Fort William station and they might have a spare ticket or two. I would arrive VERY early if you do this. You can turn up to the platform and speak to one of the guards to see about available tickets.
Sometimes there are tickets, sometimes there aren’t. These are cash only so make sure to bring enough.
PS. A little insider knowledge. You don’t get to choose which seats you physically get on the train when you buy, they are automatically assigned to you.
But if you don’t love where you end up you can also ask whoever is working selling tickets about swapping your seats around. That’s what we did!
🚙 How do you get to The Jacobite train in Fort William?
The Jacobite steam train journey starts in Fort William.
From Glasgow to Fort William it is a 2 hr 45 min car journey.
From Edinburgh to Fort William it is a 3hr 30 minute car journey.
Trains do take a bit longer as well. If you’re looking for an extra train adventure of a lifetime, you can also get the overnight Caledonian Sleeper train straight from London overnight straight up to Fort William.
I’d also recommend staying overnight in Fort William either the day before your journey or the day of your train journey. It’s a long day so minimising your driving or travel time is super helpful.
Also most hotels are within a short walking distance to Fort William train station where you will get The Jacobite.
Alternatively, book The Jacobite as part of a group activity:
🚂 Where does The Jacobite Train travel to and what will you see?
The Jacobite steam train travels from Fort William to Mallaig and back twice each day.
There is a morning train service and an afternoon train service.
The morning service leaves Fort William at 10:15am and the afternoon service leaves at 12:50pm.
The train stops briefly in the town of Mallaig where you have time to get out, stretch your legs, walk around the town, grab a bite to eat or a drink in one of the local pubs.
As I mentioned earlier, the train journey features famous destinations from the films like the Glenfinnan Viaduct. Watch out for a flying Ford Anglia!
You’ll travel all through the Scottish highlands, which are completely magical.
The Jacobite also goes past Loch Eilt which is the final resting place of Albus Dumbledore, featured in the films.
You can also visit it if you want to! It’s a very short drive from Glenfinnan Viaduct and well worth a visit if you’re already there to watch the train.
⏳ How long is the train journey?
Prepare to book your entire day out for a journey on The Jacobite steam train.
It is roughly six hours round trip, including the two hour stopover in the town of Mallaig. So about two hours to get to Mallaig, two hours spent in the town of Mallaig and then two hours returning back to Fort William.
It’s quite a long time on the train, so here is my advice of what you should plan for during your train journey….
📖 What to do on the train?
You will be absolutely engrossed in spotting all of the sites along the way. The Scottish Highlands are absolutely beautiful, breathtaking and like I said, there is so much to see!
But it’s also a very long train journey.
So you will find yourself with some down time in between looking at the sites.
Make sure to take things like a book, puzzle or cards to play games en route. I saw a family with a deck of playing cards and wished we had brought some!
🍭 Anything from the trolley, dears?
On The Jacobite train there are two different trolleys.
The first is your usual food and drinks trolley. If you aren’t from the United Kingdom this is a total novelty for visitors and is super cool. When I first moved over to the UK, I was very impressed with the train trolley that would come around offering food and drinks.
On this train journey you can get plenty of snacks, fizzy drinks, hot drinks and even a choice of alcoholic ones!
The perks of being an adult witch or wizard means you can purchase ~beverages~. On our evening return back to Fort William we decided to treat ourselves.
Yes, I did get a wine on the Hogwarts Express. 😉
The second trolley is special to The Jacobite steam train, it contains a plethora of Harry Potter souvenirs. You can even get chocolate frogs or Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans. We’ll take the lot!
But also, remember you can bring your own snacks and drinks on board too!
The good news about travelling on this train journey is that on the return leg back to Fort William you can always spot everything you might have missed on the way back.
Travelling on The Jacobite steam train is without a doubt one of the coolest things I’ve ever done, especially as a huge Harry Potter fan. The memories of bucket list experiences like these will last a lifetime.
Would you book The Jacobite steam train? If only it could drop us all off at Hogsmeade Station to go into Hogwarts!
Kelly xox
Hotels in Fort William
