Enjoy some of the best things to do in Inverness, the gateway to the Scottish Highlands.
Inverness, Scotland | UK
Like most travellers, Inverness had always been a transit stop for us as we made our way deeper into the highlands, to Loch Ness, to John O’Groats, or to Cullen on the Moray Coast. So we decided to go on a weekend trip to Inverness and spend two days just exploring the city and getting to know it better. It was fantastic! Inverness is a charming city of historic buildings and lovely bridges spanning the River Ness. The city centre is a few blocks of busy streets overflowing with cafes, pubs, restaurants, outdoor equipment shops, gift shops, and candy shops. For those who love to shop, or window shop, it is absolutely fabulous! Shop windows adorned with cute displays, gorgeous lengths of tartan, and pretty knick-knacks adorn the streets of Inverness. There are cafes and pubs along the river bank and on a sunny day, you can sit outside with a cup of coffee or a pint and soak in the sun. Inverness has its distillery too, if you were planning to visit one! If you want a break from the bustle of urban life, there are some scenic walks along River Ness and the Caledonian Canal. For history lovers, Inverness is also just 30 minutes by bus from Culloden, the place where the Jacobite rising came to a tragic end in the 1700s.
We loved walking the many streets of Inverness, admiring the decorative flourishes on the buildings, stopping every now and then for a treat, and browsing arts and crafts at gift shops. Our favourite parts of town are the Victorian Market– and I love shopping arcades– and we went there many times to eat or shop and Leakey’s Bookshop where you can lose track of time!
Things to do in Inverness
- How to Reach Inverness
- Where to Stay in Inverness
- Things to Do in Inverness
- Stroll Along Ness River and Visit Inverness Botanic Garden
- Visit Inverness Castle
- Tour Abertarff House
- Walk along the Caledonian Canal to Dochgarroch Lock
- Visit Culloden Battlefield
- Browse the Collection at Leakey’s Bookshop
- Lunch at the Victorian Market in Inverness
- Visit Uile-Bheist Distillery Brewery
- Listen to Live Music at Traditional Pubs in Inverness
- Enjoy Some Delicious Meals at Family-Run Eateries in Inverness
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How to Reach Inverness
Inverness is easy to reach by public transport from all parts of the UK.
BY TRAIN | Inverness is Scotland’s northernmost city and is well-connected by trains to the rest of the country. There are multiple services every day from London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. For cheap tickets, use the split ticketing feature on the Trainline website or app.
BY BUS | Megabus and Flixbus run daily services from Edinburgh and Glasgow and you can book your tickets on Omio. Inverness is also well-connected by bus to towns and villages in the Highlands.
BY FLIGHT | You can fly to Inverness from major UK cities such as London, Manchester, and Bristol. There are non-stop international flights to Amsterdam and Mallorca.
Where to Stay in Inverness
The following are Two Together’s recommended places to stay in Inverness.
SYHA Inverness | We stayed at the SYHA Inverness and we highly recommend it for a frill-free, reasonably-priced stay. Rooms, both private and dorms, are highly in demand as the hostel is frequented by walkers and hillwalkers exploring the Highlands. It is a 20-minute walk from the railway station and offers the usual amenities including a fully-equipped kitchen, breakfasts and dinners, and laundry service. Note that there is a £3 per night surcharge if you are not a Hostelling International/SYHA/YHA member.
Black Isle Hostel | Located in the city centre is one of Inverness’s most popular hostels, the Black Isle Hostel. Expect excellent service and clean rooms at a reasonable price.
Royal Highland Hotel | This Victorian Hotel is located right next to Inverness station and boasts a magnificent staircase inspired by the Titanic’s stairway.
Kingsmill Hotel | Located in a mansion set within four acres of grounds, this elegant and luxurious hotel offers a relaxing stay. They also have a whisky bar where you can taste Scotland’s best whiskies.
Glen Mhor | The Glen Mhor offers private rooms and apartments. It is located in a row of Victorian townhouses on the banks of River Ness. Some of the rooms have 4-poster beds plus river or castle views!
Things to Do in Inverness
Inverness is a beautiful city and there are so many wonderful things to do in Inverness.
Stroll Along Ness River and Visit Inverness Botanic Garden
One of the best things to do in Inverness on a balmy summer’s day is to walk along the beautiful Ness River. It can get crowded in Inverness, especially in the summers and on weekends but the moment you step off the main street and into the tree-lined path that runs along the river, it gets quiet and you can hear the wind rustling through the boughs. You can walk on either bank of River Ness. We started on the left bank and continued to Ness Islands after stopping for a few minutes outside Uile Bheist Distillery to listen to some excellent live music. Showy bunches of crimson and purple rhododendrons adorned the pathway. We ambled in sun and shade and turned back many times to admire and take photos of the Ness Bridge hazy in the blaze of the June sun. We walked over the three bridges that connect Ness Islands to the mainland– people were angling on the pebbly beaches of the river–, then onwards to Inverness Botanic Gardens. It was a lovely day and it was a wonderful walk! At Bught Park, a fair was on and we could see the top of a Ferris Wheel and hear the thundering music of a live band.
Visit Inverness Castle
Inverness Castle was closed for renovation when we visited in 2023 and 2024 but is scheduled to open in 2025. The red sandstone structure stands tall on the banks of the Ness– though the current building dates to the 19th century, similar structures have stood here at least since 1057– and is one of the most prominent landmarks in Inverness. You can read about the history of the castle here.
Tour Abertarff House
If you love historic houses, you will love Abertarff House! It was built in 1593 and as the oldest house in Inverness, it has witnessed the Covenanting times, Jacobite risings, and two world wars! The house is a classic example of 16th- and early 17th-century Scottish architecture with crow-stepped gables and features original oak timber beams and a beautiful 17th-century marriage stone over the main fireplace. Abertarff House is free to visit.
Walk along the Caledonian Canal to Dochgarroch Lock
One of the best things to do in Inverness is to go on a walk along the Caledonian Canal. You can walk just a few miles, or if fancy catches, walk the entire length of the Caledonian Canal to Fort Augustus! We took a bus to Dochgarroch Locks outside Inverness and walked back to the city along the canal. It was a gorgeous cloud-speckled morning and there was barely anyone except for a few walkers and bikers. Near the lock, boats bobbled languidly. Trees lined the banks of the Caledonian Canal and the last of the season’s gorse was perfuming the air with its unforgettable coconut-vanilla scent. Wildflowers grew in clumps along the bank and a group of rowers practised their strokes. There was barely a breath of wind. To our left, flowed the canal beyond which rose the Highlands and to our right, hidden by a screen of svelte trees, flowed the Ness quietly. It was an easy, relaxing walk and we stopped countless times to listen to birds and spot butterflies.
IS THERE A BUS FROM INVERNESS TO LOCH NESS? Yes, it is easy to travel by bus from Inverness to Loch Ness. You can travel by CityLink buses 919 or 917 from Inverness to Loch Ness. Stagecoach bus 17 is also another option. It is a 40-minute bus ride from Inverness to the Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit.
JACOBITE CRUISE FROM DOCHGARROCH: Jacobite cruises offer a variety of Loch Ness cruises from Dochgarroch. It is a fun and relaxing way of exploring Scotland’s most famous loch, Loch Ness, and soaking in the stunning scenery of the Scottish Highland. You can also see the ruins of Urquhart Castle from the cruise and search for Nessie with the help of onboard sonar!
Visit Culloden Battlefield
One of the most popular attractions near Inverness is the historic Culloden Battlefield. Located just outside Inverness is the site of the Culloden Battlefield where the 1745 Jacobite Rising came to a tragic end. You can visit the battlefield and the museum to learn about the Jacobite cause and see various archaeological finds from the battlefield, including musket balls, buckles and a delicate Jacobite pewter cross.
HOW TO VISIT CULLODEN FROM INVERNESS? To reach Culloden Battlefield from Inverness, take bus 27 (Mon-Sat) from Inverness Bus Station. If you are visiting on a Sunday, there is bus 1A but it is a 30-minute walk to Culloden from the nearest bus stop.
⭐ Join a tour that covers three wonderful attractions around Inverness on the Glen Affric, Culloden, and Clava Cairns tour. On the tour, you can visit the Clava Cairns Bronze-age burial grounds, the historic Culloden battlefields, the atmospheric Caledonian pine forests of Glen Affric, and the gorgeous shores of Loch Ness. The tour also stops at Beauly Priory, a 13th-century monastery. This tour is run by Rabbie’s, one of Scotland’s most respected tour operators.
Browse the Collection at Leakey’s Bookshop
One of the finest things to do in Inverness is to visit Leakey’s Bookshop. It is a paradise for collectors! Leakey’s specialises in second-hand books and you can find endless treasures hidden in the maze. We spent hours in the dimly lit store, enthralled by the musty scent of old books, turning page after page and curiously shifting from shelf to shelf looking at titles we had never heard of before. Stacks of books rose from floor to ceiling, meticulously organised by subject. At the heart of the bookstore, there is a massive wood-fired stove to keep away the damp and a spiral staircase that takes you to the upper floor where there are, you guessed it right, more books! Not just books, there are shelves full of antique maps and vintage prints. Fellow lovers of the written word, too, rummaged through the endless collection, their eyes lighting up each time they chanced upon a title dear to their mind. We found a Folio Society copy of Ray’s Pather Panchali and a few other gems. If you love vintage prints, they have an expansive stock that you can easily spend half a day combing through!
Lunch at the Victorian Market in Inverness
The Victorian Market is one of my favourite places to visit in Inverness! Located in a gorgeous arcade, the Victorian market has several family-run shops selling jewellery, antiques, souvenirs, etc. but what we love the most is the food court. It is a new-ish addition to the market and features some of the Scottish Highlands’ best food trucks. Our favourites are the Southeast Asian and Middle-Eastern-inspired vegan bowls from Salt & Fire and they are absolutely excellent! Other choices are The RedShank for local seafood, Bad Girl Cafe for cakes and pastries, Namaste Inbhir Nis for Indian food, and Cha Chang Teng for Chinese food.
Visit Uile-Bheist Distillery Brewery
True to Highland tradition, there is a distillery and bar a short walk from Inverness city centre. The Uile-Bheist Distillery Brewery is a new low-carbon craft distillery and brewery where you can join a guided tour to see and learn the art of distilling.
Listen to Live Music at Traditional Pubs in Inverness
Live music on the weekends is part and parcel of many traditional pubs. In Inverness, some of the best you can enjoy is at the Castle Tavern. We spent a fabulous evening at the Castle Tavern enjoying some pints and live local music. It is an excellent place to get a classic Scottish dinner, or if you are visiting on Sunday, then the Sunday Roast at Castle Tavern is pretty popular too. There are lots of other pubs in Inverness that offer live music; a pub crawl in Inverness city centre is one of the best things to do in Inverness!
Enjoy Some Delicious Meals at Family-Run Eateries in Inverness
Inverness has some wonderful family-run eateries, so you won’t be hungry! Following are Two Together’s favourite places to eat and drink in Inverness.
WHERE TO EAT IN INVERNESS: Inverness has some seriously good food, and to be honest, we spent most of our weekend in Inverness eating or drinking.
– River House for locally sourced seafood. They have an oyster happy hour from 4:30 pm to 6 pm – perfect for a pre-dinner fix!
– Kool Runnings for some of Scotland’s best Jamaican food. Try classics such as Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Jambalaya.
– The Mustard Seed for Scottish food. Their lunch deal (£16.95 for two courses, June 2024) is great value for money.
– Hou Hou Mei does modern renditions of traditional Asian dishes such as Tataki Sirloin Steak and Sichuan Douban.
– Love Dosa or Mumbai Thistle for street food and South Indian meals that go beyond Britain’s curry house classics.
– Black Isle for their amazing pizzas and craft beer.
– Wee Wild Pancakes for their delicious homemade pancakes and crepes. It’s like eating breakfast at home with Dad making pancakes for the family!
– The Walrus and Corkscrew for a beautiful selection of wines.
Have you been to Inverness? What are your favourite things to do in Inverness?
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