Inverness holiday guide: Loch Ness, Culloden and the gateway to the Highlands

A By Anna · Updated 20 October 2026 · 3 min read

Airports

Inverness (INV)

Best time to go

May-September

Type

City

Inverness is the main city of the Highlands and the natural starting point for exploring the north of Scotland. It is a compact, friendly place, with a red sandstone castle above the River Ness, riverside walks to the wooded Ness Islands and plenty of pubs with live traditional music. Within half an hour you can be on the shores of Loch Ness, standing on the battlefield of Culloden or watching dolphins in the Moray Firth.

Many visitors use the city as a base for day trips, or as the start of a road trip round the North Coast 500. For the rest of the country, see our Scotland guide and the Scottish Highlands.

Where to stay

• City centre – close to the station, shops and restaurants, and the best choice if you're arriving by train or without a car.
• Along the River Ness – guest houses on Ness Bank and Huntly Street have river views and are a short walk from the centre.
• Crown and Old Edinburgh Road – quieter residential areas on the hill with many B&Bs.
• Loch Ness side – villages such as Drumnadrochit and Dores for a rural stay near the loch.
• The Black Isle – Fortrose, Rosemarkie and Cromarty, for peace and dolphin-watching.

Things to do

1. Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle – a ruined castle on the loch shore, reached by road or by boat trip from Inverness.
2. Culloden Battlefield – the site of the 1746 battle that ended the Jacobite rising, with a visitor centre run by the National Trust for Scotland.
3. Clava Cairns – Bronze Age burial cairns and standing stones near Culloden, free to visit.
4. Dolphins at Chanonry Point – one of the best places in the UK to see bottlenose dolphins from the shore, especially around a rising tide in summer.
5. The Ness Islands – a pleasant riverside walk linked by Victorian footbridges.
6. Inverness Castle – the castle is being redeveloped as a visitor attraction; check what is open before you go.
7. Fort George – a huge 18th-century fortress, still an army base, on the Moray Firth.
8. The Victorian Market and Leakey's Bookshop – a covered market and a vast second-hand bookshop in an old church.

Best time to visit

May to September is best, with long days and the most boat trips and tours running. June has the longest days, with almost 18 hours of daylight. July and August are busiest. In winter, Inverness is quiet and you may glimpse the northern lights on clear nights, but days are short and some attractions close.

Getting there

The Caledonian Sleeper runs from London Euston to Inverness most nights except Saturday. LNER's Highland Chieftain runs from London King's Cross once a day in about eight hours, and ScotRail trains from Edinburgh and Glasgow take about three and a half hours via Aviemore. Inverness Airport has flights from London Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton, Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham, among others, some seasonal, taking about 1h30 from London. It is around 20 minutes from the city by bus.

Getting around

The centre is easy to walk. Stagecoach buses run to Culloden, Loch Ness, Fort George and the Black Isle, and Scottish Citylink coaches go to Fort William and Skye. Plenty of tour companies run day trips to Loch Ness, Skye and the west coast. Hire a car to explore further afield or to drive the North Coast 500; rental desks are at the airport and in town.

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