Visit Inverness, the gateway to the Scottish Highlands that attracts many tourists due to its close proximity to Loch Ness.

After spending 5 nights in Edinburgh, I had originally decided to move straight to Glasgow. At the last minute, I changed my mind and decided to travel north to Inverness. I was planning to do a short circular tour, taking in some of the Highlands. As I don’t drive, my choices were somewhat limited. Inverness seemed the obvious place to begin this short adventure.

How To Get To Inverness From Edinburgh 

Getting to Inverness was easy enough. You can get there by train but I went for the cheaper option, taking the Megabus for just £15. The bus took around 4 hours with a short changeover in Perth. From Perth onwards, there was some stunning scenery to enjoy.

Where To Stay In Inverness

These are some of the best budget hostels in Inverness, according to user reviews. These are affiliate links to the Agoda web site. I receive a small amount for any bookings made through these links at no extra cost to you.

• Bazpackers
• Inverness Youth Hostel
• Black Isle Hostel
• Black Isle Bar & Rooms
• Hillview House Hostel Inverness
• Castle View Accommodation

Bazpackers

I booked a three night stay at Bazpackers as this looked the best option in terms of budget and ratings. It was £18 a night for a dorm bed which was almost double the price I paid in Edinburgh, but still the cheapest in Inverness.

Check-in was straight forward and I could tell immediately I was going to enjoy my stay here. Sometimes you just get an immediate good feeling about a place. The reception/lounge area had an open fire and soft music playing in the background. It all seemed very chilled!

The dorm room was clean and comfortable. Each bed has a small valuables locker with built-in code locking so no need for a padlock. There is also space for bigger bags. There are privacy curtains and a USB power charger but no plug charger.

Free towels are provided and the bathrooms are cleaned regularly.

The kitchen was well equipped and well maintained. I saved some money by eating in every night.

The hostel also has a nice garden area which would have been a nice place to chill had it not been so cold!

I can highly recommend Bazpackers for a stay in Inverness. It is a relaxed place and they close the commual area at 11pm so don’t expect any beer pong here! It is located near the castle and is a few minutes walk from the town centre.

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I paid £54 for a 3 night stay in a 8 bed dorm with shared bathroom.

Click here to book a stay at Bazpackers.

Things To Do In Inverness

Loch Ness is the obvious tourist attraction, but there are other ways to spend your time in this compact, ancient city.

Blend Coffee

Excellent coffee shop in the city centre serving good coffee and food with a menu that caters to veggie, vegan and gluten-free diets. They also sell kombucha, a fermented tea drink. Local artists’ work is on display and there is a small selection of books which are free to take away. It’s a great place to start the day. Map.

Buonissimo Italian Street Food

Small takeaway in the city centre selling good Italian coffee and a variety of sandwiches, pizzas and pastries. I had a coffee and a bruschetta as a mid-afternoon snack and they were both delicious. Map.

Inverness Botanic Gardens

Away from the town centre but definitely worth a visit is the Inverness Botanic Gardens. The colours and smells from the tropical garden are worth the journey alone! There is also a cacti garden, herbs garden, medicinal plants garden and a grow project where local people with learning disabilities are encouraged to learn gardening to help improve social skills. The gardens are well maintained and free to enter. Look for the fat, lazy cat. But don’t stroke it! Map.

Inverness Botanic Gardens Opening Times: 10 am – 4 pm, every day.
Inverness Botanic Gardens Entrance Fee: Free admission.

Inverness Castle

Overlooking the River Ness, Inverness Castle has stood on this site since 1057, though it has been reconstructed many times. The current castle was built in 1836. There is not much to see at the castle other than a 360 degree viewpoint that offers views over the river and the town. Map.

Click here for opening times, entrance fee and other information.

Leakey’s Bookshop

Leakey’s is an incredible building and is home to thousands of books. When you walk through the door, you are guaranteed to be in for a pleasant surprise. It’s unusual for independent book stores of this size to be able to survive and compete in the age of internet shooping. You must visit this Leakey’s Bookshop, regardless of whether you buy or not. Map.

Leakey’s Bookshop Opening Times: 10 am – 5.30 pm, Mon – Sat.

Loch Ness

Loch Ness is probably the main reason why people visit Inverness. The River Ness that runs through Inverness leads to the start of the Loch itself. The start of the Loch is about 10 km from Inverness. You can get there by bus or taxi. Tours also operate from the city centre. Bear in mind that buses can only access the west side of the loch as the roads on the east side are not able to accommodate them. This is unfortunate as some of the best views are from the west side.

I was lucky as I met up with friends who offered to drive me around the whole 22 miles of the loch. We began with a visit to the ‘Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition’ (map).

We then temporarily headed away from the Loch to visit ‘Glen Affric’ (map); a stunning area with a picturesque glen, rivers, lochs & ancient pine forest.

We returned to the Loch and came to ‘Urquhart Castle’ (map); a ruined castle dating back to 1509.

We continued our journey until we reached ‘Fort Augustus’ (map) at the most southern point of the Loch. There are a few cafes and shops in this area so we stopped off to have a walk around.

As we headed up the east side, the weather changed and it was now raining quite heavily. Always prepare for this in Scotland! The weather can change dramatically in seconds. The scenery on the east side is breathtaking.

Further up the east side is the ‘Fall of Foyers’ (map). We braved the rain to take the walking trail to the viewpoint of this picturesque waterfall.

We moved on, stopping further up the road to explore the Clan Fraser cemetery.

Just above the cemetery is ‘Boleskin House’ (map). Once the home to Aleister Crowley and later Jimmy Page, this is a house that has seen some strange goings-on! Having been destroyed by fire, it was accessible to the public but it has now been nought and is being restored so there is no longer access.

I had a great day exploring the whole of Loch Ness. I hope the places above will help you decide where to go if you are considering a visit.

Merkinch Local Nature Reserve

Merkinch Local Nature Reserve offers walkways with views of various birds, deer & marine mammals. If you are lucky, you may see the occasional dolphins. Whilst here, check out the Carcac Point where the River Ness reaches out into the sea. A walk alongside the Caledonian Canal is a pleasant stroll in good weather. Map.