The capital of the Highlands, historic Inverness is a royal burgh and seaport at the northern end of Great Glen, on both sides of the Ness River. It is a convenient base for exploring the Highlands and the intriguing Loch Ness.
Inverness is characterised by Cawdor Castle of ‘Macbeth’ fame (the present castle, now a courthouse, dates from 1834), Culloden Battlefield, and Black Isle, the most enchanting and scenic peninsula in Scotland.
Inverness is a small city of few attractions; however, this market town has a full range of High street shops, with the pedestrian mall marking the centre. Inverness has an affinity with contemporary art, and there are some excellent examples in the art.tm, Castle, and Riverside galleries. Other attractions include Hector Russell's Scottish Kiltmaker Visitor Centre, and the Eden Court Theatre, with its angled architecture.
Those looking for a taste of some traditional Scottish entertainment should head for the Spectrum Centre Theatre, with its Scottish variety shows including pipers and Scottish dancing. Alternatively, the Inverness Aquadome (water park) offers fun for all the family. The town’s main shops, restaurants, bars and pubs are congregated around the pedestrian mall in town.
Inverness’ biggest attraction is nearby Loch Ness, a 40-kilometre long, 400-metre deep body of water, which draws crowds the world over in search of the illusive monster, Nessy. Hiring a car is the best way to see the loch, with the A82 running its length. Be sure to stop off at the Urquhart Castle ruins overlooking the loch. Driving north of here will lead you into the beautiful Highlands region, while south are the awe-inspiring Cairngorms and the ski resort at Aviemore.
By car, the M90 runs from Edinburgh to Perth, bypassing the city to meet up with the A9 north to Inverness; from Glasgow, follow the M80 and M9 to Perth. There are no trains to Inverness, but several coach companies have regular services. Edinburgh and Glasgow are the preferred points of entry from the air, with good transfers to their cities.
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