Inverness is the capital city of the highlands and your last chance of a city feel before heading north. It is a small city that is well known for it’s location nearby Loch Ness. Inverness is also the beginning of the popular NC500 road trip which see’s thousands of tourists through it’s tiny roads every year.
This charming city may be small, but it is full of culture and history and many things to do, both in the city centre and further out. In this post we will be sharing the many things to do in Inverness.
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Inverness is a great city to stop off at on your way north to the highlands. In this guide, we will discuss the best things to do in Inverness. This is some of what you can expect:
Table of Contents
Planning Your Trip
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NC500 Motorhome and Campervan Scheme
The NC500 Motorhome Scheme, officially known as the Highland Campervan and Motorhome Scheme, was launched by the Highland Council on July 1, 2024. This innovative initiative is designed to address the growing number of motorhomes and campervans traveling along the popular North Coast 500 (NC500) route, ensuring that their impact on the local environment and communities is managed sustainably.
The scheme offers a voluntary seven-day pass costing £40, inclusive of VAT. This pass grants motorhome and campervan users access to 12 designated overnight parking locations along the NC500 route, including scenic spots like Torvean Car Park in Inverness, Nairn Harbour, Dunnet Head Car Park, and Ullapool Latheron Car Park.
These parking spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis from 10 PM to 8 AM, with a 72-hour no-return policy at each location. This ensures that the facilities are used responsibly and that a larger number of travellers can benefit from them.
Overall, the NC500 Motorhome Scheme provides a structured and sustainable approach to motorhome travel in one of Scotland’s most scenic and popular areas. We think this is a great idea and encourage everyone to take advantage of it if you are looking to explore this road trip soon.
Read all about this new scheme in our complete guide to the NC500 Motorhome Scheme here.
For more information or to purchase a membership, travellers can visit the Highland Council’s official website.
Ness Castle
The main sight everyone wants to see in the city centre of Inverness is the local castle, Ness Castle. In order to reach the castle, head down the high street towards the river and take a left along the river bank. Stop and enjoy the view here before walking along the river until the castle comes into sight. If you walk up towards the castle there is also a beautiful view over the river.
The castle is currently closed to visitors as a huge refurbishment project is underway. A lot of work is being done at the moment to open up a viewing dome and new visitor experience. The castle is due to open again in 2025.
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
The Inverness Museum and Art Gallery is located on Castle Wynd, just down from Ness Castle. It is free to enter and you are welcome to leave a donation. Here you can learn all about the history of Inverness, dating back to the medevil times…
If you are looking for a good bag for your time exploring Inverness, we can highly recommend the Wandrd Bag PRVKE 41L if you are carrying camera equipment around. If you are looking for a smaller backpack, The Nest by Tropicfeel is one of the most comfortable bags I have ever owned and perfect for a city break.
Inverness Cathedral
The most northerly cathedral in the country sits right in the centre of Scotland’s capital of the north, Inverness. The Inverness Cathedral is a magnificent building built in 1866, which consists of two towers and a long hall decorated with beautiful mosaics and carvings.
This cathedral is free to enter all year round and offers a unique insight to the history of the Church of Scotland over the years. There is also a gift shop and cafe that serves delicious cakes near the cathedral that are both open 6 days a week.
Leakey’s Bookshop
Leakey’s Bookshop is a book lovers dream. This second hand bookshop is situated in the city centre of Inverness and has two floors full of books. Literally jam-packed full. It is considered to be the second largest second hand book store in Scotland with over 100,000 books. Built in an old church, the interior inside is also unique with a winding staircase in the middle of the room taking you upstairs to the open plan second floor.
The Victorian Market
The Victorian Market is a covered market located in the city centre of Inverness and has a small variety of independent shops inside. These are shops that you won’t typically see in the city centre of Inverness.
The Victorian Market has a number of entrances built in 1890.
City Sightseeing Bus
The famous bright red city sightseeing bus also does its rounds in Inverness. With 3 different ticket options giving you the choice to see both the red and blue routes, or either or. By taking the bus, it allows you to create your own city itinerary around Inverness.
The red route (iconic route) takes you out as far as Loch Ness and the blue route (essential route) takes you to more of the historical sights including Culloden Battlefield.
You can book tickets for either the iconic or essential route or the value ticket which includes both.
Ness Islands
Ness Islands are around a 25 minute walk from the city centre of Inverness. This is a collection of islands that sit in the centre of the River Ness. There is beautiful nature walks around the island which are connected by old Victorian style bridges. You can enter on one side of the island and exit from the other side if you choose to. It is a lovely peaceful place to sit and watch the water flow by.
DON’T FORGET
Your trip to Scotland will be a lot more comfortable with a midge net and midge spray. These little biting bugs can be enough to ruin a trip if you don’t have the equipment to protect yourself from them. A repelling candle can also be helpful if you are sitting oustide.
Chanonry Point
Just to the north of Inverness, slightly off track and definitely off the beaten path, the small peninsula known as Chanonry Point is the best place in the Moray Firth for dolphin spotting.
If you want to get even closer to these magnificent creatures, there are a number of dolphin tours available from Inverness, including the Dolphin Spirit tours that leave from the north of the city on the east bank of the river.
Destination North Coast Map
If you are planning an adventure to the North Coast of Scotland, make sure you have all the resources you need to make the most of your trip. Our Destination North Coast Map is the perfect addition to any traveller’s toolkit. With detailed information on all the best spots, along the NC500, this map is your ultimate guide to exploring the rugged beauty of Scotland’s north coast.
Boat Trips
There are many options for boat trips around Inverness whether you are looking for a leisurely ride or more of a speed boat experience around Loch Ness. The trips generally last a couple of hours. Make sure you are keeping an eye out for Nessie and other local wildlife.
Culloden Battlefield and Visitor Centre
To the east of Inverness lies one of the most infamous battlefields in the UK, the site of the Battle of Culloden. Thought to be the definitive battle that ended the Jacobite Uprising, this brutal clash of enemy forces saw over 1600 lives extinguished in just over one hour.
You can visit the battlefield and take a guided tour of the site, learning about the history and events that took place in this period of Scotland’s history in vivid detail.
Before You Leave on the North Coast 500
Before you head off on your trip around the NC500, there are certain things you will need to get organised to ensure a smooth trip. These include how to get around the route, including being aware of single track roads, etc., what to pack for Scotland, where to stay along the route and what travel insurance to book.
Read more planning tips for the North Coast 500 in our full guide.
How Do I Get Around the NC500?
Given the remote location of the NC500 and the majority of the sights along the route, the best way to get around this road trip is by driving. There are of course other methods that are still popular, such as cycling and hiking, however, if you have a short amount of time on the route, neither of these are very suitable.
As for public transport, the use around the NC500 is understandably difficult due to how remote each location is, however, with the increasing problem of congestion along the route, this is a good option to research if you have time. If it is something that interests you, you can read a public formed itinerary of how to get around the NC500 by public transport over here.
If you are looking to rent a cosy, reliable and luxurious campervan for your trip along the NC500, we recommend hiring through Spaceships Rentals.
Browse the full range of vehicles on offer at Spaceships over here.
What Should I Pack for the NC500?
When it comes to packing for a trip along the NC500 there is one item of clothing that you are going to need all year round: a waterproof. It rains in Scotland on average 250 days a year, meaning that during your 7-day NC500 road trip you will probably experience at least a drizzle of rain. Due to this, the number one item on any Scotland packing list is a good waterproof jacket.
As for the rest of the year, the temperature in Scotland and the central heartlands is reasonably mild for most of the year. During the winter months, you will most likely experience snow, however, temperatures usually sit around freezing, so it is not too cold. For your reference, the average temperatures in Scotland are listed below during each season.
Spring (March, April, May) – 5-10 degrees C
Summer (June, July, August) – 15 degrees C
Autumn (September, October, November) – 5-10 degrees C
Winter (December, January, February) – 0-5 degrees C
As you can see, the weather never really gets above the teens, with anything over 25 degrees C considered a heatwave. The best way to pack for your trip to the highlands is with layers that can be added and removed as you need them. You will definitely need a hat and gloves during the colder months and will most likely need sunscreen to protect you on the long days in the open.
It is also important to stay hydrated, especially if you are out exploring in the marvellous landscape of Scotland. We use Water to Go water bottles to fill up with water from running streams when we are hiking.
Given the beautiful sights and scenery that you are no doubt going to see around Scotland, we highly recommend packing a good camera for your trip. If you want to read more about the cameras we use and why we love them, check out the link below.
Photography Equipment
Main Photography Camera – Sony A7v Mirrorless Camera and Sony A7iii Mirrorless Camera
Microphone – Sony Mic ECM-B1M
Main Lens – Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8
Zoom Lens – Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8
Camera Tripod – ZOMEI Z669C Camera Tripod
Gorilla Pod – JOBY JB01507-BWW GorillaPod
Action Camera – GoPro Hero 11 and Insta 360 One RS
Drone Camera – DJI Mavic Pro 3
Camera Bag – Wandrd PRVKE 41L and The Nest by Tropicfeel
Phone Tripod – Manfrotto MKPIXICLAMP-BK, Mini Tripod with Universal Smartphone Clamp
Sturdy Phone Tripod & Selfie Stick – ATUMTEK 61″ Selfie Stick Tripod, Sturdy Phone Tripod Stand with Wireless Remote
Hard Drives – LaCie Rugged Mini, 5TB, 2.5″, Portable External Hard Drive
SSD – SanDisk Extreme Pro 1TB Portable NVMe SSD
Travel Adapter –Worldwide Travel Adapter Universal Travel Plug with 4 USB Ports+Universal AC Socke
Where Should I Stay in Inverness?
The remoteness in the highlands of Scotland will leave you with little choice of accommodation in each location along the NC500, however, there are still enough options to choose from to ensure a comfortable trip. These are mostly in the shape of B&Bs, Airbnbs, converted cottages and other quirky accommodations.
Depending on how adventurous you are, there may be more accommodation choices than just the above, often with an even better view. Caravan and camping sites are abundant along the NC500, drawing camping enthusiasts from all over the world. For some of the most spectacular bedside scenery along the North Coast 500, we recommend packing a tent and getting in touch with nature for the week.
We travelled along the North Coast 500, camped in our trusty Vango tent, on a mixture of campsites and wild sites. Wild camping is a fantastic way to enjoy the beauty of the highlands, however, it must be done respectfully. Read our full guide to Wild Camping if you wish to give it a go so you know everything you need to for a comfortable and sustainable trip.
What is the Best Travel Insurance?
We know travel insurance is the least enjoyable thing to purchase and look at when you’re planning a trip, however, you wouldn’t want to be without it in the event that something happened. Accidents can happen anywhere and the extortionate medical bills will ruin your trip if you are not covered.
To ensure you have a stress-free trip with no worries about potential medical bills, make sure you cover yourself when you travel. We can recommend using SafetyWing, a backpacker-friendly and cheap insurance company that provides good coverage and support. It is also nomad-friendly, unlike most other insurance companies, meaning you do not need to worry about being out of your home country for too long.
Get a quote for your travel insurance right here and get covered!
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Containing details on
– All of the best sights (100+)
– Where to eat and stay
– Campervan facilities (water points and waste disposal)
– Sample itineraries
and so much more!
So there you have it, the best things to do in Inverness. If you are visiting this incredible part of Scotland and have any other questions on what to expect, leave us a comment down below. We love to chat about this stuff! If you have already been, let us know how it was! What spot was your favourite? Let us know in the comments below!
Also remember to share this with your friends and family that you are going to share this amazing adrenaline experience with. Sharing is caring and we want to ensure that everyone is fully prepared to maximise their experience completing this bucket list activity.
If you are planning a Scotland trip soon then check out our other Scotland content right here. Come and find us on social media to see where we are currently exploring. Tag us in your photos from your Scotland trip and we will share them with the rest of our community of explorers and backpackers.
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