Inverness

Inverness is one of Scotland's seven cities and sits in the south of the Highlands, on the banks of the River Ness.

Crowned by a pink crenellated castle and lavishly decorated with flowers, Inverness is a thriving city with a rich variety of places to visit and things to do both in the city and around. The city boasts a number of historic buildings in the Old Town that can be appreciated while browsing city shops. There is a great selection of places to eat and drink too with peaceful areas close to the city centre for relaxing and a great variety of places to stay. The city itself is small, compact and easy to get around.

Perched picturesquely above the river, Inverness Castle looms above the Gothic Town House in the High Street and dominates the horizon. The original castle formed the core of the ancient town, which has rapidly developed as a port trading with Europe in the 6th century. The Jacobites blew up the castle to prevent it falling into government hands.

Below the castle, the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery on Castle Wynd gives a good general overview of the development of the Highlands while medieval Church Street is home to the town’s oldest-surviving buildings. On the corner with Bridge Street stands the Steeple, whose spire has to be straightened after an earth tremor in 1816.

Further down Church Street is Abertarff House, reputedly the oldest complete building in Inverness and distinguished by its stepped gables and circular stair tower. It was erected in 1593 and is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.

This thriving city offers a rich variety of things to do and see from shopping and culture to eating and drinking. There are many lovely riverside restaurants and bustling pavement cafes as well as a wide range of specialist retailers in the historic Old Town and Victorian Market while a great variety of popular High street names can be found at the Eastgate Centre.

Visitors can enjoy the fine circular walk from Inverness Castle, currently used as a courthouse, along the river past St Andrew’s Cathedral, which dominates the River Ness, and through the Ness Islands where you will find anglers casting long lines to leaping Atlantic salmon.

Craig Phadrig lies just above the city. Once the stronghold of Pictish kings, it offers interesting forest walks and magnificent views of the Moray Firth, which is home to a diverse range of wildlife.

Inverness also offers a fantastic choice of events and festivals from traditional to modern including music festivals, golf championships and iconic Highland games on top of art, history and heritage events.

There is also many attractions around the city - re-live one of Scotland’s most famous battles at Culloden Battlefield, see a school of dolphins in the nearby Moray Firth or cruise down the Caledonian Canal to the world-famous Loch Ness.