Inverness

Buy

The town's main shopping area runs from the Eastgate Centre, a mall next to the station, through a pedestrian precinct down to the River Ness bridge. There's no limit to the number of tartan and Scottish souvenir shops you can find along the strip, plus the usual department stores and services.

The Inverness Centre is a retail park off A96 two miles east of town. It has a Vue cinema, a Pizza Express and Nando's, a Holiday Inn, and Tesco; fill up on fuel here if you're going further into the Highlands.

Eat

thumb | 300px | Kessock Bridge carries A9 to Black Isle Highland Food & Drink Trail is a line of takeaway food trucks on Ness Walk outside the cathedral. Indian cuisine includes Namaste Inbhir Nis in the Victorian market, Cinnamon near Eastgate Centre, Sam's on Church St, Rajah on Post Office Lane just off Church St, Mumbai Thistle on Academy St by the railway station, Mangrove further down that street, Shapla by Ness Bridge and Love Dosa down Mealmarket Cl. Heathmount Hotel half a mile east of the centre has good dining, see Sleep.

Drink

thumb | 300px | Parade to the Highland Games Uilebheist is a distillery and brewery on the east riverbank a quarter mile south of the castle, in the former Glen Mhor Hotel. Tours are available but the whisky only goes on sale from March 2026. and See Dingwall for the Singleton Distillery at Muir of Ord 15 miles west. Bairds Malt produce malt for the brewing industry but aren't themselves brewers. Dolphin Spirit is a disappointment if you were expecting craft gin, they go out on boats to see some overgrown fish.

Sleep

thumb | 300px | Ness islands Inverness is a commercial and local government hub so it has lots of mid-range chain hotels for business travellers, mostly round the outskirts. Glenurquhart Road, which is the A82 south towards Loch Ness, is lined with small B&Bs and guesthouses. The Inverness Guest House Association has a selection of 24 properties, all of which have been graded 3, 4 or 5 stars by Visit Scotland or the AA.

Connect

As of Aug 2024, the town has 5G from all UK carriers, and its approach roads have 4G.

Go next

Culloden is best known for the battlefield where Bonny Prince Charlie's forces were shattered in 1746. It also has the Clava Cairns, a Bronze Age burial site. Nairn is the closest beach resort. Nearby is the extensive, well-preserved Fort George. Loch Ness starts 8 miles south, and stretches for 23 miles. The main road and facilities are along the west bank, with Drumnadrochit the largest centre. Cairngorms National Park covers a wide tract of highland country. The most accessible part from Inverness is Cairngorm mountain itself above Aviemore, a ski resort with a funicular railway. Fort William is close to Ben Nevis, the UK's highest mountain, and to Nevis Range ski and mountain resort. North are the wilds of Ross and Cromarty and Caithness and Sutherland. If you get all the way to Thurso you can take a ferry to the Orkneys, and from there to Shetland. North Coast 500 is a 500-mile (800-km) road circuit of those regions, and Inverness is the usual start and finish point.