What is Inverness famous for?

Inverness is the capital of the Scottish Highlands and, technically, a city, though it has the warmth and pace of somewhere that never quite got the memo. The River Ness runs through the centre, Inverness Castle sits on a red sandstone bluff above it, and the whole place has a way of making you feel at home, before you've worked out where anything is.

It's famous primarily for its proximity to Loch Ness, which sits just eight miles south of the city and draws visitors from all over the world in search of the monster that may or may not live in its depths. But Inverness is also the gateway to the far north of Scotland, the Cairngorms, the Black Isle, and some of the most remote and beautiful landscapes in Britain.

Is Inverness worth visiting?

Very much so, and it tends to surprise people who expect a small Highland town and find a city with genuine character, a thriving food scene, and more history than it gets credit for. Culloden Battlefield, where the Jacobite cause died in 1746, sits just five miles from the city centre. Clava Cairns, a Bronze Age burial site that inspired the standing stones in Outlander, is nearby. And the city itself has the kind of independent shops, cafes, and pubs that reward a wander without a plan.

As a base for tours from Inverness Scotland, it's hard to beat. The city puts you closer to Loch Ness, Skye, Orkney, and the Outer Hebrides than any other major Scottish city, which means more time exploring and less time getting there.

Where can you go on a tour from Inverness Scotland?

Quite far, as it turns out. Loch Ness is on the doorstep, with Urquhart Castle ruins on the lochside and boat cruises that give you a very different sense of the water's scale. The Isle of Skye is around two hours west, passing Eilean Donan Castle on the way and arriving at landscapes that have been stopping people in their tracks for centuries. Orkney is accessible on longer tours, with Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, and the Italian Chapel all within reach. And the northwest Highlands, some of the most remote and beautiful landscapes in Europe, open up from Inverness in ways that reward every mile of the journey. Browse the tours above to find the right one.

How long do you need for a tour from Inverness?

Our tours from Inverness Scotland range from single-day adventures to multi-day journeys combining several regions. A full day gives you Loch Ness, a castle, and time at the lochside. Two to three days opens up Skye, the Outer Hebrides, or Orkney properly. For anyone who wants to use Inverness as a base and explore in multiple directions, several of our tours depart and return to the city, making it easy to build a longer itinerary around a single base.

What's included on a tour from Inverness?

Every tour from Inverness includes your driver-guide and transport in our 16-seat mini-coaches, with all ferry crossings covered on island tours. On multi-day tours, we can also arrange your accommodation if you wish, booking you into locally owned hotels and guesthouses with breakfast included each morning. Your driver-guide will always be upfront about anything that costs extra on the day, whether that's a site admission or an optional boat cruise. Find out more about our accommodation options.

Getting to Inverness

Inverness is easier to reach than people expect. There are direct flights from London, Edinburgh, Manchester, and several other UK cities to Inverness Airport, which sits just outside the city. By train, ScotRail and LNER both run services into Inverness, and the journey from Edinburgh through the Cairngorms is one of the most scenic rail routes in Britain, worth considering as part of the adventure in itself. Our tours from Inverness depart from the bus stop next to Inverness Cathedral on Ardross Street. Full pick-up details are on our Departure Points page.

Why take a small group tour from Inverness with Rabbie's?

We've been doing this since 1993. Our driver-guides aren't reading from a script. They live and breathe the places you’ll visit, and they genuinely love sharing their stories. Small groups mean you're never just a number on a coach, and no minimum numbers mean you're never left wondering if your trip will actually happen.

We travel in 16-seat mini-coaches that can navigate the single-track roads and pull over when something's worth stopping for, which in the Highlands tends to be fairly often. 

Have questions? Take a look at our FAQs or get in touch.

What our customers say about our 3-day tours from Inverness