Inverness is one of my favourite Scottish cities. The gateway to the Scottish Highlands is not only historic and pretty, but is also surprisingly green and spacious. 48 hours in Inverness is the perfect amount of time to experience this place in all of its glory. Here is my quick guide to help you plan your perfect little weekend away.
48 Hours in Inverness | Your Quick Guide
Where to Stay in Inverness
Inverness has lots of options for accommodation suiting the needs of any traveller. Here are some of my recommendations based on what your budget is and where you want to be.
I’ve only included central accommodation options so that you are in the heart of the city.
| Traveller Type | Accommodation Option |
| Budget | MacDonald House |
| Mid-Range | Mercure Hotel |
| Luxury | Ness Walk |
What to do in Inverness
Day One: Enjoy the City
For your first day in Inverness, I would recommend staying local and to go exploring. I’ve broken it down into the key things that I would do:
Morning Coffee – To start your 48 hours in Inverness in true The Girl on the Move fashion, pick yourself up a coffee. There are lots of good options for this, but I really like Perk Coffee + Doughnuts. It is a bit quirky and they have, as you may have guessed, excellent doughnuts.
Inverness Castle – Inverness Castle is one of the main places to see in the city. Whilst you cannot go in at the time of writing due to refurbishments, it is definitely worth seeing from the outside.
River Walk – If you walk down the River Ness (South) from the city centre, you’ll soon enter the wonderful green space of Whin Park. It seems so distant from the hustle of Inverness and is an excellent escape. You can do the full 2-hour loop, which will also take you past the main landmarks of the city. We did this, but stopped in the Botanical Gardens (by Queens Park), which were definitely worth seeing!
Leakey’s Bookstore – If you like books, this bookstore is perfect for you. It is an old, converted church which sells secondhand books. Easily one of the prettiest bookstore I’ve ever been in.
Explore the Cobble Streets – I really enjoyed walking around Inverness and doing some window shopping. There were lots of different shops and cute cafés, and we even managed to hear the British Legion one Tuesday evening outside of the Town House.
Day Two: Day Trips
There are a few day trips you could take during your 48 hours in Inverness. The city’s position is perfect for exploring the famous Highlands. Here are some of my favourite options which we did:
Loch Ness – We did a morning cruise along Loch Ness which was a great way to start the day. We didn’t manage to see Nessie, but we did get to explore the ruins of Urquhart Castle instead. You can read more about it in my blog post.
John O’Groats – One of the best things we did in Scotland was taking a tour up to John O’Groats, the northernmost point in the UK. We went with Timberbush Tours and the entire outing took over 11 hours. It may sound like a long time, but trust me, it was worth it. You can read more about our day trip to John O’Groats in my blog post.
Culloden Battlefield – Near to Inverness is the Culloden Battlefield, the climax of the Jacobite Rising made famous by Outlander. We only spent a later part of an afternoon here and made sure that we got onto one of the excellent tours hosted by the Visitor Centre. You can read more about it in my blog post about our trip to Culloden Battlefield.
Restaurant Recommendations
We ate really well in Inverness, be that on day trips up to John O’Groats or in the city. One place that I have to share with you guys is Little Italy. It was just outside of the centre, but served some really delicious food. I’m always happy with a cosy interior and a family-run, independent place which serves pizza!
Final Thoughts – 48 Hours in Inverness
48 Hours in Inverness is a good amount of time to experience the city, but you could easily spend double that time here. It has so much to offer and is such a beautiful part of Scotland. Once you visit, I promise that you’ll be waiting to come back to this Highland gem for your next adventure.
