Inverness itinerary: 1 to 7 days
Plans for one to seven days in Inverness, day by day: the Falls of Foyers and Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness, Beauly Priory and Inverness Castle first, then the Clava cairns, the city museum and cathedral, Fort George and Chanonry Point, and Cawdor Castle and the Aigas Field Centre as you add days. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 3 days
Inverness in 1 day
Day 1
Urquhart Castle
Ruined medieval castle on a headland over Loch Ness, with a tower to climb and a visitor centre.
Beauly Priory
Ruined 13th-century priory church in the village of Beauly, with tombs and an old elm tree in the grounds.
Inverness Castle
Red sandstone 19th-century castle above the River Ness, being converted from courts into a visitor attraction.
Inverness Cathedral
St Andrew's, a Victorian Gothic cathedral on the west bank of the River Ness, the northernmost cathedral in Britain.
Inverness in 2 days
Day 1
Clava cairn
The Balnuaran of Clava, three Bronze Age burial cairns with standing stone circles in a grove, near Culloden.
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
Free museum on Highland history, Pictish stones, Jacobite objects and wildlife, behind the castle.
Inverness Castle
Red sandstone 19th-century castle above the River Ness, being converted from courts into a visitor attraction.
Inverness Cathedral
St Andrew's, a Victorian Gothic cathedral on the west bank of the River Ness, the northernmost cathedral in Britain.
Day 2
Ness Islands
Wooded islands in the River Ness linked by footbridges, an easy and peaceful riverside walk from the city centre.
Muirtown Locks
A flight of four locks on Telford's Caledonian Canal, next to a swing bridge and marina basin, good for a canal-side walk.
Beauly Priory
Ruined 13th-century priory church in the village of Beauly, with tombs and an old elm tree in the grounds.
Inverness in 3 days
Day 1
Clava cairn
The Balnuaran of Clava, three Bronze Age burial cairns with standing stone circles in a grove, near Culloden.
Fort George
Huge 18th-century artillery fort on the Moray Firth, still an army base, with ramparts, barracks and a regimental museum.
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
Free museum on Highland history, Pictish stones, Jacobite objects and wildlife, behind the castle.
Inverness Castle
Red sandstone 19th-century castle above the River Ness, being converted from courts into a visitor attraction.
Day 2
Ness Islands
Wooded islands in the River Ness linked by footbridges, an easy and peaceful riverside walk from the city centre.
Inverness Cathedral
St Andrew's, a Victorian Gothic cathedral on the west bank of the River Ness, the northernmost cathedral in Britain.
Muirtown Locks
A flight of four locks on Telford's Caledonian Canal, next to a swing bridge and marina basin, good for a canal-side walk.
Beauly Priory
Ruined 13th-century priory church in the village of Beauly, with tombs and an old elm tree in the grounds.
Day 3
Falls of Foyers
Waterfall on the River Foyers dropping into a gorge above Loch Ness, reached by a short steep woodland path.
Urquhart Castle
Ruined medieval castle on a headland over Loch Ness, with a tower to climb and a visitor centre.
Inverness in 4 days
Day 1
Clava cairn
The Balnuaran of Clava, three Bronze Age burial cairns with standing stone circles in a grove, near Culloden.
Fort George
Huge 18th-century artillery fort on the Moray Firth, still an army base, with ramparts, barracks and a regimental museum.
Inverness Castle
Red sandstone 19th-century castle above the River Ness, being converted from courts into a visitor attraction.
Day 2
Ness Islands
Wooded islands in the River Ness linked by footbridges, an easy and peaceful riverside walk from the city centre.
Inverness Cathedral
St Andrew's, a Victorian Gothic cathedral on the west bank of the River Ness, the northernmost cathedral in Britain.
Muirtown Locks
A flight of four locks on Telford's Caledonian Canal, next to a swing bridge and marina basin, good for a canal-side walk.
Beauly Priory
Ruined 13th-century priory church in the village of Beauly, with tombs and an old elm tree in the grounds.
Day 3
Chanonry Point
Spit of land on the Black Isle with a lighthouse, one of the best places in Britain to watch dolphins from the shore.
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
Free museum on Highland history, Pictish stones, Jacobite objects and wildlife, behind the castle.
Day 4
Falls of Foyers
Waterfall on the River Foyers dropping into a gorge above Loch Ness, reached by a short steep woodland path.
Urquhart Castle
Ruined medieval castle on a headland over Loch Ness, with a tower to climb and a visitor centre.
Inverness in 5 days
Day 1
Inverness Cathedral
St Andrew's, a Victorian Gothic cathedral on the west bank of the River Ness, the northernmost cathedral in Britain.
Inverness Castle
Red sandstone 19th-century castle above the River Ness, being converted from courts into a visitor attraction.
Day 2
Ness Islands
Wooded islands in the River Ness linked by footbridges, an easy and peaceful riverside walk from the city centre.
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
Free museum on Highland history, Pictish stones, Jacobite objects and wildlife, behind the castle.
Muirtown Locks
A flight of four locks on Telford's Caledonian Canal, next to a swing bridge and marina basin, good for a canal-side walk.
Beauly Priory
Ruined 13th-century priory church in the village of Beauly, with tombs and an old elm tree in the grounds.
Day 3
Chanonry Point
Spit of land on the Black Isle with a lighthouse, one of the best places in Britain to watch dolphins from the shore.
Fort George
Huge 18th-century artillery fort on the Moray Firth, still an army base, with ramparts, barracks and a regimental museum.
Day 4
Falls of Foyers
Waterfall on the River Foyers dropping into a gorge above Loch Ness, reached by a short steep woodland path.
Urquhart Castle
Ruined medieval castle on a headland over Loch Ness, with a tower to climb and a visitor centre.
Day 5
Culloden Battlefield
The moor where the Jacobite army was defeated in 1746, with a visitor centre, clan graves and paths across the battlefield.
Clava cairn
The Balnuaran of Clava, three Bronze Age burial cairns with standing stone circles in a grove, near Culloden.
Cawdor Castle
Castle of the Thanes of Cawdor around a 15th-century tower, with furnished rooms, gardens and woodland walks.
Inverness in 6 days
Day 1
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
Free museum on Highland history, Pictish stones, Jacobite objects and wildlife, behind the castle.
Inverness Castle
Red sandstone 19th-century castle above the River Ness, being converted from courts into a visitor attraction.
Inverness Cathedral
St Andrew's, a Victorian Gothic cathedral on the west bank of the River Ness, the northernmost cathedral in Britain.
Day 2
Ness Islands
Wooded islands in the River Ness linked by footbridges, an easy and peaceful riverside walk from the city centre.
Muirtown Locks
A flight of four locks on Telford's Caledonian Canal, next to a swing bridge and marina basin, good for a canal-side walk.
Beauly Priory
Ruined 13th-century priory church in the village of Beauly, with tombs and an old elm tree in the grounds.
Day 3
Chanonry Point
Spit of land on the Black Isle with a lighthouse, one of the best places in Britain to watch dolphins from the shore.
Fort George
Huge 18th-century artillery fort on the Moray Firth, still an army base, with ramparts, barracks and a regimental museum.
Day 4
Urquhart Castle
Ruined medieval castle on a headland over Loch Ness, with a tower to climb and a visitor centre.
Day 5
Culloden Battlefield
The moor where the Jacobite army was defeated in 1746, with a visitor centre, clan graves and paths across the battlefield.
Clava cairn
The Balnuaran of Clava, three Bronze Age burial cairns with standing stone circles in a grove, near Culloden.
Cawdor Castle
Castle of the Thanes of Cawdor around a 15th-century tower, with furnished rooms, gardens and woodland walks.
Day 6
Dores Beach
A shingle beach at the north-eastern end of Loch Ness, with long views down the loch and a village inn nearby.
Falls of Foyers
Waterfall on the River Foyers dropping into a gorge above Loch Ness, reached by a short steep woodland path.
Inverness in 7 days
Day 1
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
Free museum on Highland history, Pictish stones, Jacobite objects and wildlife, behind the castle.
Inverness Castle
Red sandstone 19th-century castle above the River Ness, being converted from courts into a visitor attraction.
Inverness Cathedral
St Andrew's, a Victorian Gothic cathedral on the west bank of the River Ness, the northernmost cathedral in Britain.
Day 2
Ness Islands
Wooded islands in the River Ness linked by footbridges, an easy and peaceful riverside walk from the city centre.
Muirtown Locks
A flight of four locks on Telford's Caledonian Canal, next to a swing bridge and marina basin, good for a canal-side walk.
Beauly Priory
Ruined 13th-century priory church in the village of Beauly, with tombs and an old elm tree in the grounds.
Day 3
Chanonry Point
Spit of land on the Black Isle with a lighthouse, one of the best places in Britain to watch dolphins from the shore.
Fort George
Huge 18th-century artillery fort on the Moray Firth, still an army base, with ramparts, barracks and a regimental museum.
Day 4
Urquhart Castle
Ruined medieval castle on a headland over Loch Ness, with a tower to climb and a visitor centre.
Day 5
Culloden Battlefield
The moor where the Jacobite army was defeated in 1746, with a visitor centre, clan graves and paths across the battlefield.
Clava cairn
The Balnuaran of Clava, three Bronze Age burial cairns with standing stone circles in a grove, near Culloden.
Cawdor Castle
Castle of the Thanes of Cawdor around a 15th-century tower, with furnished rooms, gardens and woodland walks.
Day 6
Dores Beach
A shingle beach at the north-eastern end of Loch Ness, with long views down the loch and a village inn nearby.
Falls of Foyers
Waterfall on the River Foyers dropping into a gorge above Loch Ness, reached by a short steep woodland path.
Day 7
Aigas Field Centre
Wildlife and field studies centre near Beauly, run by Sir John Lister-Kaye, with guided nature visits that need booking.
Watch: Inverness in 3 days
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to Inverness
May to September has the mildest weather and longest daylight for Loch Ness and Highland trips; July and August are the busiest months, when hotels book up. Midges can be a nuisance in summer. Winter is cold, wet and dark early, and some Highland attractions and tours run reduced hours, but the northern lights are sometimes visible.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Inverness on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Inverness on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Inverness on GetYourGuide
- From the airport: a private transfer in Inverness with Kiwitaxi
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for United Kingdom from Airalo
- Last day: leave your bags in Inverness with Radical Storage and keep sightseeing
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Inverness
- Most sights are outside the city; a car or a day tour is the easiest way to see them, though buses run from Inverness to Drumnadrochit and Urquhart Castle.
- Urquhart Castle and Fort George are run by Historic Environment Scotland; book Urquhart tickets online in summer, when it is busiest.
- Dolphins at Chanonry Point are seen most often on a rising tide, about an hour after low tide; check the tide table first.
- Cawdor Castle is open only in the summer season, roughly from spring to early autumn.
- Midges are out on calm summer evenings near water and woods; bring insect repellent for walks by the lochs.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Aigas Field Centre: sylvia duckworth, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beauly Priory: Wojsyl, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Cawdor Castle: LeCardinal, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Chanonry Point: Dave Conner from Inverness, Scotland, CC BY 2.0
- Clava cairn: unknown author, Public domain
- Culloden Battlefield: David Morier, Public domain
- Dores Beach: Anne Burgess, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Falls of Foyers: User:Zenit, CC BY 2.0
- Fort George: Stephen Branley, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Inverness Castle: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Inverness Cathedral: dave conner, CC BY 2.0
- Inverness Museum and Art Gallery: John Allan, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Muirtown Locks: don cload, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Ness Islands: Bilby5 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Urquhart Castle: August Schwerdfeger, CC BY 4.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
