Spending a long weekend in the Inverness from London
By Kay Pearson on 25th February 2021
The easiest way to get up to the Highlands from London is to fly to Inverness.
EasyJet operates from Gatwick and Luton and offer really good value fares If you wish to fly from Heathrow then you can travel with BA. You can find out about other travel options here but flying is generally the most convenient option if you are short on time. When you arrive at Inverness Airport you are about 25 minutes from the centre of the city. You can either hop in a taxi (approx. £20 one way) or take the number 11 bus (approx. £3.10 one way). Both can be easily found outside the terminal building.
Self-catering properties are the popular choice at the moment, and there are certainly plenty of options for these in and around Inverness. However, there are also a plethora of good hotels and guesthouses in the city. We feel that these establishments really deserve our support at the moment so you can find a list of our recommendations here.
If you are looking for a treat The 4 star Kingsmills Hotel is worth checking out or alternatively, the 3-star rated The Palace Hotel & Spa is ideally situated by the river in the centre of the city.
There are a few places that most visitors are keen to see when they come to Inverness, so we’ve focused on the best ways to see these key sights this summer.
Inverness is a beautiful historic city, boasting a cathedral, the River Ness, a castle and many noteworthy historic buildings. As the city centre is so compact, yet so rich in historic buildings, the best way to see it is on foot. Walk Inverness offer a great walking tour of the city centre which we’d recommend.
Many visitors to Inverness use it as a base for visiting other parts of the Highlands, with Skye being by far the most sought after location. To drive to the island from Inverness takes around 2 ½ hours each way, with quite a bit of driving on the island itself to get up to the must-see sights such as the Trotternish Peninsula, Kilt Rock, The Cuillin Mountains, The Fairy Pools and Portree. To make the most out of your day we would really recommend joining a tour (there are so many beautiful places to stop that you will find it very tricky to manage your time otherwise!)
WOW Scotland offers an Ultimate Isle of Skye Tour 6 days per week As the top-rated company on TripAdvisor (out of more than 90 tour companies in Inverness) we are pretty confident that you will have a top notch day!
Culloden Battlefield is a must-see destination, and is only seven miles from the centre of Inverness (10 minutes in a taxi), so a great choice for a morning activity. Situated less than two miles from Culloden, Clava Cairns is an exceptionally well-preserved group of prehistoric burial cairns which were built around 4000 years ago. For fans of Outlander you will recognise the split stone which changed Claire’s life..beware! You can either walk here from Culloden, or order a taxi and ask it to pick you up again later.
If you have time, head to one of Inverness’s many excellent restaurants or bars for a quick lunch before heading back to the airport. After a wonderful weekend, we are sure you will be keen to return to the Highlands again…haste ye back!
With a plethora of historic sights, world-class scenery, endless activities and (most importantly for everyone after we have been cooped up for months!) big wide open spaces to roam in, we hope that you will visit, and look forward to showing you the extraordinary beauty of the Scottish Highlands soon!
