How To Reach Inverness

Inverness is a city located in the Scottish Highlands and makes up the administrative centre of the Highland Council. Generally regarded as the capital of the Highlands, Inverness is situated near two important battle sites that mark important moments in Scottish history’s timeline. However, Inverness is usually associated with breathtaking beauty and is truly considered the travel hub of the Scottish Highlands. A wide range of popular tourist attractions around Inverness, like the famous Loch Ness, has also helped in turning this town into a global iconic destination. The city is well-connected with various transport links and travellers from all around the world can reach Inverness very conveniently. Read on to know more about the best ways to reach Inverness.

The Inverness Airport is located at Dalcross, around 15 km or a 20-minute ride away from the city centre. There are direct buses and taxis available from the airport to the city. It is well-connected to several cities nearby like Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Birmingham, Bristol, Dublin and London. The airport is small and operates mostly short-distance flights, most of which are direct flights from around the UK. Long-distance flights from outside Europe can be booked for bigger airports with services to a wider range of flights like Glasgow International Airport or Edinburgh Airport. From here, travellers can take a bus or taxi to Inverness directly.

Seasoned travellers will often tell you that journeying via train to the Scottish Highlands is one of the best ways to travel. The Inverness Railway Station is situated in the city centre, which makes it an excellent base to travel to and from. There are direct rail services to Inverness from London, Glasgow and Edinburgh in the south and from Aberdeen in the east.

Trains from Edinburgh Waverly or Haymarket depart every couple of hours and the journey usually takes 3-4 hours. From Glasgow as well, trains leave every 1-2 hours and take around 3 hours for the journey.  Trains from Aberdeen take about 2 hours to cover the distance to Inverness and run every two hours as well. Travellers from London will particularly enjoy the Caledonian Sleeper where you can spend an enjoyable night on the train and wake up to a beautiful morning in the Highlands.

Travelling to Inverness via road is often the most cost-effective way to reach the town. While the journey itself is quite scenic, the trip will generally take longer as compared to journeying via train or plane. Inverness can be reached from northern and southern Scotland, Perth, Glasgow and Edinburgh via the A9, from the west or from Fort William via the A82 and from the east or from Aberdeen via the A96.

The bus station in Inverness is located right next to the train station in the city centre. Bus services like Megabus, Parks of Hamilton and CityLink operate buses from London, Edinburgh and Glasgow; Edinburgh and Glasgow are just around 4 hours away while travelling from London usually involves an overnight journey. Buses also run from Fort William and Loch Ness to Inverness via the A82 and passing through Fort Augustus, Spean Bridge and Drumnadrochit. Travellers may also choose to drive themselves or hire a rented car to travel to Inverness from the destinations mentioned above.

Once you’re in Inverness, the best way to go about is through a personal car; otherwise, taxis are the most convenient option. The routes are very direct and the cabs aren’t very expensive either. There are also a few cycle lanes in Inverness, and a lot many cycle-footpath combinations as well. Alternatively, one can simply choose to cover all the major tourist spots by taking a trip on the hop-on-hop-off city sightseeing bus.