City Guide 7 min read

Things to Do in Inverness

Published Nov 30th 2021

The city of Inverness is a cathedral city in Scotland and is the capital of the Highlands. The city is considered to be one of Europe’s fastest-growing cities.

In this guide, we will show you the various things to do in Inverness as well as information about the location, the history & culture, sport and about the education in the city.

Location

The Mouth of the River Ness is considered by many to be the capital of the Scottish Highlands. Inverness is the northernmost city in the whole of the United Kingdom and boasts a population of roughly 46,870 according to the very most recent figures. It was also the site of two fierce battles such as Blàr nam Fèinne and Battle of Culloden.

Things to do in Inverness

Everyone who goes to university loves to know as much as they can about the city that they’re staying in and seeing where the best places to drink are. Whether you’re looking for a relaxed atmosphere, a rave or even just a traditional pub, Inverness has something for you. We’ve compiled a list of three places that we think might be your street!

First up, we have Hootananny, which is one of the best places to visit if you’re looking for live music and a calm atmosphere. Everything from live music to enticing drinks, Hootananny is the place for you! Second up, we have Bar One. Although it may seem like your typical bar or restaurant, there’s just something about the bar that has people coming back and not just for their onsite cocktail guru, who creates some of the best cocktails in all of Scotland. We recommend this one very highly indeed. Scotch & Rye, is our third and final entry on this list. One of the premier bar and grills that you’ll find in Inverness and well worth a look-in, whether you’re looking for one of their many famed cocktails or just looking for a place to grab a bite to eat, this is the place for you!

Inverness’ history is just as fascinating as the country that it sits in, with a long history of fierce and dangerous battles and more. Inverness celebrates this history with a handful of museums including Inverness Museum & Art Gallery, Highlander’s Museum and Inverness Castle.

For those of you that enjoy the most recent releases from Hollywood, we recommend visiting one of Inverness’ many cinemas which include but are not limited to Vue Cinemas which comes very highly recommended by inhabitants and regulars. Another highly recommended theatre is Eden Court, which is a mixture of both live performance and also of cinema as well.

There’s always things to do in Inverness; the city hosts some festivals that keep people entertained, and it’s always affordable for people that are looking to join, even those that are working on a student budget. One such event is the Kirking of the Council, which takes place through the streets of Inverness and gives you an insight into not just the history but the culture of the city.

Transport

The city has an extensive series of transport links.

The city’s main bus station is the Inverness Bus Station, which is managed by the Highland Council. The main operators in the bus station and within the city is Stagecoach in Inverness and Stagecoach in Lochaber. These buses will travel all over, with routes to the Inverness Airport or even as far as Aberdeen. There are also services provided by Megabus and Scottish Citylink, who regularly travel to cities like Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow. National Express also operate one of their many services in the city as well, travelling as far afield as London. Stagecoach Highlands and Stagecoach Group also operate in the city as well.

The main train station in Inverness is Inverness Railway Station, which has services provided by Abellio ScotRail.

The main airport in the city is Inverness Airport. The airport offers flights to cities across the UK, such as London, Manchester, Belfast and areas of Scotland. The airport offers international and commercial flights.

Universities in the City

There is only one university in the city.

The University of the Highlands and Islands was established in 1992 as the UHI Millennium Institute, although the institute was granted university status in 2011 and rebranded as the University of the Highlands and Islands.

The student body of the university is represented by the Highlands and Islands Students’ Association (HISA). The HISA hosts a number of events at the university, including sports days freshers events, student elections and the HISA Awards. All students (that are over the age of 16) are automatically enrolled into the HISA.

The HISA represents a number of different sports clubs such as badminton, football, golf, basketball and mountaineering. The university also opened its own sports complex at the Inverness campus, which is open to students, but is also open to the local community as well.

History

The area of Inverness was originally one of the main strongholds of the Picts as far back as 596 AD. The settlement saw a number of key structures developed in this time, including the Inverness Castle, which was built by Máel Coluim III (Malcolm III) of Scotland.

The location of Inverness meant that it was considered to be a strategic goldmine, which led to a great many conflicts over the settlement in its history, the most well-known being the battle of King Malcolm and Thorfinn of Norway in the 11th Century.

Oliver Cromwell built a huge citadel in the city, which was capable of accommodating over 1,000 people, however, it was eventually destroyed (all except for the ramparts and the clock tower) in The Restoration.

During the 1968 Jacobite Rising, Inverness was essential, with the settlement being besieged by a number of Jacobites. The town was eventually rescued and had to pliege allegiance to King James VII.

Inverness was eventually granted city status in 2000.

Sport

There are three different football clubs in the city, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who play in the Scottish Championship, Inverness Athletic, who play in the North Caledonian Football League and Clachnacuddin, who play in the Highland League.

The city’s main Rugby Union club is Highland RFC, who compete in the Scottish National League Division One. The club is considered to be one of the main hubs for rugby in the North of Scotland.

One of the many sports played in the city is Shinty. Shinty has long been an essential part of the culture of the Highlands and Islands. As Inverness is considered to be the capital of the Highlands, the Camanachd Association (essentially, the world governing body of shinty) is also based in the city. Inverness Shinty Club is the most well-known club in the city, however, there are also other clubs from surrounding areas of the city, such as Lovat Shinty Club from Kiltarlity, who won the MacTavish Cup in 2013.

The local Hockey team, is Highland HC. The club has a Men’s team and a Women’s Team, both of whom play in the Scottish National Division 2.