Inverness sits at the meeting point of the Great Glen, the Moray Firth and the roads west to the Isle of Skye, which makes it the best base in the Highlands for day trips. Some are short half-days you can do by bus or taxi; others are twelve-hour expeditions that most people take on a guided tour. Here is how the main options compare, so you can choose the ones that fit your time and interests.
The Isle of Skye
The classic big day out. Skye is about two and a half to three hours each way by road, so a day trip is long, usually around twelve hours, but it reaches the island's headline sights: the Old Man of Storr, the harbour town of Portree and, on many tours, the Fairy Pools, with a photo stop at Eilean Donan Castle on the way. A small-group tour is the easiest choice, since a driver-guide handles the single-track roads and parking. If Skye is a priority, consider staying a night or two on the island instead.
Glencoe and Fort William
Another full day of about twelve hours, heading south-west along the Great Glen past Loch Ness and Fort Augustus, with stops at the Commando Memorial near Spean Bridge, the town of Fort William beneath Ben Nevis and the dramatic glen of Glencoe, one of the most famous landscapes in Scotland. It suits travellers who want mountain scenery and history in a single day.
Speyside whisky country
Speyside, the heart of Scotch whisky production, lies about an hour to the east. A guided tour of around ten hours typically visits several distilleries along with a cooperage, where you can watch barrels being made and repaired, and has the great advantage that nobody needs to drive after the tastings. It is an excellent choice for a wet day.
Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle
The shortest of the classic trips and easy to do without a car. Take a cruise from Dochgarroch Lock, just outside the city, along the Caledonian Canal and onto the loch, then visit Urquhart Castle on its headland and the Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit. Buses run along the loch road, and some cruise options include a stop at the castle. Book castle tickets ahead, especially in summer.
Culloden, Clava Cairns and Fort George
A half-day to the east covers three very different sites: the battlefield where the Jacobite rising ended in 1746, the four-thousand-year-old cairns and standing stones at Clava, and the huge Georgian fortress of Fort George on the Moray Firth. Culloden is a short taxi or bus ride from the city, while Clava and Fort George are easiest by car. Allow most of a day if you visit all three properly.
The Black Isle and the dolphins
Across the Kessock Bridge north of the city, the Black Isle is a peninsula of farms and villages. Chanonry Point near Fortrose is one of the best places in Britain to watch bottlenose dolphins from the shore, particularly on a rising tide in summer, and the conservation village of Cromarty at the tip has fine Georgian houses and a small courthouse museum. Boat trips from the Moray Firth also look for dolphins and seals.
Cawdor Castle and Nairn
Cawdor Castle, linked by legend to Shakespeare's Macbeth, has fine gardens and is open in the warmer months; it pairs well with the seaside town of Nairn and its beaches, and with Fort George on the same side of the firth.
How to choose
With one spare day, do Loch Ness. With two, add Skye or Glencoe. Whisky lovers should make room for Speyside, and history fans for Culloden and Fort George. Book the long tours early, since they sell out in summer, and check seasonal opening for castles and boat trips outside the summer months. Our three-day itinerary shows how to combine these trips with time in the city.
The Jacobite steam train
For a full day of rail romance, some tours from Inverness drive down the Great Glen to Fort William to ride the Jacobite steam train across the Glenfinnan Viaduct to Mallaig, the line made famous by the Harry Potter films. The train runs from spring to autumn and sells out well ahead, so a tour that includes your ticket can be the easiest way to secure a seat. Expect a long day of at least twelve hours.
Fort Augustus and the south shore of Loch Ness
If you have a car, drive the full length of Loch Ness down the A82 to Fort Augustus, where the Caledonian Canal climbs from the loch in a staircase of locks through the middle of the village. Return along the quieter south shore by the B862, stopping at the Falls of Foyers and at Dores Beach for the classic view up the loch. It is a beautiful, relaxed loop of around three to four hours of driving with stops.
