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Hi, I’m Paul, and I’ve been living and visiting Scotland for most of my life. Over the years, I have helped friends and family explore the country and find the best tours suitable for them, so I’ve seen a good amount of the options available to Scotland visitors.
That’s why I have a very strong opinion: If you want a base for taking tours to other parts of Scotland, Inverness is the nation’s best city.
So in this guide, I’ve tried to prove my point… and I’ve collected all the 15 best Inverness tours for you. Expect glens, lochs, well-known stuff, faraway islands, family-friendly adventures, local guides, and loads of unique obscurities.
Grab some bagpipes, hop into your walking shoes, and come join the fun!
Out Top Picks: Best Tours in Inverness
#1 Top Pick 🥇
Torridon, Applecross, & Eilean Donan Castle Tour
The best you’ll possibly find
#2 Pick – Runner Up
15 Best Inverness Tours
1. Inverness Guided Walking Tour
You’ve probably been on a guided walking tour before. This one works just like the rest of them… but it’s better than most.
Clocking in at 1.5 hours, you’re joined by a local guide. That guide walks you around the most central and important parts of the city, showing you all the sights, and giving you loads of context.
You’ll hit both big spots and lesser-known areas—and along the way, you’ll learn some surprising stuff. Inverness gets overlooked by most travelers… but there’s a lot of history and fun lurking in the city.
So if you want to explore the city in a fun and interesting way, don’t miss out on the unique insights offered by this Inverness walking tour.
We thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Inverness is not a large city and is largely picturesque, ideally suited to walking tours. Our guide, Elaine, was excellent. She was extremely knowledgeable and dealt with our largish group of mixed abilities very well. Highly recommended.
— James (Read more reviews)
⭐ Tour highlights: You’ll learn about royalty, Jacobites, and the Loch Ness monster—and you’ll see scenic spots like Inverness Castle, Inverness Cathedral, and pretty riverside stretches of the Ness.
🗺️ Itinerary: You meet in central Inverness, and finish the tour in (a different part of) central Inverness. During the tour, you’ll follow your guide on-foot from attraction to attraction.
2. Highlander Loch Ness and Culloden Battlefield Tour
Pretty much every Inverness tourist wants to see Loch Ness.
If you’re one of them, this tour is for you, it’s really one of the best Loch Ness tours from Inverness!
There’s a pretty big focus on the loch:
… you ride along some of its shores, you pause at some of the best viewpoints for photos of the place, you stop at the iconic on-loch Urquhart Castle, and you hear loads of tales and legends (with excellent commentary).
But it’s not all Ness-based. Other trip attractions include Beauly Priory (sitting in the lovely town of Beauly, one of my favorite places in this part of the nation), the once-a-bloodbath Culloden Battlefield, and the weird Bronze Age burial site of Clava Cairns. For seeing all the most famous close-to-Inverness tour highlights, you won’t find better than this.
Because there’ll never be more than 8 tourists on this tour, it feels really personal and cozy. You get loads of time to ask questions, and you feel like you’re traveling with a group of friends.
The tour was simply wonderful. Our tour guide and driver, Stuart, was personable, knowledgeable, and friendly. He kept the tour moving along without rushing things. He was particularly informative about the Scottish culture for each of the stops throughout the day and made the tour memorable for me and my wife. We couldn’t have asked for a better tour.
— Paul (Read more reviews)
⭐ Tour highlights: Learning about Loch Ness, a focus on lots of laughs, and historical Inverness insights running all the way back to the Bronze Age.
🗺️ Itinerary: You’ll start and finish your tour in central Inverness. The rest of the time, you’ll be driven (in the following order) to Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Beauly Priory, Culloden Battlefield, and Clava Cairns.
3. Inverness City Center Cycling Tour
If I was only gonna take one tour inside of Inverness, it would be this one.
(Alright, I’m a bit biased, cos I love cycling. But this is such a great way to see the city, and squeeze loads of hard-to-reach highlights into one short tour.)
You ride around various parts of the city, spotting a combo of well-known stuff and not-so-well-known stuff. You’ll see some under-the-radar sights that most tourists never do.
It’s a nice mixture between relaxing and outdoorsy, and even if you’re not particularly fit, you’ll be able to tackle it. The route is flat and easy, and you’ll be riding for around 2 hours.
You don’t go inside any of the attractions you ride past—you simply see them from the outside. The guides know the area really well, and will give you loads of juicy insights as you ride.
Alison is great! We were so happy we spent time outside on bikes for a couple of hours. Alison really looks out for her riders and it makes things so easy for the riders! We did not worry about a thing and she took us to some beautiful spots along the river. One couple was in their 60’s and the other early 70’s and it was very doable. We highly recommend the Inverness bike tour! Great day! Thanks Alison!
— Suzanne (Read more reviews)
⭐ Tour highlights: Riverside stretches, Ness Islands, the Caledonian Canal, seeing the city a different way, and getting some gentle exercise.
🗺️ Itinerary: You start and end your tour at the Inverness Bike Tours store. The rest of the time, you’ll be following your guide… and (in the following order), you’ll hit Inverness Castle, Inverness Cathedral, Cavell Gardens, Ness Islands, Inverness Botanic Garden, the Caledonian Canal, and Merkinch Local Nature Reserve.
4. Loch Ness: Urquhart Castle Round-Trip Cruise
More Loch Ness fun! But this time, you’ll be riding around in a boat.
Quick note, before we go any further: This Loch Ness boat tour doesn’t start quite from Inverness. Instead, it begins from Clansman Harbour, just 9 miles (15 km) southwest of the city. You can easily reach the harbor from the city, by hopping on the 17 bus or the 919 bus. Both will get you there in 20-30 minutes.
On the boat, you’ll sail all the way to Urquhart Castle and back—seeing the iconic fortress in a way most tourists never do. The trip also features a bar (with drinks and snacks), and an underwater sonar, for seeing whether or not Nessie might be drifting under your boat*.
*Spoiler alert: It won’t be, cos it doesn’t exist. Don’t tell any Scottish people I said that though, obviously.
Despite the rain, the trip was fun and breathtaking. It’s was quite busy on the way out due to other trips coinciding. The staff were lovely and fun. I do suggest getting to the clansman Hotel for parking if you need to otherwise you could be out of luck , and also do check on weather and be prepared.
— Vanessa (Read more reviews)
⭐ Tour highlights: Gliding along Loch Ness, sitting on a boat (who doesn’t like boat trips?), and seeing Urquhart Castle from its back.
🗺️ Itinerary: You meet at Clansman Harbor, where your tour also ends. The cruise lasts 50 minutes, and rides from the harbor to the castle, then back to the harbor.
5. Loch Ness and Caledonian Canal Cruise (from Dochgarroch)
Another Loch Ness boat tour from Inverness … but longer, more extensive, and more immersive than the last one.
Again, this experience doesn’t start from Inverness—you have to make your own way to the meeting point. This time, that meeting point is at Dochgarroch Lock… but, again, you can take the 17 bus or the 919 bus to get there, and you’ll only be on the bus for around 15 minutes.
Once you board the boat, you’ll see a hefty bunch of different stuff. Just like on the last tour, you’ll drift by Urquhart Castle… but you’ll also see the Caledonian Canal (which you’ll pass through to get your journey started), the surprisingly-short Bona Lighthouse, and a WWII crash site.
Again, you’ll hear stuff about Nessie. And again, you’ll have to pretend you think this giant undetectable sort-of-dinosaur exists.
… and for the whole tour, you’ll get info and tidbits from the on-board narration. If you’re looking for a non-active adventure, I can’t recommend this cruise enough.
Relaxing cruise with beautiful views. Interesting information given by guide, but also plenty of down time to enjoy a quiet ride while looking at the scenery. We went as a couple and enjoyed it. Plenty of family groups too, who also seemed to have a good experience.
— Andra (Read more reviews)
⭐ Tour highlights: Seeing lots of Ness highlights from the loch itself, drifting by Urquhart Castle, learning a load of stuff, and navigating the famous Caledonian Canal.
🗺️ Itinerary: You start and end your tour at Dochgarroch Loch. The cruise lasts 2 hours.
6. Self-Guided Loch Ness Cycle Trip
Another cycling trip, but longer and more interesting than the route we brought you before.
If you search for day tours from Inverness, this one is pretty unique.
Here’s how it works:
You make your own way to the bicycle rental place, which sits in city-center Bellfield Park. Here, you get a bike and a helmet, and you chat to the rental staff. They give you a map, some directions, and some advice, and they set you off on your way.
Along the route, you’ll see the Ness Islands, the Caledonian Canal, the village of Dores, and more. On your way back to the hire store, you can either retrace your steps (well, tyre marks), or you can take an alternative route.
In total, you’ll cycle around 16 miles (26 km); longer if you take any detours.
This is great because you can take it at your own pace. Want a lung-busting workout? Do it! Want to stop every three seconds to nab some photos? Do it! Want a combo between those two things? I’m sure you can see where this is going.
Our bike hire from Ticket to Ride made for an amazing day. With helpful maps from the shop we were quickly on our way. The roads in Inverness were nice with many dedicated and protected bike paths. Drivers were courteous, giving us space when we needed it. The weather was beautiful and the Loch Ness is an amazing lake. No monster sightings 😉
— Kathy (Read more reviews)
⭐ Tour highlights: Getting adventurous in (and around) a city, not having to plan your own route, and seeing loads of lochside highlights without having to do any driving.
🗺️ Itinerary: You get your bike, you ride around, then you take your bike back. You can go at your own pace, so long as you do it all in a day!
7. The Inverness Outlander Experience
You’ve probably heard of Outlander, that historic TV drama based and shot in Scotland.
If you like the show, you’ll enjoy this tour. If you don’t (or if you have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about), you won’t.
The experience visits some of the places we’ve already covered on this list… but with an Outlander-y twist. Some of the biggest show-related names you’ll explore include Culloden Battlefield (where Jamie gets wounded during a battle), Castle Leod (the apparent inspiration for Castle Leoch), and Beauly Priory (where Claire gets advice from a seer).
You’ll also hear some real-life history about the places you see and visit (some of the sights and teachings aren’t even related to Outlander)… and you’ll learn about the surprising parallels between real life and the show.
For one of the best (if not THE best) Outlander tours from Inverness, book this one.
This was a wonderful day. Our guide Andrew was beyond exceptional. He made history come alive with his in depth knowledge of every place we went. This was an Outlander tour but my ancestors lived the real experience in their respective time. Scotland is a treasure.
— Robert (Read more reviews)
⭐ Tour highlights: Ticking off a load of Highland highlights, seeing sights from Outlander, and learning about the show as you go.
🗺️ Itinerary: You’ll get picked up and dropped off at your hotel (convenient!). The rest of the time, you’ll be driven to all the tour attractions.
8. The North Coast 500 (in 3 Days)
If I was only gonna tackle one trip from our list, it would absolutely be this one.
The North Coast 500 is the most famous road trip in the UK. Running in a 500-mile (800km) loop around the most northern parts of mainland Scotland, it takes you to some of the nation’s most beautiful and remote places.
I’ve tackled the trip in its entirety twice (I’ve done shorter stretches way more times), and I’ll definitely do it again one day. I love these parts of Scotland so much—and anyone who’s ever seen them will say exactly the same thing.
If you’re short on time, this 3-day tour is the best way to see all the highlights quickly and conveniently.
It’s also (of course) a good option if you don’t like driving—some of the roads can be a bit tricky to navigate, and this tour saves you the hassle.
Deanna was a great story teller and very knowledgeable. She quickly figured out what we would like to see and do, then she adjusted the trip. Each day turned out better than the one before!
— Ashok (Read more reviews)
⭐ Tour highlights: Torridon, endless mountains, alien-like landscapes, lots of coastal villages, loveable Ullapool, and enjoying one of the best road trips on the planet. You haven’t really seen Scotland until you’ve seen this.
🗺️ Itinerary: The tour begins and ends next to Inverness Cathedral. During the tour, you’ll ride in a massive circle—and you’ll spend your first night in Ullapool, and your second night in Thurso.
9. Torridon, Applecross, & Eilean Donan Castle
The best part of the North Coast 500 (by a pretty long way) is the western stretch. So if you don’t have time for the full route, and just want to see the best parts on a 1-day trip, this is the tour for you.
Over the course of 11 fun-filled hours, you’ll visit some of the most dramatic and unique parts of mainland Scotland. Lots of this stuff (and I’m not exaggerating) looks like something from a different planet—you’ve probably never seen anything like it.
The most impressive part of the whole tour (well, for most people, but I dunno if I agree) is the Bealach na Bà pass, the lofty vertiginous road that takes drivers over to Applecross. Another big name on this tour is Eilean Donan Castle, a scenic ruin sitting on an in-a-loch island.
If you want dramatic scenery and only have time for a one day trip from Inverness, this is my top pick from our list.
Hands down the best tour and the best guide ever. I booked five different tours during my ten days in Scotland, but this is definitely the one I would do all over again. Helen, our guide and driver was just amazing: she gave us lots of interesting information and talked about stories and legends, she’s a very capable driver and she helped creating a nice environment in the bus, so that the whole experience was even better. Also, lunch in Applecross was delicious! I will choose Rabbie’s for all my trips from now on.
— Giulia (Read more reviews)
⭐ Tour highlights: Riding around the best parts of the North Coast 500, the ultra-atmospheric scenery of Torridon, and seeing the Bealach na Bà without having to drive it yourself.
🗺️ Itinerary: You’ll meet your guide beside Inverness Cathedral, and you’ll finish your tour in central Inverness. During the rest of the tour, you’ll be driven past Beinn Eighe, Loch Maree, the Bealach na Bà, Applecross, Eilean Donan Castle, and Loch Ness (and you’ll see more en-route).
10. John O’Groats, Dunrobin Castle & the Far North
During this tour, you’ll see some other North Coast 500 highlights.
But because this ride largely takes you around the far-northern east coast of Scotland, it’s centered around history and famous places (rather than the much-more-impressive landscapes you get on the west coast of this part of Scotland)…
… so it’s a good trip for people who want to learn. But anyone who purely wants to look at dramatic views would be better off taking the trip we’ve just featured above.
The big name on this trip is John O’Groats, the most northerly point of mainland Scotland. It’s famous pretty much just cos of its geographical location, and not really for any other reason.
On your way up there from Inverness, you’ll stop at some other places, including Dunrobin Castle, Wick Heritage Museum, and some peaceful beaches.
We had a great day traveling north with Richard. The drive alone is worth the cost of the tour, the stops were added bonuses. If you’re staying in Inverness, DEFINITELY take this tour, you won’t regret the views!
— Lindsey Marie (Read more reviews)
⭐ Tour highlights: Seeing the iconic John O’Groats, spotting some seals and birds, pretty Dunbeath Harbor, and riding around 25% of the North Coast 500.
🗺️ Itinerary: You start and end your tour in central Inverness. The rest of the time, you’re driven (in the following order) to Loch Fleet, Golspie Gallery, Dunrobin Castle, Helmsdale Beach, Wick Heritage Museum, John O’ Groats, Dunbeath Heritage Centre, and Brora Beach. A nice combo of varied stuff!
11. Hogwarts Express and the Highlands
The main attraction on this trip is the iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct… which is most famous cos of its links to the Harry Potter movies.
This stretch of railroad is that famous scenic section the Hogwarts Express traverses to get to Hogwarts school. If you’ve seen the movies, you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, just imagine a really pretty viaduct.
Anyway, this tour gives a detailed intro to the place. You ride on the train (a 2.5 jaunt from Fort William to Mallaig, and genuinely one of the best train journeys on the planet)… then you later view the viaduct from below, and watch another train run over it.
You also get much more, on a tour that clocks in at a hefty 12 hours. You’ll venture to way more parts of the Highlands, including villages, coasts, and beautiful viewpoints.
Definitely one of the best tours you can take from Inverness, and an alluring combo of lots of different stuff. Highly recommended! Book here.
Even if you are not a Harry Potter fan, this is a fantastic tour of the highlands. Hard to put into words how beautiful the places we saw were. Harrison was hilarious and insightful. Excellent tour guide. Well worth the cost!
— Addison (Read more reviews)
⭐ Tour highlights: Urquhart Castle, Dores Beach, underrated parts of Loch Ness, some of the lower-Highlands’ best viewpoints, and riding over the iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct.
🗺️ Itinerary: You start and end your tour in central Inverness. The rest of the time, you’re driven around the various tour highlights (apart from the part where you ride the train to Mallaig—a coastal town where your guide will re-meet you).
12. Isle of Skye Full-Day 8-Seater Bus Tour
The Isle of Skye is closer to Inverness than most tourists realize… so it’s (of course) a good idea to visit the island when you’re in the city.
There are plenty Isle of Skye tours from Inverness, some are good, some aren’t.
And let’s be clear: You’ll never see all of the island in one day.
But if you want to tick off a handful of the best parts on a day trip, this is the best tour you’ll do.
You see some parts of the island, you see some Highland highlights on the way, and you’ll learn some surprising stuff as you go.
My favorite Skye parts include Portree and The Old Man of Storr… You’ll see those. And the best en-route parts include Urquhart Castle, Eilean Donan Castle, and the Caledonian Canal.
This was an amazing tour! Beautiful scenery!! I especially enjoyed William’s great stories, incredible knowledge of the area, and fantastic sense of humor. Would highly recommend!
— Noelle (Read more reviews)
⭐ Tour highlights: Some iconic castles, chowing down in Portree, the bizarre Old Man of Storr, and seeing some famous parts of Skye without doing any driving.
🗺️ Itinerary: You start and end your tour in central Inverness. The rest of the time, you’re driven around all the en-route stops.
13. Moray Coast and Some Puffins
I honestly can’t imagine a single person on the planet who wouldn’t enjoy looking at some cute little puffins…
… so if you neatly fit into the category of ‘every person on the planet,’ you might just like this tour.
The big attraction here is Troup Head Nature Reserve, where you’ll see those nesting puffins (and see the only gannet colony on mainland Scotland).
Aside from making brand-new feathery friends, other adventures include lots more lovely coastal treats… such as beaches, harbors, and fishing villages. If you like exploring the seaside, this tour is absolutely for you.
It’s packed with charm, you’ll fall in love with every place you visit, and it’s a great alternative to hill-based trips and tours (which, as you’ve probably worked out by now, are most of the other tours from Inverness).
The guide Willie was the highlight. He facilitated wonderful walks and kept us informed of Scotland’s history, its historic castles, focusing on the wonderful bird-life (pointing out Ospreys, Gannets, scenery and the “Hei Land Coos”). On the side he played Scottish music softly and introduced us to Scotlands most beloved singers and groups and later a contemporary playlist that we all enjoyed including the many Australians in the tour. He was an excellent and careful driver and timed the stops for coffee, lunch and breaks perfectly for the seniors and the younger adults in our group
— Bibhuti (Read more reviews)
⭐ Tour highlights: Seeing some puffins, the villages of Carrbridge and Cullen, eating lunch in Cullen, and exploring the vastly-underrated Moray Coast.
🗺️ Itinerary: You start and end your tour in central Inverness. The rest of the time, you’re driven to all your other stops (over a lengthy 11.5 hours!).
14. Lewis, Harris, and More of the Outer Hebrides
This three-day funfest takes you to some of the most remote and under-visited parts of Scotland.
You know Arran, and you know Skye. But not many people come to the Outer Hebrides (which lie further west beyond Skye)… so this is an ideal tour for people who want to see unusual and obscure stuff in Scotland.
The big focus on this tour is ancient sites in beautiful locations. You’ll see empty beaches, tiny settlements, and even the Callanish Standing Stones (some of the most famous standing stones in the UK).
This area is surprisingly remote and rural… and taking a tour can be one of the best ways to see it (cos you don’t need to navigate ferries, or public transport, or hiring a car, or any of that stuff).
You spend both nights in the Hebrides, so you don’t waste much time on the mainland.
Our guide Mathew was fantastic! Such a lovely guy and extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. He took excellent care of us! The Callanish Stones were amazing, a definite must see,just wished the weather would have been better! It’s unbelievable how beautiful the water and beaches are on Harris. Just make sure you dress warm as it can be really windy and wet.
— Renee (Read more reviews)
⭐ Tour highlights: Luskentyre Beach, wandering around the ‘capital’ town of Stornoway, the Butt of Lewis, and lots of tales and history from your guide (this area is a surprisingly storied place).
🗺️ Itinerary: You start and end your tour in central Inverness. You spend both of your overnight stays in Stornoway.
15. The Three-Day Orkney Explorer
The most immersive Inverness tour I’ve brought you, this three-day funfest is packed with a load of varied stuff.
I like this Orkney tour a lot because it’s packed with stuff most tourists never get to see. It’s the most remote adventure on my list—even more so than the Outer Hebrides tour above.
The Orkney Islands sit beyond the northeastern mainland of Scotland, between John O’Groats and the Shetland Islands…
… and on this tour, you’ll see some of the place’s major highlights, including towns, stone circles, rural landscapes, and the best-preserved Neolithic settlement in all of western Europe. And along the way, you’ll also see some mainland stuff.
So all in all, it’s a brilliant combo of loads of varied fun. If you’ve been searching for tours to Orkney from Inverness, you found it.
Kev, our tour guide and driver, was amazing! From the jokes and the surprises to his vast knowledge, he was a wonderful travelling companion. Our visit to Neil on Orkney, listening to the stories and history in his wonderful Orkney accent will stay in our memories for a long time!
— Tom (Read more reviews)
⭐ Tour highlights: Stromness Marina, the super-ancient Standing Stones of Stenness, Duncansby Head, John O’Groats, ferrying to and from Orkney, and accessing the islands without any hassle.
🗺️ Itinerary: You start and end your tour in central Inverness… then you’re driven around on the whole tour by your guide and driver. On both nights, you stay in the Orkney town of Kirkwall.
Before You Go!
Alright, that’s us done. They’re the 15 best tours in (and from!) Inverness.
If you’re overwhelmed and still undecided which tour to take, follow my lead: Book the Torridon, Applecross, & Eilean Donan Castle Tour. It’s the best you can take by far, you’ll see plenty of iconic places and dramatic Scottish sights. You can’t go wrong with this one. (Book here)
After you’ve tackled that tour, you can also join a guided walking tour inside the city, you’ll hit famous spots as well as lesser-known areas, and you’ll learn some surprising stuff. It’s pretty cheap too, so you can add it to your trips list easily. (Book here)
For more Inverness adventures, check out my guides to the 15 best hikes in and around Inverness, and the 11 best road trips from Inverness.
And for places where to rest here’s my selection of the best hostels in Inverness.
