Inverness Tourist Information: City Shopping, Restaurants, Pubs & Nightlife, Highland Games & Island

Inverness City Centre & Shopping

The city of Inverness is a compact city lining west and east of the River Ness at the top of the Great Glen. Being compact it's easy to walk round whether you're visiting for a shopping spree, historic sights or River Ness boat trips. Much of the hotel and B&B accommodation in Inverness is found in the attractive pink sandstone Georgian buildings bordering both sides of the river and in the streets leading off from the river.

The Tourist Information Office is right in the centre of town just off Bridge Street on Castle Wynd, Inverness IV2 3BJ. Tel: 01463 234353. It is a busy centre with lots of information about the city and the rest of the Highlands. Inverness has a good range of both high street stores and independent shops. The Eastgate Shopping Centre is the main place for high street chains and Eastgate II has been added in recent years to expand the choice. Independent shops can be found scattered around the main high street and the Victorian Markets house a range of stalls and shops including antique jewellery shops, gifts, clothes, toys and Heraldic Art & Design services. There is a wide choice of eating places from traditional and contemporary Scottish cuisine to Indian, Chinese, French and Spanish concentrated on Bridge Street and along both sides of the river. The town centre and riverside are dotted with cafes, coffee shops and bars and on a good day pavement seating makes a good vantage point for enjoying the views of Inverness under leafy shade.

For all things tartan and tweedy or to find out more about how tartan is made head for The Kiltmaker Centre in the Highland House of Fraser on the west side of the River Ness on Huntly Street. Here a huge range of Scottish themed gifts and clothing are available to buy or rent, but if you head back through the factory shop you can check out the visitor centre exhibition with audiovisual film that also houses complete outfits worn by Mel Gibson and others in the film Braveheart as well as some from Rob Roy. Highland House of Fraser Ltd, 4-9 Huntly Street, Inverness, IV3 5PR. Tel 01463 222781. Fax 01463 713414. Email: info@highlandhouseoffraser.com

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Inverness Restaurants, Pubs & Nightlife

Inverness is choc full of restaurants catering for all tastes from take aways to contemporary Scottish restaurants offering the best local food. Most are centred around Bridge Street fuelled by the need from the plethora of B&B accommodation nearby.

Alongside that are bars, pubs and nightclubs. Academy Street has a good choice of of pubs some hosting live music ranging from traditional music and ceilidhs to local grown talent in live music sessions.

There are lots of clubs to choose from. Try the link right for reviews and views on Inverness's nightlife.

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Scottish Highlands Gay Nightlife Inverness

The gay scene for the Highlands and Islands has been gathering more momentum over recent years and particularly since Inverness hosted their own Gay Pride Festival in 2000.

Inverness is the base for the Highland Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Forum and Social Group. Check their website, link right, for up-to-date details on events and socials - they're always keen to welcome visitors to the area. You can also find out about other things going on in Inverness and the Highlands such as Gay Film Festivals and the Highland Pride Ball.

There are gay-friendly bars in the city although most would probably like to think they're welcoming to all without having to badge them as gay-friendly.

Try the Station Hotel next to the railway station, Bar Pivo on Academy Street, 21 degrees north and Nico's Bar/Bistro on Ness Bank. Cactus Jack's has music and a dancefloor on King Street.

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City of Inverness Tattoo, Highland Games & Ness Islands

Carrying on south along the River Ness from the Eden Court Theatre you'll come to an area known as Ness Islands. It's a popular place for fishing and the bridges across the river take you through some wooded walks over the islands. If you're lucky you might see a kingfisher flying along the river.

On the west side of the river just south of the Eden Court Theatre is Bught Park, the venue for the City of Inverness Highland Games held annually in July. This is one of the largest Highland Games in North Scotland. Events include Highland piping and dancing and a range of athletic events including the heavy athletics like tossing the caber, Scots hammer and shott putt. Check the weblink right for more information on past events and the history of Highland Games. You can also buy tickets via the website nearer the time of each year's Games.

Inverness also hosts its own Highland Tattoo. This is a full-scale international military tattoo and has been held at The Northern Meeting Park in Inverness or at Fort George, 11 miles north east of the city centre, about a twenty minute drive.

Inverness Highland Tattoo has been going for 56 years and attracts participants from around the world. Sea cadet, Army and Air Training Corps along with Scottish Regiments are accompanied by display teams and marching bands for a colourful and rousing display. Check the weblink right for information on the last tattoo and information on next year's nearer the time.

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Inverness Castle, Churches & Historic Buildings

If you look beyond the shop fronts and modern shopping centres Inverness has actually retained quite a few of its historic buildings. The castle, the most prominent building on top the hill, now houses the Sherriff's court (appropriately formerly the Inverness Jail) and offices so most of it is not accessible to the public. Inverness has had a castle since the 11th century but various uprisings meant that they were successively destroyed both by Robert the Bruce and the Jacobites so the English and Government of the time couldn't get their hands on it. The current red sandstone castle was built in 1835. The Drum Tower is open to the public during the summer and houses the Castle Garrison Experience, an interactive display where you get to play the role of a new recruit in the 18th century Hanoverian army. Open daily March-Oct 10.30am-5.30 pm. Tel: 01463 243 363. In the summery evenings a piper plays from 7pm to 7.30pm on the Castle Hill.

The Town House, next to the Tourist Information Office, on the corner of Castle Street and High Street, is an impressive gothic building built in 1878. It hosted the only cabinet meeting of the British Government outside London when Prime Minister David Lloyd George was holidaying in Gairloch and called the Cabinet to meet to discuss the Irish crisis in 1921. It now houses council offices and occasional classical music concerts. Civil weddings can also be carried out here. Outside on the left hand side of the main doorway is the old Meercat Cross.

Opposite the Town House leading away from the main centre is Church Street which contains Inverness's oldest surviving buildings. On the corner is the Steeple dating from 1791 whose spire had to be straightened after an earth tremor in 1816. Many of the houses on Church Street date from medieval times including the oldest, Abertarff House which was built in 1593 for the Frasers of Lovat. This is an intact but restored example of Scots domestic architecture, and contains the only known turnpike staircase in the area. Abertarff House, Church Street, Inverness IV1 1EU. The Old High Church was founded in 1171 and is the oldest church in the city. It is believed to be sited on St Michael's mound where St Columba of Iona preached. Much of what stands now is 18th and 19th century but part of the tower dates from the 14th century. After the Battle of Culloden Jacobite prisoners were brought here when it was used as a jail. Bullet holes are visible in some of the gravestones where prisoners met an untimely death at the hands of firing squads.

Inverness has a good scattering of attractive churches throughout the city many of which are close to the river where their spires give Inverness its striking skyline. For more information on other churches in the area check the Churches in Inverness link right; they produce a helpful downloadable leaflet. On the opposite side to the river from the castle is St Andrew's Cathedral. This was built with the intention of it being the grandest buildings in Scotland. However, funds ran out before the two spires could be completed and they've stood half finished ever since. You can go in and look around the cathedral that has an unusual octagonal chapterhouse. There is a tearoom and shop adjacent to the cathedral n the Old Boy's School which makes a handy stop-off point.

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