Highlands
Date ideas in Inverness
Updated
Inverness is small enough to walk end to end, and the River Ness runs right through the middle of it, so most dates here start or finish on the riverbank. There's live music every night, a second-hand bookshop you could lose an afternoon in, and when the city runs out, Loch Ness, Culloden and the dolphins at Chanonry Point are all within half an hour. Here are our picks, for a first date or a whole Saturday.
Our picks in Inverness
The Ness Islands
Ness Bank and Bught Park, a 15-minute walk south of the city centre
Address: Ness Islands, Inverness IV2 4QS- Outdoors
- Free
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Romantic
Follow the river upstream from the city centre and cross the Victorian footbridges onto the wooded islands in the middle of the Ness.
Why it's a good date: It's an easy loop with the river on both sides, and you can talk the whole way round. Go on a summer evening, when it stays light until late, and walk back along the opposite bank for a change of view.
Photo: dave conner, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Leakey's Bookshop
Greyfriars Hall, Church Street, city centre
Address: Greyfriars Hall, Church Street, Inverness IV1 1EY- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Free
- Best in Autumn, Winter
- Cosy
Browse Scotland's biggest second-hand bookshop, inside an old Gaelic church with a wood-burning stove and a spiral staircase up to the gallery.
Why it's a good date: Give each other ten minutes to find the other person a book, then swap. It's warm and quiet, and ideal when the weather turns.
Photo: LeamingtonBooks, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
The Victorian Market
Academy Street and Union Street, city centre
Address: Academy Street, Inverness IV1 1JN- Activity
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Foodie
Wander the covered Victorian arcades, then pick lunch from the food hall's independent stalls.
Why it's a good date: Order from two different stalls and share, so you both get to try more. It's covered, so it works in any weather.
Photo: Daniel Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Eden Court
Bishops Road, on the west bank of the Ness
Address: 1 Bishops Road, Inverness IV3 5SB- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Mid-price
- Big night
See a play, a comedy night or a film at the Highlands' biggest arts centre, on the riverbank beside the cathedral.
Why it's a good date: With two theatres and two cinema screens under one roof, there's nearly always something on, and the bar gives you somewhere to talk it over afterwards. Walk there along the river from the city centre.
Photo: Ian S, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Hootananny
Church Street, city centre
Address: 67 Church Street, Inverness IV1 1ES- Bar
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Big night
Spend an evening at the city's best-known live music pub, with trad sessions downstairs and gigs upstairs.
Why it's a good date: There's music every night, so you don't need to plan much: just turn up. Arrive early to get a seat near the session.
Photo: Ian S, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Inverness Castle
Castle Hill, city centre
Address: Castle Hill, Inverness IV2 3EG- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Mid-price
Go inside the red sandstone castle above the river, which reopened as a visitor attraction in 2026, with stories of the Highlands told across its towers.
Why it's a good date: It's new, so it's something to discover together, even if one of you grew up here. The castle grounds are free, and the view over the Ness from up there is worth the short climb on its own.
Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Inverness Botanic Gardens
Bught Lane, beside the Ness Islands
Address: Bught Lane, Inverness IV3 5SS- Outdoors
- Free
- Rainy day
Walk through the tropical house and the cactus house, then round the outdoor gardens, and finish with a coffee in the café.
Why it's a good date: The glasshouses are warm and green even on a dreich day, and it's free, with donations welcome. Pair it with a walk round the Ness Islands next door.
Photo: Craig Wallace, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Craig Phadrig
Leachkin, on the western edge of Inverness
Address: Craig Phadrig car park, Leachkin Brae, Inverness IV3 8PN- Outdoors
- Free
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Active
Climb the forest trail up the wooded hill on the west side of the city to the remains of an Iron Age fort at the top.
Why it's a good date: It's a proper uphill walk without leaving town, and there's a view over the Beauly Firth near the top. Wear decent shoes, as the paths get muddy after rain.
Culloden Battlefield
Culloden Moor, about 15 minutes' drive east of Inverness
Address: Culloden Moor, Inverness IV2 5EU- Trip
- Cheap and cheerful
- Culture
- Out of town
Walk the moor where the last pitched battle on British soil was fought in 1746, then see the visitor centre's exhibition.
Why it's a good date: It's moving rather than grim, and it gives you plenty to talk about on the way home. The battlefield paths are free; the visitor centre charges for entry.
Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
Clava Cairns
Near Culloden, about 20 minutes' drive east of Inverness
Address: Balnuaran of Clava, near Culloden, Inverness IV2 5EU- Trip
- Outdoors
- Free
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Out of town
Wander among Bronze Age burial cairns and standing stones in a quiet grove of trees.
Why it's a good date: It's peaceful and a bit mysterious, and it's free to visit at any time. It's only a few minutes from Culloden, so you can easily do both in an afternoon.
Photo: Daniel Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness
Drumnadrochit, about 30 minutes' drive south-west of Inverness
Address: Urquhart Castle, Drumnadrochit, Inverness IV63 6XJ- Trip
- Outdoors
- Cheap and cheerful
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Culture
- Out of town
Drive down the side of Loch Ness to the ruined castle on its shore, and climb Grant Tower for the view up and down the loch.
Why it's a good date: It's the classic Highland day out: a ruined castle, a huge loch and hills all around. Go early or late in the day to miss the coach tours, and keep an eye on the water.
Photo: Daniel Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Chanonry Point
Near Fortrose on the Black Isle, about 25 minutes' drive north-east of Inverness
Address: Chanonry Point car park, Ness Road, Fortrose IV10 8SD- Trip
- Outdoors
- Free
- Best in Summer
- Out of town
Watch for bottlenose dolphins from the shingle spit by the lighthouse, where they come in close to feed.
Why it's a good date: Waiting on a beach together for dolphins to turn up is a lovely way to spend an hour. Check the tide first: they're most often seen on a rising tide, about an hour after low water.
Photo: Vcarceler, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Dates in Inverness: quick answers
What are good rainy-day dates in Inverness?
Leakey's Bookshop, the Victorian Market, Inverness Castle and Eden Court are all indoors and in or near the city centre. The glasshouses at Inverness Botanic Gardens are warm and free, and Hootananny has live music every night.
Can we see Loch Ness on a date from Inverness?
Yes. Urquhart Castle is about 30 minutes' drive down the side of Loch Ness, and buses run there from the city centre. For something closer, the River Ness flows out of the loch and through the middle of Inverness.
Where can we see dolphins near Inverness?
Chanonry Point on the Black Isle, about 25 minutes' drive away, is one of the best places in the UK to see bottlenose dolphins from the shore. They're most likely on a rising tide.
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