Inverness is a city in northern Scotland, located on the banks of the River Ness. Historically, the city was important to the Celtic Picts, and in 569 the missionary Columba visited the city to Christianize the Pictish King Brude. In the 11th century, Máel Coluim III built the original version of Inverness Castle, and the city obtained royal charter in the 12th century.

In the following centuries, there were many battles in and around Inverness, and for a time in the 16th century Mary Stuart resided in the city. Later, Inverness became one of the central cities for the Jacobites, who tried to reinstate the royal house of Stuart. Later the town grew considerably, and the population doubled from 1801 to 1881 and has continued to increase since then.

Today, you can take some lovely walks in Inverness’ cozy center along the Ness, and there are several interesting sights here. You can start on the main street, High Street, where you can see Inverness Town House, which was built in neo-Gothic style as the seat of Inverness’s city council 1878-1882.

The Town House has a beautiful interior, and historically the house was the venue for the first meeting of the British Cabinet outside of London, which happened in 1921 in connection with the situation in Ireland at the time. From the Town House you can take a walk along the High Street and to the beautiful Victorian Market, which dates from the late 19th century.

Along the Ness you can see the beautifully situated Inverness Castle. The castle is located on a small hill and towers over the city in the place where castles have been located over centuries. The current Inverness Castle was built from 1836 on the same site as earlier facilities.

From the castle you can look across the River Ness to the city’s cathedral, Inverness Cathedral, built 1866-1869 as the first new Protestant cathedral in Britain since the Reformation. The cathedral is worth seeing with some fine floor mosaics and stained-glass windows. It is dedicated to St. Andrew, who is the patron saint of Scotland, just as it is St. Andrew’s Cross that adorns the Scottish flag.

In the city you can visit the Inverness Museum & Art Gallery as well, which is an interesting museum of the cultural history of Inverness and the Scottish Highlands. The exhibitions depict people and traditions, and there are also archaeological and natural history collections. You can take a walk along the Ness or in the city’s botanical garden, which offers a lovely wealth of plants in the place’s tropical house. Close to this is Whin Park with plenty of activities.

Whin Park lies along the Ness, and many visitors to Inverness will probably also take the short trip to Loch Ness. Here you can scout out the loch yourself for ripples on the surface, and you can also learn more about the area at the Loch Ness Center & Exhibition, located near the fine ruins of Urquhart Castle.