Hop On - Hop Off Bus Tours of Inverness
City Sightseeing bus tours are the perfect way to see Inverness. On these pages you will find information about our Inverness City tours including leaflets, maps and timetables. Inverness is the Capital of the Highlands of Scotland. Recorded history goes back to 565AD. Let us take you to see the historic buildings of Church Street, through the shopping area and along the River Ness to the leisure facilities at Bught Park. We continue to see Tomnahurich Hill, grand views of Inverness and the Caledonian Canal Locks .
The name Inverness comes from the Scottish Gaelic “Inbhir Nis” meaning the mouth of the River Ness. The Burgh of Inverness was granted a Royal Charter by King David of Scotland in the 12th century and has grown steadily ever since. It has always been the administrative, distribution and cultural centre of Northern Scotland. Through the last quarter of the 20th century it was one of the fastest growing towns in Western Europe. This was rewarded by Inverness being granted City status at the millennium.
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More Information on our tours of Inverness
Despite this grand status you are still offered a warm welcome to a lively place with a modern outlook. Our tour gives an insight into the development of the city from the original street between Castle and Kirk with the oldest building Abertarff House to the recently completed Highland Archive Centre. We have had 5 castles through the centuries with many famous visitors, not all welcome, Macbeth, Robert the Bruce, Mary, Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie among them.
Our tour starts on Bank Street, at the river side, by the Mercure Hotel, only a few steps from Inverness Visitor Information Centre and the Town House. The first section of the tour takes us by the South side of Inverness Castle by the 3 Graces and the War Memorial on Ness Bank, a handy stop for the play area of Bellfield Park then close by Inverness Castle to see Flora MacDonald’s statue.
We continue through historic Church Street with the oldest buildings in Inverness then convenient stops for the main shopping aera, Bus Station and Railway Station. We return to the river side to see many of Inverness’s churches including St Andrews Cathedral probably one of local architect Dr. Alexander Ross’s finest buildings. The modern Eden Court Theatre on the banks of the River Ness is on the route as we head past the home of Shinty for another leisure area which includes Whin Park boating pond, Inverness Leisure with swimming pool and sports facilities. Here we also have the Ice Rink for skating or curling or just a stroll around the Botanic Gardens.
On the Western outskirts of the City we see Tomnahurich Hill then cross the Caledonian Canal for Torvean Golf Course. You could hop off here or at the next stop Dochgarroch for a monster spotting cruise with Loch Ness by Jacobite. We return to the city and take the higher ground for great panoramic views of Kessock Bridge, the Black Isle and the Inverness Firth out to Fort George. As we return to the City Centre the flight of 5 locks at Muirtown constructed in 1822 by Thomas Telford’s to bring the Caledonian Canal to sea level comes into view.