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A museum gallery displays archaeological finds and information panels around a central video screen, glass cases lining both walls.
Inverness

Inverness Museum and Art Gallery

The museum of the Highlands, just below Inverness Castle, with archaeology, the Jacobites, natural history and art, and no admission charge.

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Welcome

Inverness Museum and Art Gallery stands at the top of Castle Wynd, just below the castle.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

It is the oldest museum in the Highland region, with collections that go back to 1825, and there is no admission charge. Two galleries follow a timeline from prehistory to today: the Highland landscape, Bronze Age and Iron Age treasures and the carved stones of the Picts on the ground floor, then the Jacobites and Bonnie Prince Charlie, Highland music, culture and costume, and the growth of the modern city upstairs. Along the way you can piece together a Bronze Age pot or try wrapping yourself in a kilt.

The art galleries change their exhibitions through the year, and the coffee shop serves soup, scones, cakes and snacks. The lift is out of order at present and the entrance has steps, so ring the museum before you come if you need step-free access.

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Arrives at 5am every day.

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The Daily for 27 October, from Scotland with love. An aerial view shows a sandy cove between rocky headlands, a white house standing on the autumn-toned hillside above the turquoise sea.
Before you go

Open Tuesday to Saturday, with no admission charge.

The hours are shorter from November to March.

Where
Castle Wynd, Inverness IV2 3EB, at the top of Castle Wynd just past the Town House, below the castle.
Open
Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm; from November to March Tuesday to Thursday 12 to 4pm and Friday and Saturday 11am to 4pm. Shut on Sunday and Monday. The coffee shop opens 30 minutes later and closes 45 minutes earlier.
Price
No admission charge; donations are encouraged.
Parking
No parking at the museum apart from a private disabled bay at the entrance, first come first served, and space to drop off. Paid on-street parking on Castle Street; the Rose Street multi-storey and Eastgate Shopping Centre car parks are nearby.
Dogs
Assistance and service dogs are welcome. Family pets cannot be admitted, because of the museum's collections care policy and the food prepared on site.
Getting there
A short walk from Inverness railway station, by Inglis Street and the High Street to the Town House. Buses stop at Castle Steps (routes such as 302, 17, 2, 253, M96 and X99) and on Castle Street (4, 14, 14A and 16).
Access
The passenger lift is out of order at present and there are steps at the entrance, so step-free access is not available just now (read 21 October 2026). Accessible toilets and an accessible parking bay are listed. Phone 01349 781730.
Food
A coffee shop seating 24, with soup, scones, cakes and snacks, hot and cold drinks, and vegan and gluten free options. The gift shop is on the ground floor.

Opening hours

Monday
Closed
Tuesday
noon–4pm
Wednesday
noon–4pm
Thursday
noon–4pm
Friday
11am–4pm
Saturday
11am–4pm
Sunday
Closed

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Did you know

A curved concrete museum building displays large photographic banners beside a glazed entrance tower, a hoarding and parked cars nearby.
Did you know

A photographic archive.

The photographic collection includes the Highland Photographic Archive, more than 200,000 negatives and prints that document life across the Highlands.

A museum gallery displays fishing tools, a diver's helmet and framed paintings of stormy seas in glass cases along curved walls.
Did you know

The oldest museum in the Highland region.

Its earliest collections were founded in 1825 by the Northern Institute, and it is one of the oldest museums in the UK.

A concrete museum building with an angled staircase and a blue banner reading 'New Fib' stands on a street corner, information panels mounted beside the entrance.
Did you know

It began by studying the world.

The first collections, founded in 1825, looked at nature, archaeology and civilisations from around the world. From about 1903 the displays turned to Highland and Jacobite history.

What is on

What is new across Inverness, day by day.

New places, news and stories, as we find them.

What is on in Inverness
01 / 04
Where it is

On Castle Wynd, at the top, just past the Town House and below Inverness Castle, IV2 3EB.

Close byInverness.
  1. River Ness WalkRiver Ness WalkA riverside walk through Inverness from the castle along Ness Bank to the Ness Islands and back past the cathedral, about three miles and an hour and a half.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. XOKO BakehouseXOKO BakehouseUnder a mile 1 min by road
  3. Inverness CastleInverness CastleThe castle on Castle Hill above the River Ness, open since 2025 as the Inverness Castle Experience, with exhibitions and a rooftop terrace.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Inverness CathedralSt Andrew's Cathedral on the River Ness in Inverness: a pink freestone Gothic cathedral of 1866 to 1869, open every day of the year.Under a mile 2 min by road
  5. Leakey's BookshopLeakey's BookshopScotland's largest second-hand bookshop, in an old Gaelic church on Church Street in Inverness, with a hundred thousand books on two floors round a wood stove.Under a mile 2 min by road
  6. Culloden Visitor CentreCulloden Visitor CentreThe National Trust for Scotland's visitor centre and battlefield five miles east of Inverness, where the last Jacobite Rising ended in 1746.6 miles 14 min by road
Directions
Castlegallery shopfront with hanging flower baskets above the window displayShoppingCastle GalleryA step away
A tray of sponge cakes dusted with icing sugar and filled with jam and cream.CafeHarry GowA step away
Corner entrance of Rocpool restaurant with black canopy and menus displayed outsideRestaurantsRocpool0.2 miles
Crispy-skinned salmon fillet on risotto, garnished with pea shoots and herb oilRestaurantsThe Mustard Seed0.2 miles
Sliced bread in a wooden bowl beside butter and a gin glassRestaurantsMcBain's by the River0.3 miles
Red sandstone cathedral with Gothic arched windows and a carved entrance porchAttractionsSt Andrew's Cathedral0.4 miles
Wrought-iron bracket holds "The Walrus & Corkscrew" sign against a stone buildingRestaurantsThe Walrus & Corkscrew0.4 miles
The gilded pipes of the Willis organ and the carved wooden pulpit inside the Old High Church, Inverness.AttractionsOld High Church0.4 miles
Rows of coffee bags on a wooden dresser under a "Good Coffee Good Day" signCafeInverness Coffee Roasting Co0.4 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the museum, and when each is next free.

A white harled cottage with a slated roof and gabled porch sits behind a garden of wildflowers, a table and chairs on the patio.Garden Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Dores
  • 6 miles from the museum
Check datesA stone cottage with a slated roof and dormer windows sits behind a gravel drive, ivy covering one gable end.Ivy Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Dores
  • 6 miles from the museum
Check datesA stone steading with green shutters and a slated roof sits beside a gravel drive, mature trees framing the entrance.South Bothy
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Inverness
  • 6 miles from the museum
Check datesA pink harled house with turreted gables and stepped chimneys stands among pine trees behind a dry stone wall.Gatehouse Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Dores
  • 6 miles from the museum
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in InvernessAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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