Experience in Inverness, United Kingdom by Amy

What is it like to live in Inverness? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Inverness is a gorgeous city full of old architecture and cobbled backstreets. It is perfect for anyone interested in photography as there is never a shortage of nature, scenic views or bustling city life to capture. The city is quite small - easily walkable.

What is the student lifestyle like in Inverness?

The university building is brand new, it only opened a couple of years ago. I don't think it has a student union yet. It's very easy to get involved and meet people in Inverness even if you don't get involved in university events. There is so much to do in terms of sports and outdoor excursions courtesy of Highlife Highland and Inverness Leisure centre. There's also plenty of theatre and drama clubs, ice skating and curling, volunteer opportunities and much more.

How much does it cost to live in Inverness?

It can be quite expensive to live in certain areas of Inverness and accommodation is few and far between in the city centre, but if you're willing to live a little bit outside of the city you'll find there's much more choice. Buses are very regular around town and to the outskirts, but if you want to go much farther than 15 mins outside the centre you'll have to plan your trip a bit more carefully.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Inverness? Is there any advice you can give?

There is student accommodation offered by the university, or you can look into flats in the centre, but these will go quickly. make sure you keep watch for new properties that come on the market as they are snatched up quickly, and this goes for anywhere around the highlands.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

There aren't any typical dishes of Inverness but there are a lot of nice restaurants, cafes and bars.

What places would you recommend visiting in Inverness?

There's not that much to do in the way of toursit attractions in Inverness - most of the historical things like cairns and castles are outside of Inverness but there's lots of companies that can take you on day trips, or if you prefer to organise it yourself there are service buses or hire car companies. In the actual city, I would recommend going to the islands - this is a sort of park in the middle of the river in Inverness that can be accessed by a bridge behind the ice centre or just along from Bellfield park. I also recommend the botanical gardens if you're interested in that sort of thing. The castle used to be a sheriff's court but I think it's now a tourist attraction if you fancy checking that out. Other than that there's plenty of woodland walks in the surrounding areas or if you fancy some risk taking there's an abandoned mental hospital that burned down in a fire and is a decent walk up craig dunain. The Victorian market is sadly not what it used to be but that's worth a visit as well if you're interested in history and architecture.

Is it good to eat out in Inverness? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

There's everything from American chains, to hipster vegan cafes to fine dining. There's also a Nando's and various similar restaurants up at the retail park which is barely a ten minute bus ride traffic dependent.

Is the nightlife good in Inverness? Where is good to go?

Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest nights in Inverness and there isn't really anything in the way of clubs. Inverness is one of those places where you move between places a lot but it's free entry everywhere as far as I'm aware. There are some places that won't let you in if you're not dressed up enough but most places are fine. It's mostly bars or bars with dance floors in Inverness.

What advice would you give future students heading to Inverness?

I love this city but it's very small so I advise you to make the most of your time by going out and exploring the rest of the highlands otherwise you'll get bored after a few months of Inverness.