Inverness Castle officially opens after £47m upgrade

time：2026-02-09Popularity：Author： Cameron Angus-Mackay

A view of Inverness Castle looking up to it from Castle Street. The castle is a sandstone building with ramparts and turrets. Long windows, curved at the top line the walls and a Saltire flies from a flag pole in a round turret. Below the castle is a large area of grass with floral displays, including a clock. It is a bright sunny day. Scottish and UK government representatives attended the opening

Inverness Castle has been officially opened following its £47m transformation into a visitor attraction.

The ceremony was attended by Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes and Scotland Office Minister Kirsty McNeill.

Work to revamp the former sheriff court and prison started in 2022.

The new Inverness Castle Experience features an interactive journey through Highland history and culture. The site also has a bar and bistro.

Highland Council said the castle was expected to attract about 450,000 visitors a year.

The cost of converting the property, on a hilltop above the city centre, has been covered by the UK and Scottish governments, Highland Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

The visitor destination employs more than 100 people.

Forbes said: "Inverness Castle is an iconic landmark at the heart of the Highlands."

The completion of the project was a "significant achievement" for the region, added McNeill.

The site will be operated and managed by High Life Highland on behalf of the local authority.

A sepia photograph of Inverness riverside with a row of cottages, a church and in the distance the hilltop castle. A boy in a cap and pulling a barrow is talking to a man wearing a cap. A group of women and children stand by the cottages and other people are standing near the river. The castle, pictured in a photograph taken in 1865, was built for use as a court and prison