Inverness, known as the capital of the Highlands, was designated a Millennium city in 2000. This Royal and Ancient Burgh is recorded going back thousands of years, but it doesn't look like an old town because it was sacked and burned so many times that little remains of its long history. There are exceptions, including a house which dates from 1592 and Dunbar's Hospital of 1688. Also nearby is the site of the Battle of Culloden, the last battle fought on British soil.

Situated at the head of the Moray Firth and the mouth of the Great Glen, Inverness is a terminus and starting point for travel and traffic, living up to its other nickname as the Hub of the Highlands. In the words of Neil M. Gunn: 'No one can say he has seen Scotland who has not seen the Highlands, and no one can say he has been to the Highlands who has not stopped to sample its spirit in Inverness.'