Inverness has long been the launch pad for Highlands road trips — fill up the hire car, stock up on snacks, head for Loch Ness or the NC500. But the self-styled capital of the Scottish Highlands is increasingly worth staying put in, and the short-term rental scene there is stepping up to match it.
The city already punches above its weight on hotels. Ness Walk, right on the riverside, and Culloden House, with its battlefield connections, are among the most-loved upmarket stays. What's changed is the Airbnb stock: editors at Condé Nast Traveller UK have rounded up nine rentals in and around the city, and the range says a lot about how the scene has matured.
The picks span pretty much every kind of Highlands trip. There's a historic cottage steps from Inverness Castle, flagged as the best all-round location. Couples get a one-of-a-kind apartment in the same castle-adjacent pocket. Families are pointed towards a cosy home near the River Ness, and solo travellers towards a quiet creative retreat built for one. Every listing on the list carries Superhost status, with vetting based on ratings, amenities, location, decor and guest reviews — a useful shortcut if you'd rather not trawl through hundreds of options yourself.
Why Inverness, rather than further into the Highlands? Practicality, mostly. It has good transport links, a compact walkable centre split by the River Ness, and it puts you within easy reach of Loch Ness, Culloden Battlefield, the Cairngorms and the north coast route without needing to base yourself somewhere remote. It also suits people who want the cabin-in-the-middle-of-nowhere fantasy without fully committing — you can sleep in a characterful city cottage one night and be watching Highland cows from a single-track road the next morning.
The takeaway for travellers: if you've dismissed Inverness as merely a gateway, it's now a legitimate destination for a slower break in its own right. Book early for summer and for any dates around major Highland games or Hogmanay, when the good rentals go fast. And when comparing listings, check Superhost status and recent reviews as a baseline — the strongest options tend to combine an old-building shell with modern heating and plumbing, which matters more than you'd think in a Scottish winter.
