By the Inverness Castle, the city’s main museum, Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, is one of those places that’s easy to walk straight past and not realise.
Below, we will share all the important details about the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery and why it needs to be on your must-see list of places in Inverness.
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
Known locally as IMAG, the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery is run by High Life Highland on behalf of Highland Council. It is located in a Modernist 1960s building right beside Inverness Castle, spread over three floors that cover roughly two-thirds museum and one-third art exhibitions.
There’s a lift to all levels, a small coffee shop and a gift shop on the ground floor.
Where Edinburgh and Glasgow try to cover world history, IMAG sticks to the story of the Highlands.
History and archaeology exhibits
The ground floor is where you’ll find ancient history. Scottish geology and natural history are nearby, going all the way back to roughly 6,500 BCE. Displays trace the people who’ve lived in the Highlands across the Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age.
Highlights to look out for on the ground floor
- The Belladrum Roman Coin Hoard. 36 Roman coins buried in an Iron Age field near Beauly
- Ten Pictish symbol stones from across the East Highlands
- The Breakachy cannel coal pendant
- Hugh Miller’s geological specimens from Cromarty, donated in 1835
- The 17th-century town seal showing a camel (Inverness’s odd nod to its trading past)
- A taxidermied puma captured in Inverness-shire in 1980, thought to be an abandoned pet
Highland art and contemporary collections
The first floor brings you into the more recent history of the Highlands. Jacobite memorabilia from the 1745 rising, Inverness silver, Caithness glass, traditional Highland weaponry, and a good run of bagpipes.
In fact, the museum still holds Isabella Fraser’s tartan wedding dress and plaid, which was originally borrowed for the famous Highland and Jacobite Exhibition of 1905 and never really sent home.
There are several distinct spaces within the gallery section. The Main Art Gallery, the Small Art Gallery, the Highland Art Room, the Community Gallery, and the First Floor Craft Showcase.
Recent and upcoming exhibitions for 2026 include “New Highland Graduates 2026,” “Conversations in Clay” by Pauline Beautyman and Fiona Robertson, and “Who Will Be Remembered Here” by Lewis Hetherington and CJ Mahony.
What you’ll find across the galleries
- Contemporary work by Highland-based artists and recent graduates
- Craft-led shows in ceramics, textiles, glass and silversmithing
- Touring exhibitions from elsewhere in Scotland
- Community-curated displays in the dedicated Community Gallery
- Occasional digital and online exhibitions like Highland Threads
Important visitor information and opening times
Opening hours at the Inverness Museum & Art Gallery change with the seasons, and on top of that, the museum stays closed on Sundays and Mondays year-round. The cafe, meanwhile, runs on slightly shorter hours, opening 30 minutes after the museum and closing 45 minutes before. Therefore, before you set out, it’s worth doing a quick check on the High Life Highland website, especially around bank holidays.
Standard opening times
| Season | Days | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| April–October (summer) | Tuesday–Saturday | 10:00 – 17:00 |
| November–March (winter) | Tuesday–Saturday | 11:00 – 16:00 |
| All year | Sunday & Monday | Closed |
Getting there
- On foot: a 5–10 minute walk from most central Inverness locations, just off Bridge Street
- By car: no museum parking, but Rose Street Multi-Storey, Eastgate Shopping Centre and Inverness Cathedral car parks are all 5–10 minutes away
- By bus or train: The Inverness bus and railway station is roughly a 10-minute walk
- Drop-off: space at the museum entrance for short drop-offs; coaches use the point outside Inverness Town House
Family activities and educational workshops
One of the genuine strengths of the Inverness Museum and Gallery is how seriously it takes families and schools.
To begin with, there’s a regular programme of drop-in activities, object-handling sessions, and themed events throughout the year, and on top of that, a “Room to Discover” used for hands-on workshops.
For instance, recent sessions have included pulling out the retro toy collection for kids to handle, as well as craft workshops run jointly with local groups such as the Inverness Feminist Bird Club.
Museum shop and local amenities
The ground-floor gift shop has many locally made items, including Caithness glass, Highland silver-inspired jewellery, books on Scottish history and archaeology, and prints by artists with current or recent exhibitions in the gallery upstairs.
If you fancy a longer stop, the museum cafe offers coffee, soup, sandwiches, and traybakes.
A half-day around Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
If you’ve got a free morning or afternoon, the museum sits in a great spot to build a wider loop around. To start, spend an hour or so inside IMAG. Afterwards, step outside and walk the short path up to Inverness Castle for the view over the river.
From there, it’s a five-minute stroll down to the River Ness. Cross over Ness Bridge and, instead of heading straight back, take a slow wander along the Ness Islands.
For something a bit greener, carry on south along the river for about 20 minutes (or take a quick bus or taxi) to reach the Inverness Botanic Gardens. As well as the outdoor planting, there are tropical and cactus glasshouses, a small cafe and free entry, which makes it an easy add-on if the weather holds.
Finally, loop back into town in time for dinner. Leakey’s second-hand bookshop is worth a stop on the way if you’re a reader, and Castle Street has some of the best places to eat in central Inverness.
Itinerary
- First: Inverness Museum and Art Gallery (1–2 hours)
- Then: Inverness Castle viewpoint (15 minutes)
- Next: Ness Bridge and the Ness Islands walk (30–45 minutes)
- After that: Inverness Botanic Gardens (1 hour)
- Finally: Leakey’s Bookshop and dinner on Castle Street
Plan your visit to Inverness Museum
The Inverness Museum and Art Gallery showcases over 200 years of collected Highland history, a serious archaeology department, an active contemporary art programme, and a cafe and shop worth checking out. It’s a great rainy-day backup, an educational outing with kids, or a quiet hour between bigger plans.
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Browse the city centre apartments if you want to be steps from the River Ness, the castle, and the museum itself. Book direct with mySTAYINN.
