Inverness vs Edinburgh Itinerary Advice Appreciated

Two nights in the Highlands is not going to give you a lot of time to see much of the area, although it's doable. Three nights would be better, but then you don't get to see Edinburgh.

Have you thought about taking a day from the Lake District? I definitely think a visit to iconic Edinburgh would be worthwhile as it's a wonderful city with a very charming vibe to it. And the Lake District is very attractive, but (in my opinion), not worth missing out on Edinburgh. I think you could easily take a day from there without missing too much. In fact, honestly, I would push for 2 nights in Edinburgh as one night won't do it justice.

You could see most of the major sights in Edinburgh in one busy day. We had 1/2 day in Inverness, and that was plenty for the town. There is much more to do and see in Edinburgh than Inverness, so I would spend more time in Edinburgh.

What things have you planned for your time in Inverness and what are your priorities? Will you have a car?

The town itself can be 'done' in half a day but you could easily spend three full days exploring the area as there is lots to do - Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns, Fort George, Elgin with its ruined Abbey and nearby the ruined Spynie Bishop's palace, Beauly and its ruined priory, Dunrobin Castle, Glen Affric - or a day in the Cairngorms, a day exploring the Black Isle, Dornoch with its cathedral, walk along the river to Ness Islands, Urquhart Castle, a cruise on Loch Ness, the folk museum at Newtonmore, Strathspey Steam Railway, Cawdor Castle...Have a look at this map page for lots more ideas.

Then a lot depends on how much you want to see Edinburgh and what you want to see/do there. Yes you can hit the high spots in a day but is it worth the hassel of packing and unpacking just for one night?

Only you can answer that question.

I you're looking for urban sightseeing you should include Edinburgh. While Inverness certainly has things to see it is not that interesting to visit as a city in my opinion.

As well as all that Wasley's has mentioned about Inverness there is also the very scenic train ride down to Kyle of Lochalsh (which makes a direct connection with the Caledonian Sleeper).
You could even go to Ullapool for the day on the Citylink bus #961 which connects to the Stornoway ferry (or the D and E alternative bus). Anyone can and does use that bus, not just ferry passengers. As well as other things to do in Ullapool there are the wildlife cruises around the Summer Isles- https://www.summerqueen.co.uk/

At Ullapool there is even a connecting bus now to Lochinver- further up the NC500.

A few weeks ago someone posted a newspaper article about the Top 25 places in the world to visit this year. One of those was the Flow Country at Forsinard- that is another possible day trip by train from Inverness. At three hours each way it is a longish but scenic way, but one a lot of Brits at least don't even think twice about.

As you have mentioned it is only two hours from Edinburgh to the Lake District- on what is essentially an hourly service. Lots of people from the Lake District go to Edinburgh or Glasgow on the train for the day. From the Lake District I can get ten hours in either city, and quite often do.

To get a little of the obligatory fix of Edinburgh you could book the 0755 LNER Kings Cross bound train from Inverness (first class is a great bargain usually on that train for your included breakfast, normally only around £15 more than standard). That arrives at Waverley at 1115. You can have the afternoon in Edinburgh then take the 1812 to the Lake District (I normally take the last train two hours later). That gets you into either Windermere or Keswick at just after 2030, or even Pooley Bridge (Ullswater) at just after 2100.

When you get off the Sleeper at Inverness don't forget the Sleeper Lounge just across the street from the station- open for arriving passengers to shower or have breakfast.

Off the 0755 you could stopover in Stirling rather than Edinburgh. If you do that a pro-tip is that it is usually cheaper to buy a Stirling to Penrith/Oxenholme Advance (train specific) Ticket as that basically gives you free travel from Stirling to either Edinburgh or Glasgow to make your connection south.

Thanks for those additional suggestions isn31c. The train ride from Inverness to Wick and Thurso is pretty good too!

Many people are very quick to dismiss Inverness as a centre but it does have a lot going for it. I do actually like the city too! There's an interesting City trail to follow which can be downloaded onto a mobile phone.