Three buses run from Inverness bus station to Drumnadrochit: Scottish Citylink's 919 and 917 (about 33 minutes, and on to Urquhart Castle) and Stagecoach's 17 (about 25 minutes, Monday to Saturday). Adult singles are capped at £2 until at least early 2027. By car it is about 15 miles on the A82, roughly 25 minutes.
Three buses run from Inverness to Drumnadrochit, all from Inverness bus station. Scottish Citylink’s 919 (to Fort William) and 917 (to Skye) reach the Drum Green stop in about 33 minutes and carry on to Urquhart Castle. Stagecoach’s 17 takes about 25 minutes, runs Monday to Saturday and stops in Lewiston too. An adult single costs £2 on all three under Scotland’s fare-cap pilot. By car it is about 15 miles down the A82, roughly 25 minutes.
The 919 is the one most visitors want: it runs most often and stops at the castle gate.
| Bus | Leaves Inverness from | Departures from Inverness | Time to Drum Green | Stops at Urquhart Castle | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citylink 919 | Bus station, stance 2 | 10 a day, 08:55 to 19:45 | 33 to 34 min | Yes, 38 min | Weekdays confirmed; weekends not confirmed |
| Citylink 917 | Bus station, stance 3 | 06:10, 08:30, 13:15 and 17:45 (one 17:25 variant) | Calls at Drum Green | Yes | Check Citylink |
| Stagecoach 17 | Bus station | 06:17, 08:10, 11:55, 14:55 and 17:40 | 25 to 27 min | No | Monday to Saturday |
Checked October 2026 from the operators’ timetable data on bustimes.org (Citylink data dated 9 October 2026, Stagecoach 13 October 2026). These are the autumn times: a separate 919 timetable ran from 6 June to 18 September 2026, so expect changes next summer and check Scottish Citylink, Stagecoach or Traveline Scotland before you travel.
Where to get off. “Drumnadrochit, opp Drum Green” is on the village green, a few minutes from The Loch Ness Experience, Nessieland, the pubs and the village car park. Stay on the 17 for “Lewiston, opp Loch Ness Inn” if you are sleeping at the inn or the Bunk Inn. For the castle, stay on the 919 or 917 to “Urquhart Castle, at Car Park”.
Sundays. The Stagecoach 17 does not run. The Loch Ness Experience’s website says the 17 “runs daily”, but the operator’s own timetable data shows Monday to Saturday only, so trust the timetable. The 919 is the Sunday option, though we could not confirm its weekend departures.
Finding the bus station. Inverness bus station is a short walk from the railway station, so a train arrival connects easily.
Buses back to Inverness leave from the stop on the other side of the road, “Drumnadrochit, o/s Drum Green”. The 919 starts at Fort William, with 10 departures between 07:35 and 17:45, and reaches the village about 1 hour 30 minutes later; from Fort Augustus it is about 34 minutes. The 917 comes from Portree and calls at the Clansman Hotel on the way north. Stagecoach’s 17 returns from Cannich and Tomich through the village. Return times change by day and season, so look up your bus the day before.
| Ticket | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Adult single | £2 | Capped under the Scottish fare-cap pilot |
| Child single | £2 | Capped |
| Return | Not capped | Buy two singles instead |
| Under 22 or over 60 with a National Entitlement Card | Free | Show the card |
Checked October 2026 on Transport Scotland’s £2 fare-cap page. Highland joined the pilot on 23 March 2026 for 12 months, and Citylink and Stagecoach both take part in the Highlands. Tell the driver your destination to get the capped fare. We could not find a published standard fare for after the pilot ends.
Citylink sells advance tickets on its website and app. Stagecoach takes contactless and sells mobile tickets in the Stagecoach Bus app.
The 919 and 917 stop at the castle’s own car park, about 38 minutes from Inverness on the 919, so you can ride to the gate without a car. Book a timed ticket online before you set off. Historic Environment Scotland says summer tickets often sell out and none are sold at the castle once the online allocation has gone. Adult tickets cost £14 online or £16 at the gate (checked October 2026). The Urquhart Castle guide has opening hours, and the Urquhart Castle parking guide covers drivers.
If you want the castle and a cruise without juggling timetables and timed slots, a tour from Inverness is a fair alternative to the bus. The 3.5-hour cruise and castle trip leaves from Inverness bus station and includes castle entry, from $75 on GetYourGuide (checked October 2026). The bus is far cheaper: £4 in fares plus a £14 ticket. But the tour takes care of the ticket in a sold-out week, and it includes the boat. Full-day options are compared in Loch Ness tours from Inverness.
It is about 15 miles on the A82 along the north-west shore of Loch Ness, around 25 minutes in free-flowing traffic; allow longer in summer. You pass Dochgarroch Lock and Clansman Harbour, both Jacobite cruise piers, on the way. In the village, the council car park by the green is free with donations invited; see Drumnadrochit parking.
The A82 along the loch has overnight closures for resurfacing most years, usually with escorted convoys at set times. The last ones, south of Urquhart Castle, ran in August 2026 and have finished. Check Traffic Scotland before a late drive.
For a taxi, ask your hotel to book one; we have not verified local firms or fares.
Stagecoach’s 1 and 13 run between the airport terminal and Inverness city centre, with a reduced Sunday service; change at the bus station for the 919, 917 or 17. Inverness Airport railway station, about a 20-minute walk from the terminal, has trains to Inverness in about 11 minutes. A taxi to the city centre takes about 20 minutes (all from Highlands and Islands Airports). Driving straight to Drumnadrochit is about 26 miles, roughly 47 minutes.
The same buses reach the rest of the loch. The 919 continues to Invermoriston and Fort Augustus, about 1 hour 9 minutes from Inverness, and the 919 and 917 both stop at Lochside Hostel at Alltsigh. The 17 continues up Glen Urquhart to Balnain, Corrimony and Cannich, about an hour from Inverness, which makes it the bus for Corrimony Cairn and the road to Glen Affric.
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Take a bus from Inverness bus station: Scottish Citylink's 919 or 917, about 33 minutes to the Drum Green stop, or Stagecoach's 17, about 25 minutes, Monday to Saturday. In October 2026 the 919 ran 10 times on weekdays and the 17 five times. Adult singles are capped at £2. By car it is about 15 miles on the A82, roughly 25 minutes.
Yes. Get off any of the three buses at Drumnadrochit, Drum Green, on the village green. The Loch Ness Experience, as the Loch Ness Centre is now called, is a few minutes' walk away. The Citylink 919 and 917 take about 33 minutes from Inverness, and the Stagecoach 17 about 25 minutes from Monday to Saturday.
Take Scottish Citylink's 919 towards Fort William or the 917 towards Skye and get off at Urquhart Castle, at Car Park, about 38 minutes from Inverness bus station on the 919. Book your castle ticket online first: in summer they often sell out, and none are sold at the gate once the online allocation has gone. The Stagecoach 17 does not go to the castle.
£2 for an adult or child single on Citylink or Stagecoach, under the Scottish Government's fare-cap pilot, which Highland joined on 23 March 2026 for 12 months. Returns are not covered, so buy two singles and tell the driver where you are going. Under-22s and over-60s with a National Entitlement Card travel free. Check before travelling after early 2027.
The Stagecoach 17 does not: its timetable shows Monday to Saturday only. Scottish Citylink's 919 and 917 are the Sunday option, but we could not confirm the 919's weekend times from the timetable data, so check the Sunday departures on citylink.co.uk or Traveline Scotland before you rely on them.
Parking at Urquhart Castle is free, but Historic Environment Scotland only guarantees a space if you add it to your timed ticket online before checkout.
The best Loch Ness tour from Inverness is the 3.5-hour coach, cruise and Urquhart Castle trip from the bus station, from $75 on GetYourGuide with entry included.
Stay on the village green if you come by bus or want to walk to dinner: Morlea B&B and the Loch Ness Drumnadrochit Hotel sit by the Drum Green stops.
From Edinburgh, take the direct ScotRail train to Inverness, about 3 hours 45 minutes, then a Citylink or Stagecoach bus to Drumnadrochit in 25 to 34 minutes.