Alness Hotels: Where to Stay in Highland

Alness is a working Highland town on the Cromarty Firth, not a tourist resort, and its hotel list reflects that. Two properties on the High Street cover most trips: the Station Hotel and the Commercial Hotel. Both put you five minutes from the Dalmore Distillery gates and half an hour from Inverness. If you need more choice, you widen the search to self-catering and nearby towns.

Compare Alness, Highland (council area), Scotland hotels on Expedia

A correction first. An earlier version of this guide listed guest houses and farm stays we could not verify, plus attractions that belong to other towns. All of that is gone. What remains is confirmed and bookable.

The two hotels in town

Station Hotel

The Station Hotel at 94 High Street is the main act. It is a renovated historical building with 12 en-suite rooms, a restaurant, a bar, and a garden terrace, with free parking behind. Doubles, twins, and a family room with two adjoining bedrooms cover the standard needs. Details and direct booking are on the official Station Hotel site.

Its position on the High Street means dinner, a pint, and a short walk back upstairs. Alness railway station sits nearby on the Far North Line, useful if you arrive by train from Inverness.

Commercial Hotel

The Commercial Hotel is the second in-town option, also with a restaurant, a bar, and free WiFi. It runs simpler than the Station Hotel and prices accordingly. Book it when the Station is full or when the nightly rate decides the trip.

With 12 rooms at one hotel and a small count at the other, Alness sells out on cruise-season weekends when ships dock at Invergordon. Reserve ahead for May through September.

Why stay in Alness at all

Three reasons put travelers here rather than Inverness.

• The Dalmore Distillery sits on the shore of the Cromarty Firth at the edge of town. Whisky travelers doing the northern distilleries sleep in Alness and walk or take a two-minute drive to the gates.
• The Fyrish Monument stands on the hill above town. The walk up through the woods takes around two hours return, and the arches at the top frame the whole firth. It is the best short hike on this stretch of the A9.
• Invergordon cruise port is about five miles away. Crew, contractors, and early-boarding passengers use Alness as the cheaper bed.

Inverness is roughly 35 minutes south by car, so day trips to Loch Ness and Culloden work fine from an Alness base. The Storehouse at Foulis, on the A9 toward Dingwall, handles the good-lunch-with-a-view slot.

If your trip is distilleries and the firth, sleep in Alness. If your trip is Loch Ness and city restaurants, sleep in Inverness and drive up for the day.

If both hotels are full

Self-catering carries the overflow. Cottages and apartments around Alness, Evanton, and Invergordon appear on the usual booking platforms, and inventory shifts week to week, so a live search beats any fixed list. Dingwall, 15 minutes south, adds a few more hotel options. Check the Expedia comparison above for current availability across all of them.

FAQs

Do you need a car in Alness?

Mostly yes. The town itself walks easily and the train covers Inverness and Invergordon, but the glens, beaches, and distillery circuit beyond Dalmore need wheels.

How far is Alness from Inverness?

About 20 miles. Driving takes around 35 minutes up the A9, and the train from Inverness to Alness runs on the Far North Line in roughly 40 minutes.

When do rooms sell out?

Cruise season. When ships dock at Invergordon between May and September, the small local room supply goes fast. Winter is the opposite, with easy availability and lower rates.

Where else to stay in Scotland lists every guide we have for the region.