The Inverness to Aberdeen line starts in the capital of the Highlands, Inverness and ends in the ‘Granite City’ of Aberdeen. The journey takes a little over two hours and passes through some pleasant pastoral scenery along the route, travelling through the Highlands, Moray, and Aberdeenshire.
The line is not nearly as rural as many, though, with a string of small north east towns along its length. We really like the countryside of Moray.
If you like whisky, there are many distilleries in Moray you will enjoy visiting.
Top destinations: Nairn, Elgin, Aberdeen
Inverness to Aberdeen Line at Kinloss
Starting in Inverness
By train
Daytime trains to Inverness from Perth and stops on the Highland Main Line, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling, as well as from London Kings Cross, Peterborough, Newark Northgate, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed (Peterborough, Newark Northgate and Doncaster from 14 December 2025).
Caledonian Sleeper from London Euston, Birmingham International (from 15 January 2026), Crewe and Preston to Inverness.
By coach
Citylink from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth, Oban and Fort William to Inverness.
FlixBus from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Perth to Inverness.
Ember from Perth, Glasgow and Edinburgh to Inverness.
By plane
Inverness Airport: from Belfast City, Bristol, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London Luton, Manchester and Amsterdam.
From the airport you can take the train to Inverness city centre – Inverness Airport Station is 15-20 minutes' walk from the airport. Alternatively you can take a bus from the airport to Inverness - see Stagecoach service 11.
By coach from Inverness
It is also possible to explore part of this route by Citylink service M96.
The stops at locations where the train stops are: Inverness Airport Railway Station, Nairn, Forres, Elgin, Keith, Huntly and Aberdeen
It is also possible to explore part of this route by Ember service E7.
The stops at locations where the train stops are: Nairn, Forres, Elgin, Keith, Huntly, Inverurie, Kintore and Aberdeen
Starting in Aberdeen
By train
Daytime trains to Aberdeen from Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as from Leeds, York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Caledonian Sleeper from London Euston, Birmingham International (from 15 January 2026), Crewe and Preston to Aberdeen.
By coach
Citylink from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth and Dundee to Aberdeen.
FlixBus from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Perth to Aberdeen.
Ember from Edinburgh and Perth to Aberdeen.
By plane
Aberdeen Airport: from Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Durham, London, Manchester, Norwich, and various international locations.
From the airport you can take the bus to Dyce Station on the Inverness to Aberdeen Line. There is a regular bus service between the two which takes about 15 minutes - see Stagecoach service 737.
Alternatively you can take a bus from the airport to Aberdeen city centre - see Stagecoach service 727.
Nearby small coastal village of Ardersier and Fort George historic and working military fort
Popular coastal town with four sandy beaches, an old harbour and a spectacular nature reserve
Attractive ancient burgh with historic and natural attractions, nearby Brodie Castle and villages of Kinloss and Findhorn
Popular large town with the impressive Elgin Cathedral, connecting bus service for Speyside Whisky Trail
Market town home to Strathisla Distillery and the Keith and Dufftown Heritage Railway
Small town home to the attractive Huntly Castle and fine hill and woodland walks
Scotland's third largest city with historic buildings, museums, parks, cathedrals and a long sandy beach
Inverness Airport Railway Station
See our Scenic and Historic Guide to the Inverness to Aberdeen Line if you would like a detailed description of the line to read either before or during your journey.
Page last updated 24 November 2025