The main point of entry for trans-Atlantic flights to the Scottish Highlands is Inverness Airport (IATA code INV), located approximately 8 miles northeast of the city center. The airport has flight agreements with British Airways, easyJet, KLM, as well as with other airlines.

From Inverness Airport (INV): Inverness Taxis owns the rights to queue outside the terminal building; no other city cabs may do so. Cabs are available from the queue day or night. If you would like to reserve a specific model of taxicab for accessibility reasons, call +44 (0) 1463 222 222 or visit www.inverness-taxis.com. Cabs from the airport to the city center will cost approximately £15.

Stagecoach (www.stagecoachbus.com) offers a Jet Bus Service (Bus #11), which takes travelers from Inverness Airport to Inverness bus station adjacent to the railway station. The trip takes less than 30 minutes and is priced under £10. The bus operates every day of the week from approximately 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at the Stagecoach website.

Inverness railway station is situated close to the River Ness and most of the sights you will see on your trip. Taxi drop-off is located at the short stay car park nearest Platform 1, and the taxi stand is located in Car Park #1 outside the station entrance. Expect the meter to start around £5 and each mile will add approximately £1. Prices will rise as much as 20% on nights and weekends and 30% on national holidays.

Public transportation does not exist per se in Inverness. There is an unofficial system, however: for-profit companies such as Stagecoach and Ross Mini Coaches offer a bus system which connects Inverness city center with the rest of the Highlands. Inverness is one of the UK cities serves by PLUSBUS (www.plusbus.info), which allows for all-day bus travel in Inverness when also buying a railway ticket with ScotRail. For just £10, bus travel around Inverness can be purchased for a period of seven days. Tickets can be bought online or at Inverness railway station, but not on the bus from the driver.

Five different taxi companies serve Inverness city center and its environs. You can ask your hotel`s front desk to ring a taxi for you, or you can walk to Car Park #1 at Inverness railway station, where there is a taxi stand. Taxis are recommended in order to reach far-flung sights; make sure to arrange a departure with your driver if you are visiting Urquhart Castle, for example. The meter starts at approximately £5 and each mile will cost about £1. Prices rise after 7 p.m. weekdays, on weekends, and on national holidays.

Many of the major car rental companies (Thrifty, Budget, etc.) are represented both at Inverness Airport and in the area around Inverness railway and bus stations. Daily rentals are priced between £30 and £50 per day, depending on car size. Inverness has lots of public parking available, in particular two city multi-story car parks, one near the bus station and one near the railway station. You can park there for less than £10 per day.

Note: Pay special attention to following the local driving laws, which will be different from the ones you know at home. Scotland, along with the rest of the United Kingdom, drives on the left side of the road, with the steering wheel on the right side of the car. U.S. driver's licenses are valid for 12 months after the traveler's last entry into Great Britain.

Yes, the city center is very compact, with many sights located within a half-mile radius. Even sights such as Ship Space, northwest of the city center, and Whin Park and the Ness Islands, south of the city center, can be reached on foot. (Both sights are approximately a mile away from the city center.) For sights such as Urquhart Castle and Glen Ord Distillery, as many as 20 miles out of town, we do not recommend walking to those.

Crime rates in Inverness have declined over the past ten years, and it appears the crime that does occur in the city is rarely directed at tourists (house burglaries, thefts from stores, etc.). However, you should take common sense precautions as if you were visiting an unfamiliar city anywhere abroad: Keep your wits about you and always look like you know where you are going, even when you may not, so there is no possibility for petty thieves to take advantage of you. Be sure to keep your valuables on your person at all times, and never keep all of your money in one place; split up your cash into various pockets in your clothes.

Note: If you'd like real-time updates from Inverness Police, they can be followed on Twitter @InvernessPolice.

The Eastgate Shopping Centre near Inverness railway station is populated with stores that you`ll recognize: the top department and specialty stores in the UK and North America are well-represented. Also close to the railway station is the Victorian Market, which dates from 1890 and sells authentic Scottish souvenirs such as artwork, jewelry, handicrafts and more! Over 40 mom-and-pop retailers sell their products in the Victorian Market. Look around the rest of the Old Town (on both sides of the River Ness) for small shops that may just have the perfect present for you, your family or your friends.

The units of currency in Scotland (as in all of Great Britain) are the pound sterling (£) and pence (p). U.S. dollars are not accepted. Please be sure to have the correct currency on hand or be prepared to exchange your dollars for pounds (also commonly referred to in conversation as `quid`) upon arrival. Currency exchange desks and ATMs can be found at the airport and many locations throughout the city.

Traditional Scottish cooking is hearty with staples including fish (such as haddock, wild halibut and herring that's transformed into kippers),potatoes (called tatties), turnips (called neeps), oatcakes, porridge oats and local game such as grouse or venison. And let's not forget haggis, Scotland's national dish, which is a spherical sausage made of the liver, heart, and lungs of a sheep, chopped and mixed with suet and oatmeal and seasoned with onion, pepper and other spices packed into the sheep's stomach and boiled.

Scottish breakfast, or the full fry-up, as the locals may call it, consists of most or all of the following: eggs, bacon and sausage; black pudding or haggis; grilled tomatoes and mushrooms; fried bread or potato scones; toast with marmalade or jam; juice and coffee or tea. A feast this size can often keep you going right through until lunch!

Scotland is the birthplace of golf. 35 golf courses are located in the Scottish Highlands, including six right in the immediate vicinity of Inverness. Inverness Golf Club and its 18 holes are situated southeast of town, within a mile of the city center. For more information about golfing in Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com/see-do/active/golf.