Glasgow to Inverness by train

Final Destination: Inverness or Elgin

All trains also call at: Perth, Pitlochry, Kingussie and Aviemore

Inter7City trains are now used on the trains which depart Glasgow at 10:07 and 15:07 on Monday to Saturday; and at 11:11 and 14:38 on Sunday, but the Turbostar trains are used for all other departures.

Connecting to the Far North Line:

If you will be continuing a journey north from Inverness, the connections on towards Kyle of Lochalsh, Thurso and Wick are much better timed when travelling from Glasgow, compared to journeys from Edinburgh.

On Mondays to Saturdays the first two trains of the day from Glasgow have the most convenient connections into trains on to both Kyle of Lochalsh (for Skye) and Wick via Thurso
You can also depart Glasgow in the afternoon and head for Kyle of Lochalsh, though the journey involves taking the 13:40 train, which will be heading to Aberdeen, and making connections in both Stirling and Inverness.
The 15:07 departure from Glasgow typically has a five minute connection in Inverness into the final train of the day on to Thurso and Wick.

On Sundays there is only one end-to-end journey option available which typically involves departing Glasgow at 13:05 on a train heading to Aberdeen and then connecting in Stirling (see below) or Perth and in Inverness.

Book Early and Save: Yes

Online Bookings Usually Open: from 12 weeks ahead of the travel date (usually)

If you want to travel at the cheapest possible price, look for the 'Advance tickets.
Though something out of the ordinary for British train tickets, which is very much worth being aware of, is that ScotRail doesn't release Advance tickets for sale until 8 weeks ahead of the travel date.
However, the more expensive Anytime tickets will be placed on sale up to 3 months ahead.
So of if you look up a long-distance journey ticket on the ScotRail website more than 8 weeks ahead, you will only see the Anytime tickets, so you can save money by hanging back and waiting until the Advance tickets have been placed on sale.

ScotRail takes Advance tickets off sale at 18:00 (6pm) on the day prior to a travel date.

Choosing a departure
There can be significant differences in prices of Advance tickets between departures, the cheapest ticket prices inevitably sell out faster on the most popular trains.
So it can be possible to save money by looking through the departures and selecting an earlier or later train.
Also be aware that Advance tickets can sell out completely more than a couple of days ahead on the most popular trains.

Booking at the station
If you will be booking at the station on the travel date, you will have to purchase non-discounted Off-Peak or Anytime tickets; with Anytime tickets being the most expensive of all.
On this route you will have to pay the Anytime rate on departures between 16:30 and 19:00 when Mondays to Fridays are working days
Because if you do depart Glasgow at those times only the more expensive type of Anytime tickets will be available.

Seat Reservations
When booking Advance tickets specific seats will automatically be assigned, but when booking Off-Peak or Anytime tickets, you will be given an easy option to add a reservation when booking online.
Or if when booking Anytime or Off-Peak tickets, you don't yet know which specific train you will want to travel by, you can arrange a seat reservation free of charge later, either at a station, or by calling ScotRail’s Customer Relations team on 0344 811 0141, selecting Option 3.
However, reservations at stations need to be arranged a couple of hours prior to departure.
These methods of booking reservations also apply if you will be using a rail pass, you can drop in at a ticket office and arrange seat reservations, at no extra charge, or call that number.

Bike Reservations
You can also a complimentary bike reservation when booking tickets on the ScotRail website.

Offers and deals
ScotRail offers ticketing deals when Adults travel with children or in groups, so when booking online it's worth checking to confirm whether the total price being charged is inclusive of these deals

Or you can book these deals at a station ticket office, if Advance tickets are available the booking clerk will ask if that's your preference - though be aware that Advance deals can't be refunded if one or more members of a party subsequently can't make the trip.

If you do opt to book these deals at the station you won't ever be charged more than the online price and the booking clerk may be able to point out a money saving option.