Hotels in Aviemore

Aviemore is the main gateway to the Cairngorms National Park, a small Highland town that swells far beyond its population of roughly 3,150 once walkers, skiers and mountain bikers arrive. It grew up around the railway and later the Cairngorm ski development, and that dual purpose still defines it: outdoor shops, gear hire and pubs aimed squarely at people heading into the hills rather than at the town itself, which has little in the way of historic charm.

Aviemore's high street is functional rather than attractive, and in poor weather there's not much to do beyond the Cairngorm mountain railway or waiting out the rain in a café. What it does deliver is easy access to Loch Morlich, the funicular, and some of Scotland's best hillwalking and Nordic-style skiing when snow allows. Stay in Aviemore itself if you want walkable access to the Cairngorms and a base with pubs and transport links close by.