The Loch Ness Experience

About the museum

The Loch Ness Experience is housed in the old Drumnadrochit Hotel, a stone building put up or rebuilt in 1882. The hotel is tied to the modern Loch Ness legend: in 1933 a woman at the hotel, Aldie Mackay, reported seeing a whale-like creature in the loch, which set off worldwide press interest. In the 1960s the hotel became a meeting point for the Loch Ness Phenomenon Investigation Bureau.

The Bremner family bought the hotel in the 1960s. In the 1980s they worked with the designer Tom Harmsworth to open a small exhibition about the loch in the hotel stables, and this grew into the visitor attraction. The family later worked with the Loch Ness Project, a research group that used modern technology to study the loch. The attraction was refurbished in 2023 and is now run by Continuum Attractions.

Today visitors join a guided tour of about one hour through several rooms of the original hotel. The tour combines objects, a short film and staged scenes, including a retelling of Aldie Mackay's account of her sighting in a 1930s-style bar. It covers how the loch was formed, the scientific research carried out there and the stories behind the monster. Artefacts from the hotel's history are shown in the reception area. In season, a separate one-hour Deepscan cruise on the loch uses onboard sonar.

Highlights

• Guided tour through rooms of the original Drumnadrochit Hotel
• Retelling of the 1933 sighting reported at the hotel
• Short film on how Loch Ness formed and on scientific research
• Deepscan cruise on the loch with sonar (April to early November)
• Hotel artefacts displayed in the reception

Permanent exhibition

• The Tour – A guided walk through rooms of the original hotel with artefacts and a short film, covering how the loch formed and the science and stories behind the monster.

Operated by

Continuum Attractions

Admission & discounts

The tour is also offered as an audio-guided ticket at the same price. The website shows the tour prices as reduced from £20 for adults and £17 for children. No concession or family prices are listed.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Wheelchair users can reach all areas used for the tour. The Deepscan cruises are not wheelchair accessible. Most visitors stand during the tour, but chairs are available, and guests who find standing difficult can tell the team at the start. A transcript of the tour is available on request. For other access needs the centre asks visitors to call.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

The tour is presented as suitable for the whole family. Children under 5 enter free. Buggies may not be allowed at busy times, and the building has dark and loud areas.

Getting there & parking

The centre is in the village, on the right when arriving from Inverness and on the left just past the bank when arriving from Fort William. From Inverness take the A82, which runs beside the loch for about 14 miles.

Amenities & dining

• Coat check: not available
• Lockers: not available

There are no luggage facilities, and large bags and cases are not allowed inside.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

The centre lists a contact for corporate and private hire; details of the rooms are not published.

Plan your visit