Kirkwall

Kirkwall Europe > Britain and Ireland > United Kingdom > Scotland > Orkney Islands > Kirkwall Kirkwall is the chief town of the Orkney Islands , which lie off the north tip of mainland Scotland . With a population of about 10,000 in 2020, Kirkwall has accommodation and other amenities and is the obvious base for exploring these islands. Understand Kirkwall is a busy working port and at first glance not attractive, but the charming old town is just behind the industrial frontage. Small freighters, fishing vessels and inter-island ferries bustle around the harbour; people stroll about their business along the narrow alleys; the crumbling medieval stonework of the cathedral catches the sunlight. And you start to relax and feel the magic of Orkney... then a cruise ship arrives and its 4,000 passengers descend upon the place. Kirkwall and all the major sights of Orkney are mobbed when a cruise ship is in. However those visitors seldom stray from a standard circuit, so head for one of the many attractions they overlook, and return to enjoy Kirkwall in the evening after they've left. Tourist information is at the bus station in town centre. Get in By plane 🌍 Kirkwall Airport KOI IATA is 5 miles southeast of town. Loganair fly to Kirkwall from Dundee , Edinburgh , Glasgow , Inverness , Aberdeen and Sumburgh in the Shetland Islands. They also operate inter-island flights to Westray , Papa Westray , Sanday and Eday, see Orkney Islands#Get in for more details. By boat There are four ferry routes between the Scottish mainland and Orkney. The only one to Kirkwall is the Northlink Aberdeen to Shetland car ferry, which calls here several nights a week. Northbound it leaves Aberdeen at 5PM (Apr-Oct Tu Th Sa Su, Nov-Mar Th Sa Su), reaching Kirkwall Hatston Terminal at 11PM before sailing on to Lerwick for 7:30AM next morning. Southbound the ferry leaves Lerwick at 5:30PM (Apr-Oct M W F, Nov-Mar: W & F), similarly reaching Kirkwall at 11PM before sailing on to Aberdeen for 7AM next morning. For practical details and tips on using this ferry, see Shetland Islands#Get in . Points specific to Orkney are: Ferries to Kirkwall, from Aberdeen and Lerwick, are evening sailings arriving by 11PM, so you don't need a cabin, a lounge seat is fine. (But you need to have sorted your Orkney accommodation, as near midnight is a poor time to start looking.) Sailings from Kirkwall to Aberdeen or Lerwick are overnight so you'll appreciate the cabin, and ability to doze on board till 9AM. Motorists, check that you're in the correct queue of vehicles, otherwise you'll get locked in by vehicles going all the way to Shetland or Aberdeen. At Kirkwall you need to disembark promptly, as the ferry soon sails on. Fares vary by season, but in 2025 the mid-price fare from Aberdeen is £34 per adult, £16.60 per child and £137 per car. Reserving a reclining seat is £3.50, while twin cabins start from £93. 🌍 Hatston Terminal is 2 miles north of town on the main road to Stromness: look for the very tall wind turbine. Check-in for vehicles is at the start of the pier, check-in for foot passengers is at the end. A late-night connecting bus X10 runs from Kirkwall right to the end of the pier, back to Kirkwall, then on to Stromness — it doesn't run if the ferry's not sailing. Bus X1 Stromness-Kirkwall-St Margaret's Hope also passes the junction for the terminal, but the last bus is a couple of hours before the ferry. The other three routes, described under Orkney Islands#Get in , are: Scrabster to Stromness car ferry 2 or 3 times a day, 90 min. Gill's Bay to St Margaret's Hope car ferry 3 times a day, taking an hour. John O'Groats to Burwick ferry for foot passengers and cyclists only, 2 or 3 times a day May-Sep, 40 min. Kirkwall is also the starting point for ferries between Mainland and the islands of Shapinsay , Stronsay , Eday , Sanday , Westray , Papa Westray and North Ronaldsay - see those islands for details. These sail from the piers in town centre, not from Hatston Terminal. For ferries from Stromness and Tingwall see Orkney Islands : "Get around". Cruise ships often visit the Orkneys. They either berth at Hatston Terminal with a shuttle-bus to town, or anchor out in the bay with tenders bringing passengers ashore. The main tourist attractions are mobbed when they arrive. By bus June to August there's a daily bus from Inverness, which meets the John O'Groats foot-passenger ferry to Burwick, from where there's a connecting bus to Kirkwall: see Orkney Islands#Get in . For bus services around Mainland, see #Get around . By car Kirkwall has numerous car parks located in the town centre and harbour area. Parking around the harbour is free and mainly unlimited time, so it is the best place to park if you are exploring the town for a whole day. However, there can be a lack of parking in the town, even in the pay car parks. Car parks charges in summer are 1 hour - 40p, 2 hours - 80p, 3 hours - £1; winter 1 hour - free, 2 hours - 50p, 3 hours - £1. Get around Buses are operated by Stagecoach. Most of the Orkney Mainland buses run via Kirkwall. They are geared to shoppers and school-run, and there may be long gaps in the schedule mid-afternoon. A day-ticket costs £7.30 adult — worth it if you're doing more than a simple return. Drivers give change within reason. No bikes on the buses. The principal services are: Bus X1 runs right across Mainland east from Stromness, Stenness (near the stones) and Finstown to Kirkwall, then south across the Churchill Barrier past the Italian Chapel to Burray and St Margarets Hope ferry terminal. It doesn't go as far south as Burwick ferry terminal. It's hourly between Stromness and Kirkwall, every two hours or so south of there. Bus 4 runs between Kirkwall and the airport every 30 min M-Sa, hourly Su, taking 10-15 min. This one is regular, Su-F 6:15AM-7:15PM, Sa till 4:15PM when the last flight comes in. Bus 2 runs from Kirkwall via Scapa and Ophir to Houton, terminal for the ferry to Hoy (Lyness) and Flotta. Five or six daily, 20 min. Also bus 5 runs from Houton to Stromness. Bus 6 runs every couple of hours from Kirkwall via Finstown to Tingwall, for the Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre ferries, 20 min. Only the first and last buses of the day continue round the coast to Birsay, so they're impractical for sight-seeing. You might get there on Bus 7, twice per afternoon, which runs from Kirkwall to Finstown then across the fields to Birsay, then on to Stromness. There's also X10 to the ferry terminal (see #Get in ), Bus 3 via the airport to Tankerness, Toab and Deerness, and Bus 9 which circles town. A circular tour bus Stagecoach T11 is advertised wasn't running in 2021. Taxi firms: see list under Orkney Islands#Get around . See Town centre: The most attractive part of Kirkwall is its central alley, which starts as Bridge St by the harbour, turns along Albert St, then widens into Broad St with the Cathedral and palace ruins. The Kirkwall City Pipe Band often parades here on a Saturday evening. The street then narrows again to the alley of Victoria Street. Beyond the old centre, Kirkwall is a modern and work-a-day place, with marine industries sprawling along the shore. Peedie Sea just west of the centre was once a tidal inlet, now enclosed into two freshwater lagoons. Well, 2.1 if you count the little overflow pond. 🌍 St Magnus Cathedral , Broad Street KW15 1NX , ☏ +44 1856 874894 . M-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su 1-5PM . This was founded in 1137 but took 300 years to complete. It's an impressive Romanesque building with alternating courses of sandstone: red from Kirkwall and yellow from Eday. Probably the builders were the same as for Durham and Dunfermline cathedrals. The interior is atmospheric, dominated by red circular columns and multi-coloured textile hangings. This is a working church so it's closed to tourist visits for services, funerals, and so on. It started out as part of the RC Archdiocese of Trondheim but is now a Presbyterian parish church, so ecclesiastically it's no longer a cathedral. Free . ( updated Jul 2024 ) Bishop's & Earl's Palaces , Watergate KW15 1PD ( Opposite cathedral ). Apr-Sep daily 10AM-12:30PM, 1-4:30PM . Two ruins either side of the street - enter the Earl's Palace, the newer one, first for tickets. The Bishop's Palace was built in the 12th century at the same time as the cathedral, but fell into ruin. It was restored and extended in the 16th century by Bishop Robert Reid, founder of Edinburgh University. Ownership then passed to the wicked wastrel Earls of Orkney, and in the 17th century Earl Patrick decided that it wasn't grand enough, and set about building a new palace next door. He couldn't remotely afford it, even by the stratagem of lynching the landowner instead of buying the land, or by using slave labour. Adult £7.50, senior £6, child 5-15 £4.50 . ( updated Jul 2024 ) 🌍 Orkney Museum , Tankerness House, Broad Street KW15 1DG ( opposite cathedral ), ☏ +44 1856 873191 . M-Sa 10:30AM-5PM . For 300 years this was the home of the Baikie family from Tankerness. It now houses exhibits on Orkney from the Stone Age to the present. Free . ( updated Jul 2024 ) 🌍 Orkney Wireless Museum ( call sign GB2OWM ), Kiln Corner, 1 Junction Rd KW15 1LB , ☏ +44 1856 871400 . M-Sa 10AM-4PM . In the early 20th century radio technology developed rapidly, and was a lifeline to remote islands like South Ronaldsay. Jim MacDonald (1927-1988) grew up there and amassed a great collection, including rare prototypes and secret-squirrel military kit. And here they are. Donation . ( updated Jul 2024 ) 🌍 Highland Park Distillery , Holm Road KW15 1SU ( on A961 one mile south of town ), ☏ +44 1856 874619 . Closed until 2025 . The world's most northerly Scotch whisky distillery, just edging nearby Scapa Distillery, and producing 2.5 million litres a year for blend and a variety of single malts. These are more peaty than the Scapa whisky. Founded in 1798, it's now owned by Edrington Group of Glasgow, who also produce Famous Grouse, Cutty Sark, Macallan and Glenrothes, as well as vodka and rum. It's closed until 2025 for upgrading. ( updated Jul 2024 ) 🌍 Scapa Distillery , St Ola KW15 1SE , ☏ +44 1856 873269 . Mar, Oct Tu-Su, Apr-Sep daily 10AM-5PM . Founded in 1885, with occasional lapses in production, and the present facility dates from 2004 and turns out a million litres a year for blend or single malt. It's slightly peaty, the chief single malt being the Scapa 16 year old. The distillery is today part of Chivas, in turn part of Pernod Ricard. In late May production pauses for maintenance but tours continue. Basic tour £25 . ( updated Jul 2024 ) 🌍 Grain Earth House is an Iron Age chamber from 1000 BC entered by a 5-m underground passage. It was probably part of a larger settlement but is now engulfed by Hatston Industrial Estate on the north edge of town. Free to enter, but you need to collect keys from Judith Glue's Knit Shop at 25 Broad Street during business hours (M-Sa 9AM-9PM, Su 10AM-6PM). The chamber is at the corner of Swordfish Rd and Dakota Rd. 🌍 Wideford Hill Cairn is a stone cairn similar to Maeshowe, built around 3000 BC. The interior has been closed to public access so you can only view the "stepped" exterior. It's set into the hill two miles west of Kirkwall, follow Old Finstown Rd not the main road. 🌍 Rennibister Earth House , circa 1000 BC, is a stone-lined underground chamber accessed by a hatch and a ladder. In it were found the bones of six adults and a dozen children, who may have been interred later. It's 3 miles west of Kirkwall on A965 towards Finstown, in a farmyard. Free to enter any time. 🌍 Cuween Hill Chambered Cairn is a similar smaller burial chamber from 3000 BC. You need to crawl down the passageway into the chamber. It's a mile further west along the Ol [... truncated ...]

By Plane

The nearest major international airports serve Scotland with connections from across the UK, Europe, and beyond. Regional airports in the area provide additional domestic and European services. Airport buses and taxis connect to the town centre.

By Train

The local railway station is served by regular services on the British rail network. Train services connect to major cities across Scotland and the wider UK. National Rail Enquiries provides schedule and fare information. Advance booking typically offers better rates.

By Car / Road

Kirkwall is accessible by road via the UK's motorway and A-road network. Major routes connect the town to nearby cities and regions. Bus services provide affordable connections. Parking is generally available in designated areas in and around the town centre.

Kirkwall is compact and easily explored on foot. The town centre, with its shops, restaurants, and historical buildings, is pedestrian-friendly. For exploring the surrounding countryside and nearby attractions, a car is recommended. Local bus services operate within the town and to neighbouring communities. Taxis are available for shorter journeys.

• The historic town or city centre with its traditional architecture

• Local landmarks, churches, and heritage buildings

• Scenic viewpoints and natural attractions in the surrounding area

• Nearby parks, gardens, and outdoor spaces

• Walking tours exploring the town's heritage and architecture

• Outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, and watersports in the surrounding area

• Visiting local museums, galleries, and cultural centres

• Exploring nearby countryside, coastline, or parks

• Sampling local food and drink at pubs, restaurants, and cafes

Dining options in Kirkwall range from traditional gastropubs and cafés to fine-dining restaurants. Local specialities include fresh seafood, locally sourced meat and game, and seasonal produce. Many establishments pride themselves on using local ingredients and supporting regional producers.

Typical British pub fare (fish and chips, Sunday roasts, pies) is widely available, alongside international cuisines reflecting the area's diversity. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are increasingly common.

Traditional pubs serving local ales are found throughout the town. Craft beer has a growing presence, with local microbreweries supplying both pubs and bottle shops. Tea rooms and cafés offer a quintessentially British experience. The area is well-served by coffee shops and independent roasters.

Budget

• Budget hotels and hostel accommodation available, with dorm beds from £20/night.

Mid-range

• Bed & breakfasts and guesthouses offer doubles from £70–120 per night.
• Chain hotels (Premier Inn, Travelodge, Holiday Inn) provide consistent quality.

Upscale

• Boutique hotels, country house hotels, and historic inns offer doubles from £150.

Local shops offer a range of goods from well-known brands to local crafts and speciality foods. Markets and independent retailers provide character and authentic finds. Typical opening hours are Monday–Saturday 09:00–17:30, with some stores open on Sundays. Many towns have a weekly market day.

From Kirkwall, travellers can easily continue exploring other destinations within Scotland and the wider United Kingdom. The well-connected transport network makes it straightforward to reach neighbouring towns, cities, and attractions.