Must see
St Magnus Cathedral
45 min · Free (donations)
Britain's most northerly cathedral — Viking-era red sandstone in the town centre.
Easy
CountryScotland
CurrencyPound sterling (GBP)
LanguageEnglish
Dock TypeBerth or Tender
Walk to Centre30 min
TaxisPre-book
At a Glance
Larger ships berth at Hatston Pier, roughly 1.5 miles from town with a shuttle provided; smaller ships use the town centre pier where everything is walkable. The town is compact once you're in it: St Magnus Cathedral, Bishop's Palace, the Highland Park distillery on the edge — and Skara Brae's Neolithic village out west.
Getting Around
⚠️ Ring of Brodgar has no toilets and no shelter — matters in Orkney weather.
Top Things to Do
Scroll for more →Must see
Skara Brae
2 hrs · Paid (~£9)
Neolithic village older than the pyramids: visitor centre, café, replica house. Closes 16:30 against typical all-aboards.
Must see
Ring of Brodgar
45 min · Free
Free stone circle, open 24 hours — no facilities, no toilets. Free guided talk reported at 13:00 weekdays.
Ness of Brodgar (dig site)
60 min · Donation
Active archaeological dig — closed weekends, and the excavation is being wound down.
Highland Park Distillery
90 min · Paid tour (~£20)
One of Scotland's oldest distilleries, walkable from the centre. Book tours ahead.
Easy, edge of town
Food & Drink
Helgi's
Pub, harbourfront · ££ · 5 min walk
Harbourfront pub that opens 11:45 — booking advised, they turn people away.
The Storehouse
Restaurant with rooms · ££ · 6 min walk
Good food but lunch service runs Friday–Saturday only.
Opening hours
Lunch Fri & Sat only · otherwise from 17:30
Address: Bridge St Wynd
Twenty One
Tapas / cocktails · ££ · 5 min walk
Albert Street tapas bar.
Did you know?
Kirkwall has stories most visitors walk straight past.
- 1
St Magnus Cathedral, built from red and yellow sandstone by Vikings, is Britain's most northerly cathedral — started in 1137.
- 2
Orkney's Neolithic sites — Skara Brae and the Ring of Brodgar — are older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.
- 3
Highland Park distillery, founded in 1798, claims to be the oldest whisky distillery in Scotland still on its original site.
- 4
During WWII, Italian prisoners of war built a chapel out of two Nissen huts in Orkney — its painted interior is astonishing.
If you have…
⏱ 2 hours
- 1.St Magnus Cathedral + Bishop's Palace (60 min)
- 2.Helgi's lunch or pint (60 min)
🕐 4 hours
- 1.Town centre sights (90 min)
- 2.Taxi to Ring of Brodgar (30 min)
- 3.Brodgar + Ness viewpoint (60 min)
- 4.Back for Helgi's (60 min)
🌅 A full day
- 1.Pre-booked taxi/tour to Skara Brae (35 min)
- 2.Skara Brae (2 hrs)
- 3.Ring of Brodgar stop (45 min)
- 4.Late lunch at Helgi's (75 min)
- 5.Highland Park tour or Italian Chapel if time allows
The area around
The Neolithic heart of Orkney lies 20 miles west: Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, the Ness of Brodgar dig.
Skara Brae
~20 mi / 35 min by carNeolithic village older than the pyramids
Ring of Brodgar
~18 mi / 30 min by carStone circle, free, always open
Italian Chapel (Lamb Holm)
~15 min by carWWII POW-built chapel
Things cruise passengers get wrong
- 🚨Skara Brae closes 16:30 — DIY window is tight against all-aboard times.
- ⚠️Ness of Brodgar closed weekends; excavation winding down.
- ⚠️Hatston Pier is 1.5 miles from town — factor shuttle/walk time both ways.
Weather through the year
6°
Ja
6°
Fe
8°
Ma
10°
Ap
12°
Ma
15°
Ju
16°
Ju
16°
Au
14°
Se
11°
Oc
8°
No
6°
De
Blue bars show the normal cruise season. May–August (longest daylight)
Guide climate averages · Weather data: Open-Meteo
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