Region

Orkney Islands

Base in Kirkwall or Stromness for 3 nights; book Maeshowe and the ferries before you book flights.

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Key facts · United Kingdom

Best months: May–Aug
Visa: Depends on your passport
Currency: Pound sterling (GBP, £)
Language: English
Plugs: G · 230 V
Time zone: GMT, BST from late March to late October

Month by month hereIn detail ↓

Rules in force · 8Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…

Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
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United Kingdom ↗Most visitors who do not need a UK visa now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling; this includes EU nationals. Irish citizens are exempt. Check the UK government site for your passport.
United Kingdom ↗The UK is outside the EU and the Schengen area; a Schengen visa is not valid for the UK.
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Orkney is 70-plus islands but most trips run on one: Mainland, where the Neolithic sites, both towns and the ferry terminals sit. Sleep in Kirkwall for buses, flights and restaurants, in Stromness for the Scrabster ferry and a quieter street. Two full days covers the Heart of Neolithic Orkney and one outer island; three nights is the honest minimum given the weather and the ferry timetables.

Where to sleep

4 places in this region

Sleep base

KirkwallCity guide
Airport bus, X1 buses, St Magnus Cathedral, both distilleries, most beds and food.
Best May–Sep
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Kirkwall →
StromnessCity guide
Scrabster ferry, Folk Festival, 20 min from Kirkwall by bus.
Best May–Sep
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Stromness →

Day trip

StennessCity guide
Maeshowe, Stones of Stenness, Ring of Brodgar; on the X1 in summer.
Best May–Jun, Sep
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Stenness →
BirsayCity guide
Brough of Birsay tidal causeway, Earl's Palace, brewery nearby.
Best May–Sep
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Birsay →

Plan the nights

How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags

Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights3 partsNights · Day-trips · Bags

Night sequences

3 nights: Kirkwall 3; Mainland Neolithic day, one north or south isle day
5 nights: Kirkwall 3 + Stromness 2; adds Hoy or Rousay and a slow Mainland loop

Two nights is one full day once ferries and weather are counted; three is the minimum for the Neolithic sites plus one island.
Cruise ships landing at Hatston can fill the main sites for a few hours; wait 20 minutes and the coach groups move on.
Inter-island flights give residents priority, so a booked seat can be bumped.

Day-trips door to door

To	From	Door-to-door p50	Last return	Note
Stenness	Kirkwall	30 min	unknown	X1 bus; in summer it extends to the Ring of Brodgar. Maeshowe needs a booked slot.
Birsay	Kirkwall	45 min	unknown	Few direct buses; a taxi for a few hours is often the practical option. Cross to the Brough near low tide.
Hoy (Lyness)	Kirkwall	60 min	unknown	Ferry from Houton via Flotta; the Old Man of Hoy is a long walk from the north landing.
Rousay	Kirkwall	60 min	unknown	Ferry from Tingwall; Midhowe broch and cairn are a short ride from the pier.

Bags between cities

No luggage forwarding between islands; carry what you need on the ferry, and leave the big case in your Kirkwall or Stromness base.

When to go

Months and weather

Open When to goClose When to go2 partsSeasons · Climate

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Only good-now countries

Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table

Country	JJan	FFeb	MMar	AApr	MMay	JJun	JJul	AAug	SSep	OOct	NNov	DDec
Kirkwall	×	×	ok	ok	go	go	go	go	go	ok	×	×
Stromness	×	×	ok	ok	go	go	go	go	go	ok	×	×
Stenness	×	×	ok	ok	go	go	ok	ok	go	ok	×	×
Birsay	×	×	ok	ok	go	go	go	go	go	ok	×	×
United Kingdom (country-wide)	ok	ok	go	go	go	go	ok	ok	go	go	ok	ok

Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Climate strip

Month by month

Zone	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Orkney MainlandKirkwall, Stromness, Stenness	cold	cold	ok	ok	best	best	best	best	ok	ok	cold	cold

best: dry, mildok: workable

Orkney Mainland: Low-lying and drier than Highland Scotland, but wind is constant. May to early July has the longest days; June and July are the driest and warmest. Winter daylight is short and ferries can be cancelled by gales.

Midges are far less of a problem here than on the mainland. Book beds and ferry space early for the summer peak and for the May, June and September festivals.

Getting in and passes

Arrival times and regional passes

Open Getting in and passesClose Getting in and passes2 partsGet in · Passes

Get in

Door-to-door p50, 2026 estimate

From	To	How	p50	Note
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Aberdeen or Dundee	Kirkwall Airport (KOI)	Loganair turboprop	~1 h 15 from Edinburgh	Several flights a day in summer, so a day trip is possible; the airport is 5 miles from town with a bus every 30 min Mon–Sat.
Scrabster (near Thurso)	Stromness	NorthLink car ferry	90 min crossing	Two or three sailings a day; Thurso is the most northerly railway station in Britain. Stromness to Kirkwall is a 20-min drive or an hourly bus.
Aberdeen	Kirkwall (Hatston Terminal)	NorthLink car ferry via Shetland	~6 h to Kirkwall	Overnight sailing that calls at Kirkwall on several nights a week; arrives about 23:00.Overnight sailing that calls at Kirkwall on several nights a week; arrives about 11:00 PM.
Gill's Bay (A836, west of John o'Groats)	St Margaret's Hope	Pentland Ferries car ferry	1 h crossing	Three sailings a day; St Margaret's Hope to Kirkwall is a 30-min drive with a bus every hour or two.
London and the South East	Kirkwall	Train or flight to Edinburgh or Inverness, then Loganair	~5–7 h door	Check the connection time; the last flight north leaves in the evening.

Regional passes

Verdict first

NorthLink and Pentland Ferries tickets

buy

Book the car crossing as soon as your dates are fixed; summer sailings fill and foot passengers are easier to fit.

Orkney Ferries island hopscotch tickets

check

Inter-island fares are banded (south/inner isles vs north isles) and were due to change in April 2026; check current prices.

Historic Environment Scotland Explorer Pass

skip

Most prehistoric sites are free to enter; the pass only pays if you also visit staffed sites on the mainland.

Eat and move on

Regional food and where to go next

Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on2 partsFood · Go next

Regional food

Where and when it works

Dish	Where	Timing / trap
Kirkwall bakery and deli lunches	Kirkwall	Useful before a ferry; many island cafes shut by late afternoon.
Seafood and fish	Kirkwall and Stromness	Book dinner in summer; the towns are small and tables go early.
Whisky and gin tastings	Kirkwall (Highland Park, Scapa), Deerness, Sanday	Distillery tours need booking; the Deerness whisky is still maturing.
Orkney beef and cheese	Across Mainland	Look for it on menus and in delis; island produce is the local speciality.

Go next

Shetland Islands

planned

NorthLink ferry from Kirkwall, overnight to Lerwick

Continue north rather than doubling back; the ferry calls at Kirkwall several nights a week.

Scottish Highlands

planned

Ferry to Scrabster, then train from Thurso

The natural return leg south; the far north line is slow and scenic.

Hebrides

planned

Fly or ferry back to the mainland, then west

A separate island trip; don't try to combine both in one week.

North East Scotland

planned

Ferry to Aberdeen

Overnight sailing; good if you are flying home from Aberdeen.

Central Belt

planned

Flight to Edinburgh or Glasgow

Fastest route back to a city and onward transport.

Planning aids

Built from this guide's own data

Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids2 partsIn numbers · Going in…

Region in numbers

Where to sleep: 2 bases
Day trips: 4, 30 min to 1 h
Nights suggested: 3–5 nights
Ways in: 5 listed
Best months: May–Aug

Going in…

Pick a month for the weather in each zone of the region, plus the country-wide rating and holidays.

Pick a month.

Open Scotland Up to United Kingdom

Deep dive

Photos, reading and every source

Open Deep diveClose Deep dive1 partSources

Sources

officialOrkney Islands Council
officialOrkney.com — official visitor information
officialNorthLink Ferries
officialPentland Ferries
officialOrkney Ferries
officialLoganair
officialKirkwall Airport (HIAL)
officialHistoric Environment Scotland
officialAdmiralty Easytide — tide predictions
secondaryWikivoyage: Orkney Islands, revision 5257901 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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