Lerwick, brochs, Norse sites and seabird cliffs on the UK's most northerly islands
Shetland is an archipelago of more than 100 islands, the most northerly part of the United Kingdom, about 170 km from mainland Scotland and 220 km from Norway. Lerwick, the main town, is a harbour town on Bressay Sound with the Shetland Museum and Archives, Fort Charlotte and Clickimin Broch. Norse settlers arrived from the late 8th century and the islands were under Norwegian rule until 1472.
This guide covers Lerwick and Bressay, the South Mainland with Jarlshof, Sumburgh Head and the Mousa broch, Scalloway and the West Mainland, and the far north from Esha Ness to Unst. Most visitors arrive on the overnight NorthLink ferry from Aberdeen or fly into Sumburgh; council ferries link the inhabited isles. In January Lerwick holds Up Helly Aa, a torchlit procession that ends with the burning of a Viking galley.
Buurten
Each area has its own mini guide with 43 sights, places to eat and drink, and where to stay across the city.
Shetland's harbour town: the museum, Fort Charlotte, Clickimin Broch and the ferry to Bressay
Open de minigids →
Prehistoric and Norse sites, the Mousa broch, puffin cliffs and the St Ninian's Isle tombolo
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Shetland's old capital, the Shetland Bus story, Tingwall's law site and Neolithic Stanydale
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Esha Ness cliffs, Ronas Hill, the islands of Yell and Unst, and Britain's most northerly sights
Open de minigids →Bezienswaardigheden
A sight from each area. Every area guide lists the rest, with directions and official links.
Museum and archives at Hay's Dock on the Lerwick waterfront, telling the story of Shetland's heritage and culture; the building opened in 2007.
More than 4,000 years of settlement on one site: Bronze Age houses, an Iron Age broch and wheelhouses, Norse longhouses and a 1500s laird's house.
Tower house of the late 1500s built for Earl Patrick Stewart, who was accused of using forced labour to build it in 1599.
Isthmus just over 90 metres wide at its narrowest, joining the Northmavine peninsula to the rest of the Mainland.
Artillery fort begun in 1665 during the Second Dutch War to guard Bressay Sound, rebuilt in the 1780s and presented as it looked then.
Lighthouse first lit in 1821 at the southern tip of the Mainland, with a seasonal visitor centre and a nature reserve open all year.
Community museum beside the castle, opened in 2012, on Scalloway and the wartime Shetland Bus to Norway; closed in winter until spring.
Black volcanic cliffs on the west coast of Northmavine, with sea caves, geos and boulder fields thrown up by storms.
1 / 12Animal attractions, railways, science centres, beaches and caves from our Shetland guide, grouped by type. We hold no age ratings or child prices: check each place’s own site for age limits, height rules and family tickets.
LevenwickVillage and beach, South Mainland: Sumburgh, Jarlshof & Mousa
Meal BeachBeach, Scalloway & the West Mainland
HaroldswickVillage and beach, Northmavine, Yell & UnstPractical help: travelling with children and where to stay in Shetland.
Reisroutes
Korte routes die de buurten met elkaar verbinden.
Hoe komt u er
Shetland is reached by the NorthLink ferry from Aberdeen or by Loganair flights to Sumburgh Airport. Always check the operator for current times, fares and weather disruption.
NorthLink Ferries runs overnight sailings between Aberdeen and Lerwick; some sailings call at Kirkwall in Orkney. Check-in opens 120 minutes before departure at Aberdeen and Lerwick and closes 30 minutes before.
Loganair lists flights to Shetland (Sumburgh) from Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Sumburgh Airport, run by Highlands and Islands Airports, is at the southern tip of the Mainland, about 31 km south of Lerwick.
Journey details on this page are the operators' own figures. We do not publish timetables or fares.
Buses from Lerwick run to Scalloway, Sumburgh and the north, but services to remote places can be few. Many visitors hire a car at Lerwick or Sumburgh Airport.
Many rural roads are single-track with passing places. Shetland.org asks drivers to pull into a passing place on the left, or wait opposite one on the right, and to let following cars pass.
Shetland Islands Council runs the ferries to Bressay, Yell, Unst, Fetlar and Whalsay. The Bressay ferry takes no bookings; for Yell, Unst and Whalsay the council strongly recommends booking vehicle space.
There are fuel pumps on the Mainland, Yell, Unst and Whalsay but none on Fetlar or Bressay. Public electric vehicle chargers need a charging card or the ChargePlace app.
ScotRail (Scotland’s trains).ScotRail runs most trains within Scotland. Its tickets page refused automated access, so check ticket types and any Scotland-only offers on its site.ScotRail tickets (opens in new tab)
Beste tijd om te gaan
Several sights and boat trips run only in summer, and daylight changes hugely through the year, so check each website before you travel.
Sumburgh Head visitor centre opens from April to early October and the Mousa boat sails from April. Lerwick gets 18 hours 55 minutes of daylight at the summer solstice. The Shetland Folk Festival is in late April or early May.
Shetland Wool Week runs in late September. Seasonal attractions close from October, but Lerwick's museum and the year-round sights remain open.
Lerwick has about 5 hours 49 minutes of daylight at the winter solstice. Up Helly Aa fills the town on the last Tuesday of January, and storms can disrupt ferries.
Lerwick's fire festival: the Jarl Squad marches through the town by day, and in the evening a torchlit procession ends with the burning of the galley.
Up Helly Aa Committee →The 45th Shetland Folk Festival, which calls itself the UK's most northerly folk festival.
Shetland Folk Festival →A week of events celebrating Shetland wool and knitting.
Shetland Wool Week →Veelgestelde vragen
Take the NorthLink ferry from Aberdeen to Lerwick, which sails overnight and sometimes calls at Kirkwall, or fly with Loganair to Sumburgh from Aberdeen, Edinburgh or Glasgow.
Lerwick Up Helly Aa is held on the last Tuesday of January. The next festival is on Tuesday 26 January 2027, according to the Up Helly Aa Committee.
A car makes it much easier to reach sights outside Lerwick. Buses run to Scalloway, Sumburgh and the north, but some routes have only a few services a day.
Not for Bressay, which is turn up and go. Shetland Islands Council strongly recommends booking vehicle space for Yell, Unst and Whalsay, and booking is essential for Fair Isle, Papa Stour and Skerries.
The Mousa Boat sails from Sandwick in the summer season, starting in April, and all sailings depend on the weather. Historic Environment Scotland locks the broch over winter.
Nearby places
Our closest other guides, by straight-line distance between centres. Road and rail distances are longer: check a journey planner.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
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