St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall & central Mainland

A mini guide to

Kirkwall & central Mainland: getting there

Stops, stations and how to reach Kirkwall & central Mainland

Stops and stations

Getting to Kirkwall & central Mainland

Choose the stop closest to where you are going.

Stop or station	Services	Good for
Kirkwall Airport	Loganair flights	Flights to Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and the North Isles
Kirkwall ferry terminal	NorthLink Ferries	Sailings to Aberdeen, about 6 hours, and on to Lerwick in Shetland
Kirkwall	Stagecoach buses	Mainland routes to Stromness, past the stone circles, and over the Churchill Barriers
Kirkwall pier	Orkney Ferries	Ferries to Shapinsay and the North Isles

Walking from nearby areas

Scapa Flow, the South Isles & Hoy: 15.7 km from Kirkwall & central Mainland, better by public transport
Stromness & the West Mainland: 17.5 km from Kirkwall & central Mainland, better by public transport
North Isles: Rousay, Westray & beyond: 29.5 km from Kirkwall & central Mainland, better by public transport

Reaching Orkney

Official travel information

Orkney is reached by ferry from Caithness or Aberdeen, or by Loganair flights to Kirkwall. Crossing and flight times below are the approximate figures published by Visit Orkney; always check the operator for current times, fares and weather disruption.

Visit Orkney (orkney.com) → — the official visitor site
NorthLink Ferries → — Scrabster, Aberdeen and Lerwick sailings
Pentland Ferries → — Gills Bay to St Margaret's Hope
Orkney Ferries → — inter-island ferries
Loganair: Orkney inter-isles → — flights to six North Isles
Orkney Islands Council: bus services → — timetables and weather warnings
Historic Environment Scotland → — tickets for Skara Brae and Maeshowe

Times, fares and disruption change: use the operator pages above for live information.

All ways to reach Orkney

Plan your journey here

Enter your starting point and Google Maps will show routes to Kirkwall & central Mainland. Public transport is selected; change it on the map. Check operator sites for live disruption.

Kirkwall & central Mainland: The red sandstone front and spire of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall under a blue sky

While you are here

Things to see in Kirkwall & central Mainland

A few of the sights in the area. The Things to do page lists them all, with directions and official links.

Things to do

Bishop's and Earl's Palaces

The Norse-era Bishop's Palace, where King Haakon IV of Norway died in 1263, beside Earl Patrick Stewart's Renaissance palace of the early 1600s.

Things to do

The Orkney Museum

Orkney's story from prehistory to today in Tankerness House, a museum since 1968, with Pictish stones and grave goods from the Scar Viking boat burial.