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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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.

Sleep

Which bed, for how many nights, and what to do from it

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 →

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 and how

Months, arrival and passes

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Only good-now countries

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.

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

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.

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Deep dive

Photos, reading and every source

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)