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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Scalloway
Give Scalloway half a day from Lerwick: castle, Shetland Bus museum, harbour. Sleep here only if you want a quiet base 10 min from town.
Scalloway was Shetland's capital until 1708 and is now a working fishing village of about 1,200 people, 10 min by car from Lerwick. Its two sights — a ruined 1600 castle and the Shetland Bus museum — fit into half a day. Most travellers come as a Lerwick side trip; a night here buys quiet and a short run to the West Burra islands.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short daylight, wind and rain)
- Stay
- 0–1 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–110 excl. bed · High £110+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 999 · Police non-urgent 101 · NHS non-urgent 111
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a cafe | £3–4.50 |
| Soup or sandwich lunch | £6–12 |
| Seafood main course | £15–25 |
| Pint in the village pub | £5–6.50 |
| Taxi Lerwick to Scalloway | £20–30 |
| Museum entry | £3 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LSI · Sumburgh Airport
- About 45 min by road via Lerwick; bus to Lerwick, then Bus 4.
Typical fares
- Bus 4 Lerwick → Scalloway
- about £3, 25 min, hourly Mon–Sat
- Taxi Lerwick → Scalloway
- £20–30, about 10 min
- Bus 5 Scalloway → Hamnavoe / Houss
- a few connections a day; check times before you set out
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The village is walkable in 15 min end to end. Andrews Bus 4 runs from Lerwick hourly Monday–Saturday, about 25 min, and continues to Port Arthur; it connects a few times a day with Bus 5 to Trondra, Hamnavoe, Papil and Houss. Taxis come from Lerwick or Port Arthur; book ahead for evenings.
See and do
Known for
- Scalloway Castle
- Shetland Bus museum and memorial
- Fishing harbour
- Road-linked Scalloway Islands
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lerwick | Andrews Bus 4 from the village, or 10 min by car on the A970 | About 30–40 min |
| West Burra and East Burra | B9074 south over the Trondra bridge, then Bus 5 or a car | 20–40 min |
| Tingwall Loch and the Murder Stone | B9074 north, about 2 km (1.2 mi)B9074 north, about 1.2 mi (2 km) | About 30 min on foot |
| Sumburgh Head and Jarlshof | Car via Lerwick, or bus to Lerwick then south | 1.5–2 h |
| Fair Isle | Ferry or flight from the Shetland mainland | Half a day or more |
Sleep
- Main Street and harbour
- B&B, hotel, pub and museum within a 5-min walk; best for a car-free night.
- Port Arthur and east shore
- Marine centre, seafood cafe and self-catering chalets; 10–15 min walk from the castle.
- West Burra (Hamnavoe)
- B&B and cottages on the linked island, 15–20 min by road; needs a car or taxi.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the bus stop? | Where is the bus stop? |
| One ticket to Lerwick, please | One ticket to Lerwick, please |
| Is the castle open today? | Is the castle open today? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- Scalloway Castle has been closed for restoration: check before you plan the trip around it.
- The castle key is held at the museum in normal opening hours, so a visit only works when the museum is open.
- Museum opens May–Sep only, closed Saturdays.
- Mobile data is 4G from EE and Vodafone only; O2 and Three have no signal here, and coverage fades on the island lanes.
- Cruise-ship days fill the castle and harbour for a few hours; go early or late.
Very low crime; the real risks are weather, wet roads and walking the coast path in poor visibility. Tell someone your route and carry a charged phone — signal is patchy.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Scalloway yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Scalloway Castle
- Shetland Bus museum and memorial
- Fishing harbour
- Road-linked Scalloway Islands
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Shetland Islands Council — public transport: www.shetland.gov.uk/transport
- Historic Environment Scotland — Scalloway Castle: www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/scalloway-castle/
- Shetland Heritage Association — Scalloway Museum: www.shetlandheritageassociation.com/members/central-mainland/scalloway-museum
- Shetland Recreational Trust — Scalloway Pool: www.srt.org.uk/centres/scalloway
- Wikivoyage: Scalloway, revision 4933690 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4933690
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Scalloway
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Shetland; the nearest are in Edinburgh. US citizens: US Consulate General, Edinburgh (check the address).
Local speech is Shetland dialect with Scots and Norn roots; standard English works everywhere.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/scalloway). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.