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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Stromness
Base here 1–2 nights for a quiet harbour town and easy Hoy ferries; otherwise day-trip from Kirkwall, 14 mi / 30 min by bus X1.
Stromness is Orkney's second town, a narrow flagged main street on a sheltered harbour with about 2,200 people. It is the ferry port for Scrabster on the Scottish mainland and for Hoy and Graemsay, and it holds the Pier Arts Centre, Stromness Museum and Ness Battery. Most travellers give it one night, or use it as a base for the west Mainland Neolithic sites.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short days, wind and rain; many sights closed)
- Stay
- 1–2 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 £70–120 excl. bed · High £120+ 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 café | £3–4.50 |
| Fish and chips takeaway | £9–13 |
| Café lunch (soup, sandwich) | £8–14 |
| Pint in a hotel bar | £4.50–6 |
| Stromness Museum entry | Adult £7.50, conc £5, child free |
| Ness Battery guided tour | Adult £8, conc or child £5 |
| Taxi Stromness–Kirkwall | About £45 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- KOI · Kirkwall Airport
- About 20 mi / 40 min by road; taxi about £55. No airport in Stromness.
Typical fares
- NorthLink ferry Stromness–Scrabster
- about 90 min, 2–3 sailings daily
- Bus X1 Stromness–Kirkwall
- about 30 min, hourly
- Taxi Kirkwall airport–Stromness
- about £55
Get around
The town is compact and walkable; the main street is flagged and narrow. Bus X1 runs to Kirkwall (about 30 min; hourly frequency check) and in season extends to Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar and Skara Brae. Bikes are the practical way to reach the Neolithic sites; Orkney Cycle Hire on Dundas Street is open daily 8AM–5PM. A taxi to Kirkwall is about £45.
See and do
Known for
- Pier Arts Centre
- Stromness Museum
- Ness Battery
- NorthLink ferry to Scrabster
- Orkney Folk Festival
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Stenness (Maeshowe, Stones of Stenness, Ring of Brodgar) | Bus X1 or bike east along the A965; about 3 mi | About 30 min by bus, 1 h by bike |
| Kirkwall | Stagecoach X1, hourly, 14 mi along the A965 | About 30 min |
| Hoy (Moaness and Lyness) | Orkney Ferries from Stromness to Moaness, at least twice daily; Lyness sailings leave from Houton | About 40 min by ferry to Moaness (check); Lyness via Houton, longer |
| Birsay | Bike or bus west via Stenness; about 13 mi | About 1 h by bike |
Sleep
- Victoria Street and the harbour
- Guesthouses, hotels and the ferry pier within a 5-min walk; best for a one-night ferry stop.
- Point of Ness
- Council campsite on the headland, about 1 mi / 20 min walk south of town; open April–Sep.
- Kirkwall
- More beds, shops and transport links; 14 mi / 30 min by bus if Stromness is full.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Please | Please |
| Where is the ferry terminal? | Where is the ferry terminal? |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the toilet? |
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
- Ness Battery interior is guided tour only; the exterior is free. Do not follow satnav onto the coastal footpath.
- The road to Stenness is a busy main road with only intermittent pavement; walk it with care or take the bus.
- Mobile coverage is patchy: O2 and Three give basic signal, EE and Vodafone may not work.
- Many sights and cafés close or run shorter hours from October to March.
A quiet, low-crime town; the real risks are wind and rain, slippery flagstones, and walking the busy Stenness road after dark. Emergency number is 999.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Stromness yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Pier Arts Centre
- Stromness Museum
- Ness Battery
- NorthLink ferry to Scrabster
- Orkney Folk Festival
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- VisitScotland — Orkney: www.visitscotland.com/places-to-go/orkney
- NorthLink Ferries: www.northlinkferries.co.uk/
- Orkney Ferries: www.orkneyferries.co.uk/
- Pier Arts Centre: www.pierartscentre.com/
- Stromness Museum: www.stromnessmuseum.org.uk
- Ness Battery: www.nessbattery.co.uk
- Orkney Islands Council — Point of Ness campsite: www.orkney.gov.uk/Service-Directory/S/point-of-ness-campsite.htm
- Wikivoyage: Stromness, revision 5322131 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5322131
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Stromness
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Orkney; the nearest are in Edinburgh. US citizens: US Consulate General, Edinburgh.
English is spoken throughout; no local phrase needed.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/stromness). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.