Orkneys - how long and what to see?

Kirkwall would be the best centre for both public transport and any tours.

Stagecoach run the bus services on Orkney . Have a look at their website which gives a guide to what places you can visit by bus. You will need to spend time checking out bus times and whether they work for you.

This is the general information about using buses from the Orkney Islands Council website.

WOW Scotland do day tours of Orkney from Kirkwall, but I’m not sure if these are just geared up to Cruise ships. Their website says they aren’t doing tours at the moment. It may be worth contacting them and asking. They would also be able to give an idea how many people there are on a tour and how long you spend at each site.

See Orkney are another possibility and their website says they offer small group tours. They may be a better bet?

You can also find out information about private tours here, which would be tailor made to your specific requirements (but will probably be much more expensive) . There is information about a tour of the upper levels of St Magnus Cathedral too

It is difficult to say how many days until you have sorted out your priorities and how you are going to achieve them... Off the top of my head I would suggest a minimum of three days and ideally longer. Having made ther effort to get to Orkney, you don’t want to short change the islands!

Use the map on the Undiscovered Scotland website to check up what things there are to do and see once you arrive. Click on the names for text pages with lots of information and pictures. Then use google to get latest information about opening times etc.

The Orkneyjar website is another wonderful resource covering the heritage of the islands and covers lots of topics not found in the usual guide books.

If visiting Culloden, don’t miss Clava Cairns which are close by

Where are you catching the ferry from? Are you using North Link from Aberdeen leaving Aberdeen at 5pm and arriving at Kirkwall at 11pm? Accommodation providers are well geared up to these late arrival times.

If you get to Inverness, LoganAir over to Kirkwall is pretty inexpensive to save what might be a long bus ride to Aberdeen for a long, possibly bumpy ride from Aberdeen or the long bus ride to Gill's Bay for the quicker Pentland ferry. There are many return destinations depending on where you next stop is.

Last June we flew Edinburgh to Stornoway, Stornoway to Shetland, Shetland to Glasgow, and a round trip from Edinburgh to Orkney with perfect departures, no luggage problems, and delightful efficient service. It's also on smaller planes so you get better views. My only complaint is that their prices jump around, generally getting higher as the date approached.

I'm a 72 year old that always rents a car, so tours are outside of my experience. Having a car allows you to go to the less visited places, time arrival to coincide with the tidal access at Birsay, for example and spend the amount of time you want rather than what a group tour demands. Three days (assuming that means three nights with two full days and partial days on the ends) should be sufficient unless yo want to visit other islands of the chain.

Since you didn’t find it, maybe this will help. And I am sure you could message Reedman with questions!

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-the-orkneys-paris

The three sites you want to see would be covered by the VERY LONG day trip from Inverness. We did that trip several years ago, A bus takes you to John O'Groats where you board a ferry to Mainland ( I don't remember the name of the port, maybe Burwick?). Then you board a mini bus which takes you to the places you mention. We had enough time for all three. The tour also stops at the Italian Chapel. The guide talks on the way up. No commentary on the way back but the scenery at dusk was beautiful.

I wonder if it would be possible to do that day trip but split it over two days with an overnight at your own expense in Kirkwall? You would have to ask the tour company.

We went back to the Orkneys on a more recent trip so we could also visit Maes Howe.

First of all, just a bug bear, it is Orkney not the Orkneys. It even comes up as a spelling error on UK spellcheck!

What is the way you are planning on getting to Orkney? From Inverness by surface you can drive up the A9 to either Thurso or John O'Groats for the ferries. Others have said there is a Northlink Ferry to Orkney (Kirkwall) from Aberdeen. This is correct however the main Orkney ferry from Northlink is Scrabster - Stromness with Scrabster being by Thurso. Just down the hill from Lidl.

By train you'd want the Thurso ferry as the railhead for John O'Groats is some distance away at Wick. The line infamously meanders and takes a while, however it is a beautiful ride.

SItes on route suggestions depend on mode of travel.

As for time, I would suggest two or three nights if you can, and probably basing in the Kirkwall area.

I know that driving on the left is intimidating, but Orkney is probably the best place to try it out. If you are looking to save travel time, consider flying cheap to Kirkwall and then rent a car there to get around. The busiest road will be in Kirkwall proper, but even there has just a few main roads that are easy to navigate and finding the parking lot across from the Travel Information building is very simple. Once you get out of town, it really is just the equivalent of country roads here in the States. There are occasional, easily negotiated, roundabouts, and single-track roads are well-studded with turnouts to allow for passage.

When we were there ten years ago, we spent three days and could have added at least one if not two more to get off the main island (known as Mainland) and into other places like Hoy or Rousay. We stayed at a B&B five minutes outside of Stromness, but I think if I ever go back, I’ll get a place in Kirkwall so we can get some nightlife in town. The pub we were at on our last afternoon there was having a music night that evening I wish we could have been at.

Orkney was my favorite region on that trip by far! I loved seeing the big Neolithic sites, but also the medieval palace ruins, the Italian Chapel, the Broughs, and allllll of the shopping. It was the last stop on our trip, and I had saved up my shopping money for it. Definitely spent too much money there!

When we were there ten years ago, we spent three days and could have added at least one if not two more to get off the main island (known as Mainland) and into other places like Hoy or Rousay. We stayed at a B&B five minutes outside of Stromness, but I think if I ever go back, I’ll get a place in Kirkwall so we can get some nightlife in town. The pub we were at on our last afternoon there was having a music night that evening I wish we could have been at.

I'd add because Orkney has a small population, around 22000 across the islands going to Kirkwall in the evening or staying there has another aspect. Last time I was there with relatives we went out for a meal in the centre and once the cruise ships have taken back their inmates, Kirkwall gets very quiet. Plus the long daylight in summer, it is a pleasure to walk around,