Best things to do in Orkney Islands

Orkney Islands Essentials

The Orkney Islands feature a dense concentration of archaeological treasures, including the 5,000-year-old village of Skara Brae and the Neolithic monuments of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO site. The archipelago’s history spans from the Iron Age Broch of Gurness to the Viking-era St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. Modern history is preserved at the Italian Chapel, built by POWs during WWII, while the Highland Park Distillery represents the islands' long-standing whisky-making tradition alongside dramatic coastal landforms like The Gloup and Marwick Head.

Orkney Islands Essentials — Map

Wknight94 / CC-BY-SA-3.0

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Skara Brae

Uncovered thanks to strong wind and high tide during a storm in the winter of 1850, this prehistoric village is a great example of a stone…

Gregory J Kingsley / CC BY-SA 3.0

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The Italian Chapel

The Italian Chapel is a highly ornate Catholic chapel on Lamb Holm in the Orkney Islands.

Stevekeiretsu / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Saint Magnus Cathedral

St Magnus Cathedral dominates the skyline of Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland.

Dr. John F. Burka / CC-BY-SA-3.0

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Heart of Neolithic Orkney

Heart of Neolithic Orkney is a group of Neolithic monuments on the Mainland of the Orkney Islands, Scotland.

C Michael Hogan / CC BY-SA 2.0

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Earl's Palace

The Earl's Palace is a ruined Renaissance-style palace near St Magnus's Cathedral in the centre of Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland.

Chmee2 / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Broch of Gurness

The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village on the northeast coast of Mainland Orkney in Scotland overlooking Eynhallow Sound, about…

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Stromness

Historic port town and ferry terminal serving the Scrabster route. Defined by narrow, flagstone-paved streets and 18th-century stone buildings, it has long served as a base for whaling fleets and North Sea explorers.

Elisa.rolle / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Skaill House

Skaill House is a historic manor house in Sandwick parish on Mainland, the largest of the Orkney Islands, Scotland.

Tine / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Highland Park Distillery

Highland Park distillery is the second northernmost single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Scotland, located in Kirkwall on the Orkney…

Elisa.rolle / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Bishop's Palace

Built in the early 12th century, the palace was originally built as a private residence for the Bishop. There are only ruins left now.

Colin Smith / CC BY-SA 2.0

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Cuween Hill

Cuween Hill Chambered Cairn is a Neolithic chambered cairn on Mainland, the main island of Orkney, Scotland, about 6 miles west of Kirkwall.

Phillyacct / CC BY 3.0

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The Gloup

The Gloup () is a collapsed sea cave in the Mull Head Nature Reserve in the islands of Orkney, Scotland.

David Wyatt / CC BY-SA 2.0

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Marwick Head

A sheer sandstone cliff and RSPB nature reserve hosting massive colonies of guillemots, razorbills, and fulmars. The summit features the Kitchener Memorial, a square stone tower overlooking the site where the HMS Hampshire sank in 1916.

Other Lists

Archaeological Wonders of Orkney Coastal and Maritime Heritage Historic Churches of Orkney Historic Structures of Orkney