Kirkwall Cruises

0800 035 5130

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8.30am - 6pm
Saturday: 9am - 5pm
Sunday: closed

Kirkwall, the capital of the Orkney Islands, resonates with ancient echoes of Christian, Nordic and Celtic history. It’s a town that feels more Scandinavian than Scottish; in fact, the name Kirkwall comes from the Norse for 'Church Bay', relating to the town's 11th century Church of St Olaf of Norway.

Exploring the town’s atmospheric paved streets and twisting lanes, reveals a number of highlights, including the ruins of the Earl and Bishop’s Palaces, dating from the mid-12th century and serving as a reminder of the Orkney's turbulent past.[ReadMoreMob] The palaces are considered by many to be the finest Renaissance buildings in Scotland. Also worth visiting is the recently restored St. Magnus Cathedral, founded in memory of Saint Magnus Erlendsson by Norseman Earl Rögnvald Kali.

Don't miss Tankerness House, a beautifully preserved 16th century townhouse, and the Orkney Wireless Museum, with it's fascinating insights into the history of radio, too.

Top Experiences

Neolithic Orkney

The group of Neolithic monuments on Orkney consists of a large chambered tomb (Maes Howe), two ceremonial stone circles (the Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar), and a settlement (Skara Brae), together with a number of excavated burial, ceremonial and settlement sites.

Skara Brae, on the shores of the bay of Skaill, is reputed to be the best-preserved Stone Age village in Europe. Skara Brae is accorded the same status as the pyramids in Egypt, however, the village is in fact much older, dating from 3200BC compared to 2700BC when the building of the pyramids began.

The spellbinding Ring of Brodgar arguably the most iconic symbol of Orkney's prehistoric past. It is a site of ritual and ceremony, an archaeological treasure and without doubt, one of the islands' most visited attractions.