Kirkwall

Transport & Travel

Complimentary Shuttle Bus Service

A shuttle bus service will operate from the Hatston Cruise Ship Berth to The Kirkwall Travel Centre which is located a 2 minute walk from the main shopping area. The service operates from 08:30hrs or later depending on your ships arrival time. The last shuttle normally operates from town 60 minutes prior to the scheduled cruise ship departure time or at 18:00 if your ship is sailing after 19:00. Please check shuttle operating times with your ship staff and with the Meet & Greet staff at the point of arrival.

Travelling Out of Town

There are a great many sights to visit outwith the towns and bus services regularly pass some of the main sites. Taxis will be happy to take you to any of the destinations you desire and some would even be reachable by cycle hire.

For buses from Kirkwall towards Finstown and Stromness or St Margarets Hope please visit Bus Services (orkney.gov.uk).

The chart below gives distances from Kirkwall to help you plan your own visit to some of the bigger attractions in Orkney.

DestinationFrom Kirkwall
Finstown6.5m10.4km
Maeshowe10m16km
Standing Stones of Stenness11m17.7km
Ring of Brodgar12m19.3km
Skara Brae & Skaill House17m27.3km
Brough of Birsay20.5m33km
Kirbuster Farm Museum17m27.3km
Broch of Gurness16m25.7km
Churchill Barriers7.5m12km
Italian Chapel8m12.9km
Orkney Fossil Centre10.6m17km
St Margaret’s Hope15m24.1km

Cycling and Walking, if you would like to walk or cycle around Kirkwall the attached Kirkwall Travel Map will help you plan your route.