Our top pick3 days
3 daysFrom Inverness: 3-Day Orkney Islands & Skara Brae Tour
★ 4.8 · 87 reviews
- Three days, Two nights in Kirkwall
- Maeshowe and Skara Brae visits
- En suite guesthouse and B&B rooms
- Free cancellation
$654
Check availability→ What you see
Visit Orkney Islands: the sites each tour stops at
To visit Orkney Islands landmarks with a guide, you can choose from eleven tours: six day tours on the islands and five multi-day tours from Inverness and Edinburgh. This page sets out what you see on them, from Skara Brae and the stone circles to the Italian Chapel, and which tour stops where. Prices from $157 per person.
Quick answer
The short answer. With one day to visit Orkney Islands highlights, the West Mainland day from Kirkwall ($157, 275 reviews at 4.9) covers Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness. Coming over on the ferry from Scrabster? The $157 day meets it at Stromness and is the only listing that says Skara Brae entry is included. To add Maeshowe and the Italian Chapel, our top pick is the three-day tour from Inverness at $654.
Visit Orkney Islands Scotland: the sites at a glance
- Tours on this site
- 11six day tours, five multi-day
- Price
- From $157per person
- Skara Brae
- 9 of 11 toursentry included on the ferry day
- Ring of Brodgar
- 10 of 11 toursoptional on one
- Stones of Stenness
- 9 of 11 toursoptional on one
- Maeshowe
- 3 toursall of them multi-day
- Italian Chapel
- 8 toursextra fee on two
- Churchill Barriers
- 1 tourfive days from Edinburgh
- St Magnus Cathedral
- 2 tours by nameboth multi-day
- Time at Skara Brae
- 1 to 1.5 hourson the day tours that list it
- Reviews
- 759across all eleven tours
- Cancellation
- Free cancellationon all eleven
Skara Brae
Skara Brae: the stone village most tours are built around
Nine of the eleven tours stop here.
Almost every way to visit Orkney Islands heritage on this site runs through Skara Brae. One listing calls it the 5,000-year-old village; another says it lay hidden beneath sand dunes until its discovery in 1850; the West Mainland listing calls it the best-preserved Neolithic village in Northern Europe.
The West Mainland day gives a guided visit of 85 minutes, then time for the 400-year-old Skaill House or the visitor centre. The ferry day and the private full day allow 1.5 hours, the private five-hour tour an hour with a guide.
Tali from the United States, on the three-day Far North tour: «We loved all the historic Neolithic spots, especially Skara Brae (of course).»
Tour by tour
Which tour stops at which site
Read across to see which tours visit Orkney Islands sites you care about most. Times are as each listing gives them; a dash means the listing does not name the site.
| Tour | Skara Brae | Ring of Brodgar | Stones of Stenness | Maeshowe | Italian Chapel | Churchill Barriers | St Magnus Cathedral |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Mainland day$157 | 85 min, guided | 40 min, guided | 15 min photo stop | – | – | – | – |
| Ferry day$157 | 1.5 h, entry included | 30 min, guided | 15 min photo stop | – | Optional, extra fee | – | – |
| Beaches and cliffs$225 | – | 30 min, optional | 30 min, optional | – | – | – | – |
| Cruise ship day$249 | Route not listed | Route not listed | Route not listed | – | – | – | – |
| Private full day$212 | 1.5 h | 30 min | 20 min | – | 25 min | – | – |
| Private five hours$1,316 per group | 1 h, guided | 45 min, guided | 20 min, guided | – | Optional, extra fee | – | – |
| Three days with Skara Brae$654 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | “Viking Cathedral” |
| Three days, Far North$779 | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | Yes | – | Yes |
| Five days, Northern Coast$1,294 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Quick visit | – | “Viking Cathedral” |
| Five days, Far North$1,257 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Eight days with Orkney$2,314 | Yes | Yes | – | – | Yes | – | – |
The stone circles
The Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness
Ten tours name the Ring of Brodgar and nine the Stones of Stenness.
Most people who visit Orkney Islands for the Neolithic sites see both circles on the same day. One listing calls the Ring of Brodgar a henge monument dating back 4,500 years and the Stones of Stenness one of the oldest stone circles in the UK; another places them in the UNESCO-listed Heart of Neolithic Orkney.
At Brodgar the West Mainland day gives a 40-minute guided walk, the ferry day 30 minutes and the private five-hour tour 45 minutes. Stenness is a 15-minute photo stop on the two group day tours and 20 minutes on the private ones. On the beaches and cliffs day both close the tour, marked optional.
Sandra from the United Kingdom, on the ferry day: «The guide was very friendly and obviously passionate about the history and archaeology of Orkney.»
On the ground
Stones, a chapel and a causeway
Three of the stops in pictures.
Standing stones
Tall, thin grey stones stand on short-mown grass under white cloud, with a few walkers small in the distance.
Inside the chapel
A white altar under a painted arch, seen through an ornate black iron screen, with a stained-glass figure in the window on each side.
A causeway road
A two-lane road runs along a bank of tumbled concrete blocks, with white surf on one side and calm water on the other.
Wartime Orkney
The Italian Chapel, the Churchill Barriers and Scapa Flow
The wartime sites you meet when you visit Orkney Islands with a guide.
The Italian Chapel is the most common stop after the stone sites: eight of the eleven tours go there. One listing says Italian prisoners of war built it during WWII; another, that it was built using two Nissen huts. On the ferry day and the private five-hour tour it is optional, at an extra fee; on the ferry day the other choice is an hour on your own in Kirkwall.
The Churchill Barriers are on one tour only: the $1,257 five days from Edinburgh, whose listing says they were built to protect the British naval fleet from submarines. Scapa Flow comes into view on four day tours.
Between the big names
Cliffs, beaches and the smaller sites
The stops in between, for those who visit Orkney Islands for the coast as much as the stones.
- Yesnaby cliffs
On six tours: the West Mainland day, the ferry day, the beaches day, both private tours and the three-day Far North tour, whose listing mentions dramatic sea stacks.
- Waukmill Bay and the Bay of Skaill
Both on the beaches and cliffs day; its listing calls Waukmill Bay a beautiful sandy beach with views over Scapa Flow to the South Islands.
- Brough of Birsay
An uninhabited tidal island with traces of Pictish, Norse and medieval life. Three tours list it; two say you cross only at low tide, or if the tide allows.
- Skaill House and the Earl’s Palace
On the West Mainland day, with the 16th-century Earl’s Palace and the Kirbuster Farm Museum.
- Unstan and the Broch of Gurness
The private full day lets you step inside Unstan Cairn and visits the Broch of Gurness, an Iron Age broch village overlooking Eynhallow Sound.
Maeshowe and Kirkwall
Maeshowe and the cathedral: the multi-day stops
On three multi-day tours and on no day tour.
Maeshowe is the site that splits the ways to visit Orkney Islands monuments here: no day tour names it. It is on three multi-day tours: the three-day tour from Inverness with Skara Brae in its name, and the five-day Far North and Northern Coast tours from Edinburgh. One listing describes it as the cairn where, in the 12th century, the Vikings left one of the largest collections of Norse runic inscriptions.
St Magnus Cathedral is named on the three-day Far North tour from Inverness and the five-day Far North tour from Edinburgh; two more list a “Viking Cathedral”. Every multi-day tour spends two nights on the islands, four of them in Kirkwall.
Which islands
The islands you actually set foot on
Look up the best Orkney islands to visit and you will find long lists. The tours here keep it simpler: the stone village, both circles, Yesnaby and Birsay are all on the West Mainland day. The one other island you can walk onto is the Brough of Birsay, at low tide. From the beaches day you look across to Hoy.
Every tour, current fare
Visit Orkney Islands with a guide: eleven prices side by side
What each price covers, as the listing states it; where a listing is silent, we say so.
| Tour | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Mainland day | $157 | per person | 6 hours | Live guide, up to 14 guests. Entry fees not stated | Kirkwall Travel Centre | 4.9 · 275 |
| Ferry day | $157 | per person | 5.5 hours | Skara Brae and Skaill House entry fee included. Ferry fares not included | Stromness Ferry Terminal | 4.8 · 223 |
| Private full day | $212 | per person | 8 hours | Private guide, pickup from five points | Kirkwall, Hatston or Stromness | 4.4 · 5 |
| Beaches and cliffs | $225 | per person | 6 hours | Guide, up to 7 people | Hatston, Kirkwall | 4.8 · 21 |
| Cruise ship day | $249 | per person | 6 hours | Private guide, pick-up and drop-off included | Not stated | 5.0 · 15 |
| Private five hours | $1,316 | per group of up to 3 | 5 hours | Private guide, pickup in Kirkwall | Kirkwall | 5.0 · 50 |
| Three days, our top pick | $654 | per person | 3 days | Two nights in Kirkwall, en suite rooms. Meals not stated | Inverness | 4.8 · 87 |
| Three days, Far North | $779 | per person | 3 days | Two nights on Orkney. Meals not stated | Inverness | 4.9 · 25 |
| Five days, Far North | $1,257 | per person | 5 days | Two nights in Kirkwall. Meals not stated | Edinburgh | 4.8 · 22 |
| Five days, Northern Coast | $1,294 | per person | 5 days | Two nights in Kirkwall, en suite rooms. Meals not stated | Edinburgh | 4.9 · 30 |
| Eight days with Orkney | $2,314 | per person | 8 days | Two nights on Orkney. Meals not stated | Edinburgh | 5.0 · 6 |
Before you book
Five things to check before you pay
A few minutes on the listing saves surprises on the day you visit Orkney Islands sites.
- Skara Brae entry
Included on the ferry day only. The other listings do not say either way.
- Maeshowe
On three multi-day tours. None says whether entry is in the price or how the visit is booked.
- The ferry
The ferry day leaves ferry fares to you. The multi-day tours cross by ferry; no listing says the crossing is in the price.
- Food
No listing says meals are in the price. Pam from the United Kingdom, on the ferry day: «Take a packed lunch as it gets very busy to find food.»
- Cancellation
All eleven tours offer free cancellation. The window is longer on some multi-day tours.
Our verdict
Our verdict: which tour shows you the most
For the full set, book our top pick, the three-day tour from Inverness at $654. It is the shortest tour here with Skara Brae, both stone circles, Maeshowe and the Italian Chapel all on the route; 87 reviewers rate it 4.8. To visit Orkney Islands sites in one day, the West Mainland day at $157: 275 reviews at 4.9. Off the ferry, the $157 ferry day. For the Churchill Barriers too, the five days from Edinburgh at $1,257.
Book direct
Four tours to book for the sites
Our top pick from Inverness, the West Mainland day, the ferry day and the five days with the Churchill Barriers.
Rated 4.9275 reviews
6 hOrkney: West Mainland Group Day Tour
★ 4.9 · 275 reviews
- Six hours, Skara Brae guided tour, 85 minutes
- Limited to 14 guests
- Cheapest here
- Free cancellation
$157$26.17 / hour
Check availability→ 
Lowest price here223 reviews
5.5 hOrkney Day Trip: Meets the Scrabster - Stromness Ferry
★ 4.8 · 223 reviews
- 5.5 hours, Meets the Scrabster–Stromness ferry
- Skara Brae entry fee included
- Likely to sell out
- Free cancellation
$157$28.55 / hour
Check availability→ 
Italian Chapel and Churchill Barriers5 days
5 daysFrom Edinburgh: Orkney and The Far North 5-Day Tour
★ 4.8 · 22 reviews
- Five days, Two nights in Kirkwall
- Italian Chapel and Churchill Barriers
- Maeshowe and Skara Brae visits
- Free cancellation
$1,257
Check availability→ Common questions
Visit Orkney Islands: your questions, answered
Can you see the Ring of Brodgar and Skara Brae in one day?
Yes. Four day tours stop at both: the West Mainland day and the ferry day, each $157 per person, plus the two private tours. On the multi-day tours both fall on the same Orkney day.
Are Skara Brae tickets included in the tour?
On one tour: the ferry day from Stromness says the Skara Brae and Skaill House entry fee is included. The other listings do not say either way, so check before you book.
How long do you spend at Skara Brae?
85 minutes with a guide on the West Mainland day, 1.5 hours on the ferry day and the private full day, an hour on the private five-hour tour. The multi-day listings give no time.
Which tours visit Maeshowe?
Three multi-day tours: the three-day tour from Inverness with Skara Brae in its name, and the two five-day tours from Edinburgh. No day tour here names it, and no listing says whether entry is in the price.
Do you have to pay for the Italian Chapel?
On the ferry day and the private five-hour tour the chapel is optional, at an extra fee the listings do not state. Six other tours stop there without mentioning a fee.
Which tour includes the Churchill Barriers?
Only the five-day Orkney and Far North tour from Edinburgh, at $1,257 per person. The same day stops at the Italian Chapel.
Go deeper
More guides to Orkney
Skara Brae
Skara Brae
The stone village by the bay, and which tours give you time inside.
West MainlandWest Mainland
The west of the main island: stone circles, the village and the cliffs.
From InvernessFrom Inverness
The three-day tours from Inverness, and what each day covers.
Tours comparedTours compared
Every tour on the islands bookable here, side by side: length, start point, sites and what the price covers.
