🏴 Scotland, United Kingdom · Travel Guide
Orkney & Shetland Travel Guide
Scotland’s Norse north — Neolithic stone circles, Viking heritage and seabird cliffs.
Off the top of Scotland, Orkney and Shetland feel more Norse than British — they were ruled from Norway and Denmark until 1468–69, and it shows in the dialect, place names and midsummer fire festivals. Orkney holds the extraordinary Heart of Neolithic Orkney: Skara Brae is older than Stonehenge and the Giza pyramids. Shetland, closer to Bergen than to Edinburgh, brings Viking heritage, puffin cliffs and the famous Up Helly Aa fire festival. Two remote, weather-shaped archipelagos for history and wildlife.
Plan my free Orkney & Shetland itinerary📅 Best time
May–August for the long days, mildest weather and seabirds (puffins roughly May to early August); around midsummer the near-24-hour twilight is the “simmer dim”. Shetland’s Up Helly Aa fire festival is in late January — dark, cold and spectacular. Ferries and flights can be weather-disrupted year-round.
💷 Daily budget
$120–210 a day — ferries and island lodging are the main costs; the Neolithic sites and cliffs are cheap or free.
🗓️ Ideal length
Around 3–4 days each for Orkney and Shetland; you can chain them via the NorthLink ferry.
💱 Currency
Pound sterling (£).
🗣️ Language
English, with a strong Norse-influenced dialect and Norse-rooted place names.
Why Orkney & Shetland is a 2026 coolcation
~14°CScotland’s Norse north stays in the low-to-mid teens through midsummer’s near-endless light — Neolithic stone circles and seabird cliffs, not sunburn.
See all the safest coolcation destinationsIs Orkney & Shetland safe?
General safety
Very safe, with very low crime. The cautions are natural: strong wind, fast weather changes, exposed cliffs and the real chance of ferry or flight disruption — build slack into your plans and keep back from clifftop edges.
Solo female travellers
Excellent for solo women — small, trusting island communities where travelling alone is relaxed and easy. The planning is all about weather and transport, not personal safety.
LGBTQ+ travellers
The UK legalised same-sex marriage in 2014 and is welcoming. These are small islands without a visible scene, so things are low-key, but same-sex couples travel comfortably.
Safety guidance is general and can change — always check your government’s latest travel advice before you go.
Top things to do in Orkney & Shetland
- Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness (Neolithic Orkney)
- Maeshowe chambered cairn and its Viking runes
- The Italian Chapel and the wartime naval anchorage of Scapa Flow
- Sumburgh Head puffins and the Jarlshof prehistoric settlement (Shetland)
- Up Helly Aa fire festival, Mousa Broch and the Shetland ponies
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Getting around & essentials
For Orkney, take the NorthLink ferry from Scrabster to Stromness or Pentland Ferries from Gills Bay, or fly Loganair to Kirkwall. For Shetland, the NorthLink overnight ferry runs Aberdeen–Lerwick (about 12–13 hours), or fly Loganair to Sumburgh. On the islands you’ll want a car; small inter-island ferries and flights link the outer isles.
Flight to Orkney & Shetland delayed or cancelled? You could be owed up to €600 — check free →
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Plan my trip — freeOrkney & Shetland FAQs
How do you get to Orkney and Shetland?
Orkney: a short ferry from Scrabster or Gills Bay near the north Scottish coast, or a Loganair flight to Kirkwall. Shetland: the overnight NorthLink ferry from Aberdeen to Lerwick (12–13 hours) or a Loganair flight to Sumburgh. You can also travel between the two by NorthLink ferry.
Is Orkney or Shetland better?
Orkney is the choice for world-class Neolithic archaeology and is easier to reach; Shetland is remoter, more rugged and more Norse, with dramatic cliffs, puffins and the Up Helly Aa fire festival. Many history-and-nature travellers try to do both.
When can you see puffins in Orkney and Shetland?
Roughly May to early August, when puffins nest on the cliffs — Sumburgh Head in Shetland is one of the most reliable and accessible places to see them.
How old is Skara Brae?
About 5,000 years old — it predates both Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid of Giza, which is part of why the Heart of Neolithic Orkney is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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