Places to Explore In Orkney and Shetland Islands

Discover the best places to explore in Orkney and Shetland Islands with curated recommendations from our travel experts.

Birsay

Birsay itself is a small collection of houses, but some interesting historic and natural sites are nearby...

  • 0 Restaurants
  • 0 Hotels
  • 3 Things To Do

Brae

A thriving community, Brae is where you can see the spoils of Shetland's oil money. The rugged moorland and tranquil voes (inlets) of Brae are...

  • 2 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Kirkwall

In bustling Kirkwall, the main town on Orkney, there's plenty to see in the narrow, winding streets extending from the harbor. The cathedral and some...

  • 1 Restaurants
  • 2 Hotels
  • 11 Things To Do

Lerwick

Founded by Dutch fishermen in the 17th century, Lerwick today is a busy town and administrative center. Handsome stone buildings—known as lodberries—line the old harbor;...

  • 2 Restaurants
  • 2 Hotels
  • 8 Things To Do

Scalloway

On the west coast of Mainland Island is Scalloway, which preceded Lerwick as the capital of the region. During World War II Scalloway was the...

  • 1 Restaurants
  • 0 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Scapa Flow Visitor Centre

On the beautiful island of Hoy, Scapa Flow Visitor Centre explores the strategic and dramatic role that this sheltered anchorage played in two world wars...

  • 0 Restaurants
  • 0 Hotels
  • 1 Things To Do

Stromness and the Neolithic Sites

On the southwest of the Mainland, on the shore of the old Norse anchorage Hamnavoe, is Stromness, a remarkably attractive fishing town seemingly so unsullied...

  • 1 Restaurants
  • 3 Hotels
  • 5 Things To Do

The South Mainland

The narrow 3- or 4-mile-wide stretch of land that reaches south from Lerwick to Sumburgh Head has a number of fascinating ancient sites (and an...

  • 0 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 7 Things To Do

Unst

Unst is the northernmost inhabited island in Scotland, a remote and special place, especially for nature lovers and those who want to experience a community...

  • 0 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 4 Things To Do

Weisdale

This tiny place is less a village than a group of houses, but it does have a worthwhile gallery...

  • 0 Restaurants
  • 0 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Yell

A desolate-looking blanket bog cloaks two-thirds of the island of Yell, creating an atmospheric landscape to pass through on the way to Unst to the...

  • 0 Restaurants
  • 0 Hotels
  • 1 Things To Do

Explore Orkney and Shetland Islands

Sights 36

Shopping 9

Performing Arts 6

Restaurants 7

Hotels 10
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