2026 Kirkwall Travel Guide: must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transport & travel experiences (updated in February)

#hellonewyear Spend one perfect day in Kirkwall, the heart of Orkney. Start at the impressive St Magnus Cathedral, then visit the nearby Earl’s and Bishop’s Palaces. Walk the charming streets, browse local craft shops, and stop at the Orkney Museum. Enjoy fresh seafood or local cheese for lunch, then finish with a stroll along the harbor or a whisky at a cozy pub. Compact, historic, and atmospheric.

Lupinas in full bloom just outside the Pickaquoy Centre in Kirkwall Orkney. Next to the Pickaquoy Centre there's a caravan park, a co-op, a Tesco and a Lidl. It's a great stop if you are touring Orkney in a van or caravan or motorhome. The picky also offers gym and swimming pool (there's also a health suite with jacuzzi and sauna), the have day passes for visitors, has free WiFi, a café and a cinema. It has a soft play park great to visit with children. I love this place!

Kirkwall is the largest town in Orkney Island, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. The airport also serves the major airports like Edinburgh, Glasgow etc. Cruise ships also stop here, it is also a transport hub with ferries to many locations. St Magnus cathedral the 11th century church of Saint Olaf of Norway. Along Ablert St there is a hollow tree on it. Bishop and Earl's Palaces are a place worth stopping for some interesting ruins, that are built in the 1100s at about the same time as Saint Magus Cathedral.