Stunning historic cathedral with many nooks and crannies containing plaques, statues and displays. Free entry with some street parking nearby.

Wow....amazing place. Lovely architecture and history. Free entry. Some fascinating tombstones to read inside. Be careful as they close for lunch so check opening hours. We found the cemetery held some interesting people too and spent ages outside as well. The iron work around some of the plots is varied and beautiful. Well worth looking at. I could of spent more time here.

Simply one of the most spectacular cathedrals I've had the pleasure of visiting with an equally incredible history. Few can said to be named for a 'Pagan Saint' and fewer still a Viking one. The stonework is beautiful. It is true that when Christians make a church they truly do not miss!

Stunning. Simply stunning. This is a must-see stop for any Scotland adventure. There's no entrance fee. It's a quiet place to contemplate.

Very tranquil building to visit. There was an artist painting inside, his pictures were beautiful, capturing the changing light shining through glass windows. The organ was being played, which added to the atmosphere.

The most beautifully crafted piece of architecture I have ever seen. No photos in the world will do it justice. The history is very interesting too. Had the pleasure of meeting one of the custodian of the cathedral, Ingrid, who shared her family history and connection with the cathedral with us. What an amazingand humble woman! We also sang folk song we both new in Swedish. A very peaceful place. Don't miss when in Kirkwall!

Beautiful ancient church that's hard to miss when visiting Kirkwall. Unfortunately it was closed when I visited so I wandered the surrounding graveyard and made do with taking photos of the headstones and church exterior. Easy access with plenty of parking nearby. Highly recommended.

Once the most southern cathedral in Scandannavia, now the most northern in the UK. Built after Magnus was made a saint in 1133 by his nephew Rognavald and his remains taken from St Magnus Church in Birsay to Kirkwall, and later found in a pillar within the Cathedral. Known by the skull struck down the middle as stated in the Orkney Inga sagas. Perfect acoustics for concerts, which we heard fiddlers from the local secondary school, playing to commemorate Norway Constitutional day, as Orkney once belonged to the Norway kingdom, given as a dowry in 1492 when King James 3rd of Scotland was to wed Princess Margaret of Norway. Also houses a memorial to John Rae who discovered the fatal Franklin expedition of the North West Passage in Canada, and the bell from the Royal Oak, which sunk in nearby Scapa Flow, only 6 weeks into WW2 with the loss of 833 men, and resulted in Winston Churchill ordering the barriers be built to the southern isles.

Incredible building to have survived Orkney weather for nearly 900 years! You can see the massive stone blocks more clearly inside the cathedral and marvel at how all this was achieved just using hand tools, manpower and horsepower. Also there is a poignant tribute to those lost in HMS Royal Oak, torpedoed in Scapa Flow in 1939.

Absolutely stunning Cathedral that photos don't do justice. I was lucky enough to hear a school orchestra in there yesterday, a truly moving performance in thee most beautiful building in Orkney.

Great example of generational years of building. Colors and history of the building are very interesting. Worth taking a couple of hours to absorb the beauty.

This is just stunning...this is what I expected Rosslyn Chapel to be...but it fell short of our expectations...St Magnus Cathedral however, is truly beautiful, a jewel in Orkney's crown. Highly recommended.

This place depicts the history of 1100s and everything there has root of deep history and trail of Stories. Quite interesting and magical. Do visit , learn the history of Orkney and St Magnus

We did the upper floors tour including going outside at the very top. Amazing! Absolutely want to go again! Just a heads-up....if you're afraid of heights and/or claustrophobic you might struggle in some places.

An amazing historic 12thC cathedral with beautiful stained glass windows. The red and yellow sandstone is beautiful and unique. There were no tourist brochures in English which was a shame

Incredible tour with Melba who gave great detail, was incredibly friendly and warming, and answered every question no matter how crazy. I was amazed at how much access was granted to various parts of the building. What a beautiful place!

We did the upper levels tour and it was amazing, lots of local history and the view from the very top was incredible.

Thus is just the most wonderful viking church I've ever seen. Beautiful 😍

Free entry. Really nice museum, had a lot of info about Orkney and easy to wander around. We spent about an hour or so in there. Stuff from a variety of different periods.

Fabulous museum that reveals room after room of treasure! Far bigger inside than I expected. It's free to enter, but I was more than happy to leave a donation. Great place to visit.

Free to enter. A must see. Alot bigger inside then I expected. Loads to see. Really does educate people on the history, culture and life in Orkney. Great gift shop to. Nice gardens out the back.

Orkney's rich heritage is well displayed at the museum, well worth a visit and FOC

Fascinating museum of Orkney life from 5,000 years ago to the current day. Twelve separate rooms each covering a time period. Enjoyed ever room but my favourite was on the Viking Earls. Great nicknames that I wanted to adopt. I wanted Skullsplitter but my wife suggested "the Stout" - more accurate, if a bit mean!

Not very accessible, but wow, amazing exhibition.

What a fantastic museum to visit! There is just SO much to look at and read. Extremely well presented. Not a place where a short visit will do. Be prepared to spend an hour there. Interactive for children too. And it is all free!

Typical local museum. A history of Orkney from the neolithic to today, plus some local history of the previous owners of the property the museum is in. There's no admission charge but donations are welcome. If you haven't done your homework as to what and where to visit before coming up here this should be your first stop.

Free museum, worth to visit before heading to the historic sites like Skara Brae. Take 20mins to learn about the houses. Next to that, see how the Orcadians lived in the last centuries. Up until today, the Uppies and the Doonies play the ball sport ‘Ba’

Wander round Tankerness House which houses the museum. Three floors of exhibits covering a very long history of the area. Pictish stone was my favourite. Had an exhibition about women at war on the island. Lots to see so set aside some time. Just be aware of Orkney lunch time lasts 2hours 12 till 2pm.

A tiny museum just opposite St Magnus Cathedral. You can find many interesting things about life on Orkney since prehistory till nowadays. It's definitely worth a visit if you are in Kirkwall. It's free of charge but you may leave an offer.

Wow what a place and what a tour. We are given the history of the land and how long they've been in service. We learned about how they processed all their food and how they did everything and it was quite spectacular to see the hundreds of barrels of whiskey waiting to be consumed and bottled. The tasting we did was definitely worth the price. We had some incredible spirits. We enjoyed our guide. He took us through the whole property and then at the end we were give it an opportunity to buy some limited edition. Whiskeys. Definitely give yourself an hour check to place out. You will definitely love it

Review explicitly for their tours: For 30 pounds it's a bit short and lacking information, funny stories, anecdotes and a welcoming feeling. It's all a bit technical: Here's the movie, there's the stills, here's fermentation. Any questions? Whiskey is great though and also the tasting was very well presented. It all just feels a bit uninterested and cold.

A really great tour, fantastic guide and amazing tasting. A unique distillery.

My partner surprised me with a visit and a tour of the distillery. It really was a fantastic experience that I would recommend to any whisky lover. Not only were we treated to an in-depth personal tour of the distillery, but also an interesting fact filled history starting from its very beginnings. Our tour guide, Rupert, has intelligent, witty, fun and engaging with his knowledge of this distillery. The whiskies we sampled were out of this world, flavoursome and very moreish! Thank you so much for such a wonderful day! Cannot wait to return!

I had a truly amazing once in a lifetime amazing visit with John and Steve. Simply mind-blowing, amazing. Incredible.

This was probably the best distillery tour I have done. The tour was informative, and the guide was very knowledgeable. We were able to see where each step of the whisky-making process takes place. The whiskies we tried were quite good, and we were walked through how to best appreciate them. At the end, we were able to take a whisky glass as a souvenir, which was a nice touch.

We did The Spirit of Orkney Experience and it was the best distillery tour I've been on. Very informative and interactive. The guide was good fun and able to engage the group easily.

One of the best distillery tours I've had. Very knowledgeable and cheerful guide. The tastings were very interesting and informative. Highly recommended.

Welcoming and friendly staff, John was a great guide with wast knowledge of the production and a clear passion for his job and place to work. Excellent touch to have a wee dram before the tour and a few more after. Visit was very informative and pleasant, a highly recommended experience. And needless to say, the whisky was fantastic!!

This is going to be short and sweet. 11/10. From start to finish, John the guide and driver was a top notch Orkadian and really connected us to the island. Keith was a patient and knowledgeable guide at the distillery when I was the one talking his ear off. The whisky is second to none. The distillery is like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory for adults. Go here at least once before you die.

An absolutely fantastic distillery experience. My friend and I visited here during our road trip around the Orkneys. The guide was very informative and the whisky samples were very nice. Thank you Highland Park! 🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃

This alone is worth a trip to Kirkwall. Learning the past and future of Highland Park was an absolute joy… and the rare drams were amazing. Rupert is a true historian and storyteller.

Beautiful distillery with so much history. Our guide Karen provided us with a very beautiful tour and plenty of information. It was indeed a real pleasure hearing her talk about the place and the history. Tasting the whisky in the tasting room is quite an experience in itself :) would recommend

We had a lovely tour from James. He was a great host and we enjoyed learning about our favorite whisky. Can't recommend enough!

Located by the St. Magnus Cathedral, this large but in ruins castle, is waiting for you to explore! You explore most areas of the castle, including climbing the winding steps of the partially standing tower. Parking is a bit limited on the road. There is an admission fee. Bathrooms are a couple of blocks down the street in City Hall.

Enchanting place full of medieval history

Enchanting place full of medieval history

Unbelievable views from this place,absolutely beautiful place, it is a must see if you are on Orkney

Just amazing! Piece of history frozen in time. Being a non British person, witnessing all these wonderful structures was a feast to them eyes.

This was our first historical stop on Orkney. We were able to pick up or Discovery Pass here. The person that was working at the ticket office was exceptionally helpful and gave us the full run down on his recommendations for the short two days that we would be on Orkney. The castles themselves were interesting because we were able to explore all of it - no ropes or “no-go” zones - the entire place is open for exploration. We spent about an hour here. Very much recommend a visit!

The palace ruins are fantastic. Unfortunately, the staff who work here do not have a great attitude. They made up 4 or 5 excuses to not open the tower. It was the last day of the season and they just couldn't be bothered.

Fantastic ruins! They’re so well preserved and lots to see. So worth coming to see

Lovely, shady garden with seats. We ate our picnic lunch here and visited the cathedral nearby.

This was our first historical stop on Orkney. We were able to pick up or Discovery Pass here. The person that was working at the ticket office was exceptionally helpful and gave us the full run down on his recommendations for the short two days that we would be on Orkney. The castles themselves were interesting because we were able to explore all of it - no ropes or “no-go” zones - the entire place is open for exploration. We spent about an hour here. Very much recommend a visit!

What an absolutely magnificent example of early architecture. It's surreal to have been able to stand in a stone building that has been around for hundreds of years before my home nation was even formed. We were there prior to the pandemic (which changed everything tourism related it seems) - so though I can't speak to how your visit would go today; I can say that when my wife and I were here, there was only one other small group in the whole area. Most tourists seem to stick to the main street and not venture much further than the cathedral. Don't miss out on these gems.

Interesting ruined Palaces. Good information boards give the history of both buildings. Allow upto an hour to visit both in an unhurried way.

The buildings are very interesting, but it was closed when i got there. You can view them from outside but i would have enjoyed to go inside and have a look around. Be aware of the season and the open times, and phone ahead.

If you have Historic Scotland membership (which grants entry to hundreds of sites around Scotland) then worth it, otherwise just ruinous buildings of historic significance. Bishops Palace from 1100s, built the same time as the Cathedral, and the Earls Palace for Patrick Stuart in the 1500s. Ideal Instagram photo opp or for wedding or graduation photos

Looks like a very cool place to visit in Kirkwall, but management needs to get it together. Posted hours say 9:30 am to 5:30 pm but when I went the guy had it “locked up for lunch” between 12:20 and 1:30. This makes it impossible to plan. Either update your sign and website or get staff to cover the lunch shift. Ridiculous.

Located by the St. Magnus Cathedral, this large but in ruins castle, is waiting for you to explore! You explore most areas of the castle, including climbing the winding steps of the partially standing tower. Parking is a bit limited on the road. There is an admission fee. Bathrooms are a couple of blocks down the street in City Hall.

Enchanting place full of medieval history

Enchanting place full of medieval history

Unbelievable views from this place,absolutely beautiful place, it is a must see if you are on Orkney

Just amazing! Piece of history frozen in time. Being a non British person, witnessing all these wonderful structures was a feast to them eyes.

This was our first historical stop on Orkney. We were able to pick up or Discovery Pass here. The person that was working at the ticket office was exceptionally helpful and gave us the full run down on his recommendations for the short two days that we would be on Orkney. The castles themselves were interesting because we were able to explore all of it - no ropes or “no-go” zones - the entire place is open for exploration. We spent about an hour here. Very much recommend a visit!

The palace ruins are fantastic. Unfortunately, the staff who work here do not have a great attitude. They made up 4 or 5 excuses to not open the tower. It was the last day of the season and they just couldn't be bothered.

Fantastic ruins! They’re so well preserved and lots to see. So worth coming to see

Lovely, shady garden with seats. We ate our picnic lunch here and visited the cathedral nearby.

This was our first historical stop on Orkney. We were able to pick up or Discovery Pass here. The person that was working at the ticket office was exceptionally helpful and gave us the full run down on his recommendations for the short two days that we would be on Orkney. The castles themselves were interesting because we were able to explore all of it - no ropes or “no-go” zones - the entire place is open for exploration. We spent about an hour here. Very much recommend a visit!

What an absolutely magnificent example of early architecture. It's surreal to have been able to stand in a stone building that has been around for hundreds of years before my home nation was even formed. We were there prior to the pandemic (which changed everything tourism related it seems) - so though I can't speak to how your visit would go today; I can say that when my wife and I were here, there was only one other small group in the whole area. Most tourists seem to stick to the main street and not venture much further than the cathedral. Don't miss out on these gems.

Interesting ruined Palaces. Good information boards give the history of both buildings. Allow upto an hour to visit both in an unhurried way.

The buildings are very interesting, but it was closed when i got there. You can view them from outside but i would have enjoyed to go inside and have a look around. Be aware of the season and the open times, and phone ahead.

If you have Historic Scotland membership (which grants entry to hundreds of sites around Scotland) then worth it, otherwise just ruinous buildings of historic significance. Bishops Palace from 1100s, built the same time as the Cathedral, and the Earls Palace for Patrick Stuart in the 1500s. Ideal Instagram photo opp or for wedding or graduation photos

Looks like a very cool place to visit in Kirkwall, but management needs to get it together. Posted hours say 9:30 am to 5:30 pm but when I went the guy had it “locked up for lunch” between 12:20 and 1:30. This makes it impossible to plan. Either update your sign and website or get staff to cover the lunch shift. Ridiculous.

Plenty to see and do in Orkney, the centre here your one stop shop, also doubles up as the bus station from Kirkwall to any part of the Orkney mainland

It was a Sunday, so a little bit quiet out and about. The staff at the iCentre - Fleur most notably - were very helpful. The shop itself was full of everything you might ever need to remind you of Kirkwall and the Orkney Isles.

Here, you will find a number of services and facilities. All buses arrive and depart from here. There are toilet facilities here including a fully equipped disabled toilet. There's a help desk here manned from 9am - 5pm. There's also a little shop complete with information leaflets to do with everything you need to know about Orkney. The travel centre is located right in the middle of Kirkwall town centre.

It was very handily placed for us, but just before we arrived, a double shuttle bus of tourists arrived, and we were engulfed by them and their guides!! We went back later in the day, and wandered around the gift shop at leisure, which was nice. I particularly liked the display of many countries flags, which must be nice for foreign visitors to see on arrival. The centre appeared to have plentiful information available for visitors, and the staff appeared pleasant and helpful.

Good selection of items,,Happy polite Staff

Very helpful, dog-loving staff.

Beautiful. So many interesting things to do and see. A wonderful community. Highly recommend. Would definitely return

I use this place quite often and I've never had any reason to complain. The staff are always friendly and helpful very professional.

1st stop "off the ferry" , the 2 ladies helped me plot my intention to island hop. with their help i was able to maximise my time thanks ladies much appreciated.