Cruise Ship Passenger Port of Call Guide to Kirkwall, Scotland

Most cruise ships dock at Hatston Pier, about 4km outside Kirkwall itself, and a free council shuttle ferries you into the Kirkwall Travel Centre from there. Smaller ships sometimes tender straight into Kirkwall Pier, which puts you five minutes from St Magnus Cathedral without any bus involved. Either way, you’re usually looking at eight to twelve hours ashore to get through Orkney’s highlights.

What Kirkwall looks like on your cruise day comes down to which ship you’re on. Whether you berth alongside, anchor in the bay, or tender straight in changes how much of your day gets eaten by transport rather than sightseeing, so it’s worth sorting out before you plan anything else. For how Kirkwall sits alongside other Scottish calls, our Scotland Cruise Ship Ports Guide covers the wider picture.

Where do cruise ships dock in Kirkwall?

It comes down to size. Nearly every large ship, mega-ships included, berths alongside at Hatston Pier, a deep-water quay built to take vessels up to 225 metres. Kirkwall’s own town harbour has a smaller berth for anything up to 125 metres, and if your ship is bigger than that but can’t get into Hatston, you’re anchoring out in Kirkwall Bay and coming ashore by tender.

Cruise forums love to call Kirkwall a tender port, and that’s not wrong exactly, it just depends entirely on your ship’s size and what berth is free on the day. If you’re on one of the small luxury or expedition ships, you might get the better version of this deal: tendering straight into the middle of town at Kirkwall Pier instead of getting bussed in from Hatston.

Hatston Pier: the main cruise terminal

Hatston Pier handles roughly 95% of the ships that visit Orkney, which makes it the main event rather than a backup option. Orkney Islands Council runs it through Orkney Harbours, and between them they deal with well over 200 cruise ships and around 200,000 passengers in a season. There’s free wi-fi right at the pier, so it’s worth logging on before you head into town if you need to check messages.

If you’ve booked a tour through the ship, someone will walk you straight to a coach parked a short distance from the gangway, no navigating required. There’s also a Meet and Greet team at the pier who’ll point you in the right direction if you’re heading off on your own.

Kirkwall cruise port at a glance

Getting from ship to town: the shuttle bus

Orkney Islands Council runs the shuttle for free, and it covers the seven-minute hop between Hatston Pier and the Kirkwall Travel Centre on West Castle Street. There’s no timetable to memorise, it just runs on a loop from 08:30, or later if your ship rolls in after that.

The last one leaves 60 minutes before your ship sails, or at 18:00 if you’re not due off until after 19:00. When you get off, you’ll be handed a Welcome to Kirkwall street map in English, French, German, Italian, Dutch and Spanish, which is worth hanging onto for the day rather than losing in your bag.

What that means in practice:

• Check your ship’s daily programme for the confirmed all-aboard time before you plan how long to stay in town
• Just board the shuttle at Hatston Pier whenever you’re ready, there’s no departure time to catch since it runs continuously
• Give yourself extra time on the way back if several ships are in port, as queues do build

Walking instead of the shuttle

Nobody quite agrees on whether walking from Hatston Pier into Kirkwall is a good idea. The official Cruise Orkney line is that there are pavements for most of the way, while independent guides describe the same stretch as an industrial road with no footpath worth the name. Whoever’s right, it’s still 40 minutes to an hour on foot, so unless you’ve got time and energy spare, the free shuttle is the easier call.

Car hire and taxis in Kirkwall

Orkney doesn’t have many taxis, and on a day when 5,000 or more passengers are ashore at once, they vanish fast. Fancy a private driver out to the Italian Chapel or Highland Park Distillery? Book weeks ahead. Turning up at the pier and hoping isn’t a plan.

Car hire holds up better, as long as you book ahead. Orkney Car Hire is a minute’s walk from the Travel Centre and shuttle stop, while W R Tullock & Sons has offices on Castle Street and at Kirkwall Airport. Both firms will tell you the same thing: book well ahead, especially on a cruise day, because demand spikes the moment a ship’s in.

Driving yourself means getting your head round Orkney’s roundabouts, which want proper lane discipline, and the single-track roads outside town, where you pull into passing places for anything coming the other way.

How many cruise ships call at Kirkwall?

Orkney has become one of the busiest cruise stops in the country. It has had more than 200 liners from 44 different cruise companies calling in a single season, which puts it top of the UK’s transit call list, and Orkney Harbours handles more transit passengers on day trips than any other UK port, up to 200,000 of them across a season, according to Orkney Islands Council. That’s why booking ahead for the popular sites and for transport matters more here than it does at most other UK ports of call.

Things to do in Kirkwall on a cruise day

Kirkwall’s town centre is made for wandering rather than rushing, and most of what you’d want to see sits within five minutes of the Travel Centre, right where the shuttle drops you.

• St Magnus Cathedral, founded by the Norse Earl Rognvald in 1137 and the most northerly cathedral in the United Kingdom
• The Earl’s Palace and Bishop’s Palace, both a short walk from the cathedral
• The Orkney Museum, covering the islands’ Norse and Neolithic history
• The VisitScotland iCentre in town, which sells Historic Scotland tickets alongside bus and ferry timetables and Citylink tickets

Kirkwall Cathedral: an independent shore day on foot

If you’d rather skip booking a tour altogether, a simple self-guided route covers the lot on foot, no transport needed.

• Take the free shuttle from Hatston Pier, or tender straight in if your ship uses Kirkwall Pier
• Walk five minutes to St Magnus Cathedral from the Travel Centre
• Continue on foot to the Earl’s Palace, Bishop’s Palace and Orkney Museum, all within the same small cluster
• Call in at the VisitScotland iCentre for maps or last-minute ticket bookings
• Return to the shuttle stop with time to spare before the last bus, which leaves 60 minutes before your ship sails

Day trips to Orkney’s Neolithic sites

Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, the Stones of Stenness and the chambered cairn at Maeshowe make up the UNESCO-listed Heart of Neolithic Orkney, and all four sit within about twenty miles of Kirkwall, strung along the A965 and B9055.

Skara Brae needs a booking through the Historic Environment Scotland website before you go. Turning up on the day and hoping for a walk-up slot doesn’t really work on cruise days, demand is too high, so sort this one before you leave home. Entry itself doesn’t cost anything, but you still need a timed ticket to get in.

Maeshowe is guided tour only, also booked online in advance, with a shuttle covering the last stretch from the Stenness visitor centre. Without a car or a tour, getting between these sites means Stagecoach in Orkney buses:

• The 8S leaves Kirkwall at 08:32 and reaches the Ring of Brodgar in 19 minutes, or Skara Brae in around 52 minutes
• The X1 covers the same ground via Stromness, taking closer to 51 to 64 minutes depending on the stop
• A seasonal tourist bus, the Discover Orkney service, loops from Kirkwall to the main Neolithic sites and is aimed specifically at cruise passengers
• An Orkney DayRider ticket covers unlimited travel across the mainland for the day, and contactless payment works on all Stagecoach buses

The stones themselves stand on open, windswept ground, so comfortable walking shoes with a good grip earn their keep on the uneven turf around Brodgar and Stenness.

The Italian Chapel and Scapa Flow

The Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm is a small, ornate Catholic chapel built by Italian prisoners of war during the Second World War, and it sits across the Churchill Barriers about fifteen minutes south of town. You can reach it by taxi, car hire, or the Service 4 or Service J bus, both around 20 minutes from Kirkwall.

Scapa Flow, the sheltered anchorage south of Kirkwall with all its wartime history, is better tackled on a booked tour than under your own steam, since the distances and thin public transport along that stretch work against you.

Stromness, the quieter alternative

Stromness gets called the prettier, more historic sibling to Kirkwall, and the huddle of stone buildings round its harbour makes a decent case for that. The X1 bus passes through on its way to Skara Brae, and a seasonal open-top sightseeing bus links Kirkwall, the Ring of Brodgar and Stromness in one loop, if you fancy all three in a day.

Weather and what to pack

Orkney’s weather turns fast, and wind off the North Atlantic can make a mild-looking day feel raw, especially out at the standing stones where there’s nothing to hide behind. A packable waterproof rain jacket earns its space in your day bag here more than on almost any other UK port call.

How long do passengers get ashore?

Most ships give you eight to twelve hours in Kirkwall, though it varies by itinerary, and port hours generally run from around 08:00 or 09:00 through to somewhere between 17:00 and 20:00. Check your ship’s daily programme for the confirmed all-aboard time rather than going on a general rule, since it moves around from sailing to sailing.

If the idea of tendering straight into Kirkwall Pier on a small ship has you thinking about expedition-style cruising further afield, Let us find the right polar expedition cruise for you.

Common Questions

Is Kirkwall a tender port?

Sometimes. Most ships, big ones included, berth alongside at Hatston Pier. It’s mainly the smaller luxury or expedition ships that tender directly into Kirkwall Pier in town.

Where do cruise ships dock in Kirkwall?

Mostly at Hatston Pier, about 4km from town. Some use Kirkwall’s own town harbour, and if a larger ship can’t get a berth, it anchors out in Kirkwall Bay instead.

Is there a shuttle bus from the ship into Kirkwall?

Yes. Orkney Islands Council runs a free shuttle from Hatston Pier to the Kirkwall Travel Centre, on a continuous loop from 08:30 until 60 minutes before your ship sails.

Can I walk from Hatston Pier into Kirkwall instead?

You can, it takes 40 minutes to an hour, though nobody quite agrees on whether the route has proper pavements the whole way. Most passengers take the free shuttle instead.

Do I need to book Skara Brae before I arrive?

Yes. Entry’s free, but you still need a timed ticket through Historic Environment Scotland, and walk-up entry basically doesn’t happen on cruise days.

Can I hire a car for the day in Kirkwall?

Yes, through Orkney Car Hire or W R Tullock & Sons, both near the Travel Centre. Book well ahead, especially if a ship’s due in that day.

How many hours do passengers typically get ashore?

Usually eight to twelve hours, depending on your ship’s itinerary. Always check the confirmed all-aboard time on your daily programme rather than assume.

Is wi-fi available near the cruise terminal?

Yes, there’s free wi-fi at Hatston Pier itself and at the Travel Centre in town.

What happens when several ships are in port at once?

Taxis vanish fast, and shuttle queues build up. Booking any car hire, private driver or tour ahead is the safer bet on multi-ship days.

Why Trust About2Cruise

This guide draws on official Orkney Harbours and Orkney Islands Council port information, published transport and visitor booking details, and plenty of cruise passenger forum chatter about how Kirkwall works on the ground. Where sources disagreed, like on how walkable the Hatston to town route really is, we’ve said so rather than guessing. You can read more about how we research our port guides on our about us page. Itineraries calling at Kirkwall often also take in Aberdeen, Scotland or, further north, Lerwick, Scotland, both worth a read if they’re on your cruise.