Orkney Islands Day Trip from Inverness

Inverness, United Kingdom

This day trip from Inverness visits some of the main attractions of the Orkney Islands including Skara Brae, The Churchill Barriers, Scapa Flow, The Ring of Brodgar, The Standing Stones of Stenness and The Italian Chapel. You will also have a stop in Kirkwall with the opportunity to see Kirkwall's magnificent 12th century cathedral of St Magnus.

Leaving Inverness behind, this day trip of the Orkney Islands departs every summer morning. Settle back and enjoy the spectacular drive through Scotland's Far North Highlands, before arriving at famous John O'Groats - the end of the line, the northern most point of Scotland.

Cross the Pentland Firth to the Islands in just 40 minutes, looking out for puffins, seals, gannets, porpoise and even the occasional whale along the way. Island hop across the Churchill Barriers which thread together five islands to form the Eastern boundary of Scapa Flow. Visit the capital town, Kirkwall, home to the magnificent Viking cathedral of St Magnus and step back 3,000 years as you enter the stoneage village of Skara Brae. The village was hidden under sand dunes, perfectly preserved, until uncovered 150 years ago during a winter storm.

On your way back to the ferry in the evening there will be a stop at the Italian Chapel. Beautifully constructed inside two "nissen" huts using only basic raw materials, the beauty of the Chapel must be seen to be appreciated.

USD $87.73

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Tracy L. G	September 2011
We highly recommend this trip. As many of the other reviews state, it's a long day but well worth it. The tour guide was excellent and Orkney was even more delightful than we imagined.

Review by: Neil S	August 2011
The day trip to the Orkney Islands was excellent, good value for money and the guides for both the coach trip to the islands and travelling on the islands were very well informed and made good listening. I would recommend this trip to everyone

Review by: Harriet R	August 2011
Brilliant tour guide - he was funny and informative, and nice to have a local who knew what he was talking about. Lots of funny and interseting anecdotes about island life. I would have preffered less driving and more time at the locations - I didn't think it was necessary to go to the town, and spend a whole hour there - I would rather have spent more time at Skara Brae or just at a local beach.

Review by: ellyn s	August 2011
wonderful trip.. such nice staff. Beautiful scenery.. Long day but well worth it. you will never see all of this unless you take a trip like this. I wish I had known that there was a longer trip on the island.

Review by: Kristin M	August 2011
It was a bit difficult to hear the speaker from middle of the bus and further back. Our tour was running a bit late, for reasons I wasn't clear about, and we were rushed at each of the stops. I didn't have time to see a couple places I wanted to, and still do things like eat and use the bathrooms. I've never taken a tour like this before, maybe people always feel this way. The guide was knowledgeable and entertaining, and I'm glad I did the tour overall.

Review by: S S	August 2011
The tour commentary was very ordinary and could easily put anybody to sleep. Too much of bus travel with very little time for exploring the island on foot. Not worth the money.

Review by: Diane C	August 2011
This was a really amazing day! We enjoyed every minute of it. I give this a 4-star rather than 5 because the ferry was late arriving which then shortened our already brief sojourn through the Orkney Islands. It would be better if the tour was a couple of hours longer so that more could be seen while we were there. Many slept on the way back anyway and there was actually daylight until about 9pm.

Review by: Patricia B	June 2011
The tour was excellent. It was all timed perfectly and we were able to see everything we wanted to see. Thanks very much for an enjoyable day out.

Review by: Ritchey	September 2010
Excellent trip, the best coach tour guide I had ever encountered. He was very informative and interesting to listen to also. Very well organised and lots of photo opportunity. You cover a lot of the Orkney islands in a day. Just one negative note. Its quite a long road journey "non stop", to and from John O'Groats from Inverness so keep this in mind. Coach returns to Inverness in time for a late evening dinner which is good going, all considered !

Review by: Donna F	August 2010
It was a wonderful 'overview' of the Orkney Islands - one day was just not enough! Wish we had had more time, but the highlights were worth the trip! The bus driver was a great tour guide - being a resident Orkadian - so we came away with a real sense of life on the Islands. If possible, I would highly recommend more than one day. There were so many places we could not visit, such as the museum in Stromness - and Stromness itself. The places we did visit could not be appreciated in the time allowed - such as St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. Even so, it was a wonderful experience.

Review by: Bruce H	August 2010
This was a great trip to see the Oarkney's in a day. The driver was very informative on the history of the Oarkney's. This is a beautiful place and the history of Skarabrae 3100BC is amazing. Well worth the time.

Review by: Anonymous	August 2010
Thoroughly enjoyable day. Driverguide offered correct level of information without "detail overload". Best to take iron rations as food options are scarce. Quite a tiring trip given so much is packed in, but well worth the effort.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	July 2010
I would highly recommend this trip for anyone who enjoys both history and nature. The guide 'Glen' was fantastic once we arrived. He was able to keep us entertained through the entire tour of mainland Orkney, whilst also being very informative and engaging. Before this trip I never realised how much of our history has occurred in the Orkney Isles, and I am very glad for the experience.

Review by: Anonymous, Canada	July 2010
excellent commentator Alan on the Orkneys...good mix of things to see

Review by: Erin L	July 2010
It was a very long day but well worth it as we saw some amazing sites on Orkney a place we would not have been able to go to if it had not been for this day trip!. Our tour guidebus driver on the island was extremely knowledgable and also hilarious!

Review by: Sivaji K	July 2010
its worth visiting orkney mainly ferry between berwick and john'o groats 45 mins is extraordinary trip. Islands are beautiful and scarabrae is a must watch. We had nice lunch at kirkwall. Whole journey in island is quite scenic and beautiful.Well organised trip.Suits a perfect day out.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	June 2010
One of the most interesting and enjoyable trips I've taken - one of a kind!

Review by: Peter H, United Kingdom	June 2010
This is a super way of getting a taste of Orkney. All the elements of the day were well organised and we were fortunate to have a sunny, calm day for the ferry trip. Scara Brae is a must to see!

Review by: Phillip S, United Kingdom	September 2009
Well organised. You get a little taste of the Orkneys. I was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable the day was.

Review by: Paul M, United Kingdom	August 2009
Trip was superb. The main points of the mainland and South Ronaldsay in a day. Could not have hoped for better! Crossing was somewhat choppy, but that added to the excitement! Do Orkney if you like idyllic places away from the crowds!

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	July 2009
The trip did not really begin until we reached the Orkney Islands. The bus trip from Inverness to John O'Groats was average at best. The tour guide read his notes, including jokes. The bus trip around Orkney was of a high standard. The driver was extremely knowledgeable, and there was sufficient time at each attraction. Go for the Orkney Islands - well worth a visit. It is possible to do the tour from John O'Groats and avoid the bus trip from Inverness, although the scenery on the way was stunning.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	September 2008
Great guide. Lots of local information as well as history. Lovely not to have to drive ourselves. Only wish we could have stayed longer!

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	July 2008
Amazing! Give it a go - beautiful views, great guides and a day that feels like a holiday!