Bookable on Orkney
Bookable
experiences in Orkney
Tours, boat trips, distillery visits and small-group walks across Mainland Orkney and the outer isles — handpicked from Booking.com's local operators, paired with the best places to stay nearby.
Where they are
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Locations are approximate where the operator hasn't published a fixed meeting point.
Bookable doesn't usually mean the best of Orkney. It means the easiest entry point.
Most of what is genuinely worth seeing on Orkney is free, weather-dependent and reachable on your own — Skara Brae aside. So why list bookable experiences at all? Because some experiences are operator-only — the wreck-diving boats out to Scapa Flow, the small-group historian-led tours through Maeshowe, the whisky tastings inside Highland Park, the storytelling evenings in a Stromness hall — and these are the ones where pre-booking matters most.
The list below is pulled from Booking.com's Orkney Attractions partner network and rewritten with local context. We add what Booking.com can't: best-season notes, why a particular operator is preferred over their alternatives, and the closest places to stay for each pickup point.
Orkney Stays earns a small commission when you book through these links — at no extra cost to you. The commission funds the writing and the photography. We don't take payment, hold reservations, or set prices.
Category 01
Tour
Small-group and private guided tours with local drivers — the easiest way to cover Mainland Orkney in one day.
13 experiences
Orkney Highlights Private Tour
A private, full-day spin through Orkney's headline acts: Skara Brae, the Italian Chapel and a side of Viking lore, with Scapa Tours doing the driving and the awkward questions.
Treasures of Orkney: Private Half-Day Tour from Kirkwall
Four hours, five thousand years and a private guide — the headline Neolithic sites of West Mainland with a vehicle to yourself, prised in around a ferry or a ship's gangway.
Orkney Day Trip
A 5h 30m guided sweep of Mainland Orkney built around the Scrabster-Stromness ferry. Standing stones, a Neolithic village and proper cliffs, all between breakfast and tea.
Top Of The Highlands Tour: John O' Groats, Caithness and More
A private day across the Pentland Firth to John o' Groats, the Castle of Mey and the Caithness cliffs. Most visitors come the other way; you will be the contrarian.
Island of Hoy Day Trip
An eight-and-a-half hour guided run to Orkney's strangest island — Dwarfie Stane, Rackwick Bay, Betty Corrigall's grave, and the cliffs that pretend to be Hebridean. Ferry and transport in.
Orkney Mainland Private Tour
Seven hours covering all of Mainland — the misnamed largest island — from Skara Brae and Brodgar in the west to the Italian Chapel and Churchill Barriers in the east, with you setting the pace.
Orkney Private Tour: Skara Brae & Ring of Brodgar
Six hours with an Orcadian guide through the UNESCO Heart of Neolithic Orkney — Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness, at a properly unhurried pace.
Private Tour Discover Orkney with Pick-Up
A four-to-five hour private tour of Orkney Mainland that begins at your front door, ends at your front door, and bends the itinerary around whatever you actually feel like seeing.
Historic Orkney Showcase Private Tour By a native Islander
Seven hours across Neolithic, Norse and naval Orkney with a guide who actually grew up here. Max four people, MPV, no scripts, no clipboards, no rehearsed jokes about puffins.
Kirkwall Walking Tour
Three to four hours pacing Orkney's tiny capital with a guide who knows which 12th-century saint is buried in which pillar — and why that matters more than the gift shop.
Private Full Day Tour in Orkney
Eight unhurried hours, a private vehicle, and the entire Orkney Mainland greatest-hits reel — Skara Brae, Brodgar, the Italian Chapel and Scapa Flow, with time to actually look at them.
Orkney West Mainland Tour
Six hours along Mainland's western edge — Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, Yesnaby's cliffs and the Earl's Bu — in a small group with an Orcadian guide who actually lives here.
Scotland Trips
An environmental day tour of northern Scotland by train (and whatever public transport fills the gaps), departing the Pulteney Centre in Wick. Operator's programme — confirm current itinerary at booking.
Category 02
Water
On the water — boat tours, kayaking and surf lessons. Best between June and early September.
2 experiences
Shore Excursion Kirkwall Small Group Highlights of Orkney
A six-hour, small-group sweep of Mainland Orkney's greatest hits, designed to slot tidily between Kirkwall gangway and last-call horn. No faff, no coach hordes.
2 hour private surf lesson! (Up to 2 people)
Two hours, one private instructor, up to two of you, and the slightly unhinged premise that yes, you can surf in Scotland — wetsuit on, dignity loosely attached.
Category 03
Adventure
Wildlife watching and walking-led trips. Strong picks for first-time visitors with a little time.
1 experience
Category 04
Family
Family-friendly options for visitors with young children.
1 experience
Category 05
Other
Other bookable experiences across the islands.
3 experiences
Peatfire Tales Of Orkney Evenings
An evening of island stories, songs and dances told the way they were once told — by the fire, before anyone had a screen to look at instead.
Private Orkney Spirits A Whiskey Journey Through Time
Five hours, one local guide, and a thread of whisky pulled tight through 5,000 years of Orkney history — finishing with a proper dram at Scapa distillery.
Scapa Tours
A six-hour private minibus tour of Orkney built around what you actually want to see — Neolithic stones, the Italian Chapel, sea cliffs, or all three.
Frequently asked
- How are these experiences booked? +
- Each experience links through to Booking.com's Attractions platform, where you complete the reservation. Orkney Stays earns a small commission on completed bookings — at no extra cost to you. We don't take payment ourselves.
- Can I cancel or change an experience after booking? +
- Most experiences offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time, but the policy varies per provider. Check the cancellation note on the individual experience page or the Booking.com listing before paying.
- When is the best season to book Orkney experiences? +
- May through early September is the peak window — long daylight hours, milder weather, and most providers are operating their full schedule. Wildlife and water-based experiences especially are concentrated in this window.
- Are these experiences family-friendly? +
- Many are — distillery tours typically have an 18+ age limit, but most boat tours, wildlife trips and guided walks welcome children. Check the individual experience page for any minimum-age requirements.
- How do these differ from the activities listed elsewhere on the site? +
- Activities cover free-to-visit places (beaches, lochs, museums, ruins). Experiences are paid, bookable, time-slotted with a guide or operator. Use both — pair a paid morning tour with an afternoon visit to a free site nearby.
Affiliate disclosure
Orkney Stays partners with Booking.com to bring you bookable experiences. When you book through our links we earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. The reservation, payment and customer support all sit with Booking.com — we add the local context and the curation.