Orkney’s main sites are spread across the West Mainland and bus services between them are sparse, so a guided day tour is the best way to see them without a car. Small-group tours of five to six hours leave from Kirkwall and Stromness; some are timed to meet the morning ferry from Scrabster, which makes a day trip from the north coast of the mainland possible.
From further south, three-day tours from Inverness and five-day tours from Edinburgh bundle the long drive, the ferry and the island sightseeing. See also tours from Inverness for day trips to the north coast.
