Megalithic Site · Prehistoric · United Kingdom
Skara Brae
Skara Brae is a Neolithic village on the Bay of Skaill in Orkney, lived in from about 3180 BC to 2500 BC. Its stone houses still keep their beds, hearths and dressers, which makes it the most complete village of its age in Europe. It is older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza and belongs to the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO site.
Photo: Dr. John F. Burka, CC BY-SA 3.0
Tickets and tours: which to book
Skara Brae is run by Historic Environment Scotland, and a single ticket covers the visitor centre, its replica house and the walk to the village. Tickets can be bought on arrival, but booking a time online is wise in summer, when buses from cruise ships in Kirkwall can fill the site for an hour or two. Members of Historic Environment Scotland and holders of its Explorer Pass get in without paying again. In summer the neighbouring Skaill House is often sold with it as a joint ticket.
There are no guided tours of Skara Brae alone on GetYourGuide. The only product listed is a three-day trip from Inverness, which includes coach transport across the Highlands, the ferry to Orkney, a guide and nights in accommodation, and covers the other Neolithic monuments of the island as well. It suits people who do not want to drive the long road north or deal with ferry timetables. In summer some operators also run long single-day trips from Inverness using the passenger ferry from John o'Groats, with only a short stop here.
If you are already on Orkney, the sensible option is a hire car or a local tour with an Orkney-based guide, combining Skara Brae with the stone circles and Maeshowe in one day.
What to see at Skara Brae
Visitor centre and replica house
Start in the visitor centre, where a short exhibition shows finds such as carved stone balls, pottery and bone tools. Outside, a full-size replica of House 7 lets you step inside and see how the beds, the central hearth and the stone dresser fitted together. This is the only house you can actually enter.
House 1 and its dresser
Follow the shore path to the village and start at House 1, the best preserved of the houses. From the walkway you look down into one room with its stone dresser opposite the door, box beds on either side of the hearth and small water-tight tanks set in the floor, which may have held limpets used as bait.
Tickets and tours for Skara Brae
Live dates and prices from GetYourGuide. Free cancellation on most tickets.
Covered passageways
The houses are linked by low, narrow passages once roofed with stone slabs and buried in midden for insulation. Look for the door jambs with bar-holes, where a bone or wooden bar locked a stone slab door from inside. Several stretches of passage are still roofed, which shows how sheltered the village was from the wind.
House 8 workshop
At the western edge stands House 8, different from the others: it has no beds or dresser and is divided into small bays. Burnt stone, flint and bone suggest a workshop for tools. It stood free of the midden, with walls over 2 metres thick and a porch protecting the entrance from the weather.
Bay of Skaill shore
The village lies a few metres above the beach, protected by a modern sea wall. Walk down to the sand to see how close the sea now is: when the houses were built the shore was further away, and coastal erosion still threatens the site. The storm of 1850 that first exposed the houses struck this same bay.
Skaill House
A short walk inland, Skaill House is a 17th-century laird's house built for the family whose descendant first dug the village. Inside are furnished rooms and a dinner service that belonged to Captain Cook's ships. It is open in the summer season, often on the same ticket, and worth half an hour.
A short history
Farmers who raised cattle, sheep and pigs, grew barley and ate shellfish built the village around 3180 BC and lived in it for about six centuries. They used grooved ware pottery and built their houses of flat local stone, packed around with midden for warmth. Around 2500 BC the settlement was abandoned and slowly buried by sand. A great storm in 1850 stripped the dunes and exposed the houses, and the local laird William Watt dug four of them before stopping in 1868. After another storm in 1924, Professor Gordon Childe excavated the site from 1927, and radiocarbon dating in the 1970s fixed its true age. It joined the UNESCO list in 1999.
Getting there
Skara Brae lies on the west coast of Mainland, the largest island of Orkney, about 30 km north-west of Kirkwall and 13 km north of Stromness. By car, follow the A965 and then the B9056 towards the Bay of Skaill; the visitor centre has a free car park and the village is a few minutes' walk away. Buses from Kirkwall and Stromness run only a few times a day and not every day of the week, so check the timetable carefully. Ferries cross from Scrabster to Stromness in about 90 minutes, from Gills Bay to St Margaret's Hope and from Aberdeen to Kirkwall overnight. Kirkwall airport has flights from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness.
Rules and what to bring
Stay on the walkways and do not step onto the walls or into the houses: the stone is fragile and the turf tops are easily damaged. Drones need permission from Historic Environment Scotland. Bring a waterproof and warm layers in any season, because the site is fully exposed to wind off the Atlantic and there is no shelter between the visitor centre and the village. The visitor centre has toilets, a shop and a café.
When to go
Orkney summers are cool and long: from May to August the days are very light and the site is at its best in the evening sun before closing. June and July are the busiest months, and on days when large cruise ships are in Kirkwall, coaches can arrive together in the late morning and early afternoon. Check the port schedule and come at opening or for the last two hours if you can.
September and the shoulder months are quieter, but weather on the west coast changes fast and wind can make the walk unpleasant. In winter daylight is short and opening hours are reduced, though the site is still open and often almost empty. Allow an hour for the village and visitor centre, and up to two hours if you add Skaill House and a walk on the beach.
Combine it with
The Ring of Brodgar, the Standing Stones of Stenness and the chambered tomb of Maeshowe lie 15 to 20 minutes' drive away, and together they make a full Neolithic day; Maeshowe is entered only on guided visits that should be booked. The cliffs at Yesnaby are ten minutes south, and Stromness is good for lunch.
At a glance
| Hours | About 9.30 am to 5.30 pm Apr–Sep, shorter hours Oct–Mar; check Historic Environment Scotland before travelling |
|---|---|
| Closed | Open all year; closed over Christmas and New Year |
| Entry fee | Paid entry; Historic Environment Scotland members free |
| Time needed | 1 to 2 hours |
| Best time | Early or late in the day, avoiding cruise ship days; May to September |
| Booking | Book online in summer, especially on days when cruise ships call |
| Access | Level paths and a walkway around the houses; exposed to wind and rain; visitor centre has wheelchair access |
| Getting there | About 30 minutes by car from Kirkwall or 15 minutes from Stromness on the B9056 |
| Founded | 3180 BC (c. 3180 BC) |
| Abandoned | 2500 BC |
| Excavated | 1927 |
| Civilisation | Prehistoric |
| UNESCO | Heart of Neolithic Orkney |
| Checked | October 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
When is Skara Brae open?
About 9.30 am to 5.30 pm Apr–Sep, shorter hours Oct–Mar; check Historic Environment Scotland before travelling. Open all year; closed over Christmas and New Year.
How much is the entry fee for Skara Brae?
Entry fee: Paid entry; Historic Environment Scotland members free.
How long do you need at Skara Brae?
Allow 1 to 2 hours for Skara Brae.
Do I need to book Skara Brae in advance?
Book online in summer, especially on days when cruise ships call.
Can I book a ticket or tour for Skara Brae online?
Yes. GetYourGuide lists one ticket or tour for Skara Brae, with live dates and prices and free cancellation on most of them.
When is the best time to visit Skara Brae?
Early or late in the day, avoiding cruise ship days; May to September.
How do I get to Skara Brae?
About 30 minutes by car from Kirkwall or 15 minutes from Stromness on the B9056.
Is Skara Brae accessible, and what is the terrain like?
Level paths and a walkway around the houses; exposed to wind and rain; visitor centre has wheelchair access.
Is Skara Brae worth visiting?
Worth it for looking into five-thousand-year-old homes with their stone furniture still in place by the sea. Skip or shorten it if you want a large site to explore on foot: you see the village from a walkway in under an hour.
How old is Skara Brae?
Skara Brae dates from 3180 BC (c. 3180 BC). It was abandoned in 2500 BC. Excavations began in 1927.
Is Skara Brae a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Yes. Skara Brae is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Heart of Neolithic Orkney.