The Orkney Museum in Kirkwall

Loved it, some fantastic pieces of Orkney history.

This is a great museum! With objects dated from Neolithic up to 20th century. Nicely arranged by date & use. There were also some interactive displays. I can’t say enough about how impressed we were.

Free museum, worth to visit before heading to the historic sites like Skara Brae. Take 20mins to learn about the houses. Next to that, see how the Orcadians lived in the last centuries. Up until today, the Uppies and the Doonies play the ball sport ‘Ba’

Free entry, great amount of exhibits for all the periods of Orkney history

Typical local museum. A history of Orkney from the neolithic to today, plus some local history of the previous owners of the property the museum is in. Theres no admission charge but donations are welcome. If you havent done your homework as to what and where to visit before coming up here this should be your first stop.

Deep dive into local history. Need time to read all the info.

Such a lot to see.

Free entry. Really nice museum, had a lot of info about Orkney and easy to wander around. We spent about an hour or so in there. Stuff from a variety of different periods.

An amazing building, full of character and intriguing corners, telling the complex history of Orkney in an engaging and accessible way. Well worth a visit.

Interesting and interactive. Charming, helpful staff.

Loved the George Mackay Brown exhibition in particular.

Wander round Tankerness House which houses the museum. Three floors of exhibits covering a very long history of the area. Pictish stone was my favourite. Had an exhibition about women at war on the island. Lots to see so set aside some time. Just be aware of Orkney lunch time lasts 2hours 12 till 2pm.

Orkneys rich heritage is well displayed at the museum, well worth a visit and FOC

An interesting look at Orkneys history.

Excellent and informative museum explaining very clearly about the history of Orkney. Recommended.

The layout and chronology leaves much to be desired. A section labelled introduction is nothing of the sort with the information being mainly about the war effort. I think the effect of covid measures may have taken quite a toll. The temporary exhibition about George Mackay Brown is fabulous though and does a great job of introducing you to this fascinating man.

Interesting museum packed with interesting facts and artefacts

On our trip to Orkney, I came here, but it was closed for lunch! I didnt have time to return till the day we were due to catch the ferry and I had 30 minutes spare. Im so annoyed with myself for not giving this lovely, fascinating museum the time it deserved! Its well laid out with a wide range of really interesting exhibits, telling the history of Orkney. I wish I could have stayed much longer.

Very interesting place. Shows the long history of Orkney. George Mackay Brown exhibition was interesting too. Masks, limited numbers and queueing system made it a bit of a pain.

I found the layout a bit confusing, thought I missed the beginning (went all the way through and came back in), but I didnt.

Lovely coffee and cake and a nice place to sit. Great gift shop too!

Not that much to see at the moment as a number of rooms were still closed off - I guess to cut back on cleaning?

Very limited on our visit but we were mid C19 pandemic so there was probably more to see. The story of the Ba was interesting. Also free.

Very interesting exhibits depicting the history of Orkney.

Loverly museum with the islands history starting in neolithic age.

This little musuem is one of the best Ive been to during my three weeks in Scotland!

Very informative, although not very interesting to children. Free to go

Fascinating museum. Second visit and happy to spend a long time in there.

Absolutely unmissable if you are visiting Orkney. Comprehensive displays and gorgeous gardens to enjoy, between showers!

Great introduction to the history of Orkney. We were surprised at the number of exhibits and wished we had planned more time to visit. The centenary exhibit on the scuttling of the German fleet was very well done.

We had been to the Ness of Brodgar off-season, so couldnt see the dig site, but a few of the treasures theyve found are in the museums lower floor gallery.

Fantastic museum , I loved the Viking exhibits

Well worth a visit. Amazing history and culture.

What a fantastic museum to visit! There is just SO much to look at and read. Extremely well presented. Not a place where a short visit will do. Be prepared to spend an hour there. Interactive for children too. And it is all free!

This was a great place. Much bigger and better than expected.

A well told story of Orkney and its history

The neolithic settlement and recreation is fantastic. We went by tour bus and could have stayed there longer. The exhibit closed the gap of time for us & made envisioning life back then easy.The discovers 17 cent mansion was also interesting even though we had to fly through it.

Excellent museum telling the history of Orkney from prehistory till 20th Century. Free admission.

Great exhibition with all you need to know on the islands history - including the traditional Ba game

Good museum covering the Orkney history, and on top of all it was free

An excellent museum showing the breadth and depth of life in Orkney. Very much worth a visit.

A tiny museum just opposite St Magnus Cathedral. You can find many interesting things about life on Orkney since prehistory till nowadays. Its definitely worth a visit if you are in Kirkwall. Its free of charge but you may leave an offer.

Great place for local history, child friendly

Great place to visit lots to see and lots to learn

Very well presented museum, one of the best I have ever visited.

A wealth of interesting artefacts and information about Orkneys fascinating history. Some kids activities but a bit short on hands on activities for younger children

lovely "situation" museum in historic Kirkwall house. good kids quiz trail and interaction. can get tight in a rainy day....

(Also known as Tankerness House).You could spend ages in here. Gives a brilliant overview of Orkneys history, and a real feel for its people. Exhibits are well displayed and the commentaries concise yet informative. Strongly recommend a visit.

If its on this street and you want to feel the Heart of Kirkwall its a must!

Love this place with its historical setting and exhibits.