Tour times
April-June and September tours run at 10am, 12 noon, 2pm and 4pm. July-August also has 5pm, 6pm and 7pm tours. October-March tours run at 10am, 12 noon and 2pm.
At a glance
Tickets
Current standard prices are adult £10 online / £11 in person, concession £8 / £9 and child aged 7-15 £6 / £6.50. Under-7s are free but still need a ticket; family, member and pass options are available.
Booking and arrival
Book online to guarantee entry and arrive at least 15 minutes early. A limited number of same-day tickets may be sold at the visitor centre, but late arrivals are not guaranteed another tour.
Parking and start point
Start at Maeshowe Visitor Centre in Stenness, not at the cairn. Parking is level tarmac with accessible bays; coaches larger than 14 seats must use drop-off and pick-up.
Access
The shuttle may accommodate a wheelchair if arranged with the site, but the cairn does not. The route has a busy-road crossing, gates, 400m of uneven ground, a steep grassy approach and a low passage.
Parking
Gift shop
Accessible toilets
Toilets
Baby changing
Packed lunch space
Why visit
The tour takes you inside Maeshowe, along a 10m low passage and into the stone chamber. The guide explains the tomb and points out the Norse runic graffiti.
What children do on the tour
Older children may latch onto the huge stones and the Norse runic graffiti. They still need to stay with the guide and listen; there are no hands-on exhibits and little scope to roam. Photography and filming are not allowed inside the cairn.
Best ages and when to skip it
This works best for school-age children who like archaeology, unusual spaces or a good story. Going inside the chamber gives them more to work with than viewing a monument from outside, and the tour is short enough to combine with another West Mainland stop.
Give it a miss if your child will struggle with a fixed guided slot, the low passage or being inside a confined stone chamber. It is a poor fit if you need a buggy or step-free access.
Access, buggies and wheelchairs
The shuttle may be able to carry a wheelchair, but facilities can vary. If you need wheelchair space, contact the site before booking.
The cairn itself is not wheelchair accessible. After the shuttle, the route crosses a busy road, passes through gates and continues over gravel, stone and uneven grass before a steep grassy approach. The entrance is only 119cm high and 70cm wide, so a carrier is usually more realistic than a buggy.
Weather, timing and pace
The visitor centre, shuttle and chamber give you some shelter, but the 400m approach is outdoors and exposed. Waterproofs and suitable shoes still matter.
Arrive at least 15 minutes before the slot and keep about 1 to 1.5 hours clear from check-in to return. The departure time sets the pace for the day, and it is easy to miss if squeezed between other bookings.
Toilets, food and family facilities
Use the visitor centre before boarding the shuttle. It has toilets, an accessible toilet and baby changing, along with a shop, water refill and limited adult and children's ear defenders.
There is self-service tea and coffee and a picnic area, but no full café. Bring food if your family will need more than a drink or a quick picnic around the tour. Only assistance dogs are permitted.
Build the Orkney day around the slot
Ring of Brodgar is free and easy to fit in before or after Maeshowe. It has very limited facilities, so use the toilets and sort out food at the Maeshowe visitor centre.
Skara Brae needs longer, with its visitor centre, replica house and outdoor route. Let Maeshowe's fixed tour set the schedule, then give Skara Brae enough time rather than treating both as casual drop-ins.
Plan your visit
Map
Start at Maeshowe Visitor Centre in Stenness for check-in and the shuttle; do not drive directly to the cairn.
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