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Kirkwall · Museum
The Orkney Museum
If rain cuts short an Orkney day, The Orkney Museum gives you a free indoor stop in central Kirkwall. There are prehistoric finds, Viking objects, old photographs and rooms from Tankerness House to look around. It is a traditional museum in an old building, with low doors, uneven floors and stair lifts to upstairs galleries.
- Best fit
- Children who enjoy objects and stories
- Entry
- Free · donations welcome
- Weather
- Indoor Kirkwall stop
- Allow
- A flexible short visit
Our family take
Choose it when everyone needs a sheltered pause in Kirkwall that still feels part of an Orkney trip. The archaeology galleries can help children make sense of the stones and ruins they see outside. Keep the visit short if they have had enough; this is a museum, not a play session.
- Opening check. The museum closes for lunch from 12.30pm to 1.30pm. Check for seasonal changes if you are visiting in winter.
The practical details
Plan your visit
- Opening times
- Monday–Saturday, 10.30am–12.30pm and 1.30pm–5pm. Closed for lunch from 12.30pm to 1.30pm; check for seasonal changes before travelling.
- Entry
- Free entry; donations are welcome.
- Where to go
- Tankerness House, Broad Street, Kirkwall KW15 1DH. Enter through the arched gate into the courtyard.
- Access
- Staff can help at the accessible garden entrance. Stair lifts serve the upstairs galleries, but there are low doors and uneven surfaces.
- Toilets and baby changing
- Accessible toilets are beside the entrance. Check baby-changing arrangements if you need them; they are not listed on the museum page.
Gift shopAccessible toiletsHearing Loop
26 September 2026
Check current museum information (official)A little more detail
Make it work for your family
What children can see
The archaeology galleries include stone tools, Pictish symbols and objects from a Viking boat burial. There are old photographs and rooms that show how Tankerness House looked when it was a family home. Choose the parts that catch your child's interest rather than trying to cover every period of Orkney history.
The museum mentions activities for younger visitors. If your child wants more than displays, ask at the desk what is available that day.
Official visitor information · Checked 2026-09-26
Getting around the old house
The usual entrance is through the arched gate on Broad Street and into a courtyard. If you need an accessible entrance, ask staff about the door from Tankerness House Gardens. Stair lifts are available for upstairs galleries when needed.
This is still an old house, with low doors and uneven surfaces. If you are bringing a buggy or need a particular step-free route, contact the museum before you travel rather than assuming every room will work. An induction loop is available at reception, and assistance dogs are welcome.
Official visitor information · Checked 2026-09-26
Food, toilets and a break in town
Accessible toilets are beside the entrance and the museum shop is open. Baby changing and an on-site café are not listed on the visitor page, so check if you need either and plan food elsewhere in Kirkwall. St Magnus Cathedral is also on Broad Street if everyone still has energy for another town-centre stop.
Official visitor information · Checked 2026-09-26
If you want more Orkney history
Skara Brae and Maeshowe can make the archaeology feel more real later in an Orkney trip, but each is a separate journey from Kirkwall with its own access and admission rules. For a different Iron Age stop when the weather is settled, compare Broch of Gurness.
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