The Neolithic village of Skara Brae, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Heart of Neolithic Orkney, is always fantastic to visit – but what do you need to know before you go?
Buried for thousands of years until it was revealed by a storm in 1850, the stone houses of Skara Brae provide us with a unique glimpse into the ordinary lives of Orkney’s first farmers.
The site is managed by Historic Environment Scotland who maintain it in excellent condition. Entry is by ticket.
From May until September the site can get very busy – and extremely so on days when cruise liners are visiting. It is best to check when these are in before you book your visit. It is recommended that you book online. The car park is not big enough for the volume of visitors so if you are driving there booking online will mean you are registered for a car park space.
There is, however, from April to October an excellent public bus service. The X1 via Skara Brae (make sure this is the X1 you get), and the 8S both take you to and from Skara Brae. If you have a Saltire Card or a Young Scot card you can use those and your bus journey will be free. Beware that also on cruise liner days these buses can get very busy.
Ticket entry to Skara Brae includes a visit to Skaill House till the end of October.
Ticket prices from 1 April to 31 October 2025 (includes entry to Skaill House):
| Ticket type | Skara Brae & Skaill House online price | Skara Brae & Skaill House walk-up price |
| Adult (16-64yrs) | £14.00 | £16.00 |
| Concession (65yrs+ and unemployed) | £11.00 | £13.00 |
| Child (7-15yrs) | £8.50 | £9.50 |
| Family (1 adult, 2 children) | £28.00 | £31.50 |
| Family (2 adults, 2 children) | £40.50 | £46.00 |
| Family (2 adults, 3 children) | £48.00 | £54.50 |
There are various discounts available for those eligible so check those out.
There is also an Explorer Pass which might be a better option for you if you intend visiting other HES sites – but it is only valid for 14 days. And there’s Membership of HES too.
After October, Skaill House is closed so the ticket is only for Skara Brae.
Ticket prices from 1 November 2025 to 31 March 2026 (Skara Brae only):
| Ticket type | Skara Brae online price | Skara Brae walk-up price |
| Adult (16-64yrs) | £10.00 | £12.00 |
| Concession (65yrs+ and unemployed) | £8.00 | £9.50 |
| Child (7-15yrs) | £6.00 | £7.00 |
| Family (1 adult, 2 children) | £20.00 | £23.50 |
| Family (2 adults, 2 children) | £29.00 | £34.00 |
| Family (2 adults, 3 children) | £34.00 | £40.00 |
Skara Brae includes a Visitor Centre with shop and café. There’s a short explanatory film and a replica house to explore. This is always popular because you cannot enter the actual village buildings.
The path down to the village is a timeline of events to give some kind of impression to visitors of just how old the village is. The carved stone nearest the visitor centre is Space Exploration.
There is a guide on duty at the village entrance who is helpful if you have any additional questions. The path round the village leads you from the earliest houses and round above the settlement. The houses at Skara Brae were occupied intermittently for centuries and some will have been lost to the encroaching sea. A sea wall protects the site from future coastal erosion but it is an endangered location.
Take your time going round because there’s lots to see if you look carefully.
From Monday 9 June 2025 to Thursday 28 August 2025 there are some limited evening tours.
From Wednesday 9 July 2025 to Wednesday 20 August 2025 during the day there are planned demonstrations on how the Neolithic people made the Skaill knife.
A path leads from the village up to Skaill House where you can learn more about the discovery of Skara Brae and the history of the mansion itself.
Skara Brae Site opening times
1 April to 30 September: Daily, 9.30am to 5.30pm (last entry 4.30pm).
The gift shop opens at 10am.
1 October to 31 March: Daily, 10am to 4pm (last entry 3pm).
Café opening times
1 April to 31 October:
Daily, 10am to last orders at 3.15pm
Closures
24 December: closing at 2pm (last entry 1pm).
25 and 26 December
1 and 2 January
Adverse weather or other reasons beyond our control may cause a site to close. We advise checking ahead if the forecast is poor or you are making a long journey. Current unexpected and short term closures
Fiona Grahame