St Magnus Cathedral tours

Broad Street, Kirkwall, KW15 1NX

Take a tour of St Magnus Cathedral and unlock the secrets of one of Orkney's most beautiful buildings.

St Magnus Cathedral is one of Orkney's most iconic locations, and one of its most popular too. But did you know that you can get a behind-the-scenes look at different parts of the building?

Upper Levels

Guided tours of the upper levels give visitors a chance to walk up the narrow, spiral, stone staircases of this stunning sandstone cathedral. You will see galleries and collections of artefacts, the clock mechanism, the huge bells and the base of the spire, before getting the chance to take in a bird’s eye view of Kirkwall too.

These tours must be pre-booked by phoning 01856 874 894. Participants must be 12 years or over, and under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. The tour costs £15 and lasts around 75 minutes. View the full timetable below.

Ground level and graveyard tours

Ground level tours showcase more accessible areas of the cathedral in the company of a custodian. The graveyard tours look at some of the stories of Orkney folk in the cathedral kirkyard over the last 800 years, including Arctic explorer John Rae. These tours are available between April and September. Both cost £10 and there is no need to book.

Special theme tours

These were introduced in 2025, with a different topic covered once a month. The tours start at 10am and cost £15 per person, with no booking necessary. Please see below for upcoming tours:

October 4th: Skulls and Dancing Skeletons – the symbolism of the cathedral gravestones
November 8th: The Norwegian Connection – from Vikings to Norse to Orcadians
December 27th: Stories in Light and Colour – the stained glass windows
February 7th: The Legacy of War from the Middle Ages to Modern Times
March 7th: The Art of St Magnus Cathedral

Self-guided graffiti tours

Visitors to the cathesral can also pick up a leaflet to guide them around the cathedral's graffiti trail, featuring 12th-century stone masons’ marks, to the names of WWII sailors on ships in Scapa Flow. Bringing a torch is recommended.

St Magnus Cathedral guided tours timetable, October - March

Thursdays: