Cruise destination KirkwallWelcome to the Kirkwall Cruise Port Guide. Kirkwall is a small town with about 9000 inhabitants. It is the administration centre of the Orkney islands. At first sight it might look like the town has little to offer, but this is to the contrary. This is a charming old town that is easy to explore by foot. Kirkwall is the heart of the Orkney islands just off the coast of Scotland. The Orkney islands are a unique archipelago that counts 70 islands. Only 30 of them are actually inhabited. All together there are about 20.000 people that live on the Orkney islands. The vikings already left their language, buildings and genes on the island, but its history goes further back than that. They say the Orkney islands contain the densest concentration of archeological sites in Great Britain. These islands have been inhabited for thousands of years. The neolithic people started to leave their traces about 5000 years ago. Of all the archeological sites the 4 most well known are commonly referred to as the “Neolithic heart of Orkney”. They are listed on the UNESCO world heritage list because of their extreme beauty and educational value. ‘ The archeological sites, distillery, castles and old town is what makes Kirkwall a great cruise destination. Find out where your ship will dock or drop anchor underneath and what there is to see and do on the island.