Access to Maeshowe Chambered Cairn is by guided tour only. starting and finishing at the Visitor Centre at Stenness. Due to limited capacity, it is strongly recommended to reserve your tour online to guarantee entry and avoid disappointment. Tour times: 10am, 12 noon, 2pm and 4pm. 1 Jul to 29 Aug there will be extra tours at 5pm, 6pm and 7pm Enter one of the finest Neolithic buildings in north-west Europe, a masterpiece of ancient engineering. This chambered tomb, which sits on a platform encircled by a ditch and bank, is a monument to the skill and beliefs of Orkney's people some 5,000 years ago. If you visit in midwinter, and the skies are clear, you can witness the central chamber illuminated by a shaft of light from the setting sun.
Dropped in to try get tickets on a day we were catching a ferry. The staff were so helpful squeezing us in as part of their midday tour, when we fully had accepted it would not be possible. Honestly if you have the chance to do it, it's a fabulous tour with informative guides and so interesting!
This was the place we gathered to go see a tour of Maeshowe Chambered Cairn. Our tour guide Ewan was really fun and knowledgeable. Once in a lifetime kind of place to visit and I highly recommend going here. Just a quick note about entering this place. You will need to bend down and walk about 20 feet to enter the Cairn. So, people with back problems might want to ask about this. Sorry, no pictures were allowed in the attraction.
Interesting historical site. Access controlled by official HS 1hr tour only and no photos allowed inside to encourage you buy the guide; so I took photos of the inside out of the guide. By the time you get there and back in shuttlebus the actual tour is half that.
Unfortunately, no photos are allowed, so I had to buy the postcards. Excellent talk given inside the Cairn. We tried booking online, but everything was sold out. If you turn up by 9.30am on the day that you want to visit, tours 11am and 3pm are kept for walk in tickets. You will need to be there early, we arrived at 9.15am and there was already a queue. Also, we were told that for every slot that is available for pre-booking, two spaces are reserved for walk-ins.
Amazing, beautiful place. Highly highly recommended to experience this exceptional piece of history. The staff were amazing throughout. We were so lucky to have a retired archaeologist as our guide, who explained do much about Maeshowe... And the stories behind the Viking graffiti.
Bathrooms, gift shop, and rsvp your ticket to go see the cairn! They only hold a few tickets in summer for visitors to walk-in, it is best to book in advance. No photography is permitted inside the cairn.
On-site services
Wheelchair-accessible car park
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Appointment required
Getting tickets in advance recommended
Good for kids
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Dropped in to try get tickets on a day we were catching a ferry. The staff were so helpful squeezing us in as part of their midday tour, when we fully had accepted it would not be possible. Honestly if you have the chance to do it, it's a fabulous tour with informative guides and so interesting!
This was the place we gathered to go see a tour of Maeshowe Chambered Cairn. Our tour guide Ewan was really fun and knowledgeable. Once in a lifetime kind of place to visit and I highly recommend going here. Just a quick note about entering this place. You will need to bend down and walk about 20 feet to enter the Cairn. So, people with back problems might want to ask about this. Sorry, no pictures were allowed in the attraction.
Interesting historical site. Access controlled by official HS 1hr tour only and no photos allowed inside to encourage you buy the guide; so I took photos of the inside out of the guide. By the time you get there and back in shuttlebus the actual tour is half that.
Unfortunately, no photos are allowed, so I had to buy the postcards. Excellent talk given inside the Cairn. We tried booking online, but everything was sold out. If you turn up by 9.30am on the day that you want to visit, tours 11am and 3pm are kept for walk in tickets. You will need to be there early, we arrived at 9.15am and there was already a queue. Also, we were told that for every slot that is available for pre-booking, two spaces are reserved for walk-ins.
Amazing, beautiful place. Highly highly recommended to experience this exceptional piece of history. The staff were amazing throughout. We were so lucky to have a retired archaeologist as our guide, who explained do much about Maeshowe... And the stories behind the Viking graffiti.
Bathrooms, gift shop, and rsvp your ticket to go see the cairn! They only hold a few tickets in summer for visitors to walk-in, it is best to book in advance. No photography is permitted inside the cairn.