Kirkwall Youth Hostel

Name: Kirkwall Youth Hostel
Address: Old Scapa Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, Kirkwall, KW15 1BB, United Kingdom, Kirkwall, Scotland, KW15 1BB, United Kingdom

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Fast facts

Check in from:	17:00
Check out before:	10:00
Pets	Pets allowed with an extra charge

Amenities

Wi-Fi

Parking

Non-smoking

Pets allowed

WiFi in common areas

Multilingual staff

More about Kirkwall Youth Hostel

Kirkwall Youth Hostel

Situated just 13 minutes’ from St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall Youth Hostel offers free onsite parking and a self-catering kitchen. This former World War II base and school is quietly located on the edge of Kirkwall.

Reviews from

Mentioned by travellers

Anonymous traveller

Comment: 14 Aug 2026

Stayed in: Aug 2026

Perfect 'utilitarian' accommodation for a fan of hostels ...
... The building is not particularly attractive and the rooms are basic and afford no good views ...
However, the beds are comfortable, the many bathrooms/shower rooms are newly equipped and excellent, the kitchens are great, the dinning room large & practical, and the lounge very comfortable and equipped with board games & books along with comfy settees.
The hostel is a few minutes walk into the centre of town and just a mile from a lovely swimming beach at Scapa where I swam every morning, except for a couple of mornings when I drove a little further to Inganess Beach which is beautiful.
For me, so much nicer than a posh hotel because you can cook & eat at any time and fellow visitors always seem relaxed, friendly & chatty ... you just seem to get a much better class of person in a Scottish hostel!

Anonymous traveller

Comment: 7 Aug 2026

Stayed in: Jul 2026

Kirkwall youth hostel had very clean rooms, the amenities were great, the place was laid out well so everything was easy to find and the staff were very helpful.

Group traveller

Comment: 6 May 2026

Stayed in: May 2026

First hostel experience

The location for hostel needs to have more signage from the Ayre Hotel as it can take a while to locate it..Once there the hostel is well laid out, receptionist Ebony was a great help explaining all the housekeeping instructions..all rooms appear to be large enough, we had a twin room with comfy beds, bathrooms and toilets were clean and tidy, shower mats and towels provided, the kitchen had everything you need with a large well laid out dining room, there was a comfy lounge and laundry facilities..our bikes were locked in luggage room with a code.
Overall we would book again

Group traveller

Comment: 18 Feb 2026

Stayed in: Jun 2025

Summer in the Orkneys

As other Reviewers have stated, it is a hostel. It is clean and tidy and bare bones. I stayed here with a group of 15 people for a week as we used the Hostel as our base while we traveled by car and ferry to hike around the Orkney Islands.
We shared basic rooms and there are communal showers/toilets that are separated for women/men. Sheets and towels are provided.
There is a communal kitchen where we cooked every night and cubbies & fridge to store food. A pub is a quick 15 min walk away for drinks and the town is probably 20-25 mins walk.
There is a large communal area to eat and a large lounge to read, be on your phone or otherwise relax.
Overall great staff and had no issues the days we were there. We were up early every morning and back around 5 pm each night. The glorious week of sun and a little rain kept us outside exploring the beautiful Islands

Anonymous traveller

Comment: 4 Aug 2025

Stayed in: Jul 2025

My stay was great. The place was clean but a bit small.
You can wash your laundry there for a small price and even use the dryer. The bathroom was clean. The showers were new but a bit narrow.