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Some tours to the smaller islands require ferries and prior bookings.
Ferries required: Remind guests that reaching Unst requires two ferries:
Mainland to Yell:- Toft to Ulsta (20 mins)
Yell to Unst:- Gutcher to Belmont (10 mins)
Not all of the locations listed below will be doable on a cruise ship day.
Typically refers to the Northmavine peninsula. This rugged and sparsely populated region is physically separated from the rest of the island by a narrow isthmus called
Mavis Grind, where you can famously "throw a stone" from the Atlantic Ocean into the North Sea.
Top Natural Landmarks
Eshaness Cliffs
Often cited as the most spectacular coastline in Shetland. These 350–400 million-year-old volcanic cliffs feature dramatic sea stacks like
Are a group of sea stacks rock pillars off the coast of Hillswick Ness
The Dore Holm is a small uninhabited island off the south coast of Esha Ness Which resembles a drinking horse.
Ronas Hill
The highest point in Shetland (450m/1,480ft). It is a red granite massif with an Arctic-alpine climate at its summit and offers views reaching as far as Fair Isle on clear days.
A 7-mile long, fjord-like inlet with steep sides, often likened to Norwegian scenery.
Key Historical & Cultural Sites
Housed in a former laird's house, this museum tells the history of the Northmavine district.
Located at the extreme northern tip of the mainland, it was once a thriving 19th-century "haaf" (deep-sea) fishing station. You can still see the ruins of the fishermen's stone bothies.
Sullom Voe Oil Terminal One of Europe’s largest oil terminals. While a modern industrial site, it is tucked away to minimize landscape impact and is a noted spot for spotting otters.
Local Legend
A self-taught 18th-century weaver from Northmavine who successfully developed a smallpox vaccine long before Jenner, saving thousands of lives in the islands.
Highlight the unique geography where the Atlantic and North Sea nearly meet, separated by only a few hundred yards of land.
The South Mainland is the long, narrow peninsula stretching about 20 miles south from Lerwick to the tip of the island at Sumburgh Head. Known as the "archaeological heart" of Shetland, it is packed with ancient history, fertile farmland, and some of the archipelago's most famous white-sand beaches.
One of Europe’s most significant multi-period sites. A single visit allows you to walk through 5,000 years of history, from Neolithic houses and Iron Age wheelhouses to Viking longhouses and a 16th-century laird’s mansion.
Located on the uninhabited island of Mousa (reached by a short boat trip from Sandsayre), this is the world's best-preserved Iron Age broch. It still stands at nearly its original height of 13 metres.
St Ninian’s Isle Tombolo
Britain’s largest active sand tombolo. This spectacular natural causeway of white shell sand connects the mainland to the island and is famous for a hoard of Pictish silver treasure discovered there in 1958.
The southernmost tip of the mainland, home to an iconic Robert Stevenson-designed lighthouse. It is a premier RSPB nature reserve where you can see puffins (Tammie Nories) nesting just feet away from the paths between April and August.
Stunning coastal spots perfect for spotting hauled out on the rocks or watching for orcas and dolphins in the surrounding waters.
The Shetland Crofthouse Museum
Located at Boddam, this restored 19th-century thatched cottage offers a "step back in time" to see traditional island life, complete with box beds and a peat fire.
A beautifully restored 19th-century water-driven grain mill that showcases the agricultural heritage of the South Mainland’s fertile "Ness" district.
Yell is the second-largest island in Shetland and is famously known as the best place in Europe to spot wild otters. It is a land of vast peat moorlands and hidden, award-winning white-sand beaches.
Housed in Yell’s oldest building (1672), this museum showcases the island's maritime history, including whaling and famous shipwrecks.
A dramatic, ruined 18th-century mansion reputed to be the most haunted house in Shetland. It sits on a ridge with views over Mid Yell Voe.
A poignant statue overlooking a peaceful voe, commemorating the 58 local fishermen lost in a sudden storm in 1881.
One of Shetland’s most beautiful beaches, tucked away in the north with fine shell sand and archaeological remains from Viking and even earlier eras.
Unst is the UK's most northerly inhabited island and a treasure trove for Viking history and dramatic coastal scenery.
Hermaness National Nature Reserve
A spectacular cliff-top walk to the "edge of the UK". Guests can see massive colonies of puffins, gannets, and great skuas (bonxies).
Visible from the cliffs of Hermaness, this is the most northerly lighthouse in Britain, famously built by the Stevenson family (relatives of Robert Louis Stevenson). Muckle Flugga Lighthouse
This has the highest density of Viking longhouses in the world. In Haroldswick, guests can board the Skidbladner (a full-scale replica longship) and explore a reconstructed longhouse.
Perhaps the most famous bus shelter in the world. It is elaborately furnished with a sofa, TV, and different themes each year (e.g., space, tall ships).
Britain's most northerly castle, a 16th-century fortified tower house built by the notorious Laurence Bruce.
Shetland Reel at Saxa Vord Distillery
The island is home to the UK’s most northerly distillery, Shetland Reel Gin.
Unst has a unique "moon-like" landscape of serpentine rock where rare plants like Edmondston’s Chickweed grow—found nowhere else on Earth.
And many more
Best of Shetland in a day
Why not Mix and Match your tours in a day to maximize the most out of sightseeing around Shetland.
These tours would be mostly suited for Cruise Ship Tourists and conducted on the Mainland of Shetland due to the time constraints of the Cruise Ship arrival and departure times.
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