There are 6 ways to get from Ballater to Orkney Islands by bus, plane, taxi, train, or ferry
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Bus to Aberdeen Airport, fly
best- Take the bus from Ballater to Aberdeen Airportbus
- Fly from Aberdeen Airport (ABZ) to Kirkwall (KOI)plane ABZ - KOI
3h 24m£129–342Bus, ferry via Banchory
cheapest- Take the bus from Aberdeen Union Street to Inverness Union Streetbus
- Take the bus from Inverness Union Street to Scrabster Vehicle Terminalbus
- Take the ferry from Scrabster Ferry Terminal to Stromness Orkney Ferry Terminalferry Nl1
13h 54m£45–62Taxi, train, bus, ferry
- Take the taxi from Ballater to Inschtaxi
- Take the train from Insch to Invernesstrain
- Take the bus from Bus Station Stance 3 to Ferry Terminalbus X99
- Take the ferry from Scrabster Ferry Terminal to Stromness Orkney Ferry Terminalferry Nl1
10h 54m£200–259Bus, bus to Edinburgh Airport, fly
- Take the bus from Ballater to Dundee South Marketgaitbus
- Take the bus from Malmaison to Terminalbus
- Fly from Edinburgh Airport (EDI) to Kirkwall (KOI)plane EDI - KOI
6h 10mBus, ferry
- Take the bus from Ballater to Aberdeen Airportbus
- Take the bus from Aberdeen Airport to Inverness Union Streetbus
- Take the bus from Inverness Union Street to Bowerbus
- Take the ferry from Gills Bay Ferry Terminal to St Margarets Hope Ferry Terminalferry Pf1
12h 45m£111–141Train, bus, ferry
- Take the train from Aberdeen to Invernesstrain
- Take the bus from Bus Station Stance 3 to Bus Shelterbus X99
- Take the ferry from Gills Bay Ferry Terminal to St Margarets Hope Ferry Terminalferry Pf1
13h 14m£110–171
Ballater to Orkney Islands by bus, foot, and ferry
Comparing Your Travel Options
The cheapest way to get from Ballater to Orkney Islands is to bus and ferry via Banchory which costs £45 - £65 and takes 13h 54m.
The fastest way to get from Ballater to Orkney Islands is to bus and fly which takes 3h 24m and costs £120 - £350.
The distance between Ballater and Orkney Islands is 171 miles.
The best way to get from Ballater to Orkney Islands without a car is to taxi and train and bus and ferry which takes 10h 54m and costs £200 - £260.
It takes approximately 3h 24m to get from Ballater to Orkney Islands, including transfers.
There are 224+ hotels available in Orkney Islands.
What companies run services between Ballater, Scotland and Orkney Islands, Scotland?
There is no direct connection from Ballater to Orkney Islands. However, you can take the bus to Aberdeen Airport, walk to Aberdeen Airport (ABZ) airport, fly to Kirkwall (KOI), walk to Airport Terminal, then take the bus to Travel Centre. Alternatively, you can take the taxi to Insch, take the train to Inverness, walk to Bus Station Stance 3, take the bus to Ferry Terminal, walk to Scrabster Ferry Terminal, take the ferry to Stromness Orkney Ferry Terminal, walk to Travel Centre, then take the bus to Quanterness Cottages.
- Website
- loganair.co.uk
Flights from Aberdeen Airport to Kirkwall
- Ave. Duration
- 55 min
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- £120–330
Flights from Aberdeen Airport to Kirkwall via Lerwick
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 20m
- When
- Friday
- Estimated price
- £120–330
Flights from Edinburgh Airport to Kirkwall
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 10m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- £160–410
- Phone
- +44 (0)344 811 0141
- Website
- ScotRail
Train from Insch to Inverness
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 38m
- Frequency
- Every 3 hours
- Estimated price
- £30–55
- Website
- ScotRail
Train from Aberdeen to Inverness
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 15m
- Frequency
- Every 3 hours
- Estimated price
- £40–70
- Website
- ScotRail
- Phone
- +44 (0)131 510 4007
- [email protected]
- Website
- Ember
Bus from Ballater to Aberdeen Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 7m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- £7–11
- Website
- Ember
Bus from Ballater to Dundee South Marketgait
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 3m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- £9–13
- Website
- Ember
Bus from Ballater to Aberdeen Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 7m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- £7–11
- Website
- Ember
Bus from Aberdeen Airport to Inverness Union Street
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 50m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £11–17
- Website
- Ember
Bus from Inverness Union Street to Bower
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 17m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- £13–19
- Website
- Ember
Bus from Aberdeen Union Street to Inverness Union Street
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 9m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £12–17
- Website
- Ember
Bus from Inverness Union Street to Scrabster Vehicle Terminal
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 28m
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- £14–20
- Website
- Ember
- Phone
- +44 845 600 0449
- [email protected]
- Website
- NorthLink Ferries
Ferry from Scrabster Ferry Terminal to Stromness Orkney Ferry Terminal
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 30m
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- £13–19
- Website
- NorthLink Ferries
- Low
- £13–17
- Peak
- £16–19
Ferry from Scrabster Ferry Terminal to Stromness Orkney Ferry Terminal
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 30m
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- £13–19
- Website
- NorthLink Ferries
- Low
- £13–17
- Peak
- £16–19
- Ave. Duration
- 46 min
- Estimated price
- £150–190
Ballater Taxis
- Phone
- +44 13397 55 548
C & J Nicol
- Phone
- +44 13397 55 654
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