There are 6 ways to get from Ballater to Kirkwall 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
4h 9mBus, ferry via Wick
cheapest- Take the bus from Ballater to Aberdeen Pittodriebus
- Take the bus from Aberdeen Pittodrie to Inverness Union Streetbus
- Take the bus from Inverness Union Street to Wick Co-opbus
- Take the ferry from Gills Bay Ferry Terminal to St Margarets Hope Ferry Terminalferry Pf1
13h 28m£59–170Taxi, train, ferry
- Take the taxi from Ballater to Inschtaxi
- Take the train from Insch to Invernesstrain
- Take the train from Inverness to Wicktrain
- Take the ferry from Gills Bay Ferry Terminal to St Margarets Hope Ferry Terminalferry Pf1
11h 54m£170–243Bus, train, ferry
- Take the bus from Ballater to Aberdeen Pittodriebus
- 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
12h 46m£89–156Bus, train to Edinburgh Airport, fly
- Take the bus from Ballater to Dundee South Marketgaitbus
- Take the train from Dundee to Edinburgh Gatewaytrain
- Fly from Edinburgh Airport (EDI) to Kirkwall (KOI)plane EDI - KOI
7h 25m£165–462Bus, ferry
- Take the bus from Ballater to Aberdeen Pittodriebus
- Take the bus from Union Square Bus Station to Bus Station Stance 4bus M96
- 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 51m£85–146
Aberdeen Airport (ABZ) to Kirkwall (KOI) flights
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Ballater to Kirkwall is to bus and ferry which costs £85 - £150 and takes 13h 51m.
The fastest way to get from Ballater to Kirkwall is to bus and train and fly which takes 7h 25m and costs £160 - £470.
The distance between Ballater and Kirkwall is 170 miles.
The best way to get from Ballater to Kirkwall without a car is to taxi and train and ferry which takes 11h 54m and costs £170 - £250.
It takes approximately 4h 9m to get from Ballater to Kirkwall, including transfers.
There are 172+ hotels available in Kirkwall.
What companies run services between Ballater, Scotland and Kirkwall, Scotland?
There is no direct connection from Ballater to Kirkwall. 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 Supermarkets. Alternatively, you can take the taxi to Insch, take the train to Inverness, take the train to Wick, take the taxi to Gills Bay Ferry Terminal, take the ferry to St Margarets Hope Ferry Terminal, walk to Ferry terminal, then take the bus to West Tankerness Lane.
- Website
- loganair.co.uk
Flights from Aberdeen Airport to Kirkwall
- Ave. Duration
- 55 min
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- £100–310
Flights from Aberdeen Airport to Kirkwall via Lerwick
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 20m
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
- Estimated price
- £100–310
Flights from Edinburgh Airport to Kirkwall
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 10m
- When
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- £140–390
Flights from Edinburgh Airport to Kirkwall via Lerwick
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 30m
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
- Estimated price
- £140–390
- Phone
- +44 344 811 0141
- Website
- scotrail.co.uk
Train from Insch to Inverness
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 36m
- Frequency
- Every 3 hours
- Estimated price
- £21–50
- Website
- https://www.scotrail.co.uk/
- Standard
- £21–29
- 1st Class
- £35–50
Train from Inverness to Wick
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 22m
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Estimated price
- £17–30
- Website
- https://www.scotrail.co.uk/
Train from Aberdeen to Inverness
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 12m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £16–45
- Website
- https://www.scotrail.co.uk/
Train from Dundee to Edinburgh Gateway
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 11m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £14–35
- Website
- https://www.scotrail.co.uk/
- Phone
- +44 (0)131 510 4007
- ride@ember.to
- Website
- ember.to
Bus from Ballater to Aberdeen Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 7m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Website
- https://www.ember.to/
Bus from Ballater to Aberdeen Pittodrie
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 27m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- £1–23
- Website
- https://www.ember.to/
Bus from Ballater to Dundee South Marketgait
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 3m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- £1–28
- Website
- https://www.ember.to/
Bus from Aberdeen Pittodrie to Inverness Union Street
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 16m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £1–35
- Website
- https://www.ember.to/
Bus from Inverness Union Street to Wick Co-op
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 51m
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- £1–40
- Website
- https://www.ember.to/
- Phone
- 01224591381
- bluebird.enquiries@stagecoachbus.com
- Website
- stagecoachbus.com
Bus from Bus Station Stance 3 to Bus Shelter
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 12m
- Frequency
- Every 3 hours
- Estimated price
- £26–35
- Website
- https://www.stagecoachbus.com/
Bus from Union Square Bus Station to Bus Station Stance 4
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 28m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £24–35
- Website
- https://www.stagecoachbus.com/
- Phone
- 0141 352 4444
- enquiries@megabus.com
- Website
- uk.megabus.com
Bus from Union Square Bus Station to Bus Station Stance 4
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 28m
- Frequency
- Every 2 hours
- Estimated price
- £12–17
- Website
- https://uk.megabus.com
- Phone
- +44 (0)800 688 8998
- sales@pentlandferries.co.uk
- Website
- pentlandferries.co.uk
Ferry from Gills Bay Ferry Terminal to St Margarets Hope Ferry Terminal
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 10m
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- £17
- Website
- https://pentlandferries.co.uk/
- Ave. Duration
- 46 min
- Estimated price
- £75–90
C & J Nicol
- Phone
- +44 13397 55 654
Ballater Taxis
- Phone
- +44 13397 55 548
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