Wonders of the world in 3D

Skara Brae in 3D

Neolithic village, Orkney

Bay of Skaill, Mainland Orkney, Scotland

Skara Brae is a Neolithic village on Orkney, lived in for about 600 years from around 3100 BC and buried by sand until a storm in 1850 tore the dunes open. Every house has the same plan: a central hearth, a stone dresser facing the door and box beds against the walls. This 3D walk lets you look into the houses from above and along the shore of the Bay of Skaill.

Where: Bay of Skaill, Mainland Orkney, Scotland
When built: Lived in from about 3100 to 2500 BC
Size: Eight stone houses linked by covered passages
UNESCO World Heritage: 1999

Official site

Walk Skara Brae in 3D

A real-time 3D model, built from open elevation data and published measurements. Loads 2.1 MB when you start.

Works in VR on Meta Quest and other WebXR headsets: open this page in the headset's browser, start the 3D walk, then choose View in VR.

Walk it yourself. Works on this phone.

Part of the Megaliths of Europe pack: a one-time unlock in this browser.

Terrain and sky from open data · stones from published measurements · tags as in the app

Hear the guide

The narrator from the app reads each tour stop. Transcripts below.

House 1
Known0:16

Every house has the same plan: a central hearth, a stone dresser facing the door, and box beds against the walls. The village was lived in from about 3100 to 2500 BC.
The Bay of Skaill
Known0:12

A storm in 1850 tore the turf off the dunes here and exposed the village, which had been buried for some 4,000 years.

How to visit Skara Brae

Skara Brae is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland. It sits on the west coast of Orkney's Mainland, about 30 km from Kirkwall, with a visitor centre and a full-size replica house you can step inside.

Opening times and tickets change: check the official site. Official site

Open Skara Brae in Farstep

The full site on your phone: a narrated guided tour, passport stamps, offline, and smoother graphics than a browser can give.

Narrated guided tour, stop by stop, in nine languages
Passport stamps for every hotspot and finished tour
Works offline once installed
Stonehenge free; other sites are one-time packs. No ads, no subscription.

Open in Farstep

Get it onGoogle Play Download on theApp Store

On iPhone the button opens the App Store.

Skara Brae: questions and answers

How old is Skara Brae?

It was lived in from about 3100 to 2500 BC, which makes it older than Stonehenge's sarsen circle.

How was Skara Brae discovered?

A great storm in 1850 stripped the grass off the dunes at the Bay of Skaill and exposed the stone houses, which had been buried for some 4,000 years.

Can I walk around Skara Brae in 3D?

Yes, in your browser. Everything on this page is free to read. Walking Skara Brae in 3D is part of the Megaliths of Europe pack: a one-time purchase with no subscription, and signing in with the same account unlocks it in the Farstep app too.

Can I walk Skara Brae in VR?

Yes, on a Meta Quest or another WebXR headset: open this page in the headset's browser, start the 3D walk, then choose View in VR. The left stick walks, the right stick turns and the trigger opens the fact cards.