From Fort Charlotte on: Lerwick’s list
Most of what there is to see is museums or galleries: 4 of 6. Look within 5 km of its edge and the list grows by 3 beyond the 3 inside Lerwick’s locality. Within 1 km of the middle there are 2 of them. Further afield, Ness of Burgi Fort is 34 km from the centre.
Where to start in Lerwick
Fort Charlotte aside, the next best known are 4 museums and a castle.
FortFort Charlottein town
MuseumShetland Museum and Archivesin townMuseumMuseumShetland Textile Museumin town
CastleScalloway Castle4.8 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumScalloway Museum4.8 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumBressay Heritage Centre900 m outside town, to the eastEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
On the map
The map puts most of the 3 to the west.
The dashed line is Lerwick’s locality; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · NRS locality 2022
How the list breaks down
Most are museums or galleries, 4 in all, ahead of castles or historic places (2).
Green: inside Lerwick. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
The whole list for Lerwick
6 places in all: 3 in town and 3 within 5 km of its edge.
The 3 inside Lerwick come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
101 listed buildings and 5 scheduled monuments are on Lerwick’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Lerwick →
Worth the drive
Most famous of the 2 is Ness of Burgi Fort, 34 km from the centre.
Places well known beyond Lerwick (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust for Scotland or Historic Environment Scotland property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Know before you go to Lerwick
What are the main attractions in Lerwick?
The best known inside Lerwick’s locality are Fort Charlotte, Shetland Museum and Archives and Shetland Textile Museum. In all, 3 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 3 more within 5 km.
Does Lerwick have a museum?
4 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Lerwick: Shetland Museum and Archives, Shetland Textile Museum, Scalloway Museum and Bressay Heritage Centre.
Is there a National Trust for Scotland or Historic Environment Scotland property near Lerwick?
None is recorded within 5 km of Lerwick.
What are the best-known days out near Lerwick?
Within 40 km: Ness of Burgi Fort (34 km), Old Haa Museum (39 km).
Where are Lerwick’s historic buildings listed?
Lerwick has 101 listed buildings, 2 of them Category A. They are on its History page, from Historic Environment Scotland’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Lerwick when it is inside the NRS 2022 locality boundary, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the NRS 2022 locality (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Fort Charlotte: Lrs1572, CC BY-SA 2.0 de, Wikimedia Commons
- Shetland Museum and Archives: Clemensfranz, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Scalloway Castle: Tom Pennington, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.