Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny Castle is a landmark medieval fortress in the heart of Kilkenny, originally built in the 12th century by the powerful Butler family. Over the centuries it was transformed from a defensive stronghold into an elegant residence. Today the castle is beautifully restored and open to visitors, offering insight into Irish history, art, and architecture. Outside, on the grass, there were several vintage cars on display — a lovely and unexpected sight.

Beautiful, well maintained castle with lovely grounds. It was a great way to spend a couple rainy hours. There's a QR coffee at reach room so you can very more information on your phone. There's washrooms and a cafe at the castle as well. Our was about €11 to get in.

I really enjoyed my visit to Kilkenny Castle. The rooms are beautifully restored and give you a real sense of the history. The exhibitions are well explained and easy to follow. The gardens and park are peaceful and perfect for a walk, with lovely views of the River Nore. Everything was well organized, and the staff were very friendly. Overall, a real highlight of my stay in Kilkenny and highly recommended.

Cool to still see an actual standing castle on the Irish country side. I suggest the guided tour to learn about the history and events which unfolded in the castle. I recommend buying tickets online b4 hand.

Beautiful 13th century castle with a fully restored interior. It's only 8€ to enter and we'll worth it. There are also original artworks and tapestries as well as am especially BEAUTIFUL room called the long gallery which boasts an ornate wooden ceiling and vibrant red walls ordained with artworks.

Had a great experience doing the self guided tour! Staff was friendly and helpful. Castle was absolutely beautiful and we toured after taking a tour with the Wild Rover Tours. Highly recommend!

We arrived in Kilkenny and checked into the charming Butler House, then enjoyed a beautiful stroll through the gardens to the castle. Curious about whether it was worth touring the inside, we asked a guard, who assured us it absolutely was — and he was right! He stated they were the most beautifully decorated castle rooms in all of Ireland!! The castle’s rooms are magnificent, each decorated in different period styles that bring its history to life. My favorite part of the tour was the very last stop: the stunning Portrait Room, located in the newer section of the castle. Its intricate details, especially the beautifully painted ceiling, left me in awe. Kilkenny Castle is truly worth a visit — both for its impressive architecture and its richly decorated interiors. If you don't have time or interest in the interior tour the gardens are beautiful anf they are free of charge.

A Regal Experience - Kilkenny Castle Kilkenny Castle is a stunner! I visited and was blown away by the rich history, stunning architecture, and beautiful grounds. This 13th-century castle is a must-visit in Ireland. Highlights: - Impressive Architecture:Majestic castle, great hall, and towers - Beautiful Grounds: Scenic gardens, river views, and walking trails - History and Culture: Learn about the castle's fascinating past Tips: - Wear comfy shoes for exploring the castle and grounds - Check opening hours and plan your visit accordingly - Don't miss the evening tours or seasonal events Kilkenny Castle is a highlight of Ireland! You'll feel like royalty exploring this stunning castle.

The Kilkenny Castle is such a beautiful castle, and is an imposing landmark in town, as it can be seen from various locations in the city both near and far. In general, Kilkenny was a great city to visit outside of Dublin, as it was much more charming and picturesque than Galway. What makes Kilkenny Castle so great is that a lot of preservation and restoration work has gone into it to make it look as beautiful as it does, as you find many castles around Ireland are ruins that have deteriorated over the years. While I didn't get a chance to tour the castle interiors as I wanted to check out Kilkenny, I was able to take pictures of both sides of the castle, and visit both the gardens and open green areas you find on either side. I'd recommend a visit to Kilkenny and its castle if you're looking for a nice day trip south of Dublin to the Wicklow mountains and Irish countryside.

It's a castle! Only self-guided tours available - reasonably priced - unable to get on WiFi so unable to activate audio prompts or scan the QR readers Taking a step back in time, feeling the rich history of this place (& Kilkenny as a whole)was pretty awesome - not everything was "original" but one "gets the idea" of the grandiosity of this space and boy, if those castle walls could talk...I'm trying to imagine how the locals look at that every day and not take it for granted

Loved visiting this castle. Ireland seems to have a castle in every city, but this one is so loved. People decorating and cleaning it for the holidays were friendly, and some gave us some history while we walked thru our self guided tour. The restoration that has taken place is finominale. The end of the tour resulted in tea time in the original kitchen with my daughter. The tea was delicious, and the cakes were delightful. They have sandwiches and quiches also. The sweet lady who runs it was very nice and offered great conversation. The buyer quarters is a must also.. across the street and has amazing shopping.

Based on the reviews of Kilkenny, it said that you can basically see the Castle from anywhere in the city. We found this mostly true and it is certainly a main reason that tourists make their way to this town. We saw it while crossing the bridge as we hiked to our hotel from the train station. We saw it as we crossed the street to our hotel and all over anytime another building wasn't blocking it or in the way. Once it was time for our tour, it was a beautiful sunny day with bright blue skies, a few clouds, and a good breeze. We opted for the guided tour rather than the self-paced because of the reviews online and we would agree with what others are saying. For an hour long tour, you definitely get your money's worth. Our guide, John Kelly did a fantastic job keeping the group engaged and was a wonderful storyteller. It was really interesting to hear about the history of the castle and it's residents, the Butler family (and company). Our favorite part was the terrace leading our the garden, which the road had to be removed in order to make room for this expansive garden. You could see this all from the "guest rooms" which were decorated to match some of the periods the researchers were able to find picture of and replacate. Most of the items and decor were not originals, as we learned that there was a lot of damage before the castle was turned into a museum. We learned that the last "owner" sold the property for very very little in the 1960's to the community so that they could refurbish and open it to the public. The long room at the end of the tour was incredibly detailed and impressive. It was fairly new in construction compared to the rest of the castle and its design was inspired by an upside down ship hull. After the tour we had plenty of time to explore the park and surrounding area. For more recommendations and tips from our Ireland trip... Follow @vanmblin

We were staying in Kilkenny and since the castle is such a prominent feature, visible all over town, we had to pay a visit. We did the self-guided tour, and enjoyed it a great deal. The brochure had good details about each stop; there was also an app with an audio guide but we didn't use that since we didn't have earbuds with us. Definitely bring phones and earbuds if you want to access the audio parts of the tour, but we enjoyed ourselves without it. They have done a great deal of work restoring the rooms to various different time periods. The photos and history in the exhibits on the top floor were also nicely done. The garden and grounds were beautiful as well. Definitely worth the cost (I think it was 8€) for the self guided tour!

Beautifully restored medieval castle that was "modernized" in the mid 1800s and then restored again in the 1970s back to its 1800s glory. The grounds are parklike, but only the courtyard was open the day we were there. I really wish we could have seen the front where the fountain was. Also for as large as the castle is, very little of it was open for tours. It's worth a stop in Kilkenny, and great to do when it's raining. A picnic by the fountain would be an excellent way to have lunch! They have public wifi and info via a self guided tour and QR codes (I think it was reading) but cell service and wifi was spotty at best. I missed a bunch of info because it wouldn't load.

A friend and I visited Kilkenny Castle this past week on a day trip from Dublin with a tour group; it was really interesting, beautiful, and worth a visit! The castle was originally built in the 13th century, but much of it was damaged in the 17th century during the siege of Kilkenny by Oliver Cromwell. Restoration was carried out in the 19th century, so much of what you can see on the tour is from that time. We elected for a self-guided tour. There's a really great audio tour option that you can access by your phone via QR code at the entry. Some of the highlights for me were the Chinese Withdrawing Room (which shows some incredible hand-painted Chinese wallpaper restoration work), the Grand Staircase, the Chinese bedroom, the Moorish Staircase, and the Picture Gallery. I think I took a hundred photos in the Picture Gallery! It was built in the early 19th century but the design is a Castellated Baronial style to hearken back to the Medieval period. And it is stunning. We really enjoyed our quick self-guided tour. It was beautiful. And very convenient to visit from Dublin!

Purchased by the department of public works years ago. It's been suitably rehabbed to reflect the many periods of time and the respective remodels. Our tour guide was excellent with great knowledge.

What a great first stop in ireland after leaving Dublin Airport. Just a quick 2 hour drive. Same goes for the town of Kilkenny. The castle grounds are epic and a delight to just explore from the outside. Spending the 20 euro for a family of 5 to self guide inside was so worth it. They've done such a beautiful job in the restoration and furnishing to get a glimpse of what things may have been like way back then. Lots of info from room to room. Our 3 kids thoroughly enjoyed it.

What are the nicest castles I've been in while in Ireland. Guides were posted along the way to help you with the unguided tour. Well worth the entrance fee.

Not only is it breath taking, but it has a lot of history. We didn't have time to do the castle's interior tour, but we did do a mini 20 minute rundown given by our bus tour guide from the exteriors of the property. We learned that this was the home of Henry the 8th's 2nd wife; Anne Boleyn's grandparents, so in that respect it was kind of fun and intriguing to imagine her perhaps walking along the property during a time where life's possibilities seemed limitless, and before her marriage to the infamous King of England. We learned that in those days, if you wanted to show off that you had money you'd spend in on making your castle look lavish. This one in particular had intricate details engraved in the exteriors and bricks themselves. It's amazing to think that even after so many years, this place is still so beautiful, definitely worth your time and visit.

A very impressive castle, built in the 1100's. Renovated and steeped in history. You can take a guided tour or do a self guided tour. We chose the self guided as there are guides to ask questions all over. They eagerly shared the history of the Butler family who owned the castle for about 500 years. There are several women Butlers still alive and anyone with that surname is invited to a yearly gathering at the castle. They had close ties to the royal family, Queen Elizabeth of England. Among the beautiful grounds are crypts where some of the Butlers are buried. Highly recommend you taking time to visit.

I enjoyed my visit to Kilkenny Castle. I am so impressed with the restoration process and the information shared about the castle. It was overall a lovely experience, and maybe someday I will return and the final wall will be restored and completed.

Kilkenny and it's Castle are a wonderful bit of history, one that you should not miss when visiting Ireland. We stayed in Kilkenny for three days and spent nearly five hours here exploring the Castle. BTW, it's part the Irish government Heritage Pass which is s great, or about €20 each depend on your age group. We took the Tour and you can see the government is working hard on rebuilding various parts (photos). It sounds like they're doing it one room at a time. Enjoy!

This castle and the grounds are simply beautiful and well worth a visit. There were people in each area of the castle to answer questions and provide interesting historical information. The portraits of different people from long ago were one of my favorite items. The furniture and the way the rooms were decorated took you back in time. It was a great experience. After exploring the rooms in the castle we walked around outside. I loved the fountain and the landscaping was beautiful. This is a pleasant experience for kids of all ages even old ones like me.

There are so many churches and castles in Ireland, but what makes this one different from the others is that it is fully restored. We came on a windy, rainy day (the kind that would flip your umbrella inside out), so the timing was perfect and the admission well worth it. We joked amongst our group that our guide must have been British (sorry)- because he wouldn't allow the group to get caught up in picture taking and wanted us to hurry along. It would've been nice to explore some of the castle on our own. It was quite interesting to say the least. I especially enjoyed the picture gallery hall

We really enjoyed visiting Kilkenny Castle. Situated nicely on the river, it is very picturesque. The grounds are beautifully maintained and pleasing to the eye. The self-guided tour of the castle is a must, if visiting. Good value €8 for adults, €6 for seniors. The rooms are exquisite with decorations and pieces of art. We bought a scone in the cafe near the exit on our way out-delicious.

Ok as far as castles are concerned. I visited many and this was just OK. The picture room was the best part. The ceiling was ornate and had carved figures. I would skip it.

Beautiful! Only concern was that there were no bathrooms available and we had to go across the street to a nearby restaurant. Awkward. But, the castle was beautiful!

If you happen to be in Kilkenny anyway, it's worth a stop to see this castle. It's been beautifully restored over the centuries and the interior is spectacular, esp the ceiling in the portrait room. We spent a couple of hours inside on a rainy day, not as long outside but the gardens are quite lovely too. The area around the castle is full of shops and restaurants and quite touristy. Parking will be difficult to find during busy tourist season.

This place was amazing and so beautiful. Really cool to see and learn the history of the family that lived there and the castle. The people were pretty nice as well.

Did a self-guided tour of Kilkenny castle and enjoyed the history of the castle. As you climb the stairs each floor gets better and better. The gallery room is very impressive.

One of my favorites castles among all castles in Ireland. Mostly because of abundant arts collection and well-maintenance features. Each room in the castle has its unique function and character. It gives me a sense of how a King & Queen lives back in the days. Check out the red room, it has many tapestries and portraits. I especially like the history of the white fire place. The guard there is really knowledgable. You can ask them any questions about those painting and the castle.

This is one of the main attractions in Kilkenny and with good reason. The castle interiors are beautiful, and the self guided tour gives you loads of opportunities to enjoy it and take in the history and information. The tour gives a good balance between the history and importance of the castle as well as the history of the Butler family that owned the castle. The grounds are stunning, and vast. Lots of lovely areas to walk around and even picnic if you felt like it. There is a kitchen that serves very very good hot chocolate as well as other drinks and snacks. If you enjoyed the tour I also recommend you check out Borris House in Carlow, and Ferns Castle in Wexford which have connected histories with Kilkenny Castle.

Kilkenny Castle should not be missed ESPECIALLY if it is sunny. The grounds are stunning and the long mall is lined with various tree species from around the world. The locals all bring their children and come picnic, play or just relax and soak up the beauty of their surroundings. Inside, this castle was used for centuries as a home by the Butler family until nearly a century ago. After falling into extreme disrepair in some places, the last remaining Butler seeded the place to Kilkenny who thankfully fixed it up to the way it used to be. What makes this so incredible is that the restoration wasn't just to bring it back to stone walls but actually to the condition it was at the turn of the 20th century. They had the company who created the wall paper, create the exact wallpaper once again from the company's own original records of the original order. They were also fortunate enough to do the same with the carpeting. It really is remarkable what they have managed to do. Go and enjoy - also if you take the little train around town first, it has several coupons for sites around town one of them being for the cafe at the castle.

This castle, but was told, is a classic example of Anglo-Norman castle architecture. Other than that, there's a gift shop across the street, as well as a large open green space where once can sit on the grass and have a lovely picnic. The ancient medieval city of Kilkenny is beyond the castle and an interesting stop for food, shopping and entertainment. There's even a guided tour for the inside if you're into that sort of thing.

Loved touring this castle! Worth the cost (€8). Felt like it ended a bit too soon, but realized we really did get our money's worth. Love seeing all of the detail in everything. Each room has info explaining the room's purpose.

Kilkenny castle is absolutely stunning. I was lucky enough to attend a fantastic talk hosted by DCCoI in one of the gorgeous restored rooms inside one of the castles cylindrical towers. The grounds are so beautiful, the restorations are amazing, and the staff are so friendly. I cannot wait to return here again soon.

The 1000 year old castle is the highlight of the town of Kilkenny and a must see if you are visiting. What is unique about this castle is that it is nearly fully restored so you're visiting beautifully restored rooms with great works of art and decorations. The castle is also situated on gorgeous grounds with a river view and gardens that you'll want to explore. We spent about and hour and a half at the Castle and it offers many great photo opportunities.

Kilkenny Castle was the first landmark stop on our Ireland trip and I loved it! The property is incredibly beautiful and you can tell a lot of care has gone into the restorations that have taken place throughout the years. The self-guided tour is reasonably priced and pretty self-explanatory. There are lots of placards around so you know what you're looking at. I especially loved the picture gallery wing, where you can see incredible portraits and learn the lineage of the family that occupied the castle. The tour goes relatively quickly and I think we were in and out in around an hour, but you could easily do it a bit faster or slower.

This was our introduction to castles in Ireland, the first of many on our trip. The only way to see the interior is by taking a tour. The tour is interesting so I do recommend it. Once you see the interior, there's a pretty garden behind the castle that you'll want to meander through. I'd allot.about 1.5 here if you're doing the tour.

A massive estate with walls so thick it earns the name of castle. The tour lasts about an hour and the guide really knows what he is talking about. The grounds are immense and open to the public, making it a lovely place to spend the day hurling with the family. Within the castle itself is a lovely collection of portraits, depicting the Butler family and various English kings. Lastly, I must dock it two stars because in the 16th century, Oliver Cromwell was able to destroy an entire wall while sacking the castle, thus showing that it is not readily defensible and more of an estate. The family rebuilt the wall but then tore it down again as they felt it obstructed the view. In the end, we can truly see how history really does repeat itself.

This was an amazing castle. It's been refurbished to the style and manner of the last family that had been living there which was sometime around the late 1800s. It's pretty massive and the grounds are beautiful. It's located in a quaint little town with lots of pubs and shopping too. Just don't go on a Sunday for shopping in the town because many places are closed. Pubs and restaurants are all open. It's worth visiting if you're close to the area. There is also an old cathedral and cemetery a couple of blocks from the castle which is worth taking in. The thing about Ireland, the UK or Europe is that you can always find some historical tidbits in most places.

While visiting Ireland we took the train down from Dublin to Kilkenny to see the sights including the castle. It's a short walk from the train station through a a very quaint Irish town. The castle was started in the late 1190's and finished in the early 1200s. It was originally owned by a man named Butler who actually served the King of England in that capacity and that is how the butler job was named! We took the guided tour and our guide was most informative and passionate about the castle and made it come to life. Worth the visit.

Love that it's a self tour. There are people around the building to answer questions but they arent hovering making you feel uncomfortable. This beautiful location was amazing on the inside and out. Walking the grounds amd seeing a video about the castle is free to everyone if you are watching a budget. Although the money is worth it (it's the whole pount2 of Kilkenny) for the visit plus to give to a great cause.

I was super excited. Love a good old castle every now and again. And on a lovely weekend down in Kilkenny was looking forward to checking it out and learning about the history. The grounds are beautiful and great to walk around but the castle itself - bit of a let down. Now I get it. Its a castle. Its old. Its meant to be ruined (in parts I suppose), but the ruined parts looked damp and mouldy and walls were painted in the most garish colours possible which I can't imagine are ever a true reflection of the original state. Some beautiful rooms in there but on the whole I think it feels tired.

Absolutely beautiful! Only a small portion of the castle is available to walk through but it has been restored beautifully. Wish there was a guided tour.

Kilkenny Castle is restored from the inside. The castle is now beautiful on the inside but was not how it actually looked originally. I think the outside may look the way it did in the past though. The employees here are very friendly. There is no gift shop other than when you initially pay for your ticket. They have a booklet on the castle but that is pretty much the "gift shop". The landscaping is beautiful. I recommend walking out into the front garden to get a nice panoramic view of the entire castle. We arrived in the late afternoon so there was not a lot of people on the outside. We were able to get great pictures without any people in it. The admission cost is 6 euros and you can charge the cost with a credit card. Across the street from the castle is a shopping center. It sells a lot of items and not just items specific to Killarney Castle.

From stately rooms , to large lay about grassed areas and roses gardens, this castle seems to have something that caters to everyone.

After pouring through several books in preparation for my trip, this was at the very top of my "Must Do" list. While I am certainly glad we were able to fit it into the route, there were some tiny let downs. Let's start with the good. One of the reasons I wanted to see this castle in particular is that it not in ruins. The structure is still fully functional and you can actually get an accurate idea of how life in the castle may have been in its heyday. The grounds are idealistic and an absolute treasure to the village that surrounds it. Offering plush green and well manicured lawns, I only hope the locals take the time to enjoy picnics and walks during nice weather. There was not an option for a self-guided tour so we had to register for one of the guided tours. Unfortunately, that meant having to leave the castle for a couple hours before our tour started but given our hungry state, it worked out just fine. The tour began with an explanation of the family that owned the castle until it was given to the Irish government years ago. The guide did a great job of taking us through a bit of the family history and how the castle came into their possession. And now for a bit of the disappointing -- after talking about the Butlers, the guide tells us that most of the furniture was taken out of the castle and that only a few pieces here and there remain. It appears, as you continue the tour, that the government is doing a bit to recover some of the items but overall the castle seems pretty sparsely furnished. And in restoration of certain rooms, it is expected to find that the original wall coverings to be replaced but I would have hoped for a slightly better job at doing so. I felt a little sad that it seemed like cheap patterned wallpaper to simulate texture it once was, instead of investing in duplication. My other disappointment was the amount of rooms we are unable to view. I believe the total rooms we entered was about 7-8. I had really hoped to see more but I imagine those rooms must have no furniture and therefore even less restored than the rest of the castle. Don't get me wrong, the castle is beautiful and there were elements, such as the back staircases from the bedrooms that reminded you that this was from a very different age. In those moments, when the guide was quiet, I really felt the ambiance of the castle sink in. Despite my minor complaints, the tour, the restoration, the grounds, etc -- it all is truly unique and I am very happy that I went. It was my favorite of the castles we visited and I hope that the government continues its restoration.

A beautifully restored castle set right in the heart of the town. An impressive sight and the grounds are stunning. I only wish we could have done a guided tour as I'm sure the walls hold many secrets that www nor detailed in the pamphlet handed out at the start! If you're in Kilkenny it's worth checking out but I wouldn't necessarily make the trip for the castle alone. Consider combining it with something like the Smithwicks tour which is about 10 minutes walk away!

Great spot to visit for both visitors and locals alike. Follow the paths around to the end of the park for the duck pond and then pop out through one of the wall gates to the canal walk.

The castle itself was only OK as most of it were rebuilt in the 19th century so it does look quite new. It was great looking at the before/after of the reconstruction work though. I guess I'm used to the big old castles in the UK! I was more enamoured with the grounds which was a great walk and if you go far down enough, you'll stumble on this duck pond which I loved (showing my age now). The castle also had a lovely cafe which was unfortunately "on a break for 30 minutes" when I visited it during lunch time. I guess you have to visit the place at least once when you're in Kilkenny but not much to rave about!

Not my favourite place to visit but if you are in Kilkenny then you should visit this place.

Great staff and very knowledgeable! Definitely worth the trip into Kilkenny to see the castle!

Kilkenny Castle is a good intro, I guess, to the antiquities of Ireland. The tour of the castle is not so bad and there are some good things to view. The only reason I rate it as a 2 star is because the castle is heavily redone. There are a lot of aspects that are quite modern which is a bit of a disappointment since you are visiting these locations expecting authentic antique experiences. There are SO many castles and churches that are far more intriguing in Ireland and around the south.

Kilkenny's rich medieval heritage is evident in the city's treasure trove of historical buildings and landmarks. This is exemplified by the magnificent Kilkenny Castle. Self guided tour. Note: they do not allow pictures. This immense, ancient castle is in a center of Kilkenny with magnificent grounds and gardens. It was allowed to deteriorate over the years and the government is still in the process of renovating it (you can still see work being done) and you get to see a few of the many rooms in the building. There are great bedrooms, dining room and grandest of all, the Long Room, an awesome sight with many large portraits. There was a paid parking lot listed with our information but instead, we parked for free on Castle St., just to the south of the castle. Even if you do not go into the castle, the grounds are a must visit. A beautiful park.

This was a great addition to our Irish itinerary. We loved the renovated rooms and furniture and were even more impressed after reading about how the castle was saved from ruin. The rooms are gorgeous and the grounds around the outside are worth the walk as well. Definitely put this on your Kilkenny itinerary!

I loved the woodwork in the castle. The rest of the castle is nice but there are cooler examples in bigger cities. I would go back for the spectacular staircases and ceilings in the great room. First Wednesday of the month is free, and well worth it.

MUST.DO. This castle is unreal, so definitely make a point to do the tour. It was everything I had ever dreamed a castle to be, from the wallpaper to the paintings and everything in between. The self-guided tour kept everyone entertained from start to finish and it was nice to go at our own pace. You must do this while in Kilkenny - trust me!