Visits
We are delighted that you have chosen to visit Kilkenny Castle. Currently Kilkenny castle operates a self-guided system for most of the year, switching to guided tours only during the winter months.
From 3rd November 2019 to 31st January 2020: Guided Tours only.
Join one of our knowledgeable guides for a fascinating tour of the Period rooms of Kilkenny Castle.
From 1st February 2020 to 1st November 2020: Self-Guided Visit / Guided Tours.
Explore the Victorian Stately home of the Butler Family at your own pace with a self-guided visit .
Daily public guided tours are also available for individuals. Please contact us for more details.
Arrangements may be subject to change. Check this website for up-to-date information.
The average length of the visit is 1 hour
Information leaflets are available from the Ticket Desk in Irish, English, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian & Spanish.
There is free admission to the 12 minutes Audio-visual Presentation located in the Medieval Room
Non-flash photography is permitted in the Period Rooms for personal use only.
Children under the age of 18 years must be supervised at all times. For more information check the OPW Child safeguarding statement.
Please note that this is a very busy site and visitors may experience a delay during the summer months.
Tickets are available from the Ticket Desk.
Groups of 10 people and more must contact Group bookings to make a reservation.
Please note BBQ’s are not allowed on the Castle Park grounds.
Dogs are welcome but must be kept on leads.
Accessibility
Parts of the Castle may not be suitable for people with limited mobility but ground floor rooms fully accessible.
Accessible toilet facilities are available on request.
Some accessible parking spaces near site.
On the grounds, Garden partially and Park fully accessible.
Guiding leaflet of the Castle in Braille are available from the Ticket Desk.
If you have any concerns, please contact us before visiting.
⛈ The opening of OPW sites can be weather dependent and to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all, access may be subject to change at short notice. Every attempt will be made to announce these closures ahead of time but if you are in any doubt, please check with site for its Open/Close Status.
Tea Room
Situated in the Castle’s Victorian Kitchen with its original cooking range, rows of plates and copper pots. For more information please e-mail nostalgiacafe@eircom.net or nostalgiacafe65@gmail.com. Castle’s opening hours.
Butler Gallery
Located in the east wing of the Castle it offers a diverse exhibition programme, an important collection and far-reaching education initiatives. For more information, click here to visit their website.
Wonderful guide, fabulous place
On a very brief visit to Kilkenny, myself and my friend had some time to kill. We hadn’t planned to visit the castle, but we are extremely glad we did. The castle and grounds are magnificent and definitely worth a visit on their own merits, but it was our guide, Peadar, who really brought the place to life. His passion for history and heritage was positively infectious and his breadth of knowledge extremely impressive.
As a lover of history myself, I found the tour fascinating from start to finish and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone visiting the city.
Butler Family Castle
Kilkenny Castle overlooks town of Kilkenny and the River Nore. The self-guided tour winds through the public and some private areas of the castle. The history of the building and the family are fascinating and the renovations have transformed the building. The Picture Gallery is an incredible space.
Worth the visit when in Kilkenny. If the weather cooperates, take a stroll through the beautiful gardens.
Medieval castle
We visited firstly the castle park (large, green) and the rose garden with excellent photo points of the medieval castle (1195), the river Nore and the medieval town of Kilkenny.
Then we paid the entrance fee (8 euros, OK) and visited the interior in a hurry since we were there on a day tour (Collins Day Tours) and it was a busy Sunday with a food fair right outside the castle with crowds of people.
The castle is very well preserved! Inside I liked the Great Hall with the tapestries, the children’s room, the Moorish stairs, the dining room with the table ready for dinner.