Self-Guided Visit
Explore the Victorian Stately home of the Butler Family at your own pace with a self-guided visit.
Buying Tickets
- Tickets are available online & on site from our Ticket Desk.
- Purchasing tickets on site from our ticket desk is only possible on the day of the visit pending availability.
- Online bookings cannot be made more than 7 days in advance.
- Our online booking facility is for individuals only and a maximum of 6 tickets may be purchased online.
- Group/school must contact us well in advance to book a a visit.
- All visitors need to have a ticket including all children under 12.
On Arrival
- Please have your ticket / QR code ready to show our staff at the main door of the Castle.
- All visitors must queue to enter the building. Please be aware that our queuing system is outdoor.
- Please arrive within the 30 minutes of your timeslot. Sadly, if you are late, we won’t be able to guarantee you entry. Your entry will be at the discretion of the staff.
The visit
- Children under the age of 18 years must be supervised at all times. For more information check the OPW Child safeguarding statement.
- The average length of the visit is 1 hour. Last admissions 30 minutes before closing.
- Non-flash photography is permitted in the Period Rooms for personal use only. Video is not permitted.
- An audio guide has been created to enhance the self-guided visit of the Period Rooms. Click Here to listen.
Backpacks /Large Bags
-
- Backpacks, large bags and shopping bags are not permitted in in the period rooms of the Castle. only small bags no bigger than A4 (8.27in/21cm x 11.7in/29.7cm) will be permitted.
- Limited locker facilities are available on site for large bags.
- In order to protect our collection you will be asked to carry small bags to the front or in your hands while visiting the period rooms of Kilkenny Castle.
Mobility
-
- Parts of the Castle may not be suitable for visitors with reduced mobility, please contact us if you have any questions. Tel. 046 942 3020 / kilkennycastleinfo@opw.ie
- Please check our Accessibility page for further information
- The castle visit is not suitable for pushchairs.
Assistance / Service Dogs
Kilkenny Castle is committed to meeting our obligations under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005, to protect the health and safety of all members of staff and visitors on site.
Registered Service Dog
A Service Dog is defined under Irish law as a highly trained dog that is specifically trained to assist a person with a disability. For a dog to be recognised as a Service Dog, it must be fully trained and registered with one of the following, or a U.K. or other international equivalent:
- Irish Guide Dogs For The Blind
- Dogs For The Disabled
- Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland
- International Guide Dog Federation
All trained and registered Service Dogs are welcome to access Kilkenny Castle in the company of their registered owner. Service Dog owners are expected to be able to provide sufficient documentary evidence that their dogs meet the above criteria.
In instances where the animal is not wearing an identifiable harness or branded lead, Kilkenny Castle staff members may seek clarification that the animal is a trained Service Dog, before admittance to the Castle is allowed.
Emotional Support Animals
Emotional Support Animals, including dogs, not accredited to one of the above organisations, are not legally recognised under Irish Law. As a result, they are currently not permitted to enter Kilkenny Castle for health and safety reasons.
Kilkenny Castle staff may ask for evidence that the animal is a trained and certified service animal before being permitted onto the premises
Leaflets
-
- We have limited leaflets available and would recommend you download and print your own leaflet (Irish, English, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian & Spanish.)
- Large Print leaflets in English and Irish are available to download and can be requested on arrival on site.
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.