Visits
We are delighted that you have chosen to visit Kilkenny Castle.
Currently there are three visitor experience options available to discover Kilkenny Castle: Self-Guided option, Guided Tour option and the Unique Experience.
Guided tours are running on a daily basis and tickets can be purchased on the day of your visit from our ticket desk.
Self-guided Visits
Explore the Victorian Stately home of the Butler Family at your own pace with a self-guided visit
Guided Tours
Join one of our knowledgeable guides for a fascinating tour of the Period rooms
Unique Experience
Private and personalised guided visit of Kilkenny Castle
2025 Sensory Friendly Timeslots
2025 Alzheimer / Dementia inclusive tours:
Friday 6th June at 3.30pm
Tuesday 10th September at 3.45pm
Sunday 21st December at 10am
This experiences are free of charge but numbers are restricted and places must be booked in advance by contacting kilkennycastleinfo@opw.ie
2025 ISL Interpreted Guided Tours:
Monday 5th May at 3.30pm
Sunday 14th September at 3.30pm
Saturday 6th December at 3.30pm
This experiences are free of charge but numbers are restricted and places must be booked in advance by contacting kilkennycastleinfo@opw.ie
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.