Kilkenny

Discover Kilkenny through a variety of experiences: historic places, a walking trail through cobbled streets, art and a long brewing history give your stay different focal points. If you’re looking for a holiday home in Kilkenny, you can consider whether you’d like to devote your time primarily to the city’s history, its arts offerings or culinary experiences.

Explore history on foot and through different types of visits

There are currently three options for visiting Kilkenny Castle: a self-guided visit, a guided tour and a special visitor experience. You can decide whether to explore the castle independently or choose one of the guided options. The Medieval Mile Trail takes you on foot through Kilkenny’s cobbled streets and offers another way to discover the city.

The historical experiences span different places and periods. The Medieval Mile Museum is located on the site of St Mary’s, a 13th-century cruciform church and graveyard. Its artefacts cover the work and lives of people in Ireland across more than 800 years of history. If you’re interested in everyday life and historical change, this offers a different perspective from visiting a single building.

St Canice’s Cathedral has been an important place of Christian worship since the 6th century. Its round tower is the oldest surviving building in Kilkenny. Together, these facts give the cathedral a long religious and architectural history, distinct from the artefacts presented in the museum. You can plan your day around a choice between insights into people’s lives and the history of an important Christian site.

Art and culture in the city

The Butler Gallery is a contemporary art gallery and museum with a permanent collection in the southeast of Ireland. It is located in the heart of Kilkenny, and its exhibitions are free to enter. On weekends, the gallery offers tours of Irish modern and contemporary art from the 20th and 21st centuries. If art is to be an important part of your stay, the Gallery combines a permanent collection with weekend tours and free exhibitions.

The different art and history sites appeal to different interests, without requiring you to focus your stay on a single theme. For example, you can combine art at the Butler Gallery with historical insights at the Medieval Mile Museum, or focus on the city’s history and the Medieval Mile Trail. These are different options for planning your trip, not a set route.

Brewing history and local experiences

At the Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny, visitors learn more about the history of brewing spanning over 300 years. The tours begin with Smithwick’s ale, first brewed in 1710, take you through the history of the brewery and end with a fresh pint. This makes the visit different from a museum visit focused on historical artefacts: the emphasis is on the development of brewing and the history of the brewery.

Kilkenny Food Tours also offer guided experiences. They bring together food, craft, culture and local stories. If you’re interested in local cuisine and its cultural context, you can treat this as a focus in its own right alongside art, architectural history or brewing history. This lets you choose activities based on your travel group’s interests, without every shared outing needing to have the same character.

Getting there and finding a holiday home in Kilkenny

Kilkenny is served by regular train and bus connections, and the city is easy to explore without a car. These are useful points to consider when deciding whether to stay in Kilkenny: you can consider travelling by train or bus and plan to explore the city without a car. When looking for a holiday home, consider whether you’d like to spend your stay mainly enjoying Kilkenny’s historical and cultural experiences. The city offers a range of themes, from medieval history and art to brewing and food experiences.

If you’d also like to view other destination pages: Urlingford, Gowran, Bennettsbridge, Graiguenamanagh, Slieveroe, Mullinvat, Mooncoin and Piltown.

For the broader travel overview: County Kilkenny.