Kilkenny Tours

Visit Smithwick’s and Experience Ireland’s most popular ale.

Here in the heart of historic Kilkenny, we’re less than 90 minutes from Dublin. We’re less than a 10 minute stroll from the iconic Kilkenny Castle, and are very proud to be part of Kilkenny’s famous Medieval Mile.

Immerse yourself in the story of Smithwick’s, told as only a local knows how. Where 300 years of history combine with extraordinary brewing innovations, to create the Smithwick’s tour – an experience like no other.

Our experience is the perfect way to enjoy a pint of your favourite Smithwick’s Ale, right in the heart of Kilkenny. Why not take the opportunity to upgrade your ticket and taste our red ale, pale ale and Kilkenny beer? (You might even have a new favourite by the end of your tour.)

Nothing beats getting stuck in and experiencing some hands on experiences. As part of your tour, you’ll have the chance to mill the malt, stir the mash and smell the hops, just as you would in the brewing process.

Get ready to experience a tour with more than a few surprises along the way. Our local guides are waiting to introduce you to some very memorable characters, as you’re transported back in time.

Premium Tour – Masters of Ales

Join our Masters of Ale tour and learn about the evolution of ale and how the Smithwick’s family played a prominent role. With sensory touchpoints along the way, the tour includes sensorial masterclass where you’ll isolate the senses and break down the raw ingredients across different ale styles. Finish with a guided tutorial on how to pour the perfect pint of Smithwick’s!

- Guided Sensorial Tour
- Welcome Refreshment
- Tasting Masterclass of 4 Ales
- Pint Pouring Tutorial
- Engraved Glass Gift Memento
- Over 18s Only

Sensory-friendly Visits

Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny has partnered with Ireland’s National Autism Charity, AsIAm, to offer sensory friendly hours and ensure that autistic and sensory-sensitive individuals can visit the Kilkenny city centre site with confidence. Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny will provide designated low-sensory tours. The first tour/early hours of selected sensory friendly days will include noise and light reduction. This will involve turning down music, dimming lighting and more. All three experiences will also offer one free carer ticket per customer, if required.

Sensory kits are available at reception, along with visual guides of the buildings and sensory maps year round. During the designated sensory friendly tours, additional signage will be placed around the buildings, marking high sensory areas. Staff have been trained by AsIAm.ie to better understand how to cater to customers with autism or neuro divergencies.

Enjoy a light-hearted evening of songs & stories from Irish folklore by the talented Ollie Grace in Bollards Bar in Kilkenny City centre.

Shows will run every Thursday evening in Bollards Bar until the end of September. 

Ollie is a native of County Kilkenny with a deep passion for music and folklore. He has extensive experience performing shows on his own and with others across the world. He is a registered Irish National Tour Guide with more than 20 years experience working in tourism and heritage. Ollie's previous show ran for over 14 years in the Brazen Head Pub in Dublin and he has been consistently rated on Trip Advisor as one of the top evening entertainments in Dublin.

Now, back in Kilkenny Ollie's show "The Hidden Folklore of Ireland" is one not to be missed.

Explore:

• Our earliest customs and beliefs from our Celtic past
• The world of the imagination, the spiritual, the mysterious, the unseen and including of course the world of The Irish Fairies
• How our people lived their daily lives, the houses they lived in and the crucial importance of the potato to their survival
• Our songs and story-telling which still have such joy, meaning and importance for us
• The lightness and laughter that shaped us as a people and helped us to survive and thrive down through many difficult centuries

The show will have particular emphasis on our rich heritage of songs and music. This will involve a degree of spirited audience participation!

Kilkenny Foodie Tours offers food tasting and cultural walking tours through Kilkenny's medieval narrow streets and alleyways. On their tours, you will visit local artisan food producers and meet the owners who share their insight on the delicious tastes found in the historic city.  From world-class produce and exceptional seafood to unbeatable whiskey, there is so much to discover in Kilkenny.

Kilkenny Foodie Tours organises Foodie Day Trip to Kilkenny.

Visit chocolatiers, take a guided tour of Ballykeefe gin distillery, and more artisan food and experiences in this chauffeur-driven guided tour of Kilkenny County’s top food and craft producers.

QUICK DETAILS

For the itinerary or to book click here.

Take a guided boat tour of Kilkenny in a traditional Irish Open-Boat on the historic river Nore as it flows through the city. Learn of the often unspoken and local history that the river holds. Witness the wildlife that thrive in the urban environment and that have shared the waterways with man for thousands of years. See Kilkenny as both invaders and settlers did, entering the city by boat. Be sure to bring your camera as you'll have the opportunity to capture some very unique views of Kilkenny including a rarely viewed angle of the Castle, as seen from river level.  

The guides are friendly, entertaining and possess a love for the job they do. You'll find the boat trips relaxing, informative and most of all memorable. To get a feel of what to expect, have a look at this fantastic video.

The 30 minute trips in Kilkenny are by group booking only due to Covid 19.

For more information, call Cliff on 00 353 (0)87 2061999.

Ormonde Language Tours offers walking tours of Kilkenny in English, French and German. Each kilkenny walking tour is conducted in one language by John, a history loving native of Kilkenny. John is studying modern languages with the Open University and he has also completed the National Tour Guide training course. John will show you the best of Kilkenny city and you will be amazed by our fascinating history. You can book a tour online and if you request a tour in your language at a different time, just ask.

Kilkenny has many fabulous sights to see. Old ecclesiastical monuments such as St. Canice’s Cathedral, St. Francis and the Black Abbey. Medieval buildings such as Shee Alms house, Kytler’s Inn and Rothe House. Our most well-known building though is Kilkenny Castle, originally built in the 12th century, much of the current building comes from this period and is mixed with a 19th century remodelling. The river Nore flows through the city centre and is crossed by five bridges in the city. After you have finished your walking tour, take a stroll through the castle park. Kilkenny has a vibrant nightlife and also some of the best restaurants in Ireland and boasts having one of Ireland’s 16 Michelin star restaurants. We have plenty of superb casual eateries as well. Kilkenny has a very creative craft scene and many studios can be visited.

Walk through Ireland’s most beautiful city with Ormonde Language Tours and admire the fantastic scenery. Stroll along the river Nore and appreciate the view of the Blackstairs mountains in the distance. Visit Kilkenny’s architectural heritage dating back to the 9th century. Learn about the many important people native to Kilkenny with your guide who is Kilkenny native and speaks French and German. If you are short on time, a walking tour with Ormonde Language Tours is the ideal way to get to know Kilkenny. 

TOUR MEETING POINT

At Hurling Tours Ireland, we provide a unique cultural Irish experience for visitors. Established in the home of hurling, Kilkenny, we give guests an opportunity to fully immerse themselves in Irish culture, by attempting our most ancient sport, hurling. Hurling is a game steeped in tradition and history, played with a passion and intensity that is unmatched in any other sport.

You would be mad to visit Ireland and not try our unique and national sport. You will discover the history of hurling and how in 2023 it is still the fastest field game in the world. This is all done inside  a Hurling team's dressing room in Kilkenny City, giving you that up-close, intense matchday experience. Once you are up-to-date on the basics of the game, we take you on to the 'field of dreams' to try a few skills for yourself. This will be an unforgettable experience that will always be remembered long into the future. We give everyone an opportunity to take a shot at the goalposts, and score like the Kilkenny Cats so often do.

We have had visitors from many different nationalities and backgrounds fall in love with Hurling and the culture it creates in Ireland. Visitors from Canada, USA and Australia even promising to join a GAA Club when they return home, it is never too late to try new things and why not the sport that is at the heart of Irish culture and community.

Our other location is halfway between Kilkenny and the Rock of Cashel in the picturesque village of Freshford. Here customers will receive an exciting and culturally immersive introduction to our native sport before making their way to the local hurling field next door. Check us out on TripAdvisor to see reviews from past visitors.

Visit Kilkenny Union Workhouse, adjacent to Kilkenny Train Station, now beautifully restored as MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre to take this FREE audio visual self-led tour.

Hear the heartbreaking and poignant human stories recorded in local newspaper articles and minute books from the Board of Guardians, a true reflection of the Kilkenny Famine Experience from the perspective of the Workhouse inmates and staff.

When you visit Medieval Kilkenny your Kilkenny experience should be with a local qualified, experienced and knowledgeable guide and historian and Pat Tynan’s Medieval Walking Tour will give that real Kilkenny experience in a city that has become a Medieval Wonderland!!

Daily Kilkenny Medieval Mile Walking Tours, Private Walking Tours can be arranged at a time to suit clients and group Medieval Walking Tours all year.

                                       All Walking Tours to be pre booked. Bookings can be made on www.                                                       kilkennywalkingtours.ie or e-mail Pat at pat@kilkennywalkingtours.ie 

                                       Monday to Sat 11am and 2pm.  Sunday tours book in advance. 

Shenanigans - The Kilkenny City Walk is the fun way to experience historic Kilkenny City, the jewel in the crown of Ireland’s Ancient East. Blending comedy, magic, history, whimsical fun and plenty of Shenanigans our guides will take you on a jolly jaunt tracing Kilkenny City’s fascinating Medieval Mile, regaling you with unique anecdotes, fun facts and a good dollop of irreverent humour, craíc and mischief. Not just a guided tour ... a MIS-guided tour!

The fun, magical, historical & hysterical way to experience Kilkenny’s Medieval Mile.

A visit to Rothe House is high on the list of things to do in the Marble City. 

Rothe House is a unique Tudor merchant’s townhouse, built between 1594 and 1610. The property comprises three houses, three enclosed courtyards and a large garden to the rear. The property is a lot bigger than it looks from the street! To accommodate his growing family, on this long, narrow plot John Rothe Fitzpiers built three houses, one behind the other, with cobbled courtyards in between. To the rear is a half-acre garden that runs all the way back to the City Wall. 

The property is now owned by Kilkenny Archaeological Society and is home to their large collection of artefacts relating to Kilkenny city and county. The garden has been painstakingly reconstructed to reflect the Rothe Family garden and is planted with heritage varieties of vegetables, herbs, flowers and fruit; there are even resident ducks!

The house is open to the public and visitors will have the opportunity to make their way through the houses, courtyards and gardens on a self-guided tour. Full guided tours can also be arranged for groups by contacting reception@rothehouse.com.

OPENING HOURS

Tuesday to Sunday
11am to 6pm

*Last entry at 5.15pm

Kilkenny City Tours' tourist train was established in 2011, as a convenient way for visitors to see all the wonderful sights of Kilkenny city. Since its inception it has since grown to become one of the most sought after things to do in Kilkenny city. Rated as the number 1 Tour it has also been awarded the "Certificate of Excellence" by Tripadvisor.com, which is awarded based on consistently earning great reviews from travellers!

The Kilkenny City Tour is a wonderful way to see all the historical sites and points of interest in Kilkenny city. Departing from Kilkenny Castle you will be taken on a historical and fascinating tour with a full commentary of detailed insights, facts, and folklore of the medieval city.

Book your tickets today https://kilkennycitytours.com/

Kilkenny Cycling Tours offers you the opportunity to visit historical and cultural sites around Kilkenny including Kilkenny Castle, The Kilkenny Design Centre, Shee Alms House, The Tholsel, St. Mary’s Church, Rothe House & Gardens, The Courthouse (Grace’s Castle), St. Francis’ Abbey, The Black Abbey and St. Canice’s Cathedral.

Experience Irish hospitality while having an enjoyable easy-paced cycling around the medieval capital of Ireland with photo opportunities and historical information provided at each destination.

Join us on a fun filled tour of Kilkenny's finest sights. Sit back, relax in comfort and let us bring you to many spectacular buildings and places that Kilkenny has to offer. Hear all about the sights on our fully narrated tour and sing along to many favourite traditional songs and music played onboard. With tight and demanding time schedules on your holiday this is the best way to get your bearings in a place that you haven't seen before.

Starting from Kilkenny Castle we will take you on a 30 minute tour through the streets of Kilkenny, along the way you'll see many historical sights including St. Canices Cathedral, St. Francis Abbey Brewery, The Old Court Houss and many, many more. Meander along the picturesque lanes and streets of Kilkenny and let us take you on a nostalgic journey reminiscent of the gone steam train. View route map here.

Looking to get the family active in outdoor activities – then this is the perfect opportunity for you! Go with The Flow brings you adventurous Canoeing trips in Kilkenny. Our unique experience offers you the chance to explore the beautiful countryside of Kilkenny by taking you into beautiful, unspoilt and exciting waterways. Our charismatic instructors will guide you along exclusive trails and show you how to shoot weirs and ride the rapids. We will pass through dramatic landscapes, mysteries wooded valleys and old navigations once used by the Guinness barges to deliver Ireland’s favourite tipple. Bring a picnic, visit the playground of The Incredible Mr Kavanagh and take a swim in tranquil sheltered waters of our favourite remote pools.