Kilkenny City
Kilkenny keeps its medieval core tight enough to walk in an hour: castle, cathedral and the lanes between them, above the River Nore. Give it a day and a night. The pubs are half the point.
County Kilkenny
A medieval city with its castle, cathedral and lanes intact, and hurling in its blood. Beyond it the Nore and Barrow valleys settle into villages and abbey ruins.
County Kilkenny facts
- Province: Leinster
- County town: Kilkenny
- Setting: Inland
- Touring region: Ireland's Ancient East
- Best for: castles, history, cities, food, family
- Places in the planner: 5
One of Ireland's best-preserved medieval cities sits at this county's centre, and everything else arranges itself around it. Kilkenny City's castle, cathedral and lanes, the Medieval Mile linking them, tell the story of a powerful Norman town, while its craft shops, breweries and festivals give it a lively present.
Beyond the city, the county settles into the Nore and Barrow river valleys, with pretty villages like Inistioge and Graiguenamanagh, the wooded estate at Woodstock, and Jerpoint Abbey among Ireland's finest Cistercian ruins. Kilkenny is also synonymous with hurling, and match days bring the whole county into the city. The city is compact enough to see entirely on foot, and an evening here, with its restaurants, traditional pubs and often a festival, match or arts event, is as much a part of the Kilkenny experience as the castle and cathedral by day.
Top sights in Kilkenny
Kilkenny Castle
A Norman castle rebuilt over centuries, set in parkland above the River Nore.
The Medieval Mile
A discovery trail linking the castle, cathedral, museums and lanes of the old city.
St Canice's Cathedral and Round Tower
A medieval cathedral with a climbable round tower and views over the city.
Jerpoint Abbey
Extensive Cistercian ruins near Thomastown, known for their carved cloister.
Woodstock Gardens, Inistioge
Victorian gardens and arboretum above a picturesque Nore valley village.
Towns & cities in Kilkenny
Thomastown
Nore valley town near Jerpoint Abbey, with craft workshops.
Inistioge
Village of film fame on the River Nore beneath Woodstock Gardens.
Callan
Historic market town in the west of the county.
Best time to visit
Kilkenny is a year-round city break. Summer adds festivals and garden colour, while spring and autumn suit river-valley villages and walks.
Getting there
Kilkenny City is about ninety minutes southwest of Dublin by motorway and rail. Waterford and its airport links are also within easy reach to the south.
Places for your trip
- Kilkenny City: Kilkenny keeps its medieval core tight enough to walk in an hour: castle, cathedral and the lanes between them, above the River Nore. Give it a day and a night. The pubs are half the point.
- Kilkenny Castle: The Butlers held this castle for centuries from its 12th-century founding, and the city grew in its shadow. Kilkenny Castle stands above the River Nore.
- Jerpoint Abbey: Jerpoint Abbey near Thomastown is a ruined 12th-century Cistercian abbey known for its carved cloister pillars.
- St Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny: St Canice's Cathedral in Kilkenny is a medieval cathedral with a round tower that visitors can climb.
- Dunmore Cave: Dunmore Cave near Kilkenny is a limestone show cave mentioned in early Irish annals.
What's on
Kilkenny Arts Festival
6–15 Aug 2027 (dates to be confirmed) · Kilkenny City
Ten August days of music, theatre and visual art in Kilkenny's medieval streets, churches and castle grounds.
What we would choose ourselves
Glendalough, County Wicklow
Day trips from Dublin
Kilkenny, Wicklow and Glendalough Sheepdog Trials from Dublin (Wild Rover Tours)
If you have one day to get out of Dublin, this is the day we would spend. The coach leaves the city for Kilkenny first, with a guided walk through the medieval streets and free time around the castle grounds. Then it is up into the Wicklow Mountains, past the Wicklow Gap, to Glendalough and its 6th century monastic settlement between the two lakes. The finish is a working sheep farm, where border collies move a flock on whistle commands. Ten hours, free cancellation, from US$49.15 a head, rated 4.9 from more than 8,700 reviews, and the farm stop is the part people write home about.
Best for: First-time visitors with one spare day in Dublin. It is a full ten hours with an early start, and the walking takes in old town streets and uneven monastic ground, so it is not the pick for a slow morning or for limited mobility.
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Nearby counties
County Carlow
A quiet county along the River Barrow, with dolmens in the fields, good gardens and the Blackstairs Mountains for walking. Market towns keep the pace slow.
County Laois
The Slieve Bloom Mountains are among Ireland's quietest walking hills, and the county below them keeps a slow midlands pace: Dunamase's rock, Emo Court and heritage towns.
County Waterford
Ireland's oldest city holds the Viking Triangle, and the county opens out behind it: the Copper Coast, the Comeraghs and the Greenway to Dungarvan.
Part of Ireland's Ancient East.