Kilkenny is one of my favorite cities in Ireland! With interesting historical sights by day and lively pubs by night, it’s an ideal place to visit for a few days. The small city center is highly walkable and rewards travelers who take time to explore the narrow medieval lanes. Let’s take a look at some of the best things to do in Kilkenny.
Explore Kilkenny’s Medieval Mile
Kilkenny was an important city during the Medieval era: first as a monastic site and then as a stronghold for the Anglo-Norman conquerors. Today you can see pieces of Kilkenny’s history along a walking trail called the Medieval Mile that runs through the middle of town.
Starting at Kilkenny Castle (see below), you’ll pass old storefronts and narrow stone lanes that follow the medieval layout. Soon you’ll reach a tiny pedestrian street known as the Butterslip, where ye olde dairy merchants used to keep their products cool. Along the rest of the mile you can find old churches, storied pubs, and even a few bits of Kilkenny’s medieval walls. There’s even a Medieval Mile Museum. At the end you’ll reach St. Canice’s Cathedral, the Celtic Christian monastery that put Kilkenny on the map.
Tour Kilkenny Castle
Anchoring one end of the Medieval Mile is the impressive Kilkenny Castle. Though it sits on the site of an Anglo-Norman fortress, the castle is more of a medieval-inspired Victorian palace than an actual military castle. This is great news for lovers of luxurious furnishings, as you’ll find plenty of impressive decor and art inside.
The highlight is the 19th century Picture Gallery with many paintings and a one-of-a-kind painted roof inspired by medieval art. You can just imagine the Butler family and their guests strolling elegantly through the space.
Outside, the castle grounds are a lovely green space perfect for a stroll. Towards the front of the castle you’ll have great views of the River Nore and across town.
You can visit Kilkenny Castle with a guided tour (€12) or a self-guided visit (€8). I went with the guided tour and really enjoyed hearing stories from an in-person guide. Either way, try to book your timed entry a few days in advance to get your preferred time.
Visit Rothe House
To see a home that’s actually from the Middle Ages, check out Rothe House. It was the spacious home of a wealthy merchant family, now a museum that shows what life was like in Kilkenny long ago. An included audio guide on your phone gives a quick explanation of each room.
Rothe House has an interesting collection of paintings, costumes, and other artifacts to check out. My favorite was a blunderbuss gun that supposedly belonged to an infamous highwayman named James Freney. Despite leading a band of robbers, he managed to avoid the authorities and secure a pardon from a nobleman. What a life!
Rothe House also includes a beautiful re-creation the 17th century garden with fruit trees, vegetables, and herbs. Make sure to take a stroll through this lovely green space. Entry to the house and garden is €8.50. You can also join a guided tour offered daily at 11:30 am or 2:30 pm (€10).
Smithwick’s Experience
Kilkenny is the birthplace of the popular Irish beer Smithwick’s. In 1710, John Smithwick established a brewery by an old Franciscan monastery to make his red ale. Flavor-wise it’s a malty ale that’s not quite as dark as Guinness. Today, Smithwick’s also brews a pale ale and a nitro cream ale called Kilkenny.
Though they no longer brew the beers in town, Smithwick’s Experience is well equipped to tell the story of the tasty brew. Your multimedia experience includes holographic monks and Hogwarts-style talking portraits along the way. You’ll learn about the brewing process from grains all the way to the finished product. Best of all, you’ll end the tour with a pint of Smithwick’s!
Tickets to Smithwick’s Experience are €20. Book ahead to get your preferred time. Beer aficionados may also be interested in the Masters of Ale Experience that includes a guided tasting and a souvenir glass (€50).
Crawl through Kilkenny’s pubs
Nothing against the historical sights, but the best thing about Kilkenny might actually be all the pubs! You’ll find dozens of top-notch establishments in the city, including many with an excellent rotation of traditional music. Allow me to take you on a bit of a pub crawl:
We start on St. Kieran’s Street at my favorite pub in Kilkenny: Kyteler’s Inn. It’s an old pub with a medieval vibe and great traditional music. Next we walk uphill to Left Bank, a fancy pub in the building of a former bank. It’s the perfect place to grab a bite to eat and people watch. After that, we head down toward the river and make stops Lanigan’s Bar and/or Tynan’s Bridge House. To close out the evening, we stroll across the river to Matt the Miller’s, another pub known for live music.
Music in pubs
For me, the main objective of going to the pubs is finding great traditional music. There are no cover charges, so you can feel free to pop in and see who’s playing. If you like what you hear, grab a drink at the bar and look for a place to sit or stand. If the pub is crowded and there’s not an obvious place to go, linger by the bar and wait for a place to open up. Singing and clapping along are very much encouraged, just try not to talk loudly over the musicians.
Bike along the River Nore
Kilkenny is an ideal city to explore on a bike. There are paths right along the beautiful River Nore that runs through the middle of town. Just beyond the city center, the path heads into forested areas that feel secluded from the busy streets. You can also connect to a whole network of scenic cycling routes if you’re up for a longer ride.
I don’t do a lot of cycling, so I enlisted the help of Kilkenny Cycling Tours for my 2-wheeled journey. Our guide Jason took us around town to see historic places and hear stories. And he told us all about hurling, a mysterious Irish sport that’s popular in Kilkenny. Kilkenny Cycling Tours also rents bikes, so you can explore the town on your own if that’s more your style.
Visit Kilkenny’s historic churches
Kilkenny has been an important religious center since the 1100’s. Each of these three churches offers a different perspective on the city.
St. Canice’s Cathedral
The oldest church in town is St. Canice’s Cathedral, built in the 1200s. In fact, Kilkenny is named after the church! The name comes from the Irish Cill Chainnigh (meaning “church of Canice”). St. Canice’s Cathedral still looks much as it did centuries ago, including a medieval round tower that you can actually climb. The round tower once functioned as a bell tower and a beacon to lead the faithful to the cathedral.
The Black Abbey
The Black Abbey was also established in the 1200s, though much of the current abbey’s structure is newer. The church gets its name from the Dominican friars that wore long black cloaks. The abbey once stood just outside the city walls, and you can see a fragment of an old city gate across from the church. Inside you’ll find beautiful stained glass windows. There’s also a medieval statue of the trinity that was found hidden in the church walls after hundreds of years.
St. Mary’s Cathedral
St. Mary’s Cathedral is a neo-gothic cathedral built in the mid-19th century. Much like Kilkenny Castle, the cathedral takes inspiration from medieval Norman architecture. It’s an impressive space worth visiting, with intricate stained glass windows and glittering mosaics around the altar.
National Design and Craft Gallery
Across from Kilkenny Castle is a collection of artisan workshops centered around the National Design and Craft Gallery. The gallery is housed in the former castle stables and features the work of outstanding artists from around Ireland. When I visited, the gallery was exhibiting a collection of exceptional quilts. If you don’t think of quilts as fine art, well, you would probably reconsider after seeing these. Admission is free.
After visiting the gallery, make sure to explore the artisan shops around the castle yard. You’ll find jewelers, leatherworkers, ceramic artists, and more. You can shop for locally made souvenirs or just admire their work.
Bonus tip: if you continue further into the castle yard, you’ll reach the lovely Butler Garden.
Tips for Visiting Kilkenny
- Where to stay – Kilkenny is a compact and wonderfully walkable city! Make sure to stay in the city center to make the most of it. There are lots of hotels on the main roads that form a “Y” around Kilkenny Castle (Patrick Street, High Street, and John Street).
- Getting to Kilkenny, Driving Edition – Driving is a great option if you’re touring around Ireland, and that’s how I got there. Kilkenny is an easy 1.5 hr drive from the Dublin airport. Parking along Kilkenny’s winding streets can be a challenge, though. Get advice from you hotel or head for the big Ormonde Street car park.
- Getting to Kilkenny, Train Edition – If you’re coming from Dublin, you can take the train to Kilkenny in about 1 hr. 45 min. Kilkenny’s train station is only about a 10 minute walk from the center of town.
