A Review of Kilkea Castle & Spa + Kilkenny: The Best Medieval Town in Ireland
When planning our April 2025 Sisters trip to Ireland, we knew we wanted to start the trip by renting a car and exploring the countryside and little towns, and end the trip by dropping the car off and spending the weekend in Dublin.
I had a speaking engagement for work at the Druids Glen Conference Center and Hotel (just 45 mins outside of Dublin) on Thursday, and we were also celebrating my sister Mary’s 34th birthday, so that also factored into how we structured our trip.
Landing in Dublin and Driving to Kilkenny
We landed at 7am Dublin time and since we had been able to fly business class and sleep a few hours on the plane, we were ready and ager to get on local time (we scored amazing seats for just 45K points each way by searching Seats.Aero and finding availability on United but booking through Canada Aeroplan - more on our favorite tools to score flight deals in this post) .
We wanted to explore outside of the city but didn’t want to spend all day in the car so we did some research using the Ireland DK eyewitness travel book. We decided we didn’t want to drive more than 2 hours from the airport and landed on going to the cutest medieval town of Kilkenny for the day. This was the most beautiful quaint little Irish town, filled with sightseeing, restaurants, a castle, local shops and of course pubs.
Exploring the Medieval Town of Kilkenny & Visiting Kilkenny Castle
First, we got coffee and croissants at Cakeface bakery. This place was the cutest little cafe in the downtown of Kilkenny, I highly recommend stopping there if you have the chance (and if the weather is good - find a seat in their outdoor patio out back!).
Then we made our way to explore Kilkenny Castle, which was only €8 a person for the self guided tour (Guided tour €12). The self-guided tour started with a quick video overview and they had signage all throughout the castle for you to learn more about the history and what you were seeing. The castle grounds include a park, kids playground area, gardens and an outdoor cafe. The castle was built in the 12th century by Strongbow as a wooden structure, later replaced by a stone castle by William Marshal and served as the seat of the powerful Butler family for centuries.
You can book the tickets ahead of time, but I would say it is most likely not needed, especially if you are going during an “off time”. Inside and outside of the castle was so beautiful. We did get lucky on the most beautiful weather and wanted to take of advantage of that so we did get to explore the area around the castle and they had the cutest outdoor cafe and park on the grounds.
Then we were ready to have some lunch and go shopping. We stopped at Cleere's Bar to have a quick bite (very authentic and filled with locals but wouldn’t necessarily recommend it over any other pub in town) then we walked up and down Parliament Street (the Main Street) and went in some of the cutest clothing, book and jewelry stores. We absolutely could have easily spent 2 days in this town.
Some things we didn’t get to see/do but would recommend in Kilkenny:
Kyteler's Inn - Famous Medieval Inn and Pub with lively music
Left Bank - Formly an actual branch of the Bank Of Ireland and was recently renovated into a Pub
How Family Friendly is Kilkenny and Kilkenny Castle?
The town of Kilkenny is just small enough to be easily walkable and we found it incredibly vibrant and think kids would love it. It’s located right on a river (that you can take a boat tour down!) and there were street musicians playing traditional Irish music, many shops and bakeries, and the Castle is really fun and kid-friendly for exploring!
Kilkea Castle
From Kilkenny, we drove about 40 minutes to Kilkea Castle, which is just about an hour from Dublin and on the most beautiful grounds we’ve ever seen (right outside the castle we were stopped on the road by baby sheep just eating!).
This medieval castle is one of Ireland’s oldest castles, built in 1180 and now renovated into a luxury 140 bedroom resort.
They have everything you could want to do, whether you want to relax with a spa treatment or do something active have never tried like Falconry.
So, is Kilkea Castle worth it? Our TLDR Review: It was THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR TRIP!
Seriously my sister and I both agreed this was one of the coolest things we have ever done. Staying the night in a castle was truly everything you can imagine AND MORE! Our room was in an actual turret that had an old-fashioned key that you actually had to PUT IN A LOCK haha. Plus our view of the grounds was like something out of a movie. We felt like princesses waiting to be rescued.
The grounds around Kilkea Castle are extensive and simply gorgeous and we truly enjoyed just walking around the property exploring. They did such an amazing job renovating this place but also keeping the essence of the beautiful castle - it was like stepping back in time. If this place wasn’t already perfect the staff was simply the cherry on top. They made us feel like we were at home from the moment we pulled in.
Once we made a reservation to stay at Kilkea, we were contacted by the property personally through email to give us some information about the hotel and asked if we wanted to make a reservation for our meals or activities at the property.
It was such special touch to have the hotel staff personally emailing us to explain how things worked. You can feel these personal touches like this from this property from the moment you arrive. They told us they recommended this because only one restaurant was open during the night our stay, so if we wanted a specific time it would be a good idea. With our reservation, our breakfast was included and so we also booked our breakfast time too. We stayed there during the week so it didn't feel overly busy but they do a lot of events so I imagine it might be different during the weekends.
Is Kilkea Castle Kid and Family Friendly?
We stayed at the castle mid-week and the castle was not crowded at all. Of the guests we did see, there weren’t many families with kids (the other guests were mostly couples and business travelers at a conference), however based on the grounds and all the activities offered at Kilkea Castle, I could see my children loving it and wanting to explore. Especially with Abbey Field Farm only 45 minutes away with LOTS of kid friendly activities.
Spa
We visited the spa to have a nice relaxing morning. They have a wide variety of services from facials and massages, to body scrubs and sculpting therapy. We didn’t think to book ahead for a spa service because we were only staying for one night but we ended up using the spa facilities and the thermal suite for €30 per person for an hour access. This included the steam room, sauna, hot and cold showers and this beautiful pool that has hot and cold jets for you to relax in. The whole experience was amazing and we really enjoyed using the facilities.
Food/Dining
We stayed here on a Tuesday night so Hermione's Restaurant at the Clubhouse was the restaurant that we had dinner at. The “fancier” option, which was closed this night, Restaurant 1180 is open Thursday-Sunday. Hermione’s was an amazing experience and we had the best server! The restaurant overlooks part of the golf course and we watched the most gorgeous sunset as we ate dinner. We ordered short rib and a roasted chicken dish. Both were incredible! I would go back for the shirt rib alone! We didn't even tell the server it was my sister’s birthday (i’m assuming it was on our original reservation from booking) and they somehow knew and brought us out an amazing truffle dessert.
Kilkea Castle's Bar, The Keep, located in the ground floor of the Castle near the lobby is the perfect spot to grab a pre or post dinner cocktail. They also have a stunning patio that overlooks the grounds and at sunset you will never take a better photo then right here!
They also offer tea & coffee in the afternoon. Drinks available after 3:00pm. We had a glass of champagne before dinner and came back after dinner because we loved the bartender so much. He made my sister one of the best espresso martinis ever. We chatted with some other guests while enjoying a night cap and it was the perfect ending to our night.
Since our breakfast was included we did go down to enjoy breakfast (but mostly we were there for the coffee). This was served inside of Restaurant 1180. My sister tried the traditional Irish breakfast and I got an egg white omelet and we shared wanting to try both. They also brought us small fruit cups and toast with this amazing fresh jam that was to die for!
Activities
This 180 acre resort has an array of activities to do. No matter what type of getaway you are looking for, this castle has something for everyone on and off the grounds.
On the property:
-Golf
Play on the 18-hole, par 70 championship parkland golf course, measuring 6,200 meters. The course is designed with the River Griese as a natural hazard and includes two lakes, offering a challenging experience with views of the 12th-century castle from every fairway.
-Falconry
Experience the ancient sport of falconry by observing Falcons, Owls, and Hawks in the historic setting of the castle grounds.
-Escape rooms
Engage in immersive escape room experiences with four unique themes: Two Dueling Dungeons, Knights Round Table, and Shackleton's Quest.
A short drive away:
-Clay Pigeon Shooting
-Air Rifle Range
-Equestian
-Archery
-Fishing
-Local Irish Pub
Final Thoughts - Should you visit Kilkenny and Stay at Kilkea Castle in Ireland?
I’m SO GLAD we decided to start our trip to Ireland with a day visiting the town of Kilkenny and a night spent at Kilkea Castle. After a long travel day it was the perfect way to hit the ground running by exploring the town yet also feel pampered and SO relaxed with a day at the spa and a great night’s sleep at the castle.
