Dublin to Kilkenny Castle and House Of Waterford Crystal Day Tour
Description
See the picturesque cities of Ireland’s scenic southeast on a full-day rail tour from Dublin to Kilkenny and Waterford Crystal. Accompanied by a guide, travel by train to Kilkenny, an artsy and attractive city. Take a guided tour around its medieval streets and enjoy some free time before moving on to Waterford City. Tour the esteemed Waterford Crystal factory, which is responsible for producing many dazzling objects of beauty, including the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball. End your tour with a scenic rail route back through the Suir Valley.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We arrive in Kilkenny at 09:00 – known as the Marble City and situated on the river Nore. Kilkenny is a beautiful small Irish city. Most buildings are built of black limestone, thus the name the Marble City. Kilkenny is dominated by its castle, the front gate of which is our meeting point (or as directed by your host). There are several nice pubs that serve food: 'Paris Texas' on High Street and 'Langton’s' on John Street Lower both have a nice atmosphere and do great food. Further up High Street is the Church of Ireland Cathedral of St Canice. This beautiful cathedral dates from the 13th century and, after the reformation in 1539, became Anglican. It is well worth a visit (even if it is closed) for photographs, etc.
From Kilkenny, the tour continues to Waterford – a Viking city on the banks of the River Suir (pronounced shure). A visit to the new Waterford Crystal Visitor Centre is included in your tour, where you will see craftsmen engaged in the traditional tasks of blowing and cutting the world-famous crystal glass.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Check in at 7:00AM! Train departs at 7:20am & it does not wait. Our yellow check-in stand is located close to the Customer Service Desk at Heuston Station where our representative will be waiting for you in their BRIGHT yellow jacket!
- WHEELCHAIR POLICY: Our tours are a combination of train and luxury coach and include a moderate level of physical activity, such as short walks to meeting points etc. Unfortunately even the most modern luxury coaches (buses) are not wheelchair friendly, thus our tours are not suitable for those with mobility issues, and regretfully walkers, wheelchairs and mobility scooters cannot be accommodated on our tours.
- Children U16 cannot book independently. They must be accompanied by a parent/guardian at all times.
Reviews(182)
Enjoy a scenic train ride to Kilkenny where a waking tour will take you through the winding streets to the castle. The hilarious street train driver will entertain you as you drive around town some more. Hop back on the train to Waterford. Enjoy a wonderful lunch at a local restaurant (cost not included). The tour of the crystal factory is so in-depth, you’ll feel like you’re cutting the glass yourself. Don’t be fooled by the official description. This tour has much more to offer than what Viator describes. There is quite a bit of walking. There is a tour leader with you the entire time
Excellent tour but it was regimented because of the constraints of the train schedules and the time for our Waterford Crystal factory tour. Our tour guide was excellent as we took a walking tour of Kilkenny as he pointed out the important sights of the city and telling us about them. We ate lunch in Kilkenny and toured the grounds of Kilkenny Castle. For those of us who wanted to do a self guided tour inside the castle we did so. It was only 6 euro per person. The inside is definitely worth seeing because it has been renovated. After that we did a short walk back to the train station to go to the city of Waterford and to tour the Waterford Crystal Factory. After we got off the train in Waterford we got on a road train that traveled through the neighborhoods of Waterford, a very cute city!. The only shopping we had time to do was at the crystal factory. I highly recommend this tour!
This was a wonderful day trip to Kilkenny and Waterford Crystal. Patty our tour guide took very good care of us. Sites were timed perfectly, lunch in the pub was good. Loved traveling by train. Can't say enough good about Patty he even put us in a cab back to our hotel. Wonderful person!!!
It was not fast paced, so ok for kids. Restaurant was fine for some of the folks, but not for everyone. They did have gluten free bread.
Private car tour of Kilkenny just Factory Waterford no Castle tour Kilkenny disappointed!!!
Hi there, Thanks for your 3-star review. We do not advertise anywhere that this tour includes a tour of Kilkenny Castle - and the tour operated exactly as advertised. And nowhere do we advertise a 'private car tour' of Kilkenny. All the best, The Railtours Ireland Team
Our group of 3 were the only participants on this tour so we had a guide, Paddy, all to ourselves. Paddy was knowledgeable of the towns we visited and kept us on schedule. He was helpful and went above and beyond to make our experience feel “first class.” Kilkenny Castle and the town was lovely and definitely worth a visit. We visited during the off season to avoid the crowds. Highly recommend this tour company if you are looking for train travel and a private guide.
Dear Keisha, Thank you very much for your fantastic review. We are so glad to hear you enjoyed our Kilkenny City & Waterford Crystal Day tour! Your kind words about Paddy are very much appreciated and we will pass them on. We hope we have the pleasure of welcoming you back on tour with us on your next trip to Ireland! Kind regards, The Railtours Ireland Team
Great tour, no doubt. Paddy, our guide went above and beyond to help my wife and I see some extra things outside of the scheduled tour. We were treated like VIPs the entire time and saw some amazing things. Highly recommend!
Dear Austin, Thank you for your lovely review. We are very glad to hear Paddy elevated your experience on tour and that you and your party felt well looked after. Thanks again and see you soon! Kind regards, The Railtours Ireland Team
We finally made it to the one place that my wife has always wanted to visit and that was to the Waterford Crystal Factory. A beautiful place and was worth it. Kilkenny Castle seemed like an afterthought but was just beautiful; but seeing the Waterford factory caped off a beautiful place to visit. Finally.
Dear Compass815871, Thank you for your lovely review! we are delighted to hear you enjoyed our Waterford Crystal & Kilkenny City Day tour. We hope we have the pleasure of welcoming you back on tour with us soon. Kind regards, The Railtours Ireland Team
Our guide was fantastic! On the train before each stop we were given a review of the itinerary. In Kilkenny, he made sure taxi rides were availavle to and from the castle for anyone having difficulty with the 15 minute walk. He helped my mother who ended up needing a taxi on the way back and we appreciated it so much. On the train on the way back to Dublin our guide confirmed each group had a transfer plan back to their accomodations and was available to help if needed. Not only did we receive bits of history from our guide along the way but we also felt well looked after during the excursion. Highly recommend.
Dear Bahn, Thank you very much for your kind review! We are delighted you enjoyed our Waterford Crystal & Kilkenny City Day tour! Your kind words about the tour and our host are very much appreciated and will be passed on. We hope we have the pleasure of welcoming you back on tour with us soon! Kind regards, The Railtours Ireland Team
It’s a plus that this tour is by train rather than motorcoach, except for a very small portion. The guide for the city tour of Kilkenny was hilarious and very amusing. Our general guide was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, but not pushy or annoying in any way. Fun experience!
Dear Ann, Thank you for your lovely review. We are so glad to hear you enjoyed our Waterford Crystal & Kilkenny tour and that you particularly enjoyed the train element! We hope to welcome you back on tour with us on your next trip to Ireland. Kind regards, The Railtours Ireland Team
