15 Kilkenny Tours & Experiences to Build a Day Around

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny Entrance Ticket - The Hour-Long Guided Tour, from 1200s Monks to Modern Smithwick’s

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 601 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $26Our pick

Step into Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny for an hour of interactive medieval brewing history, then finish with a pint or 3-ale flight.

“Fun and quick tour. Was great to learn about and then task our favourite beers. Our guide was fantastic and charismatic, making jokes and connecting with each of us throughout the tour. He gave us wonderful local hidden gems to hit for food and enjoyed hearing about where each of us was from. Delicious!”

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Guided, Kilkenny Tours & Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours

Shenanigans Walks – Guided Walking Tour in Kilkenny

2.Shenanigans Walks – Guided Walking Tour in Kilkenny

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 485 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $33

A 90-minute small-group Kilkenny walk with Nevin’s witch tales, beer history, medieval spots, and a funny interactive twist.

“This tour was great! Nevin was not only very friendly and personable, but very knowledgeable, informative, and very entertaining. We had a great time.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Kilkenny Tours & Experiences, Tour Reviews

Kilkenny Boat Trip

3.Kilkenny Boat Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 323 reviews · 40 minutes (approx.) · from $18

Kilkenny Boat Trip on River Nore. Small-group stories and photo stops at Kilkenny Castle and St. Canice's, about 40-50 min.

“It was a short ride in the river with historical facts being shared. The boat is open aired so weather could be an issue.”

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Guided, Kilkenny Tours & Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours

Kilkenny Walking Tour with Local Certified Guide

4.Kilkenny Walking Tour with Local Certified Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 274 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $14

Walk medieval Kilkenny with a local guide, hitting top sights and quieter corners in a small group, with flexible departures.

“Walking tour of Kilkenny was Craic! Loved our tour guide, friendly professionals, local guy with a vast knowledge of history.”

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Haunted Ireland Ghost Walks, Kilkenny Tours & Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kilkenny Haunted Dark Tours

5.Kilkenny Haunted Dark Tours

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 221 reviews · 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $22

A 7 pm walking tour from Kilkenny Castle through haunted spots, witch trials, and plague-lane legends. Small group, English, 1h 15m.

“Great knowledge about the history of Kilkenny that we weren’t aware of. Meet up was easy and close to the castle. Weather cooperated and we enjoyed the walk around. Followed up with the next day at the medical mile museum. Reinforced it all very interesting.”

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Castles & Medieval Ireland Visits, City Tours, Cruises & Boat Tours, Guided, Kilkenny Tours & Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kilkenny: Guided City Boat Tour with Kilkenny Castle Views

6.Guided City Boat Tour with Kilkenny Castle Views

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 161 reviews · from $17

A 45-minute guided boat tour on the River Nore in Kilkenny, with big Kilkenny Castle photo moments, local stories, and easy, calm sightseeing.

“The boat trip was very novel and made even better by an excellent host who gave an excellent commentary and background to interesting sites along the journey.”

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Guided, Kilkenny Tours & Experiences, Museums, Tour Reviews, Tours

The Medieval Mile Museum Guided Tour

7.The Medieval Mile Museum Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 155 reviews · 55 minutes to 1 hour (approx.) · from $13

A guided hour at Kilkenny’s St. Mary’s Medieval Mile Museum, with graveyard stories, Black Death history, and time to explore artifacts.

“For such a seemingly small museum, we received a wealth of knowledge from our tour guide Lynn. She was a great guide who was passionate about the history of the museum and the town of Kilkenny in general! She also gave us great recommendations for other places to visit while in town.”

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Gaelic Games & Hurling Experiences, Kilkenny Tours & Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours

Hurling Tours Ireland – Hurling Experience in Kilkenny

8.Hurling Tours Ireland – Hurling Experience in Kilkenny

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 149 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $36

Learn hurling in Kilkenny at O’Loughlin Gaels GAA Club, practice with hurley and sliotar, and get the rules and club-room context.

“Wow! What a spectacular experience. We were traveling through Kilkenny with four generations ages 5-84 and we had a ball learning the basics of Hurling! Our guide was incredibly charismatic and made the hour extremely fun. We highly recommend this experience for families, and really anyone at all!”

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Kilkenny Tours & Experiences, Tour Reviews, Walking Tours

Walk the Medieval Mile with Pat

9.Walk the Medieval Mile with Pat

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 132 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $21

Walk Kilkenny’s Medieval Mile with Pat in costume, seeing castles, cathedrals, pubs, and jails for a story-packed 90-minute loop.

“Very interesting tour of Kilkenny. Pat really gets into the presentation, which enhances the experience. It ran a bit long, but it is definitely worthwhile if in Kilkenny.”

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City Tours, Guided, Historical Tours, Kilkenny Tours & Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours

Kilkenny: Historical and Hysterical Guided City Walking Tour

10.Historical and Hysterical Guided City Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 126 reviews · from $32

Kilkenny Medieval Mile walk with Nevin Cody, Irish magician humor, stops at the castle, abbey, Rothe House, and Kytelers Inn. 75 minutes.

“Nevin was a simply excellent guide!! We learnt so much about Kilkenny and its history, we laughed a lot, and enjoyed every minute of our tour! So if you are in Kilkenny, do yourself a favour and book the Historical Guided City Walking Tour with Nevin!!!🤩 As soon as we come back to Kilkenny, we’ll do the tour all over again. THANK YOU so much! Love, Stephanie & Peter (from Mexico and Germany) We are now part of the SHENANIGANS CLAN!✌️☘️”

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Drinking Tours, Food & Drink, Kilkenny Tours & Experiences, Tour Reviews

Kilkenny: Smithwick’s Beer Experience

11.Smithwick’s Beer Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 108 reviews · from $25

Visit Smithwick’s brewery in Kilkenny for a one-hour beer history tour, hands-on brewing reenactments, and a complimentary pint.

“Chris was an awesome tour guide! He was very knowledgeable and engaging. We appreciated the beer suggestions as well as the intrigue and the recommendations made by the staff for other places to visit.”

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Audio Tours, Guided, Kilkenny Tours & Experiences, Museums, Self-Guided Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Medieval Mile Museum Self Guided Audio Tour

12.Medieval Mile Museum Self Guided Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 91 reviews · 1 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $9Best value

Explore St. Mary’s Medieval Mile Museum in Kilkenny with a self-guided English audio tour, including churchyard tombstones and medieval artifacts.

“Excellent museum with some very interesting artifacts. Staff are great and the self guided tour is highly recommended. Archaeological discoveries are fascinating as is the cemetery. Take soon time to talk to staff about other places to see in Kilkenny. Staff will provide you with many suggestions.”

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Historical Tours, Kilkenny Tours & Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours

Kilkenny: Historical Highlights Walking Tour

13.Historical Highlights Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 90 reviews · from $14

Two-hour medieval Kilkenny walk with licensed guide John, priory, abbey, cathedral, and Kilkenny Castle. Small groups, $14.

“Relaxed, informative 2 hours walking tour, providing an overview of destinations to revisit in more detail subsequently. JB a knowledgeable and engaging guide. Small size of the group added to the experience.”

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Kilkenny Tours & Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours

Knight For Hire Tour

14.Knight For Hire Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 63 reviews · 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $21

Meet a medieval knight for a short walking tour of Kilkenny Castle sights, with armor and sword stories for families.

“We happened to be the only 2 on the tour (mid 40`s) Dylan was a lovely guy, knew the history very well. He must have been boiling in his armour, it was 28 degrees the day we went. Great tour for families, laid back and informative not too much walking. Would highly recommend.”

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