Spending a Day in Kilkenny: Ireland’s Medieval City

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Kilkenny is a pretty medieval town in southeast Ireland known for its castle and old town. It’s perfect for a quick visit to explore one of Ireland’s most charming small cities.

If you’re planning a trip to Kilkenny, I’ve got everything you need to know to visit Kilkenny. Whether you are spending 1 or 2 days in Kilkenny, you are sure to enjoy this beautiful town.

The Medieval Mile that runs between the Castle and the 13th-century St. Canice’s Cathedral is a highlight of Kilkenny. You can visit it as a day trip as Kilkenny is close to Dublin, but it’s also worth staying for a night to explore what this town offers.

Getting to Kilkenny

By Car Kilkenny is easy to reach from Dublin, it’s under an hour and a half drive. From Cork to Kilkenny is slightly longer, it’s just under 2 hours of driving. You could reasonably do it as a day trip if you don’t want to switch accommodations. From Galway to Kilkenny is about 2.5 hours so it’s a bit too far for a day trip.
By Bus I used the bus to get from Cork to Kilkenny and then Kilkenny to Dublin. I found it easy to navigate. With buses, I try to check in at Tourist Information offices to ensure that the bus stop is where I expect it to be so I don’t wait in an Irish rainstorm in the wrong spot. You can check out bus timetables here.
By Train While there are trains between Cork and Kilkenny, they can take longer than buses. Trains between Dublin and Kilkenny are about 1.5 hours so they are a reasonable alternative to buses. Galway is about 3.5 hours by train to Kilkenny. You can check train timetables here.

Where to Stay in Kilkenny

Kilkenny is quite a small area but I would try and stay within walking distance of High street and the Medieval Mile so you are close to restaurants and sights.

Celtic House B&B– I stayed here and would highly recommend it. Located right on the Nore River, this B&B is in the perfect location and a good price. Great-sized rooms and yummy breakfast.

Butler House– Located near the castle, this is a great option for Kilkenny. Huge rooms with fantastic reviews.

What to Do in Kilkenny

Kilkenny is a fairly compact city and easy to explore all the main sights in one day. It’s worth it to visit and stay overnight but if you don’t have time you can visit Kilkenny as a day trip from Dublin or drive independently.

While Kilkenny isn’t on every itinerary to Ireland, I enjoyed the contrast between this town and the other places I visited in Ireland.

Although there is plenty of things to do in Kilkenny, a visit to this city is more than just checking off things to do. Kilkenny has a different pace than other cities in Ireland. Even though it is a popular day trip option, if you stay here, there aren’t too many other tourists.

Kilkenny has small-town vibes. I loved how you saw a little slice of regular people’s lives here. While visiting Kilkenny Castle, I could look out to the field behind it and see a hurler competition among high schoolers. It just has a little bit more reality than some other tourist hotspots in Ireland.

Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny Castle sits above the Nore River at one end of the Medieval Mile and is a great starting place. There has been a castle sitting here for 800 years. While it is mostly a Victorian remodelling, it is interesting to explore the castle grounds and tour the interior. It’s quite different than Blarney Castle near Cork as this castle is furnished.

Kilkenny Castle was actually lived in until the 1930s by the Butler family who abandoned it and sold it back to Kilkenny in 1967. It sits on an important strategic site and was an Anglo-Norman stronghold when it was originally built in the thirteenth century.

It’s also a really cute place to have tea and cake as there is a nice cafe in the castle worth stopping by.

Wander Down the Medieval Mile

After exploring the castle, wander down the main street, known as the Medieval Mile. There are plenty of cute shops here including lots of antique shops. This street connects Kilkenny Castle with St.Canice’s Cathedral at the end. Along the Medieval Mile, there are a lot of medieval lanes to explore if you have the time. There is also the St. Mary’s Medieval Mile Museum to learn about the history of the town.

Saint Mary’s Roman Catholic Cathedral

A small detour off of the Medieval Mile will get you to this magnificent cathedral. Unlike a lot of other sights in Kilkenny, this cathedral is quite a bit newer. It was completed in 1857 and is a beautiful building to explore.

The Black Abbey

The Black Abbey gets its name not from the colour of the stone, but from being founded by the Black Friars of the Dominican Order. It was established in 1225 and has operated for most of the time since then.

It’s worth taking a quick stop by to check out the enormous stained glass rosary window. It isn’t on the main Medieval Mile, you have to take a small detour down Abbey Street to see it.

St. Canice’s Cathedral

Located at the end of the Medieval Mile of Kilkenny, St. Canice’s Cathedral is one of the must do things in Kilkenny. The building that there dates from the 13th century but sits on the site of a 6th-century Celtic-Catholic monastery. Kilkenny actually gets its name from St. Canice’s. Kilkenny comes from the anglicized Irish Cill Chainnigh, which means Church of Canice.

Next to the church is a tower that dates to the 9th century. It’s one of the only medieval round towers in Ireland that you can climb to the top of, unlike the round tower at Glendalough. From the top of this 33 m (100 ft) tower you can get excellent views of the city and surroundings.

St. Canice’s was easily my favourite place to visit in Kilkenny. It’s beautiful and humbling to be around architecture that is so old.

Walk ALong the Nore River

Kilkenny is bisected by the Nore River and there is a lovely trail that runs alongside it. Not only do you get beautiful views of the city and castle from the river trail, it’s also peaceful. There’s something so serene about wandering next to the river and watching swans with the medieval backdrop of Kilkenny.

Walking along the Nore River also gives great views of St. Francis Abbey, now ruins but founded in 1231.

Explore the Dark History of Kilkenny

If you’re interested in dark history, Kilkenny has the distinction of being the first place in Ireland where someone was condemned for witchcraft. There’s enough dark history here that you can join a haunted tour of Kilkenny.

Lady Alice Kyteler was condemned for witchcraft in 1325 and fled shortly after. Although she escaped abroad, her servant Petronilla of Meath wasn’t as lucky and was tortured into a confession and burned at the stake.

You can visit Kyteler’s Inn in Kilkenny, originally owned by Alice Kyteler. This pub has traditional Irish music, food, and even a whiskey-tasting experience if you want to drink whiskey in the cellar of a witch.

Try Your Hand at Hurling

I had no idea that hurling existed before visiting Kilkenny. It’s one of Ireland’s national sports and Kilkenny is known for it. Hurling is older than Ireland’s written record and is thought to have originated with the Celts. In other words, it’s an extremely Irish sport. If you want to experience hurling, you can check out this hurling experience to try it out.

Two Days in Kilkenny

With a second day in Kilkenny, you will have some time to explore nearby sights. It’s not easy to navigate the rural areas outside of Kilkenny without a car, so you will need a rental car to explore outside of Kilkenny.

Glendalough and Wicklow Mountains

Glendalough is 1.5 hours of driving from Kilkenny so you can easily do a day trip to explore it. If you are looking to do some hiking, Glendalough is the perfect location. There are multiple hikes around the lake and up the mountains here.

You can likely fit in a drive around the Wicklow Mountains as well and see some of the scenery. You can see my full guide to the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough here.

Rock of Cashel

The Rock of Cashel is just an hour’s drive from Kilkenny. It’s worth a visit to see this spectacular castle that sits atop of a rock outcrop. While there make sure to visit Cormac’s Chapel which has 800 year frescoes.

Spending One Day in Ireland’s Medieval City: Kilkenny

Kilkenny made for the perfect short destination in Ireland. It’s close to Dublin and Cork so getting here is easy. This medieval city has a different vibe to it than other cities in Ireland like Killarney or Galway. Kilkenny has a unique feeling to it culturally that makes it well worth a visit.

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