Ireland · KILKENNY TOURS

The 15 Kilkenny Tours Worth the Diary Space

26 tours  ·  from $9 a head

Summer dates on the good kilkenny tours are gone by spring. Here are the 15 to lock in early, what each includes and where they genuinely differ.

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny Entrance Ticket - Holograms, living portraits, and a slightly odd surprise
Kilkenny Tours, Tickets, Tour Reviews

Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny Entrance Ticket

1.Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny Entrance Ticket

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

Review of Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny, with tour details, beer tastings, history, value, tips, and who should book this one-hour visit.

“Not to be missed. This tour is a lot more intimate and entertaining than the Guiness tour, which is very crowded and chaotic. Smithwicks is a smaller brewery with an even longer history. Our tour guide was lovely, very welcoming, and informative - and the environment is much more charming.”

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Shenanigans Walks - Guided Walking Tour in Kilkenny - Smithwick’s, Monks, and the Magic of Beer
Guided, Kilkenny Tours, 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

Explore Kilkenny on foot with Shenanigans Walks, a lively 90-minute tour of medieval history, folklore, landmarks, and local stories.

“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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Kilkenny Walking Tour with Local Certified Guide - St John’s Priory and the first medieval clues
Guided, Kilkenny Tours, 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

Explore medieval Kilkenny on a two-hour small-group walk with local guide John, covering castles, cathedrals, abbeys, stories, and useful tips.

“One of the best things about Kilkenny is not the beer, not the castle, but the way the English became Irish because it’s hard not to like them. Not a lot of love from Cromwell though - must of missed this tour.”

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Kilkenny: Guided City Boat Tour with Kilkenny Castle Views - Heading upstream toward Kilkenny’s old landmarks
Castle Tours, City Tours, Cruises & Boat Tours, Guided, Kilkenny Tours, 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

Cruise Kilkenny’s River Nore for castle views, local stories, wildlife, bridges, and medieval landmarks on a relaxed 45-minute tour.

“Cliff was an outstanding guide. It was a very small group of us and we all really enjoyed Cliff’s insight to the history of the area. He helped open our eyes to the natural beauty of the area. We even spotted a King fisher! Very highly recommend this!!!”

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The Medieval Mile Museum Guided Tour - The graveyard adds atmosphere and context
Guided, Kilkenny Tours, 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

Review of Kilkenny’s Medieval Mile Museum tour, with church, graveyard, Black Death stories, archaeology, price, timing, and booking advice.

“John is very knowledgeable and a great storyteller. The artifacts in the museum are so well preserved and interesting.”

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Hurling Tours Ireland - Hurling Experience in Kilkenny - The final shot and small match
Gaelic Games Experiences, Kilkenny Tours, 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 Ireland’s ancient game in Kilkenny with coaching, club history, hurling skills, and a friendly match for all ages.

“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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Walk the Medieval Mile with Pat - Starting at the Tholsel on High Street
Kilkenny Tours, 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

Review of Walk the Medieval Mile with Pat in Kilkenny, covering its storytelling, landmarks, price, pace, practical tips, and who should book.

“Pat was extremely knowledgeable about the history of Kilkenny. While a bit loquacious at times, he made the history come alive.”

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Kilkenny: Historical and Hysterical Guided City Walking Tour - Meeting Nevin Cody at Kilkenny Castle
City Tours, Guided, Historical Tours, Kilkenny Tours, 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

Review of Kilkenny’s 75-minute Historical and Hysterical walking tour, with medieval sights, local stories, comedy, magic, price, and practical tips.

“Great fun! Nevin’s knowledge of his home town and its history was amazing as was his ability to use humour to add that little bit more to this city walk.”

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Kilkenny: Smithwick's Beer Experience - Franciscan monks and the beginning of brewing
Drinking Tours, Food & Drink, Kilkenny Tours, Tour Reviews

Kilkenny: Smithwick’s Beer Experience

11.Smithwick’s Beer Experience

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

Review of Kilkenny’s Smithwick’s Beer Experience, with brewing history, family stories, tastings, price, access, and practical tips.

“it was very interesting on how it is made but we only got 1 pint each for the price we paid should have got another drink for it..”

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Medieval Mile Museum Self Guided Audio Tour - Exploring the Graveyard and Tombstones
Audio Tours, Guided, Kilkenny Tours, 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 Kilkenny’s medieval past at St. Mary’s with an easy audio tour, ancient graveyard, high crosses, crypts, and family-friendly stories.

“Very interesting place and the graveyard stories were to die for !!! Lots of crypts history and beautiful history restoration”

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Knight For Hire Tour - Shee Alms House and the city’s civic past
Kilkenny Tours, 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

Review the Knight For Hire walking tour in Kilkenny, with medieval stories, armor, swords, castle views, pricing, and practical tips.

“Dillon - our tour guide - was fun and knowledgeable. Gave us a good summary of Kilkenny history, plus great information about knights' armor and "tools." Great for an afternoon of wandering and learning. Highly recommend.”

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Kilkenny Dark Tours - Meeting the guide at Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kilkenny Dark Tours

15.Kilkenny Dark Tours

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 55 reviews · from $22

Explore medieval Kilkenny after dark with chilling stories, witch trials, narrow lanes, and local guides on this 75-minute walking tour.

“If there’s one thing you NEED to do while in Kilkenny it’s this tour! This was honestly the best walking tour I’ve ever taken for a city, the whole group was captivated from the moment our guide started. Fantastic storytelling, the most interesting facts and quirks about the city and its medieval history. The guide was a local and a historian and knew her stuff. So great!”

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