geocalia
The former Smithwick's brewery next to St Francis Abbey, in KilkennyLynn F · CC BY 2.0

What to do · Kilkenny

Smithwick's Experience, Kilkenny's brewery

Guided visit · 45 min · from €21 with a pint · 300 years of Kilkenny's red ale in a former abbey

InformationFrom €21 person
From
€21 person
Duration
45 min
Season
All year
Who it's for
Adults; under-18s get a soft drink

Smithwick's red ale has been made in Kilkenny for about three hundred years, and its visitor centre, in the middle of the city, tells the story with a 45-minute guided visit, with projections and a pint at the end (a soft drink for under-18s). It costs from €21. If you like beer, the Masters of Ale, an hour and a quarter, adds a tasting, learning to pour your own pint and an engraved glass as a souvenir, from €50.

With teenagers

Opening hours and prices can change: check them before you go.

Round off the plan

Where to eat, where to stay and what else to do

To eat nearby

The stone interior of Kyteler's Inn© Kyteler's InnInn from 1324 with music every night in season

Kyteler's Inn

Bar · Kilkenny · €€€€

What to order: the Kilkenny pork sausage with Guinness and leek, from the local butcher, or the Irish stew.

In high season, music at 20:00 from Monday to Thursday and at 18:30 and 22:00 from Friday to Sunday
The dining room of Ristorante Rinuccini© RinucciniItalian cooking opposite the castle

Ristorante Rinuccini

Restaurant · Kilkenny · €€€€

What to order: the early evening menu, between 17:00 and 18:00.

Open every day; bookings on its website

To stay nearby

A suite at the Pembroke hotel© Pembroke KilkennyHotel

Pembroke Kilkenny

Four stars · next to the castle · bar and restaurant

Why we like it: Four-star hotel on Patrick Street, two minutes from the castle, with 84 rooms and suites and the Stathams bar-restaurant.

The Kilkenny River Court beside the River Nore© Kilkenny River Court HotelHotel

Kilkenny River Court Hotel

Four stars · beside the river · castle views · free parking

Why we like it: Four-star hotel at John Street bridge, over the Nore, with castle-view rooms, family rooms and free parking.

Butler House and its garden, in Kilkenny© Butler HouseSmall hotel

Butler House

Georgian house · garden with a gate to the castle courtyard · family room · dog room

Dogs welcome

Why we like it: Georgian house on Patrick Street with a walled garden and its own gate to the castle courtyard, with rooms of various sizes, a family room and one that accepts dogs.

Itineraries

Features in these plans