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Private Two-Day Tour: Dublin To Kilkenny & Waterford
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From €995 per person
Kilkenny and Waterford are two of Ireland’s finest cities, and they couldn’t be more different from each other. Kilkenny is a medieval city with a grand Norman castle, winding cobbled streets and a craft scene that draws artists from across the country. Waterford is older still, founded by Vikings in 914 AD, and it wears its history with a quiet confidence that rewards anyone willing to slow down and look properly.
This private two-day tour gives you both. Your driver-guide collects you from your Dublin hotel and takes the scenic route south, setting the pace to suit you. In Kilkenny you have proper time to explore the castle grounds, walk the Medieval Mile and duck into one of the craft studios the city is known for. The following day, Waterford opens up its Viking past through an excellent medieval museum and a cultural quarter that buzzes with galleries, restaurants and live music.
The vehicle and driver-guide are both fully licensed by the Irish Government Transport Authority. Experience tickets covering major attractions are included in the price. This is the kind of tour where you can linger over a coffee in a centuries-old laneway without anyone hurrying you along.
Up to 6 travellers with standard luggage, or 4 with golf bags.
In Kilkenny, walk the Medieval Mile rather than driving it. The whole city is about fifteen minutes end to end on foot, and the medieval lanes and alleyways only reveal themselves at walking pace. From Kilkenny Castle to St Canice’s Cathedral is roughly 1.5 km, with Rothe House, the Black Abbey and the Butter Slip lane all sitting on the route. If you want to climb the round tower at the cathedral, bring your nerve: it’s 100 steps on a 9th-century spiral staircase and the view across the slate rooftops is worth every one of them.
For dinner in Kilkenny, book ahead. The city punches well above its size for restaurants. Campagne at Gas House Lane holds a Michelin star and runs a French-technique, Irish-ingredient menu that you’ll need to plan for - two weeks out for a weekend evening is not excessive. If you’d rather something more relaxed, Foodworks on Parliament Street does a sharper dinner than the room suggests and doesn’t need a reservation on quieter nights. For a pint after dinner, John Cleere’s on Parliament Street runs a reliable trad session on Mondays, and The Hole in the Wall off High Street is worth finding on a Friday or Saturday.
In Waterford, build your first morning around the Viking Triangle. Reginald’s Tower, the Medieval Museum and the Bishop’s Palace are within a hundred paces of each other, and any one of them rewards a proper hour. The Bishop’s Palace holds the oldest piece of Waterford Crystal in existence - worth the museum ticket if you’re skipping the paid factory tour. Before you leave the area, find a Waterford blaa: Walsh’s or Hickey’s bakery do the real version, a soft white roll dusted in flour with Protected Geographical Indication status since 2013. Eat it warm.
For an evening in Waterford, the Reg on the Mall is hard to argue with. Five bars built around a 900-year-old stretch of city wall, right beside Reginald’s Tower, with live trad and folk most nights from 9pm. The rooftop is the move in summer. If you want something quieter, Henry Downes on Mary Street has been blending its own No. 9 whiskey since 1797, and the multi-roomed interior still surprises people who wander in for the first time.
On the drive back to Dublin, ask your driver about stopping in Thomastown or Jerpoint Abbey. Jerpoint is one of Ireland’s finest Cistercian ruins, and it’s directly on the route north from Waterford. The carved cloister arcade is unlike anything else in the country. It adds maybe 45 minutes to the journey and is exactly the kind of stop this flexible itinerary is designed for.