Kilkenny is one of the easiest day trips or first stops from Dublin. The region’s other sights are more scattered: a car is the practical way to link them, and day tours from Dublin are the alternative.
Routes at a glance
| From | By | Time | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin (Heuston) | Train | ≈1 h 30 min | Several a day on the Waterford line to MacDonagh station, 10 minutes’ walk from the castle. |
| Dublin / Dublin Airport | Coach | ≈1 h 30 min–2 h | Direct motorway coaches to the city centre. |
| Dublin | Car | ≈1 h 30 min | M7 then M9; no tolls on this route. |
| Waterford | Train / car | ≈35–45 min | Same rail line; M9 by car. |
| Cork | Car | ≈2 hours | M8 via Cashel, then across country. No direct train. |
| Rosslare Europort | Car | ≈1 h 30 min | Ferries from Wales, France and Spain; via New Ross. |
| Dublin → Glendalough | Car / bus | ≈1 h 15 min | A private bus service runs daily from Dublin; otherwise day tours. |
| Dublin → Newgrange | Car | ≈45 min | M1 to Drogheda/Donore. By public transport, train or bus to Drogheda then a local bus or taxi. |
Times are typical and fares change — check current timetables and prices before you travel.
Arriving in Kilkenny
The railway station is a ten-minute walk from the centre, across John’s Bridge. Coaches stop on Ormonde Road, near the castle. Drivers should use the car parks on the edge of the medieval core — the lanes inside are narrow and largely one-way — and then walk; nothing is more than 15 minutes away.
Linking the sights by car
- Dublin → Glendalough → Kilkenny: about 3 hours’ driving in all, over the Wicklow Gap and down through Carlow. A classic first day out of Dublin.
- Kilkenny → Cashel: about 1 hour west on regional roads; from Cashel the M8 continues to Cork (1 hour).
- Kilkenny → Waterford: 45 minutes on the M9.
- Newgrange is north of Dublin: visit on arrival or departure day, or as a tour from the city.
Without a car
Kilkenny and Waterford are on the same railway line from Dublin and make an easy two-centre trip. Cashel has buses from Dublin and Cork but none convenient from Kilkenny. For Glendalough and Newgrange, the day tours from Dublin are far simpler than public buses.
Getting around locally
Kilkenny is entirely walkable. Bikes can be hired for the riverside paths along the Nore, and taxis wait at the station and on High Street.
