Stay in a castle, not a city, on your first day in Ireland
Castles are cooler than cities
Everyone does the same thing. They land in Dublin Airport and head straight to Dublin City. You're going to do something different. You're going to drive less than an hour and check into a real Irish castle.
You've stayed in a city before, but have you stayed in a castle?Getting lost in a big city when you're exhausted is stressful, getting lost in a castle is fun!
You'll recover from your long flight with tea by the fireplace, a walk through the castle grounds and a candlelit dinner before an early night.
And the next morning, you're already halfway to your next stop. You're not battling morning traffic just to get out of the city.
Don't worry, you're not skipping Dublin. You'll just visit it at the end of your trip.
A short drive after a long night
Because many of you are flying in from the US or Canada and tired after a red-eye flight, these castles are all under an hour's drive.
Driving is different here so don't book your rental car before reading my 10 things to know about renting a car in Ireland.
North or Everywhere Else?
I have two castles for you. Cabra Castle when are heading north on your trip, to places like Belfast, Giant's Causeway, Donegal, Sligo, Mayo.
If you are going anywhere else, south to Cork, southwest to Kerry or west to Galway, then stay in Kilkea Castle.
Kilkea Castle, Kildare
Kilkea Castle is 900 years old. This is the fairytale castle.
It's just an hour to the south of Dublin Airport. It's on the direct road to Kilkenny, Cork, Rock of Cashel. Easy to turn towards Kerry and just a small detour from the Galway road.
"An absolutely beautiful location, like living out a dream. Now we can check staying at a castle off our bucket list. The castle is magical as are the grounds, which include gardens , a stream, and an ancient graveyard. You can’t go wrong choosing to stay at Kilkea and the breakfast is not to be missed!" - A review from Booking.com
To Do
It's more than just a castle, you might end up staying more than one night here! Kilkea Castle has:
- Golf course
- A spa
- Falcons, wolfhounds and archery
- It even has a genealogy specialist.
Dining
Restaurant 1180 is a fine dining experience, perfect to celebrate being in Ireland. Hermione's at the clubhouse is more casual and you can have a drink at The Keep bar.
Your Next Stop
- Rock of Cashel - 1h20
- Rock of Dunamase (on road to Galway) - 30 mins
- Blarney Castle - 2h20
- Killarney - 3h15
🏰 Check availability at Kilkea Castle
Cabra Castle
Cabra Castle is 85km north of Dublin Airport in County Cavan. The castle dates back to the 18th century and is on 100 acres of land.
Knights of armour are in the corridors, there's grand staircases to your room, four poster beds, drawing rooms with ornate paintings and furnishing, turn off your phone and you'll think you're in a different century.
This review from Booking.com tells you everything.
"What can I say about our visit to Cabra Castle, it was truly, truly exceptional and surpassed my wildest dreams. Cabra Castle certainly has the wow factor, set in a beautiful, charming location; just driving down towards the castle was utterly stunning, everywhere you look there is something to see and so many nooks and crannies. e even bumped into the owner who was so nice and he introduced us to the two famous Irish wolfhounds who were just off duty, they were delightful."
You'll be spending your first night in Ireland here so thankful that you're staying in a castle and not a generic city hotel.
To Do
- Nothing. You just arrived in Ireland, relax and take in the castle surroundings.
- Go full period drama and have Afternoon Tea in a castle
- Visit Newgrange tomb. Older than the Pyramids & Stonehenge.
- Walk through Dún na Rí Forest Park right next to Cabra Castle
Dining
The Courtroom restaurant overlooks the gorgeous grounds, but if you prefer something more casual, you can get that in the Derby Bar.
Your Next Stop
- Game of Thrones Studio is 60 minutes away
- Belfast is 90 minutes drive.
- Giant's Causeway, Derry & Donegal are all 2h30 hours.
🏰 Check availability at Cabra Castle
Stay in A Castle in Dublin
If I haven't convinced you, you can stay in the beautiful Clontarf Castle in Dublin. It's just 15 minutes from the city. Then do my Dublin Jet Lag walking tour, which is specifically designed for folks who just landed in Dublin.
