Irish National Stud and Japanese GardensTully is still a working thoroughbred farm, and the Japanese gardens beside it were laid out between 1906 and 1910.
Cill Dara
Kildare
Horse country on the Curragh, with canals, forest parks and Georgian houses.
- Leinster
- 20 places
- 2 events in the next 30 days
- 21 more listings
The list
Top 10 things to do in Kildare
Kildare is flat, fast and closer to Dublin than people expect. The Curragh and the National Stud are what the county is known for, and the rest of this list is round towers, high crosses, forest parks and canal towpaths.
Irish National Stud and Japanese GardensTully is still a working thoroughbred farm, and the Japanese gardens beside it were laid out between 1906 and 1910.
Castletown House and ParklandsIreland's first Palladian country house went up from 1722 at Celbridge, with parkland running down to the Liffey behind it.
St Brigid's Cathedral and Round TowerThe 13th century cathedral stands on the town square, and in season the round tower beside it can be climbed, by ladder, for the view out over the plain. Ask in the cathedral first.
The CurraghPark · NewbridgeTwo thousand hectares of unfenced grass between Newbridge and Kildare town, grazed by sheep and worked every morning by racehorses.
Donadea Forest ParkForest · ClaneNear Clane, forest laid out around the ruins of Donadea Castle, with a lake, a walled garden and a 9/11 memorial inside it.
Maynooth CastleCastle · MaynoothKeep and gatehouse of the Fitzgerald stronghold, standing at the top of Maynooth main street beside the university gates.
Moone High CrossMonastic site · MooneSeventeen feet of granite high cross under a roofed shelter at Moone, carved with fifty-one scriptural panels.
Castledermot Round TowerMonastic site · CastledermotThe round tower here is built onto the church itself, and the graveyard around it holds two granite high crosses and a Romanesque doorway.
Castledermot Franciscan FriaryRuin · CastledermotThe nave, the tower and the transept of this 13th century friary are all still standing, on the edge of the village.
Taghadoe Round Tower and ChurchMonastic site · MaynoothThe round tower lost its cap. It stands with a ruined church in flat farmland a few kilometres south of Maynooth, off the Straffan road.
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Old Kilcullen Round TowerMonastic site · KilcullenOn the hill above Kilcullen, inside an old graveyard, the stump of a round tower and two high cross shafts.
Royal Canal GreenwayGreenway · MaynoothFlat the whole way, running through Leixlip, Maynooth and Kilcock on its way west.
Barrow WayWalk · AthyThe towpath follows the Barrow south from Lowtown, through Athy and on into Carlow.- Lullymore Heritage and Discovery ParkPark · RathanganOut on a mineral island in the Bog of Allen, with a peat heritage display, woodland trails and a boardwalk over the bog.
- Burtown House and GardensHouse and gardens · AthyThe early 18th century farmhouse near Athy has walled kitchen gardens, a wildflower meadow and a sculpture walk.
- Newbridge Silverware Visitor CentreMuseum · NewbridgeThe silverware factory in Newbridge runs a tour of the floor, and the Museum of Style Icons is attached to it.
- The Shackleton ExperienceMuseum · AthyAthy's 1740s town hall on Emily Square reopened in 2025 as a museum on Ernest Shackleton, who was born at Kilkea a few miles away.
- Kildare Town Heritage CentreMuseum · Kildare townSt Brigid and the town itself, told in the old market house on the square.
AthyTown · Co. KildareWhere the Barrow meets the Grand Canal. White's Castle guards the bridge and the 1740s town hall stands on Emily Square.
Kildare townTown · Co. KildareKildare town sits on the edge of the Curragh, with the round tower standing over the square and the National Stud a few minutes out the road.
Where they are
Tap a pin to open the place.
12 of the 20 places are on the map. The rest are listed above.
in Kildare today
What’s on in Kildare
Coming up, soonest first.
Saturday 14th November
Towns
Towns with enough in and around them for a page of their own.
More to see in Kildare
21 more places from Fáilte Ireland’s own listings, linked to their own sites where they have one.
Castles and houses3
- Coolcarrigan HouseNaas
- Harristown HouseBrannockstown
- Kilteel CastleKilteel
Abbeys and churches2
- St Mary's Church LeixlipLeixlip
- Moore Abbey WoodMonasterevin
Ancient sites1
- Bodenstown GraveyardSallins
Gardens and parks4
- Coolcarrigan House GardensNaas
- Johnstown Garden CentreNaas
- Lodge Park Walled GardenStraffan
- Pollardstown FenNewbridge
Museums8
Other places3
- Clonfert FarmClonfert
- Irish Working SheepdogsCo. Kildare
- Punchestown Standing StoneNaas
Music in Kildare
Trad sessions, venues and festivals.
Where to hear it
Sessions come and go: check with the pub before you travel.
Where to stay in Kildare
21 places on Fáilte Ireland’s register of approved accommodation: the four and five star hotels and guest houses, plus historic houses.
- The K Club5-star hotel
- Carton House, A Fairmont Managed Hotel5-star hotel · Maynooth
- Clanard Court Hotel4-star hotel · Athy
- Kilkea Castle4-star hotel · Castledermot
- The Westgrove Hotel4-star hotel · Clane
- voco The Club4-star hotel · Kill
- Court Yard Hotel4-star hotel · Leixlip
- Springfield Hotel4-star hotel · Leixlip
- Glenroyal Hotel4-star hotel · Maynooth
- Moyvalley Hotel4-star hotel · Moyvalley
- Killashee Hotel4-star hotel · Naas
- Lawlor's of Naas4-star hotel · Naas
- Osprey Hotel & Spa4-star hotel · Naas
- The Keadeen Hotel4-star hotel · Newbridge
- Barberstown Castle4-star hotel · Straffan
- Martinstown HouseHistoric house · Curragh
- Cliff at Lyons4-star guest house · Celbridge
- Ballindrum Farm4-star B&B · Athy
- Castleview Farm4-star B&B · Kildare
- Cloncarlin House4-star B&B · Monasterevin
- Greese View House4-star B&B · Moone
Where to eat and drink in Kildare
24 restaurants, pubs and cafés listed with Fáilte Ireland. A list of who registered, not a ranking, linked to their own sites where they have one.
- Silken ThomasRestaurant
- The Green Barn at Burtown House and GardensRestaurant · Athy
- The Ballymore InnRestaurant · Ballymore Eustace
- Michelangelo RestaurantRestaurant · Celbridge
- Bailey's Bar & Bistro at Clanard Court HotelRestaurant · Gallowshill
- Fallon's Bar & RestaurantRestaurant · Kilcullen
- Wright & SonsRestaurant · Kildare
- The Dew Drop GastropubRestaurant · Kill
- Arthur's Bar at the Court Yard HotelPub · Leixlip
- Da Vinci's Italian Restaurant & BarRestaurant · Leixlip
- Patrick's Bar and Carvery at the Springfield Hotel LeixlipPub · Leixlip
- SteakHouse 1756 at the Court Yard HotelRestaurant · Leixlip
- Avenue Café, Restaurant & BarRestaurant · Maynooth
- ELY Wine StoreRestaurant · Maynooth
- PicaderosRestaurant · Maynooth
- Hanged Man's Pub & RestaurantPub · MilltownFacebook page
- Furey's Bar & RestaurantRestaurant · MoyvalleyFacebook page
- Bistro Restaurant at Lawlor's of NaasRestaurant · Naas
- Johnstown Garden CentreCafé · Naas
- Neighbourhood NaasRestaurant · Naas
- Oak & Anvil at the Killashee HotelRestaurant · Naas
- The Pippin Tree Restaurant at Killashee HotelRestaurant · Naas
- Judge Roy BeansPub · Newbridge
- Railway InnPub · Sallins
Getting to Kildare
- By air
- Dublin Airport
- By rail
- Stations at Kildare, Newbridge, Athy, Maynooth and Sallins, on the Dublin commuter lines and the main lines to Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford.
- By road
- The M7, M4 and M9.
Questions
What are the best things to do in Kildare?
Our top three are Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens, Castletown House and Parklands and St Brigid's Cathedral and Round Tower. The full list of twenty is at the top of this page, and every place on it has a page of its own.
What can you do in Kildare for free?
Walks and open ground cost nothing to visit. On our list that includes The Curragh, Donadea Forest Park, Royal Canal Greenway and Barrow Way. Some forest parks charge for the car park, so check parking and access with the place before you go.
What is on in Kildare?
There are 2 events listed in Kildare over the months ahead. See them all.
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