King John's Castle
King John's Castle things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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I recommend you visit off peak times and leave yourself plenty of time to get the full experience. 3 hours goes by very fast. We were here yesterday. Since I was a child I have been to the castle many times. It doesn't matter what weather you get it is outstanding. The highlight of any visit to Limerick City. The start of the tour is a lot of information and models of how the castle looked. Very educational and interactive. Once you go through the foundations you enter the main courtyard of what's left of the castle. There is shelter with trained reenactors. They are extremely knowledgeable, offering sword fighting, music, information and storytelling. You get to roam the towers and grounds at your own pace and there is a lot to see. Beautiful views of the city and River Shannon from the top of the castle. There is a cafe and gift shop at the exit. It looks good and the staff who welcome you are very friendly and warm. Couldn't say enough about the staff around the castle too. Only 2 small points for me drop it. 1) I would love if there were slightly more engaging activities while you move through the castle. 2) on a previous visit I had looked to speak with the manager regarding an inquiry I had. He declined coming downstairs to speak face to face and I had to have the conversation over the phone with him at reception in front of the desk and other visitors. I thought it was a poor decision from a customer service point of view.
Tommy LaniganTommy Lanigan
00
Again, in Ireland, if you book tickets online in advance, you actually get a discount! King John’s offered a 10% discount for a total of €11.70 per adult. Why, oh why do we get charged EXTRA for booking tickets online in America??? So, the visit starts with a walk through a museum with a lot of exhibits and reading - great for the history buffs out there. You can probably spend 30 minutes in there reading about the history of the castle, which I thought was really cool. Then, you walk out into a huge open courtyard, and you can freely roam the grounds. You are able to climb up the narrow, winding staircases in the castle towers, and even go all the way up to the rooftop for SPECTACULAR views of the Irish countryside and the River Shannon. You get to visit several rooms within the castle, and there are live action video exhibits featuring actors explaining what the rooms were used for. This wasn’t really my cup of tea per se, but it was interesting to listen to for a little while. I’d just rather read about it than watch a corny actor dressed in the garb of the day describing how rough it was for them back in the day. The castle is in pretty good shape, and you can spend a lot of time touring the different rooms, and walking up to the rooftop. It wasn’t the best castle I toured, but it certainly wasn’t the worst either.
Brent LBrent L
00
If you want something to do in Limerick, would recommend a tour of the castle. It's self guided, has plenty of information throughout, and excellent views from the turrets. I haven't included pictures of the main sections of the tour, but it's a great historical timeline throughout, including artefacts and immersive visual media alongside text. The dark image is of the underground section showing some of the original foundations of the castle, which is quite cool. The turrets are accessible by spiral staircases (the only part I think that isn't wheelchair accessible), which include rooms along the castle walls. There's a gift shop and cafe leaving the courtyard which has some nice stuff in it, the cafe was closed the last two times I was there however (unsure of cafe opening hours). Some nice restaurants/bars nearby to make a day of it, Katie Daly's is directly opposite the castle entrance, which does nice food and drinks; great on a sunny day! There's also the Curragower across Thomond bridge and as you pass the Treaty Stone.
Jamie HartnettJamie Hartnett
00
Very well maintained. Has lots of history associated with it. It has been shared in parts divided into periods of history and one has to travel to different part of the route to witness them. The stories are told very nicely and use of audiovisual and historical objects with descriptions does helps to understand the adversity that Irish citizens had to go through to reach to this stage. You do feel sympathy for those who bravely fought for the independence.. Coming back to Castle, it has a nice cosy cafe also and various memorabilia to buy.. Best part for me was the gorgeous views of Shannon River and Limerick city from the top.. splendid and itself worth of the ticket price.. Only issue, a minor one is parking.. it is not very clear on the ticket. The parking is around 3-4 min walk ahead from the castle itself.. although I found it by using Google, but it would make sense to mention it in the ticket itself to avoid any confusion to someone visiting first time.. Overall completely worth it!! And definitely recommend..
Chandan RayChandan Ray
00
Visited the Limerick King John castle during noon time on a weekday. Not crowded, tickets are easily available, you can also book online. Firstly, in my opinion please visit the place only if you want to absorb the beautiful landscape of Limerick along the Shannon River as viewed atop the castle towers. Thats wonderful scenic views. 5 stars for it. Rest of the museum brings down the rating for the improper lighting and the way things are being depicted. No person is found directing anyone or showing the way. Tourists are free to go any which way they like and then realise they need to go back as they missed something. Once you are in the center courtyard of castle, poor directions allow you to wander in which any direction. I will not be surprised if some tourist missed on some sections of the castle just because there are no proper sign boards. The technology has been used but only to be non-functional most of the places. There is a cafe at entry-cum-exit and of course a souvenir shop, Which are good.
Adeesh GoyelAdeesh Goyel
00
Expensive but good is the best way to describe the Castle. When reading reviews I was concerned about the €11 price but it has since gone up abd its now €13. I would echo some of the local guides comments and say that in my opinion it's just too expensive. Don't get me wrong, we were not ripped off, it's very interactive, lots of information, details and short films (there are even some costumes to try on) but I honestly think a family would get more out of it. It's mostly disabled friendly, the interactive area (the start) is abd the cafe abd gift shop is too but obviously the old part, the actual castle is not accessibility friendly. We enjoy it, very informative and puts the castle in context with Irish history but I won't be back simply because of the price. Maybe in 10 years but even then probably not. If it was half that price I would have no issues going back.
Dara RobinsonDara Robinson
00
Nearby Attractions Of King John's Castle
The Milk Market
The Hunt Museum
Saint Mary's Cathedral
Arthur's Quay Park
St John's Cathedral
Treaty Stone
Old Quarter Townhouse Hotel Limerick City Centre
Glenview Gardens
East End Asian Super Market
Mr Noodle
The Milk Market
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The Hunt Museum
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Saint Mary's Cathedral
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Arthur's Quay Park
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Nearby Restaurants Of King John's Castle
The Locke Bar
Limerick Strand Hotel
Texas Steakout
Jasmine Palace
Cornstore Limerick
House Limerick
The Curragower Bar and Kitchen
The Old Quarter GastroPub
Hamptons Grill
Taikichi
The Locke Bar
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(2.2K)Click for details
Limerick Strand Hotel
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Texas Steakout
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Jasmine Palace
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Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
Nicholas St, Englishtown, Limerick, V94 FX25, Ireland
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Phone
+353 61 370 501
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Website
kingjohnscastle.com
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Reviews
Overview
4.4
(2.7K reviews)
Ratings & Description
cultural
family friendly
accessibility
Description
King John's Castle also known as Limerick Castle is a 13th-century castle located on King's Island in Limerick, Ireland, next to the River Shannon. Although the site dates back to 922 when the Vikings lived on the Island, the castle itself was built on the orders of King John of England in 1200.
attractions: The Milk Market, The Hunt Museum, Saint Mary's Cathedral, Arthur's Quay Park, St John's Cathedral, Treaty Stone, Old Quarter Townhouse Hotel Limerick City Centre, Glenview Gardens, East End Asian Super Market, Mr Noodle, restaurants: The Locke Bar, Limerick Strand Hotel, Texas Steakout, Jasmine Palace, Cornstore Limerick, House Limerick, The Curragower Bar and Kitchen, The Old Quarter GastroPub, Hamptons Grill, Taikichi
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