Kylemore Abbey
Good for: Families, gardens, History Lovers, romantics, amazing food and service
Not good for: if you're in a hurry
- Address
- Website
- Price
- adult/child €12/free
- Hours
- 9am-7pm summer, 10am-4.30pm winter
Lonely Planet review for Kylemore Abbey
A few kilometres east of Letterfrack stands Kylemore Abbey. Magnificently situated on the shores of a lake, this crenulated 19th-century neo-Gothic fantasy was built for a wealthy English businessman, Mitchell Henry, who spent his honeymoon in Connemara. His wife died tragically young.
Admission also covers the abbey's Victorian walled gardens. You can stroll around the lake and surrounding woods for free.
Kylemore's tranquillity is shattered in high summer with the arrival of dozens of tour coaches per day, each one followed through the gates by an average of 50 cars (yes, over 2500 cars a day).
Traveller reviews for Kylemore Abbey (2)
-
-
St Valentines day coming up great place to prepose
connemaralady recommends this,
Kylemore Abbey, & Gothic Church breathtakingly beautiful, also restored wall gardens, where you can see work tools etc used from 160 years ago. Today, nuns are pleased that you have taken the time to visit, and they trust your visit will be a memorable one. The Community is grateful for the patronage and support of its many visitors, so much to see & explore, now new guided walks added, so that at least a half-day or more can be spent here last year a couple from Dublin now living in England had honeymoon in Kylemore Abbey 58 years before and such a great day laid on for them on first return visit in those 58 years
-
A day well spent
finnabroad recommends this,
Well worth the admission fee, you get to see some of the rooms in the abbey, the gothic church, mausoleum and the gorgeous gardens. We were there on a sunny day and spent the day walking around the paths in and around the gardens and by the lake, absolutely stunning! Stopped for a quick coffee and cake in a small teahouse by the gardens and had lunch in the main restaurant which is near to the car park as you come in. Tasty food and plenty to choose from! Managed to squeeze in some retail therapy too, lovely craft shop on site with it's own pottery studio.
There's a guided tour of the abbey, which gives a great insight into the story around it, so much more to it than you read in guide books!
It's just over an hour's drive from Galway city, if you're anywhere near the west of Ireland, I'd highly recommend this visit. Be prepared to spend the whole day there, there's some sort of magic around the place, you don't want to leave!Good for: Families, gardens, History Lovers, romantics, amazing food and service
Not good for: if you're in a hurry
