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Province of Leinster
County Dublin
Malahide
Things to Do in Malahide
Malahide Castle

Malahide Castle: Hours, Address, Malahide Castle Reviews: 4.5/5

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Malahide Castle

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Malahide Castle
4.5
2,576
#1 of 18 things to do in Malahide
Castles
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9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
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About
Malahide Castle & Gardens is a beautiful & historic medievel castle, with a facinating story dating back to the 12th Century. Located on the beautiful north coast of Dublin City Malahide Castle was once owned by the Talbot Family for nearly 800 years and is one of the longest owned castles by one family in the country. Set on 250 acres of stunning parkland, Malahide Castle is also home to one of Ireland’s four botanical walled gardens with 5000 species of plants inculding a wonderful collection from many Southern Hemisphere countries. Guided tours of the castle take place daily from 9.30am all year round. Our friendly and informative guides bring to life the story of the Talbot family during the 45 minute tour through the main reception rooms & bedrooms. The modern & bright visitor centre is home to the garden exhibition area and gives access to the Talbot Botanical Walled Garden. Avoca Cafe & retail is located in the visitor centre and is a treasure trove of wonderful gifts.
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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Tours & experiences
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The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
143 within 3 miles
Avoca Malahide
517
492 ft$$ - $$$ • Quick Bites • Irish • Cafe
SALE e PEPE
340
0.6 mi$$ - $$$ • Irish • European • Vegetarian Friendly
Scotch Bonnet
524
0.6 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Irish • Bar
Kajjal
565
0.6 mi$$ - $$$ • Indian • Pakistani • Vegetarian Friendly
Deja Vu
302
0.6 mi$$ - $$$ • French • European • Vegetarian Friendly
Duffy's Pub
353
0.6 mi$$ - $$$ • Irish • Vegetarian Friendly • Vegan Options
McGovern's Restaurant
439
0.6 mi$$ - $$$ • Irish • European • Vegetarian Friendly
The Fish Shack
385
0.6 mi$$ - $$$ • Irish • Seafood • European
Al Fresco
276
0.6 mi$$ - $$$ • Italian • Seafood • Mediterranean
The Garden House Cafe
150
0.4 mi$$ - $$$ • Irish • Cafe • European
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Attractions
71 within 6 miles
Malahide Cricket Club
3
0.4 miSports Camps & Clinics
Malahide Beach
262
1.1 miBeaches
Portmarnock Beach
287
2.1 miBeaches
Malahide Marina
73
0.8 miMarinas
St Sylvester's Catholic Church
3
0.6 miReligious Sites • Churches & Cathedrals
Casino Model Railway Museum
25
0.5 miSpeciality Museums
The Westbury Casino
4
0.7 miCasinos
Clash Gaelic Games
43
1.1 miSports Camps & Clinics
Howth Hills
487
Geologic Formations
Howth Head
1,723
Lookouts
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
2,576 reviews
Excellent
1,444
Very good
849
Average
209
Poor
40
Terrible
34
Gene R J
Silver Spring, MD8,099 contributions
Excellent castle tour.
We visited here today after picking up our rental car and driving 9 km northeast from the DUB Airport. After parking in their large lot, we walked 200 m to the gift shop for tickets (7.5 euro) to the 2:30 PM tour with the next one at 3:30 PM.
We joined 20 others in the castle basement to read many of the historical info boards on the Talbot Family history. An expert guide conducted an authoritative tour covering the large main floor halls and the upper floor bedrooms filled with period furniture. She also pointed out the back garden with a 300 year old Cedar of Lebanon, a fairy trail, a flower garden and the 15th C Abbey ruins.
Written May 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Rachael B
Boston, MA3 contributions
Malahide Castle & Gardens
This is a beautiful area to explore. I was lucky enough to encounter great weather, and I enjoyed my time at the Castle and Gardens. The park surrounding the castle has walking trails and is a great area to get out for a stroll. The more lavish gardens require a ticket for entry, which can be purchased in their visitors center. There's a café and restaurant where I got a snack to-go before exploring the gardens. The gardens are well-maintained and a great place to picnic or read a book. The tour inside the castle was brief, yet informative and the tour guide was very knowledgeable about Talbot family. A great place to relax and spend a Saturday!
Written May 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
29jan15
Northern Ireland, UK172 contributions
Beautiful
We booked the storytelling tour of the castle which included entry to the fairy garden and butterfly house. We arrived early and headed to the kids park, this is massive and something for kids of all ages to enjoy. The castle tour lasted about 45 minutes and was very interesting, also the guide managed to keep our kids attention throughout! Following this we went to the fairy garden, the kids were provided with a little book which told you what way to go. This was really well done and probably the best fairy trail we have been too. The butterfly house is nice to see as well, some lovely creatures. We were here for around 3 hours and could easily have stayed longer. The only small issue is perhaps a few more areas to purchase drinks, ice cream etc would be useful.
Written July 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Fi
7 contributions
Malahide castle lights let down
Family
Wunderlights Malahide castle Dublin
Absolute waste of money, having been to Palmerston house drive thru I can say that Malahide is taking advantage here. Poorly laid out, no option to social distance and enjoy the walk. No proper ticketing system we were allowed in 30 minutes before our allotted time. The stewards do nothing to disperse people who stop to take photos which leads to big queues. The food stalls are poor and over crowded, where’s avocado where’s mulled wine glorious hot chocolates. As a local resident I expected much more Malahide castle. Do not waste your money
Written December 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
G M
Dundalk, Ireland136 contributions
Ideal day trip
Family
We travelled to Malahide as a party of 3 adults & 2 kids (13&11). Parking is free and there are plenty of spaces available. You can walk the grounds for free but if you want a tour of the castle or want to see the butterfly farm/gardens you need to pay. It's not too expensive and well worth it. The butterfly farm is small but has plenty of different varieties flying amongst you. The gardens are well maintained and labelled. The guided tour of the castle is very informative and lasts approx 45mins, giving a good insight into the history of the castle. There is a restaurant on site where you can get snacks. There is also a well stocked shop which sells everything from fashion to food. The shop is a little on the expensive side but some lovely stuff. There is also an ice cream shop outside the main building. You could always take a picnic with you if you're on a budget. We spent approx 5hrs here and didn't see the entire place. (Set on 260 acres). It is definitely somewhere I'd return to again.
Written August 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Barry H
1 contribution
Wonderlights in Malahide Castle
Family
We attended Wonderlights in Malahide Castle in Nov 2021, informed by the positive reviews on their FB page. They had 4.8 out of 5 at the time of booking, which was based on previous years' events in Palmerstown House. With the exception of a few displays, this was v disappointing and no way worth the €98 we spent for 2 kids and 3 adults (one OAP). One of the kids description was: 'it's just a lot of walking'. We put a negative review on their FB page, and a lot of people put up similar reviews too, however Wonderlights have taken these all down, only retaining a positive feed on their FB page.
Written December 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
MikeB1981
Ely, UK115 contributions
Mixed results with our young children
Family
We visited in the Easter holidays with our two young children and paid for a family ticket. We enjoyed the butterfly house and saw plenty of butterflies but it was over all too quickly. The walled gardens are probably pretty if you enjoy that sort of thing but it was lost on our two kids, who just wanted to head to the playground (which by the way is a very good playground, but not something you have to pay for).

We went on the castle tour and we were enjoying it, learning about the Talbot family and seeing the various rooms of the castle. But after seeing the upstairs rooms we were guided downstairs and ended up outside! We thought the tour was over, as did about half of the (very large) group who also came out at the same time. Only later did we realise that we actually missed out on seeing various rooms like the great hall and the library, and that the tour had probably continued without us. We feel that the guidance on where to go could have been a lot clearer!

We unfortunately didn’t have time to try the fairy trail, which seems like it could have been the most fun part of the package for the kids.

We did have a fun day overall, so would recommend it to young families, but be sure to get your money’s worth!
Written April 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Slainte Y’all
Kenmare, Ireland46 contributions
An informative tour and gorgeous grounds
A beautiful castle with extensive gardens including a butterfly glass house and a wandering peacock.

The tour of the castle was excellent. The guide was knowledgeable about the building's history and gave us an excellent idea of what it would have been like to have lived in the castle throughout its history.

My favorite parts were the history (of course), the coffin table, learning about where so many of the phrases we use today came from, and the castle's ghosts. Unfortunately, I didn't see one during my visit, which just means that I have to go back.
Written June 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Expat Adrian
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates670 contributions
We’ll worth the visit - the tour a must
Couples
If you’re visiting the Dublin area then this castle visit is a must. The guided tour inside the castle takes about 40 minutes and is very informative and interesting. Only suggestion, and if possible, is for the tour to offer to see more rooms and maybe one of the secret tunnels. The grounds are pristine and well maintained. On the castle grounds are delicatessens, gift shop and a cafe. Allow at-least two hours, take a picnic lunch and simply laze around the grounds at your leisure.
Written April 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
T7491VHannan
Richmond, VA6 contributions
A beautiful tour through history!
My husband is a wheelchair user, but he was still able to experience most of the castle. The elevator allowed him to see the first two floors; he just couldn't see a few bedrooms on the third floor. The central part of the castle dates to the medieval period with extensions built until the 1960's, so going through the castle feels like a trip through time. The grounds were also quite lovely.
Written August 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Malahide Castle
Malahide Castle is open:
  • Sun - Sat 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Buy tickets in advance on Tripadvisor. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund.
We recommend booking Malahide Castle tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 5 Malahide Castle tours on Tripadvisor
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