Day trips from Kilkenny: Dunmore Cave, Jerpoint Abbey, Thomastown

The best day trips from Kilkenny are Dunmore Cave, Jerpoint Abbey and the riverside village of Thomastown, and they combine well into one day if you have a car. Without a car, a train to Thomastown gives you the village, a riverside loop walk and, with a short taxi or walk, the abbey. The Kilkenny City guide covers the city itself, and Kilkenny in one day is the plan for the day you spend inside the center. For a wider trip, see the Ireland guide.

Heritage Ireland runs both Dunmore Cave and Jerpoint Abbey, and both have the same adult ticket price of €5 at the time of checking. Each takes about half a day including travel, so the question is not whether they are worth it but how you reach them and whether to join them in a loop.

The three trips suit different travelers. Dunmore Cave suits families and anyone who likes geology and underground history, and it is the only one of the three that needs a car or a taxi. Jerpoint Abbey suits visitors who care about medieval stone carving and ruins in a quiet setting. Thomastown suits walkers and anyone who wants a slow day without driving.

Dunmore Cave lies about 10 km from Kilkenny city and about 1 km off the N78 Castlecomer road, and it is well signposted. It is a show cave, and access is by guided tour only. Tours are limited in number each day and each has a maximum of 50 people, so on a busy summer day you should arrive early. Heritage Ireland lists the cave as open every day of the year, from 9:30 to 17:00, with the last admission at 16:00.

The 700 steps matter. Heritage Ireland asks anyone with health issues to consider their physical limits, so this is not a trip for a visitor who cannot manage stairs or uneven ground. Wear shoes with grip, and a layer for the cooler air underground. The site describes itself as a place where history and geology meet, with tours that go deep into the earth and deep into the past, so allow time for the tour and the visitor building rather than treating it as a quick photo stop.

It is the right pick for families with older children, wet days and groups that like a guided hour. It is the wrong pick for anyone with limited mobility, and it is a poor choice if you only have a few hours between a train and the city. The official page gives no usable public transport route to the cave, so without a car a taxi is the realistic option; agree the return before you set out.

Jerpoint is a Cistercian abbey on the R448, 2.5 km south-west of Thomastown, with an exit from the M9 signed for the village. Heritage Ireland describes it as a place where Irish medieval sculpture reached new heights, and that sculpture is the reason to visit. In 2026 the abbey is open from 5 March to 2 December, with hours of 9:30 to 17:00 in March, 9:30 to 17:30 from April to September and 10:00 to 17:00 in October. Last admission is 45 minutes before closing. The adult ticket is €5.

The abbey is the best fit for travelers who like ruins and quiet places, and it pairs well with Thomastown. Outside the open season, from early December to early March in 2026, the abbey is closed, so check the Heritage Ireland page for the current dates.

It is a poor choice for travelers who want an interactive visit: the experience is a walk among stones, and the carvings repay a slow look. A guide or a good pre-read adds more than speed.

Thomastown is a riverside village on the Nore, south of Kilkenny, and Discover Ireland describes it as an easy day trip without a car. The train from Kilkenny to Waterford passes through Thomastown, with a journey of about 12 minutes and a service every two to three hours, according to Discover Ireland. The station is about a 15-minute walk from the village along a quiet road. Bus Éireann route 73 also links Kilkenny and Thomastown, in about 25 minutes, twice daily, and Kilbride Coaches runs a service to Inistioge via Thomastown. Timetables change, so check each operator before you rely on a return.

From the village, the Grennan Loop Walk starts at the bottom of Market Street and runs 7 km in about two hours. Follow the red arrows and not the green ones, which belong to the Nore Valley Walk and lead to Inistioge, a much longer walk. The loop crosses a five-arched bridge, passes the ruins of Sweetman Castle and runs along the River Nore through woodland. The trail is relatively flat, with benches and swings at viewpoints, and it passes grazing fields with a stile, so wear footwear that copes with mud.

Thomastown is the best choice for walkers and for travelers who dislike driving. It is a poor choice on a day of heavy rain, when the loop can be muddy, and it is thin on sights for anyone who needs museums.

With a car, the easiest loop is Dunmore Cave in the morning, then Jerpoint Abbey and Thomastown in the afternoon, and back to Kilkenny for dinner. Start early, because the cave's tour places are limited and the abbey's last admission falls 45 minutes before closing. Keep the walk for a dry afternoon, and drop the abbey if the weather turns.

Without a car, take the train to Thomastown, walk the Grennan Loop, and then choose between a taxi to Jerpoint Abbey (2.5 km from the village, which many walkers cover on foot) or an earlier train back. Dunmore Cave does not fit this plan, because it needs a car or a taxi.

With only half a day, choose Jerpoint Abbey if you like ruins, Dunmore Cave if you have children, and the Grennan Loop if you want a walk. If the weather is poor, choose the cave, because it is the only one of the three that is mostly underground.

The opening hours give the day a natural shape. Dunmore Cave opens at 9:30, and its last admission is at 16:00, so a start from Kilkenny around 9:00 puts you at the gate for the first tours. Leave the cave by late morning, drive to Thomastown for lunch, and reach Jerpoint Abbey in the early afternoon. The abbey's last admission is 45 minutes before closing, which gives you until mid-afternoon in October and later in summer. If you add the Grennan Loop, start it after lunch only in long daylight, and otherwise swap it for a shorter stroll by the river.

A reverse order also works. Start with Jerpoint Abbey when it opens at 9:30 or 10:00, walk or drive to Thomastown, and finish with the cave in the afternoon, since its last admission at 16:00 leaves a comfortable margin. That order suits travelers who prefer a gentle morning and a covered afternoon.

Not every traveler needs the countryside. If you have one day in the area, spend it in the city: the castle, the cathedral and Rothe House take a full day, and the lanes reward a slow evening. If anyone in your group struggles with stairs, skip Dunmore Cave and choose the abbey and the riverside instead. If you are traveling without a car and dislike waiting for infrequent trains, the Thomastown trip needs more planning than it seems, because a missed return can cost a long wait. And if the forecast is for heavy rain, postpone the walk and keep the cave and the city for that day.

Dunmore Cave is open all year, which makes it the safe choice in winter. In 2026 Jerpoint Abbey closes from early December to early March, and its hours are shortest in October and March. The Grennan Loop can be wet underfoot after rain, so winter visitors should be prepared for mud.

If you travel in July or August, expect more visitors at the cave and the abbey, and plan for the first tour of the day. In spring and autumn, the countryside is at its best for walking, with fewer people on the trails. Check the opening times on the official pages before you go, because Heritage Ireland changes them by season.

The first mistake is planning Dunmore Cave without a car and finding no simple public transport option. The second is arriving at the abbey late in the afternoon in autumn, when the last admission is 45 minutes before closing. The third is following the green arrows on the Grennan Loop and ending up on the longer route to Inistioge. The fourth is assuming train times are frequent: a service every two to three hours means a missed train costs a long wait.

The last is trying to squeeze all three trips into the same day as a full Kilkenny city visit. Give the trips their own day, or choose one.

A car makes the cave and the abbey simple, and the roads around Kilkenny are straightforward. Read the transport planning page for car hire, trains and coaches across Ireland. If you do not want to drive, a small-group tour can handle the countryside with a driver and a guide. For train times on the day, an eSIM for Ireland is the simplest fix, and travel insurance can cover a day lost to a cancelled service or a closed trail. For where to sleep before or after a countryside day, see where to stay in Kilkenny.