Kilkenny Castle is open all year round and is largely a Victorian remodelling of the thirteenth century defensive castle furnished with the family paintings and tapestries and objects d’art. Visitors can choose to explore the ancestral home of the Butler family with either a self guided visit or a guided tour. The visit of the Castle includes the dining room, Victorian nursery and the picture gallery with its hand painted hammer beam roof.

The Parade Tower wing is the dedicated events area of Kilkenny Castle and comprises its entire west wing. Designed to facilitate conferences, receptions, gala dinners, cultural and artistic events, it can also be a setting for civil & humanist wedding ceremonies.

Other features include 50 acres of rolling parkland with mature trees, a formal terraced rose garden, woodlands and a man-made lake, which were added in the nineteenth century. There is also a tea room, playground and several orienteering trails for visitors to enjoy.