Wicklow's Historic Gaol Day Tour
4.5

Wicklow's Historic Gaol Day Tour

By Wicklow's Historic Gaol
Recommended by 95% of travellers
95% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
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Experience two centuries of prison life behind the doors of this haunted jail in Wicklow. A visit includes both a guided tour and time to explore at your own pace. Learn about Irish history via holographic projections of prison guards, audio headsets, and by following in the footsteps of prisoners in the cells and dungeons. This ticket includes free parking and a discount at the cafe for extra benefit.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation

Ages 3-99, max of 30 per group
Duration: 1h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
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Audio guide: German, English, Italian, French, Spanish
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Written guide
Print or digital reading material such as a guide, map, brochure, etc.
: English
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Highlights
  • Explore this historic Historic Gaol in Wicklow at your own pace
  • Feel a part of history with interactive experiences and audio headsets
  • Fun for the whole family with special exhibits for kids
  • Genealogy center allows visitors to research ancestors

  • Free Carparking
  • Entry/Admission - Wicklow's Historic Gaol
What's not included
  • food

Visit the Historic Gaol in Wicklow on the day chosen at checkout. The ticket includes a guided tour and time to explore independently. Audio headsets in four languages are included, and there are interactive points for children. On the tour, you wander through original prison cells and dungeons and learn about historic torture methods. Climb aboard a replica transportation ship to experience the journey to Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania). Expect to brush up against Irish history, learning about the 1798 rebellion, the overcrowding of the jail during the famine era, and the Irish War of Independence. You also hear spooky stories about the prisoners that remain to haunt the building and see holographic projections that bring prison guards to life. When you finish touring the museum, head to the genealogy center to researching your ancestors or to the on-site cafe for 10 percent off snacks and drinks with your ticket.

Start:
  • Wicklow Historic Gaol, Gaol Ln, Kilmantin Hill, Corporation Lands, Wicklow, A67 FA49, Ireland
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Service animals allowed
    • Near public transportation
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 34287P1

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Children must be accompanied by an adult
    • Most travellers can participate
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travellers

    • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 34287P1

    From
    €12.50
    per adult
    Select date and travellers
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    Similar experiences

    Itinerary
    • Gaol Ln, Kilmantin Hill, Corporation Lands, Wicklow, A67 FA49, Ireland
    • 1
      Bring history to life and discover the dark secrets of Wicklow Gaol with this fascinating tour. As you are guided around the museum, experience prison life as it was endured by its 18th century inmates during a turbulent period of Irish history.
    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • G5755YVjimf
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Interesting and Informative
      Excellent museum with lots of interesting displays and information. The virtual presentation was particularly good. The only disappointment was that by the time we had finished the gift shop had been closed (before 3.30pm) which meant that we did not get the chance to buy any souvenirs or books about the gaol. If we had been informed that the shop was closing so early we could have spent time in their before doing the actual tour.
      Written 16 January 2025
    • davidtQ2827YW
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Hidden history Gem!
      Very good day out, the Goal is small but we were surprised as there was a load to see. The VR headset's are a must before you tour the Goal, very good history lesson! Lovely, helpful and courteous staff. There is also a nice cafe onsite, and parking in front of the goal. A must see if you're in Wicklow town.
      Written 22 September 2024
    • IanDHM24
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Immersive learning
      The VR experience is extraordinary …a fabulous way to bring the gaol to life and introduce some of the historical aspects that you can read about on your tour …don’t miss it
      Written 22 July 2024
    • Wander02814326163
      0 contributions
      1.0 of 5 bubbles
      Shocking and damaging experience
      As grandparents given the opportunity of quality time with our grandsons aged 12 & 10, we thought a visit to Wicklow Gaol would be an interesting educational experience for us all. The self guided tour was interesting end well presented. We were offered the virtual reality experience at some extra cost, unsure that it would be appropriate for the children we were persuaded by a member of staff that it was suitable. It turned out to be a horribly traumatic experience for them that brought nightmares and distress. THE VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE IS MOST UNSUITABLE FIR CHILDREN
      Written 30 April 2024
    • Geoffsteb
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fascinating and entertaining
      I always bring visitors here when I have to 'entertain' them because I live not too far away (about 45mins). This time we did the VR tour and everyone enjoyed it. The staff are really helpful and friendly and help make this a really good experience. Parking can be a bit cramped so I would not want to park a big car. Overall, a great afternoon - my lot had to be dragged out because they wanted to close.
      Written 20 November 2023
    • J6316PFjimh
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Interesting stop
      Interesting place. Learned a lot about local history. Life was very different in 18th and 19th century.
      Written 29 August 2023
    • T406NFmauricec
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Worth the visit
      Quick visit, 3 teenagers in tow, very informative, well worth a visit , lovely coffee shop on the way out
      Written 1 March 2023
    • karenileanshorten
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fantastic
      Was an ideal outing to bond and spend time with my grandchildren!! And discovering another lovely place to eat! Food was gorgeous and not overpriced Many thanks to all the staff 💜💙✨💜💙
      Written 16 November 2022
    • patriciaf438
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Halloween visit to Wicklow Gaol
      Excellent visit, we went at Halloween and they made a huge effort to make it extra spooky. Kids loved the witch giving out sweets in the gift shop. Staff very friendly. The food in restaurant was delicious. Have been at normal time too, kids love it. Great day out. Highly recommend.
      Written 15 November 2022
    • Foxireland
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Highly recommend
      Loved it, really informative and enjoyable for kids and adults, we did the VR experience, very good.
      Written 15 November 2022
    • susanrC3833LH
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Excellent historical tour
      Informative theatrical experience. Well worth a visit. Thoroughly enjoyed the virtual reality "gates of hell". Parts were hard to watch but that is not a criticism.
      Written 12 October 2022
    • michelleamason0
      0 contributions
      2.0 of 5 bubbles
      Underwhelming
      It was a pity to see the Gaol had changed dramatically, it's reduced in size regarding what there is to see, the whole thing was over in around 20 minutes. Had I of known I wouldn't have returned. Very underwhelming and overpriced
      Written 11 August 2022
    • 2810Dot
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Gates of Hell
      We booked the 'Gates of Hell' virtual reality experience before walking around the gaol. It was great and would highly recommend. Staff are very helpful and knowledgeable.
      Written 9 August 2022
    • Chris S
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Interesting place, well worth a visit!
      A very interesting place to visit! We wandered around ourselves and read lots of information about the history of Wicklow and how awful the gaol was for those condemned to spend time in it - outlining the corrupt nature of the gaolers and the horrific conditions endured by inmates as diseases ran freely. You can go in and out of most cells and walk around freely. All the staff that we met there were absolutely lovely! As a bonus, the food in the cafe on our way out was really good - a really tasty toasted special came with a substantial side-salad and crisps, and the chocolate cake came with lashings of chocolate sauce and cream! Again, served by an extremely nice and friendly staff member. Be aware that you can park in the grounds (if there's space)
      Written 9 August 2022
    • P1950DHmariag
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Brilliant
      Did the day tour plus the virtual reality gates of hell tour. Absolutely fantastic from beginning to end....especially the virtual reality tour......never experienced anything like it. Was almost 2 full hours for complete tour....fantastic experience. We've visited 3 jails in Ireland over the past 3 weeks and this was by far the best experience....cannot recommend it enough....x
      Written 31 July 2022
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    4.5
    4.5 of 5 bubbles346 reviews
    Excellent
    258
    Very good
    71
    Average
    7
    Poor
    6
    Terrible
    4

    Angela P
    Clonmel, Ireland9 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mar 2023 • Solo
    12/10 12/10 couldn't recommend this tour highly enough. There are two tour options, both self guided. Tour 1 is €11.50, you walk through the prison, following stops 1 to 11 with some cells you enter there are people telling their story. Tour 2 is €17.50, that is the one I did, you do the self guided tour like the €11.50 one but before that you do a 20minute vr tour. I couldn't recommend it highly enough and is worth the €6 extra for sure. It takes you through three of the stages of the prison. Highly highly recommend. Will definitely be back. It was the best experience ever.
    Written 11 March 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    tracydrog
    Ireland79 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Sept 2024 • Couples
    First time to go as heard it was really good...it was..virtual tour was brilliant,,lasted 20 mins and you felt like you were actually there. Reasonably priced and well worth a visit. I have one small negative about visit - had breakfast in the cafe and it was delicious. As I was finished and getting up to go... one of the staff behind the counter had a tea towel over his arm, he wiped his nose in it, then wiped his nose with his hand. He didn't clean wash his hands. That's not great for a cafe. He then blew his nose in a tissue, threw it in bin and wiped his nose with his hand. Again, he didn't wash or sanitise his hands and continued to handle plates and bowls and serve food. I was horrified at this. Very disappointing to see this. For that reason I would not go back again. Apart from the fact that covid is still out there...it's totally unhygienic.
    Written 21 September 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Gary F
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jul 2023 • Family
    The Museum is fabulous, its hands on and you can actually walk in the cells. It has an eerie atmosphere you can feel the pain and anguish this place represented to those unfortunate to be incarcerated. The information is abundant with personal and real tales of woe from people at one time in the prison. The people at the reception are informative and knowledgeable. The restaurant afterwards was equally superb serving a good variety of food do try the Chowder. Well done to the staff and patrons of this museum a great job.
    Written 27 July 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    caz
    43 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    What a great suprise we had visiting Wicklow Gaol.
    Trying to do a rainy day activity we hit the jackpot!! VR experience followed by the self guided tour. The Virrual reality experience took us through the life of the Gaol warts and all!!
    The staff were helpful and informative and guided us through the VR session and how to navigate the museum/Gaol thereafter. Very informative exhibits with vocal guidance and autobiographical tales of prison life. Afte the Gaol was explored we had lunch in the Gaol cafe. Lovely staff and grub, reasonably priced. Overall a great day out!! Thankyou

    Written 20 August 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Ray Walsh
    County Cavan, Ireland27 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Aug 2021 • Couples
    We booked this trip last minute as we were in Arklow, booked the main tour and also the virtual reality experience.

    The VRE was fantastic and really worth the small surcharge, if you are visiting the jail you really have to do this part of it, you will remember it for years.

    The main tour was fab took lots of pics and learned so much, the gift shop well stocked and not over expensive and with the free parking... Well no reason not to visit.

    Thanks guys you were all great
    Written 27 August 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Dubs662015
    County Dublin, Ireland3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jul 2021
    we were 2 adults and three teenagers and we all thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Wicklow gaol. The staff in the cafe were very friendly and accommodating and the food was very tasty. Our tour of the gaol included the virtual reality experience that I would highly recommend as it was both educational and entertaining. I would definitely recommend this as a very worthwhile trip and have re commended it to both family and friends since our visit.
    Written 26 August 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Charlie C
    Abbots Langley, null, United Kingdom19 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Apr 2024 • Family
    Three of us, 2 adults plus a 17 year old really enjoyed the afternoon looking around the Gaol. We did the VR thing first which was the best part, but the whole place was great. Lots of board’s explaining but also lots of spoken information if you can’t be doing with lots of details. Very atmospheric and a bit spooky. The daughter kept smelling rotten meat- I’ve been telling her it’s the ghosts 😄
    Staff were very helpful and informative.
    Written 2 April 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Elizabeth H
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Sept 2021 • Couples
    We took the virtual reality tour first and it was well worth the extra €5.50 - a very immersive experience, though not a little creepy to see how grim life was for prisoners. The jail had many wax figures and audio to bring all the stories to life. l totally recommend visiting this place!
    Written 17 September 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Liam
    Dublin, Ireland113 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Today we our members visited Wicklow Gaol for our monthly tour and it was very interesting. The history of the Gaol is very well explained via Audio as you tour the Gaol and its from the eighteenth century up to the early twentieth century. There is an adjoining restaurant called the Jailers rest and the food was first class, the staff couldn’t do enough for us. One of the staff Eoghan especially looked after us and gave us a history of Wicklow town and also recommended a lovely walk which we did. We had a a turnout of sixteen members and everyone had a great day.
    Written 26 April 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    John-Paul S
    Maynooth, Ireland43 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Aug 2021
    In an attempt to entertain an eleven year old we went to the Gaol for the afternoon.

    First, there was parking; as this is always a worry. It's free if you're visiting the goal.

    We headed in and found a very pleasant staff. I had pre-booked the tickets, which was also very easy to do.

    We started off on the tour and I must say it was a tremendous afternoon. Everything was very well signposted. Enough of a narrative for me and plenty to interest the younger visitor. My nephew really got into it, helped a little by the quiz that he completed after each exhibit. It was educational, without being overtly so.

    He was curious, engaged and eager to look at all the various parts of the exhibits. We didn't do the 'Gates of Hall'; he wanted to but on the advice of the very friendly lady behind the desk, we thought we could leave it till he was a little older.

    I didn't find the shop particularly interesting, but the café and its outdoor eating area was lovely.

    I've been raving about it ever since, and would highly recommend it to anyone in the area, especially family groups. Good one to keep in mind if it's not a great day.
    Written 26 August 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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