Europe
Ireland
Province of Leinster
County Louth
Cooley Peninsula
Carlingford
Things to do in Carlingford
King John's Castle
See all things to do

King John's Castle

See all things to do
See all things to do
King John's Castle
4
50
#6 of 16 things to do in Carlingford
Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins • Castles
Read more
Write a review
About
Suggested duration
< 1 hour
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
The area
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
24 within 5 kms
Wildwood Cafe
134
0.2 km€€ - €€€ • Seafood • Sushi • Fusion
The Bay Tree Restaurant
512
0.3 km€€ - €€€ • Irish • European • Vegetarian Friendly
Ruby Ellen's Tea Rooms
508
0.2 km€€ - €€€ • Dessert • Irish • Cafe
Kingfisher Bistro
350
0.4 km€€ - €€€ • Irish • Seafood • European
Fishy Dishy
118
0.4 km€€ - €€€ • Irish • Seafood • European
Carlingford Arms
578
0.3 km€€ - €€€ • Irish • Bar • European
PJ O'Hares
913
0.3 km€€ - €€€ • Irish • Bar • Seafood
Liberty Cafe
90
0.4 km€ • Irish • Cafe • Vegetarian Friendly
Ghan House
121
0.4 km€€€€ • Irish • Vegetarian Friendly • Gluten Free Options
Schooners Restaurant
74
0.3 km€€ - €€€ • Steakhouse • Irish • Seafood
See all
Attractions
26 within 10 kms
Visit Carlingford
18
68 mVisitor Centres
Carlingford Adventure Centre
458
0.3 kmSports Complexes
Leprechaun and Fairy Underground Cavern
207
0.7 kmPoints of Interest & Landmarks • Caverns & Caves
The Tholsel
2
0.4 kmAncient Ruins • Points of Interest & Landmarks
Carlingford Lough Greenway
97
1 kmBiking Trails • Jogging Paths & Tracks
Rooskey Loop
0.1 kmHiking Trails
St Michael's Church
1
0.6 kmChurches & Cathedrals
Folklore Park, Fairy village and Proposal Stones
12
0.7 kmHistoric Sites • Mysterious Sites
Carlingford Marina
129
1 kmMarinas
Carlingford Lough Ferry
125
3.8 kmFerries
See all
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
50 reviews
Excellent
21
Very good
15
Average
13
Poor
1
Terrible
0
WaterfordGuy
Carrick-on-Suir, Ireland96 contributions
Brilliant tour and tour guide.
Jun 2022 • Couples
We loved our tour of Carlingford Castle. The castle itself has a fascinating history. Our tour guide, Gerry, was very friendly and knowledgeable and clearly loves his town and its history. His enthusiasm made us want to know more. We would have listened to him for ages. Well worth doing if you're in the area.
Written 27 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Catherine E
Suwon, South Korea27 contributions
Castle Tour 3pm with Gerry
Sep 2021
Took a wee tour for a fiver and it was the best wee fiver and hour I spent in Carlingford! Gerry was so well informed on local Irish history and I really enjoyed his personal touches to the tour. 10/10 would recommend if you're in Carlingford and want to enjoy the afternoon :)
Written 12 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Dana P
Franklin, KY36 contributions
Great location and tour to learn about Carlingford's history.
Oct 2021
We paid for a tour (€5 each) and walked up to the castle from the tourism center. Our tour guide stopped along the way to tell us about other buildings as well. We got to go in the castle ruins which have been remodeled to hold tours, and had some amazing views of the ford. Our guide was very knowledgable and we enjoyed the walk around the castle with the lookouts and special areas. Covid cleaning protocols were used and we felt safe. Great location to learn about Carlingford's history.
Written 12 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Anne D
Donegal Town, Ireland22 contributions
NOT TO BE MISSED
Aug 2020
This castle is now known as Carlingford Castle and has just reopened following extensive conservation work. I availed of one of the daily guided tours and had a choice of 11.00am or 3.00pm. The tour of the castle interior took approximately 50 mins to an hour. It was so well worth while as I got a real flavour of life in a medieval castle with Hugh De Lacy and his descendants and the history of this cute wee town called Carlingford. The tour cost E5 .00 per adult and incredibly for an extra euro a tour of the entire town is available. Well worth a visit.
Written 6 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Robert W
Lisburn, UK3,129 contributions
A local Historic, Norman, 12th Century Castle (built by Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath). Called after King John.
Aug 2020
I found the castle when looking for Carlingford Marina. Like many local attractions, it could be better signposted.
Tours can be arranged from the Carlingford Visitor's Centre - but these don't start until 11 am - and are infrequent.

It is situated on a lough-side hill about ten minutes walk from the Visitor's Centre.
Access to the inside is locked - unless you join an organised tour; however, you can enter the grounds and photograph the castle from the outside.

Its lough-side position is ideal for photography - of the castle, the lough and the surrounding hills. Canoeing and yachting activity can be observed from the castle.
Written 28 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Octavia W
Hillsborough, UK15 contributions
Carlingford castle
Jul 2020
A lovely small castle with stunning views as the castle is on a big cliff. can be hard to find but once you do you will enjoy it defo. But when walking along from the castle there is a dangerous drop that comes on you very suddenly so MAKE SURE to KEEP SMALL KIDS CLOSE AT ALL TIMES and DOGS .
Written 20 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
SRutherfordSmith
Dublin, Ireland544 contributions
Pity you can't get access inside
Feb 2020
Nice to walk around but quite short. A lot of the information provided isn't in context so it's difficult to absorb and understand.
Written 16 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Ray M
Marblehead, MA128 contributions
Classic Castle Ruins Guard Carlingford
Feb 2020 • Family
King John's Castle stands guard over Carlingford. Reached by a 10 minute walk up a hill from the town, King John's is a class Norman castle with braille and moat It is well signed to explain its layout and purpose. Great views of the loch, town and Mountains of Mourbe from the Castle.
Written 13 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
crobinson2014
Cambridge, Canada396 contributions
Picturesque - on the water
Sep 2019
Lovely views along the coast at this picturesque castle in Carlingford. Like it came right out of a book about knights and chivalry.
Written 13 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Holytoledo
Toledo, OH28 contributions
Glad we went!
Aug 2019
It is a self guided tour. The first part is walking through rooms containing videos, activities and written information about the history of Ireland and King John's Castle. It is very informative especially if you don't have a clue about Ireland's history. The second part of the tour is the castle itself. There are actors walking around interacting with visitors. You can go through actual rooms of the castle at your own pace. There are some very very steep and narrow stairways leading to the top of the castle. If you are physically not able to walk up and down stairs, this is probably not for you. Once you get to the top of the castle, it is just breathtaking. I would highly recommend this and advise you to take a couple of hours for this tour.
Written 11 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
2
…
Showing results 1-10 of 44
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Anything missing or inaccurate?
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing

King John's Castle, Carlingford - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about King John's Castle
We recommend booking King John's 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 2 King John's Castle tours on Tripadvisor