Waterford Ireland – An Irish Town with a Viking History
Waterford Ireland is the country’s oldest city, founded in 914 A.D. after the arrival of the Vikings. The history of this ancient port is maintained in its many remarkable buildings around the city and it’s Viking Triangle.
Wherever you go in Waterford, you will stumble on the Viking heritage and there are many Viking related things to do in Waterford. The Norsemen started to attack Ireland in the 8th century, starting with small bands of 3-4 boats that would arrive, raid, and immediately go back to Norway with their loot.
‘Bitter is the wind tonight
It tosses the ocean’s white hair
Tonight I fear not the fierce warriors of Norway
Coursing on the Irish sea‘
by Anonymous Monk
Over time, the Vikings “optimized” their strategy. They came with dozens of boats, set up camp and only left after extensively raiding the entire area. In Waterford, they took it to the next level by setting up a permanent settlement, the first town in Ireland. Before that, the locals lived a nomadic lifestyle, following their livestock across Southern Ireland. Eventually, the Vikings would settle down and stop raiding. They formed alliances with Irish Lords and turned their focus from looting and killing to trading.
While the Viking influence on Waterford is visible everywhere, it is now a thriving, modern seaport city on the Suir river. As the capital of Ireland’s Sunny South East, Waterford draws domestic and foreign tourists alike but has so far been able to keep its traditional Irish charm.
Things to do in Waterford Ireland
Waterford City Tour:
I highly recommend a walking tour in Waterford, as its history is fascinating and it will give you a better understanding of the Viking influence, but also many other tidbits of information about the city and region.
Waterford Crystal:
The Waterford Crystal company is renown around the world for the high-quality crystal it produces. If you have time, take a tour and learn how crystal is made, what the engravers do their work and maybe even try your hand at carving the delicate patterns. Factory Tour Tickets
Waterford Treasures:
The Waterford Museum gives you a great insight into the city’s interesting history, its Viking heritage, and the way of life in earlier days. Museum Tickets
King of the Vikings Experience:
This is a really cool Virtual Reality experience. You’ll get seated in a “Viking house” and receive VR Goggles, then the story takes you back to the early days of the Viking settlement in Waterford. It is a little gruesome, so I would not recommend it for small children.
Bishops Palace:
A beautiful house with lots of exhibits, mainly from the 17th and 18th century. Bishops Palace Tickets
Waterford Greenway Bike Tour:
If you want to get out and exercise a little, the Waterford Greenway is a nice 46 km (~30 mi) track to enjoy the Irish countryside by bike. It follows old railroad tracks and is mostly flat. It goes past Mount Congreve, so that would be a great stop to take a rest and enjoy this beautiful estate.
Mount Congreve:
This stately property consists of 70 acres of gardens, from abundant vegetable and fruit gardens to manicured lawns, a greenhouse to dense green forests with hidden treasures. You could spend hours wandering the lush gardens.
Hotels in Waterford Ireland
Waterford is quite a popular destination in Ireland, so make sure you book your hotel in advance, especially if you travel in June-August or around major holidays.
We stayed at the Dooley’s Hotel, right on the river. From there, you can walk to all the attractions in the city and explore the pubs in the area. We had dinner there on our arrival night and it was delicious and the pub has live music if you don’t want to stray too far.
More Hotels in Waterford
Want to make your stay extra special? How about staying in a castle? Here are our favorite Castle Hotels near Waterford
Wilton Castle-Wilton Castle, Enniscorthy, Ireland
Wilton Castle comes in at the top of the list of the four-star hotels. This property is one of the top rated locations in Enniscorthy. Each suite has its own private kitchen, sitting room, and fireplace. Be amazed by the history, architecture, and luxury of Wilton Castle.
The Wilton Castle Hotel offers the following features: non-smoking, soundproof room, honeymoon suite, family rooms, facilities for disabled, free Wi-Fi, free parking, express check-in/check out, continental breakfast.
Activities offered by the Wilton Castle Hotel are fishing, and a golf course (additional charge). The Wilton Castle Hotel offers outdoor features like a picnic area, garden, BBQ facility, and terrace. Waterford Airport is only 27 miles away. Other nearby landmarks are as close as 3.5 miles.
Couples love this location! Wilton Castle is a romantic hideaway to reconnect and recharge. Rekindle your love and stay at Wilton Castle.
Price range: from $177 per night
Waterford Castle Hotel & Golf Resort- The island, X91 Y7 22 Waterford, Ireland
Waterford Castle Hotel & Golf Resort is on the River Suir. It is 800 years old and located on a private island, surrounded by spectacular views. Its history dates back to the 6th century.
To get to the island, a ferry service is available throughout the day. In only 3 minutes of crossing, you will be close to town. You should make reservations for a few nights because there is so much fun stuff to do in and around Waterford.
Waterford Castle Hotel offers the following general features: room service, restaurant, bar/lounge. Activities that received great reviews at Waterford Castle Hotel are: garden, picnic area, games available
Services offered by the hotel are: concierge, heating, all space non-smoking, VIP room facilities, family rooms, room service, elevator, honeymoon suite, facilities for disabled, babysitting/child services(additional charge), 24-hour reception, safe deposit box, meeting rooms, ticket service, self-laundry, multilingual staff. The Hotel offers valet parking.
Check-in after 2 p.m. and check-out before 12 p.m.
Guests are grateful for the helpful and professional staff. This is the absolute location for all travelers; especially couples. Give your love one a memorable gift and reserve today!
If you are looking for more Ireland Castle Hotel recommendations, take a look here.
Where to Eat in Waterford
As I mentioned, we had dinner at our hotel, the Dooley’s Hotel. The food as outstanding and the service on top of their game. Usually, hotel restaurants not my first choice, but the one at Dooley’s really convinced me and I can highly recommend it.
For lunch, we headed to The Reg aka Reginald’s Tower. This pub is a must-see. 5 different barrooms, all with a unique style and feel are built along the 900-year-old city walls, from a traditional pub with Irish music to an elegant wine bar, and even a nightclub (Friday and Saturday only), you’ll find a spot that speaks to you. The food at the Reg was delicious as well. I had some of the best oysters and lamb shank there, washed down with a pint of self-draft Guinness.
Day Trips from Waterford in Southern Ireland
Dunmore East:
A great outing for families and adventure lovers is the Dunmore East Adventure Centre. They offer kayaking and paddle boarding tours, a jumping castle on the water, rock climbing and lots of other cool things that will get your adrenaline going. Afterward, head to The Strand, either to spend the night or for some fantastic food and a beautiful view.
Ardmore:
Cliffwalk and Lunch/Dinner at The Cliffhouse Hotel
Hook Lighthouse:
This lighthouse was built 800 years ago and is the oldest fully operational lighthouse in the world. Take a tour and enjoy the view from the top overlooking the cliffs. Get your Tickets for Hook Lighthouse here.
Enniscorthy:
Enniscorthy is a cute little town that is worth a day trip. If you have seen the movie “Brooklyn”, you might see a lot of familiar places. I highly recommend a Heritage Tour and a visit to Enniscorthy Castle, which also has an exhibit about the filming of Brooklyn.
Dungarvan:
If you are interested in trying some delicious Craft Beers in Ireland, head to Dungarvan Brewing Company and then Dinner (or maybe spend the night, depending on how successful your beer tasting was) at Park Hotel Dungarvan.
Wexford:
Wexford is another must if you are on the Southern Coast of Ireland, especially if you are a history buff.
Dunbrody Famine Ship
I highly recommend the Dunbrody Famine Ship, which showcases the story of the Irish emigrants to the New World.
The museum is nice, but what gives this experience a special touch is the live-enactment. During your tour, you’ll get to meet two passengers of the Dunbrody, one from first class, and one from the lower decks. Whether you have any Irish blood in you or not, the Dunbrody museum and ship is a must.
Irish National Heritage Park
Another highlight of Wexford is the Irish National Heritage Park. The Open Air Museum takes you from pre-historic times to the Viking invasion and is great for families and history buffs, who want to experience how life was like back then. You can even book one of the replica huts to sleep in, and if that is a little too much for you and you are traveling in a group, I highly recommend to book a traditional dinner.
If you want to extend your time in Wexford and stay overnight, I recommend the Clayton Hotel or Talbot Hotel right in the heart of Wexford.
Waterford Driving Tips
These day trips are best explored by a rental car, and I have some tips for you about renting a car in Ireland. Here is one of them and you can read my other tips on driving in Ireland here.
Make sure that you rent a car from a reputable company. We decided to work with Carhire.ie for our road trip through Ireland and were extremely satisfied. Carhire.ie is actually serviced by Europcar, but you usually get a better price. Europcar is one of the largest rental car companies based in Europe, so you know you are in good hands.
Our rental car only had a few thousand kilometers on it, the pick-up and drop-off went fast and painless, and we were not hit by any additional charges or fees, which is so often the case when you rent a car abroad.
Carhire.ie/Europcar has locations in all major Irish cities and then some, so it doesn’t matter if you do a full circle tour or drop your car off at a different location than your pickup.
Southern Ireland has a lot to offer, but not many tourists end up along the southern shore. You can easily spend 7-10 days just exploring the Southern Coast and Waterford is the ideal home base to do day trips from. So if you are looking for a destination in Ireland, that has a lot of great stuff to do, Waterford might be your ideal spot to add to your Ireland itinerary.
Disclosure: I was invited on this trip by Tourism Ireland. However, I am trying to be as objective as possible and my opinions are my own!
Waterford Ireland – Exploring Ireland’s Ancient East
Pia
Saturday 7th of April 2018
Ireland is on my bucket list but didn't have any idea of this fascinating Viking history before reading this post, thanks for sharing!