Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden

Very interesting and magical place. Beautiful views and historical journey through time. Castle, church, gardens - all very well preserved and restored. Castle located by the lake, at the foot of the mountain, rich fauna and flora. Amazing landscapes, especially when the weather is good. Free car park. Two small disadvantages: the price of the ticket and hordes of tourists. 100% worth a visit, I recommend.

The neighborhood landscape was breathtaking. One of the most spectacular landscapes I have ever seen. The Abbey is beautiful and the walled gardens absolutely pristine. Staff are as expected, the epitome of Irish hospitality. Especially the young folks at the gift shop. Rich in history, the journey also delivers.

We flew to Ireland to join a bus tour of Ireland. Started in Dublin, drove around the island and finished in Dublin. It was a great tour. We stopped at Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Garden. The gardens are beautiful. The abbey is well maintained and interesting to tour. The tickets were arranged by our tour guide so no problem there. A great place to spend the day.

A beautiful place full of history and surrounded by a gorgeous landscape. I can't recommend it more. The abbey itself wasn't too impressive, but the grounds are definitely worth the visit. Food is also really good.

We took a bus tour that stopped here first. It was a rainy day in February. I think I expected to see a nun. This is a tourist place, which does not make it bad. You just need to know that this is very much a tourist place. The gardens were being manicured. The shop is well stocked. The house is well arranged. This seems like a great place for a warm day. I wish there was an architecture tour. Maybe more on the actual design of the house. I really liked the cafe. You should plan to eat there.

Kylemore Abbey was fantastic. It was really great to get to know its history. We visited on a rainy day so didn't really venture to the gardens, but went to the gothic church. Highly recommend the legendary apple pie, it was very worth it! We would definitely visit again!

Beautiful building. The gardens are awesome. Being inside the valley almost felt like being at Zion National Park, but greener.

This is a XIX century abbey currently occupied and operated by Benedictine nuns. The castle is historically uninteresting, and the gardens are somewhat boring. Basically, the admission price is pretty high for what it is. On the positive side, you can choose between a lovely 2 km (each way) walk to the garden, or taking a free shuttle. If you love Disney Land, you will greatly enjoy this location as well.

Stunning Kylemore Abbey!! Walking the gardens was so calming and heavenly! I imagined picking my own herbs for a grand dinner experience. Ahhhh I can dream... The castle was so lovely and I enjoyed walking through the worker buildings and imagining how people lived back in the day. This was such an enjoyable day!! Oh! I should mention if you don't want to walk from the castle to the gardens they do have a tram to drive you over. The shop and dining was great too!! The food was surprisingly good!! Love, love, love this place!

Just like a fairy tale, the quintessential view of the Abbey materializes when you least expect it. The overwhelming amount of "oooh's" and "awww's" from the people around you isn't surprising; the view simply takes your breath away. If I were asked to think of somewhere that epitomizes a fairy tale, it would be a toss-up between Kylemore Abbey and Neuschwanstein Castle - both are stunning in their own way. Absolutely plan a visit and tour - a walk around the property is what ethereal dreams are made of. Nature, Wildlife, flora, and fauna, you will get your fill...and still want more. Plenty of interest here especially if you make it a day trip for the history and nature lovers. The whole experience felt like we were stepping into a storybook. We'd visit again even if it were to simply roam the landscape.

Can I please just live in Kylemore Abbey? No? Darn. I'll take my visit as a consolation prize. Seriously, any visitor to Ireland should make this abbey and the surrounding grounds an absolute priority. It is beautiful, even from afar! Once you get closer, the beauty just gets even more astounding. It's built at the base of a mountain and has such a rich history behind it. The accompanying gardens are a must-visit of their own kind. I spent a long time meandering the beautiful plants and artistic touches there. There's even a cutesy little tea shop on the grounds in addition to the main restaurant and gift shop area. The actual abbey visit doesn't take too long, but definitely allot at least an hour for the full tour. I'd recommend booking with a tour group to avoid getting lost on the way to the abbey. It does seem to be in the middle of nowhere. No gas stations out here, folks!

One of my favorite sights I saw while driving along the Connemara Loop in Galway, Ireland was the Kylemore Abbey. The story of Kylemore Abbey is a bit of a tragic love story. In 1852 English financier and politician, Mitchell Henry and his bride, Margaret were honeymooning in Connemara. Margaret fell in love with the beauty of Connemara so Mitchell purchased the land surrounding the Abbey and had Kylemore Castle built in 1867. The fairy-tale castle was 40,000 square feet and had over 70 rooms, including 33 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 sitting rooms, a ballroom, billiard room, library, study, school room, smoking room, gun room and various offices and residences for the butler, cook, housekeeper and other servants. For nearly a decade Mitchell, Margaret, and their nine children lived at Kylemore Castle, but in 1875 tragedy struck. Margaret contracted a fever during a visit to Egypt and died. Heartbroken, Mitchell returned to Kylemore and had a beautiful memorial church built about a mile away from the Castle on the shore of the lake. Margaret's body was laid to rest here and eventually Mitchell joined her in 1910. In 1920 Irish Benedictine Nuns purchased Kylemore Castle after their abbey in Belgium was destroyed during WWI. The nuns transformed Kylemore Castle into an Abbey and established an international boarding school and a day school for the local girls. The renowned boarding school was open from 1923 until 2010. Kylemore Abbey, the Gothic Church, the Victorian gardens, and the nature trails are open to visitors daily from 9:30 am until 4:30 pm. Tickets are €13 and discounted tickets are available if you book in advance online. A tour group was leaving as we were standing in line to purchase our tickets. Their tour included a lunch package in Mitchell's Cafe, but they ran out of time so they gave us their lunch vouchers. They didn't miss out, the food was mediocre. The only thing I enjoyed was the soup. The prices are cheap and the portions are huge at Mitchell's Cafe, but I would suggest packing a picnic basket instead if the weather is nice.

A Majestic Tourist Attraction in Ireland's West Coast, in Connemara. Kylemore Abbey was built in the 1867 originally by a man for his wife and in the 1920's years used as a boarding school by the Benedictine Nun's who bought it. It is now a tourist destination and well worth the visit. If you are in this area of the country, do not miss it. Admission is 13 Euro which allows a self guided tour of the house, Gothic Chapel and beautiful landscaped gardens. Allow your self about two hours minimum. So much to see, along with coffee shops and gift shops, plus photo opportunities of the spectacular Twelve Pins Mountains and lakes surrounding this castle. Wear walking shoes, layers, and a rainproof jacket. It can be very cold windy and wet even in mid July, August. But as I said do not miss this. It truly is a beautiful serene area of Ireland.

Breathtaking views that are a must see if in the Galway area. We used The Galway Tour Company and were completely impressed with the guides and their knowledge of everything Ireland. If you use this tour company, you get 2 hours to spend at Kylemore Abbey & Gardens before heading back to the bus. The buildings are so impressive and not something you see everyday, especially where I'm from. Go Go Go if you get a chance.

A little pricey but a beautiful place. No middies out in the afternoon. The Abbey was a pleasant peak into the past and much enjoyed. We skipped the gardens and popped in for ice cream and creapes instead.

This place is gorgeous and the history is even better. The abbey is just beautiful. We didn't get to see any nuns but the grounds are certainly kept up well. The gothic church built as a tribute to the wife of the former owner is incredibly built and such a cute fun size church. The gardens weren't quite in bloom but wow do they do a great job keeping it sharp and clean. We ate lunch at the restaurant just outside the gates. Not the most exciting lunch I've eaten. Only had wine available, but we didn't come here to eat. The abbey is a must visit if in Galway.

Every time I'm around Galway, Connemara and Kylemore Abbey are must-visit places for me. Breathtaking, wonderful views - a stroll there is always a pure pleasure. I also like food you can get there: as for Ireland, it has quite decent prices and it simply tastes nice. Can't wait to come back!:-)

I lived in Galway for a summer and during my last weekend I finally had the time to visit Kylemore, and as soon as I got off the bus and looked across the majestic lake to lay my eyes on the Abbey, I had an overwhelming feeling that I was at the heart of Ireland. With no other buildings in sight, you feel like you've come upon a secret. The abbey itself is grand, yet understated. The real gem is the small cathedral just down the path past the Abbey. It has 5 different Irish marbles and is just breathtaking. Also, the cafe isn't glamorous but the food it tasty. Also, they had delicious and moist gluten-free cookies!! Everytime I go back, I make sure this is one of my first stops!

Absolutely stunning property located within the Twelve Pins region of Connemara. The gardens are well manicured as is the entire site. The drive out there is as beautiful as I've seen. I encourage everyone to visit!

I have one word for you MIDGE. These little fruit fly looking buggers bite! They nearly ruined my visit to Kylemore, but what could beat the beauty of a castle by the lake...not much. This gorgeous abbey by the lake used to be a castle, those the grandeur of it all. The interior of the abbey is pretty and full of history, however The exterior is the real star. The black and white stones are nothing I've seen before. There are Victorian gardens on the grounds as well, adding to the castle feel of the place. However, after years of disrepair the garden had seen better days. Hopefully, it soon returns to its former glory. The gardens may not be a gem yet, but the tea house next to it is. The scones were melt in your mouth and the housemate jams delicious. The best thing is the jam is self serve, meaning you can go back for more! There was definitely a very high jam to scone ratio that day. You should go for the jam alone, just make sure to have some industrial strength bus spray.

My husband and I currently live in Dublin, but we wanted to get out of the city for the weekend so went to Galway. I had read about Kylemore Abbey, and we thought that since we were only about 45 minutes to an hour away from there, we would take a little side trip. We were very impressed with the beauty and serenity of the Abbey as well it's majestic setting! I couldn't believe the view from the front of the abbey across the lake...wow! Sparkling, clear water surrounded by mountains, flowers, lush green grass and blue skies! Magnificent day! We visited the Abbey, and although the areas where you could visit were interesting, I thought it somewhat boring and a little confusing. We were able to view a film presentation in one room, unfortunately, it was so noisy because of all the visitors in the lobby area as well as someone cleaning the adjacent bathroom, that we got up and left. We strolled the outside, following the path to the mausoleum and small cathedral before heading back down to the little cafe and gift shop. We enjoyed a lovely lunch along with delicious apple pie and a pot of tea before heading back home. The cafe served everything from sandwiches and quiches, to hot dishes and desserts and the food was excellent! So glad we got to visit Kylemore Abbey while we were in Connemara!