This is one of my favorite castles to tour. It's a legit castle, complete with "murder holes" around the perimeter and all the tremendous history to go along with the heavy exterior... whilst being right there in the middle of this sweet town of Limerick! The view from the top is stellar; don't miss it! I've visited the castle several times. The first was for myself! I was curious about it and was so surprised to find such a well-organized museum inside! I've returned several times to take others who had never toured the castle and will likely go again for the same reason! But I enjoy it so much, so I don't mind at all. If they offered a season pass, I'd likely get one! Most recently, I attended a Van Morrison concert at King John's Castle and was just amazed at the intimacy of this venue and the majesty of the space! It was a dreamy experience!

The whole family loved this place. Free car park about 2 minutes walk. Tickets are reasonably priced. Staff are very friendly. The whole place, toilets included, was spotless. Nice cafe and gift shop at the end of the tour. Really informative, interactive self-guided tour. Nice panoramic views from the top of the castle walls and towers.

We visited on Sunday where it was very quiet. This castle and museum was incredible. I say that because I’m the earlier part of the museum they fully educated you on the history and timeline of events. When you made it through to the castle portion you were fully immersed and could picture what it may have been like there back then. They gave visitors a lot of access that was safe and self-paced, making it great to go at your desired pace. There are a lot of castles to see. This one is a standout in my book.

Well worth a visit. The history of Limerick and the castle is told in a very detailed and interactive way. If you’re not willing to read your way through a museum, several videos show you a good summary of all mayor events in the history of Limerick. A few items do require some maintenance (several lights were not working, multiple screens in the castle itself were not working). You can climb the castle tower and get a beautiful view of the city.

Truly a gem.. very nice interactive museum in the castle where you get really inside the Irish history. Spacious castle yard with some fun medieval games and two viewpoints (very windy on top, not wheelchair accessible). Nice gift shop with small bistro. We are definitely happy being visiting this place. To get the best view of the castle, just cross the bridge. Great attraction for kids.

I enjoyed visiting this castle. Museum was a little run down but was a good view showing what was happening during years it was built. Great views from the top of castle.

Very well maintained. Has lots of history associated with it. It has been shared in parts divided into periods of history and one has to travel to different part of the route to witness them. The stories are told very nicely and use of audiovisual and historical objects with descriptions does helps to understand the adversity that Irish citizens had to go through to reach to this stage. You do feel sympathy for those who bravely fought for the independence.. Coming back to Castle, it has a nice cosy cafe also and various memorabilia to buy.. Best part for me was the gorgeous views of Shannon River and Limerick city from the top.. splendid and itself worth of the ticket price.. Only issue, a minor one is parking.. it is not very clear on the ticket. The parking is around 3-4 min walk ahead from the castle itself.. although I found it by using Google, but it would make sense to mention it in the ticket itself to avoid any confusion to someone visiting first time.. Overall completely worth it!! And definitely recommend..

A genuine fun and authentic castle experience. I got to fire a bow!! The archery guy was really cool. The interactive pieces were nice aswell. Very impressive defenses and towers. Definitely would recommend, well worth the visit. Thanks to all the people who keep the castle open year round. 👍

Well laid out, stairs (being built for defence!) can be dangerous in wet weather, or when meeting people coming the other way. I dont know how it could be done, but maybe making it a one way system where you go up one way and down another might be good? Lift to top of walls for disabled might be an idea too, how to tie it into the architecture would be a challenge, but Im sure a good architect could do something.

The views from the top of King John's Castle were so beautiful! It was really fun! Just a heads up though, the stairs to the top are small and steep so be careful!

Came once before Covid and again just the other day with a friend who was very impressed. Would be great for kids as there are so many interactive and hands on exhibits. Although, great for all all ages. The grounds are beautiful.

Great visit. Friendly staff. There's a lot to see here. Very informative, but interactive and interesting. One of the best visits I've had while visiting museums in Ireland. Great views from on top.

What a great museum and castle! We’ve been to a few castle tours here in Ireland and this one has to be one of the best. The museum portion is very informative for those of us who might not know the local history and does a great job explaining the importance of the castle. We were able to walk up one of the towers which was quite exciting! The tour section that takes you underneath the castle walls is also fascinating. I’ve never seen something like this at a castle and it put into perspective a lot of what was talked about during the museum portion about the siege! Overall wonderful castle!

Great history attraction with a walk through the life story of the castle. There is access to the towers via very narrow stairs and great views of the position of the castle on the river. The cafe is limited but lovely and bright. The usual tourist shop is located near the cafe. The staff are friendly. Parking is located down the road.

Really nice castle with included museum. Parking lot is across the street and has many free spaces. We booked our tickets in advance online but it wasn’t necessary on a weekday. The exhibition was nice and had different interactive parts. We really liked the “people” in screen who told you about their life’s back in the days. After the exhibition you could go through a walk through path where you could see the old stone walls of the castle. Then you could also climb on top and had a really nice view. You could end your visit with a walk through the shop or get some food & drinks at the cafe.

There is a very nice museum inside that gives you a detailed explanation of historix events surrounding Limerick city and its role in Irish history. Also the views of the city are great. Finally, I liked it because it feels a bit like Game of Thrones (books, not the TV series)

Visited the Limerick King John castle during noon time on a weekday. Not crowded, tickets are easily available, you can also book online. Firstly, in my opinion please visit the place only if you want to absorb the beautiful landscape of Limerick along the Shannon River as viewed atop the castle towers. Thats wonderful scenic views. 5 stars for it. Rest of the museum brings down the rating for the improper lighting and the way things are being depicted. No person is found directing anyone or showing the way. Tourists are free to go any which way they like and then realise they need to go back as they missed something. Once you are in the center courtyard of castle, poor directions allow you to wander in which any direction. I will not be surprised if some tourist missed on some sections of the castle just because there are no proper sign boards. The technology has been used but only to be non-functional most of the places. There is a cafe at entry-cum-exit and of course a souvenir shop, Which are good.

I loved the old games we could try out. There was also a lot of interesting information, with movies, computer simulations etc. That being said, there were not many interiors with brick stones, armours and such. Surprisingly, the gift shop is one of the cheaper ones in the city.

Visited on a Wednesday afternoon, purchased 2x €13 Adult Tickets and entered right away (no line). We did enjoy the history exhibits, but a lot of the exhibits were closed or non-working. They also had a lot of major construction going on internally, so these aspects made the ticket prices not quite worth it for us. Didn't feel we got the true value. Views from the castle tops were lovely.

The visit was an overall pleasant experience. Loved the short documentary (catches you up on the things you might miss on the way). The view from the towers was cool. The games on the terrace were great, although we did go there almost exclusively for the archery activity but we were told it's no longer available (as of August 2023). Someone should remove it from the website ... it's giving misleading advertisement. My personal favourite part was the conversation we had with the awesome swords gentleman. He was so amicable and welcoming, and he told us so much about the history of the place and the swords and battles! Not to mention his cool costume! He made everyone's experience all the more memorable. I'd give him a raise if I could!

Absolutely gorgeous museum/castle. The museum was extremely informative when you get to the castle they have a lot of info as well as workers to help in any way. Sadly, a lot of ignorant people have broken items inside as well as carved their names, and some bad patent have let their children have free reign with pens marking items inside the castle and museum. Other than that, you are able to go up on the towers as well as most of the rooms. It's a great experience, and for those driving, there is free parking just down the road.

We got there at the absolute last minute you could buy a ticket 4:59 pm I think. We kind of ran through it but it was an interesting place and makes you realize in another way that not all “castles” on this island are glorious. This was essentially a prison under siege.

It cost €13 for an adult but they have a lot family plans. It should take less than 1h for you to see everything but 1h30 if you want to see really everything, read mostly the infos and go to every part of the castle. Its very interactive, you can play some games, talk to some people. Really enjoyful and not boring at all The castle itself is really well preserved. You can really see the construction, the architecture and, in the tower, the city. Define the would come back.

Amazing historical spot in Limerick. Highly recommended.

Put it on your must do list when you are in Limerick. Fantastic museum and unlimited access to the Castle itself including the towers which have unbelievable views of Limerick city and beyond. Free parking nearby. Setting up a Christmas yard when I was there and looked great. Great for families.

Excellent place to spend a sunny day, beautiful views from the tower, lots of interesting history and interactive exhibits inside the different areas of the castle. You could easily wander for a few hours especially with 6-12 year old children. The inside of the museum has some fun and educational exhibits like a cannon ball that you can hold to see how heavy it is and a model of the battle that was fought here. Outside you can walk into several different areas but the best parts are climbing up the stair wells to see the views.

Full of tons of history in the exhibits and the actual castle. I didn't have time to look at the exhibits due to having to be elsewhere shortly but they looked extensive and full of good information. The castle/walls were nice to explore and see

More amazing Irish history in a city that's immersed in it. The castle is an amazing experience that let's you inside the history of Kings Island through a virtual tour then you get to experience the real thing. Friendly staff and so close to city centre you can't miss it. A little expensive but to me it was worth it.

Truly a great stop. We went mid-November around 12 PM and had almost the whole place to ourselves. Price is good for what you get. Soooo much history to take in. You can set your own pace, choosing for it to take an hour or three. They have lots of activities for kids. Glad we stopped here!

Great little castle. Love the interactive they had & that you could walk around & get some great views of the city.

If you like history facts and detailed explanations of day-by-day happenings of a castle, this is for you. With excellent history timeline and very well done dioramas, it made me plunge into the history of the place. I took my time soaking everything, and once the open yard of the castle, I was overwhelmed. Worth it.

I would give it a 3.5 if we could do 1/2 stars. It's pretty cool to be able to climb up into an old castle. And it has a nice museum attached to it.

Tea and fresh baked pastries to start. Tourist assistance guide was great she was so enthusiastic about the region and knowledgeable gave great ideas of what to see in the area. The singer and other artists were great took time to give you real history of the castle and of music. Great time. It's funny past this by everytime I was in Ireland before stop since we had an hour or so to kill spent two hours there and loved it. The smell in the lower level is the stink of a thousand years.

Historical, but small and simple. This castle is historical, but not very big and tall. It has nice display of furniture inside of the castle, but they look unexpectedly small and simple. They made me feel sorry for ancient people who once lived there. The castle is small, but it has a big area in the yard. There were some costumed staff demonstrating how to use a simple wood stick to fight. It was entertaining.

Informative graphics that are easy to read and right to the pertinent information. There's some interactive displays and a lovely view from the top of the castle

Tip 1: Go to the bathroom at the entrance because it will not be available again until the gift shop. There are lots of models, interactive games and AI people to teach you about the history of the castle, all the way from the Vikings on. If you are t a reader it can be confusing because there is a lot to read. It would be nice to have a cliff notes time line to go with it. I enjoyed the castle the most, there are great photo ops and a knight in the yards who will teach you how to fight. I was disappointed that the games and things in the yard were not fully set up when we arrived even though we got a later start to the day.

The staff are kind, and knowledgeable. The castle area is clean. It is set up to give an introduction to the trials of Ireland's 1000 years of transformation.very interesting presentations. On a clear day the view from the turrets is wonderful. Many chapels a d river views.

Amazing castle with an awesome legend. It says the castle were belonged to the King John from the tale about Robin Hood (do you remember it?). :)

Their exhibition leaves much to be desired. It's disjointed, with no clear order to read things in. It also focuses more on the overall history of Ireland than the castle itself. I could have skipped this one and not been upset. The views from the ramparts are amazing though.

King John's Palace, where the same king has never been! 😉If you are a fan of the Middle Ages, then you are here. I got lost here for 5 hours... You forget about time and space here. Time stops. First you get to the castle museum, then the castle itself, from the top tower of which a magnificent view of Limerick opens! Then the courtyard, recreating the atmosphere of that time and the king sitting on the throne with his jester, will play cheerful Irish melodies for a small fee. And at the end of your journey, visit a cafe overlooking the castle in the castle courtyard and buy souvenirs. A great place to take a walk with your family and travel back in time!

A very clean and welcoming place. The historical details in the museum could stand to be reorganized in a way that provides a sense of linear history as you move through the tour. The castle itself would get five stars if it didn't have such a campy Ren-fest feel to it. The gravity of history is lost to ring toss and selfie stands.

Great Castle, good to visit while you in Limerick. You can see all city from the top of the tower. You can bye tickets on the enterance.

The castle is small but worth visiting. 1-2hrs is enough to see the whole thing. It is in two parts, the first part is the exhibition and the second part is the castle itself. There is plenty of paid parking available nearby. The castle itself was built on the orders of King John in 1200. You can almost visit every part of the castle including the tops form where you can have the excellent view of the city and river. The best time to visit is in the morning.

The castle provides an interactive and hands on exposition of its history, which is very interesting and also children friendly, although heartbreaking reagarding the sieges it went through. However, some of the gadgets were not working properly, which was a pity. The courtyard with its board and court games could be interesting if there was somente responsible for showing around how things work or if there were printed and vídeo instructions - there were none so it was really disappointing, as well as the thematic rooms - masonry, arms etc [things were rusty and video presentarions were not running]. The view of the town and of Shannon River from its towers are precious and worthwhile, though.

A must in Limerick. It was a lovely visit and I have learned so much there. It's very easy to read too. Near the end of the visit you can climb the tower and have a magnificent view of the city.

Kind John's Castle is rich in history! It was quite the experience to learn so much about Limerick and the people of Ireland in this part of the country. The castle itself is magnificent and it's fun to explore everything from underneath the castle to the grounds to the top of the towers!

A great family day out! Try to go in the warmer months - Spring onwards for the best views and open attractions like archery etc.