King John's Castle

The first castle I've ever toured!

We paid €10.50 (student pricing) to get in. We gave ourselves about an hour but I definitely wish we came earlier for more time. There is so much to learn, watch, and interact with in the castle. It was super neat learning the history & even neater taking in the views. I could have easily spent 2+ hours just exploring every nook and cranny.

There is a car park across the street that is free if you are going to the castle. The only downside is that the castle does close quite early, but I noticed everything in the city does. The hours for when we were there on a Saturday was 0930-1700. The car park closes when the castle closes.

If you're into history & castles, I'd definitely recommend at least 2 hours to give a good visit here.

The castle that King John never visited! Beautiful history museum and castle to visit if you're in town. Entrance fee is about 13 per adult but cheaper if purchased online.

You first get to go through the history museum and then out into the court yard outside the castle. You can then head to the top of the castle and through the nook and crannies of the building. You can see the river and town from the top. Great view!

Lots of Ireland history and beautiful architecture. There's a little Cafe and gift shop towards the end. Must visit!

A bit underwhelming experience. 13 euro an adult. Not too much the castle itself. A

Had a lovely time here! We expected to only spend maybe an hour here but it turned into 3-4 hours of historic learning and fun. The museum is very well done and kid friendly with cute little hands of things for young and young at heart. Mostly ADA friendly, but the climb up the towers definitely is not and has a very narrow and steep spiral staircase so use caution. But the views of Limerick from the top are unbeaten. Loved our visit!

This was an amazing place to spend a good few hours! The views from the top of the towers were incredible. Relatively cheap entry fee and towns of little things to see and learn about! I HIGHLY recommend takin a look to see for yourself!

Again, in Ireland, if you book tickets online in advance, you actually get a discount! King John's offered a 10% discount for a total of €11.70 per adult. Why, oh why do we get charged EXTRA for booking tickets online in America???

So, the visit starts with a walk through a museum with a lot of exhibits and reading - great for the history buffs out there. You can probably spend 30 minutes in there reading about the history of the castle, which I thought was really cool.

Then, you walk out into a huge open courtyard, and you can freely roam the grounds. You are able to climb up the narrow, winding staircases in the castle towers, and even go all the way up to the rooftop for SPECTACULAR views of the Irish countryside and the River Shannon.

You get to visit several rooms within the castle, and there are live action video exhibits featuring actors explaining what the rooms were used for. This wasn't really my cup of tea per se, but it was interesting to listen to for a little while. I'd just rather read about it than watch a corny actor dressed in the garb of the day describing how rough it was for them back in the day.

The castle is in pretty good shape, and you can spend a lot of time touring the different rooms, and walking up to the rooftop. It wasn't the best castle I toured, but it certainly wasn't the worst either.

Oh how I wished this castle was what I was hoping for. I do understand that this castle was under disrepair for centuries but it was more of interactive display and videos than anything else.

So the main reason I wanted to come to King John's castle is because through my last marriage, my ex traced his roots to King John's ba$*ard son. When I was told this many years ago, I said "Of course that would be your lineage!". Anyhow, I was hoping to see what other castles in Europe look like but the only thing left are a few towers and ruins. King John didn't even live here, I don't think he even visited here!

If you want to learn about the history of Limerick then this is the place for you. This is more of a history exhibit than exploring a castle. If you have been castle hopping before and then visit this place, you will know what I am saying.

I am not that disappointed because I know more about Limerick than I thought I ever would. I guess I just paid attention to the displays because I wanted to get my money worth. Oh and the café is really nice, so visit that too on your way out.

We were able to visit King John's Castle during the holiday season when many attractions are closed, which was nice.

The castle itself is an old archaeological site that was recovered, refurbished and opened to the public. As many people had mentioned before, it's a self guided tour with a lot of historical exhibits to learn about the history of the castle and the town of Limerick. Apparently King John is otherwise known as the same Prince John in the stories of Robin Hood!

The exhibits were a bit hokey, since they seem to be aimed at children (being able to try on traditional/historical garbs, interactive displays with cartoon animations, role playing actors, etc.) But much of the information/content of the exhibits had adult themes, or used complex language/vocabulary that children wouldn't be able to comprehend very well. I personally learned a lot from the exhibits!

Overall, it was educational and interesting, and a lovely way to learn about the history of not only the castle but the county, and even the country!

King John's Castle provides a deep look into Ireland's rich history, long before the castle was built in the early 13th century. A detailed exhibit on early Gaelic society (6th century) includes an overview of the legal system known as the Brehon Laws. The key takeaway for me was the fact that women were treated as equals. What a concept!

The castle endured a number of sieges in the 17th century. In one of my photos, you'll see a large sand courtyard. Look carefully at the center where you can make out rectangular shapes in the ground. It wasn't until the 1990's that archaeologists came in and realized that bodies were buried there. They were victims of a siege and were interred in a mass grave. That part of the castle, it turns out, provided the best shelter from the attacks. It's believed there are/were more burial pits, but they may have been destroyed by construction over the centuries.

The castle's dark history continued into the 20th century, when it was under siege again in the Irish Civil War of 1922. Let's hope those troubled days are over, and that the castle will remain just a tourist attraction.

Lucky us -- our traveling group of 7 made a lunch stop in lovely Limerick, and King Johns Castle was just across the river.

A phenomenally well done historic castle with excellent exhibits for all ages, sweeping views of the city from the upper levels, rich in education and pleasing to walk through. The staff were very nice and well informed, the loos clean and abundant, there's a pleasant cafe and gift shop at the end, and the interactive activities within the courtyard are fun for everyone (archery, storytelling, et al).

Have just a few hours in Limerick?

1. Lunch at Curragower.
2. A stop in to King Johns Castle.

We hadn't even planned this little jaunt (just needed to pop in somewhere on our long drive for a rest and some food) and it ended up being a highlight of the trip.

Highly recommended!

*Small entry fee definitely worth it. Children under 5 are free.