Waterford Tours

About Waterford

Waterford is the oldest city in Ireland, founded by Vikings in 914 AD on the south bank of the River Suir. The city's cultural heart is the Viking Triangle — a compact medieval quarter of narrow streets centred on Reginald's Tower, the oldest civic building in Ireland, built in 1003 AD and the only urban monument in the country to retain its Norse name. The Viking Triangle holds three interconnected museums — Reginald's Tower, the Medieval Museum, and the Bishop's Palace — that together cover a thousand years of the city's history from Viking settlement to Georgian prosperity. A combined ticket covers all three. The Waterford Crystal visitor experience, housed in the modern factory on the Mall, offers tours of the workshop where craftspeople cut, blow, and engrave the crystal by hand. West of the city, the Copper Coast stretches 25 kilometres between Tramore and Dungarvan. Designated a UNESCO Global Geopark, this stretch of coastline takes its name from the 19th-century copper mines carved into its cliffs. The drive passes through a sequence of beaches, coves, and villages — Annestown, Bunmahon, Stradbally — each with its own character. The Tankardstown Engine House, a ruined mining structure on the clifftop, is the Copper Coast's most recognisable landmark. The Waterford Greenway — a 46-kilometre off-road cycling and walking trail between Waterford city and Dungarvan — follows a disused railway line through countryside, over a Victorian viaduct, and through a 400-metre tunnel. Bike hire is available at both ends and at several points along the route. Inland, the heritage town of Lismore sits on the River Blackwater, 30 minutes from Dungarvan. Lismore Castle, originally a 12th-century monastery, dominates the town from above. The castle gardens — separate from the castle itself — are open to visitors and feature contemporary art installations among heritage plantings.