
welcome to waterford Treasures
DISCOVER THE SECRETS BEHIND THE TREASURES OF IRELAND'S OLDEST CITY..... Located within a few paces of each other, the multi-award-winning museums tell the 1,100-year-old story of Waterford from its foundation in 914 AD by Viking sea pirates.
all Museums are open today [Saturday]
Mostly from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM [Saturday]see opening times
Discover Our
treasures

freedom pass
Medieval Museum
Step back into Medieval Waterford as you begin your tour in the 13th century Choristers Hall and 15th Century Wine vault.

freedom pass
Irish Silver Museum
Since the Viking period in Ireland, silver has been a most prized metal and a means of exchange.

Freedom Pass
The Irish Museum of Time
This refurbished gothic-style church is a fitting home for what is beyond doubt the finest collection of Irish timepieces in the world.

freedom pass
Bishop’s Palace
This exquisite architectural jewel, now a museum, continues to delight over 250 years later, the ground and first floors furnished as a very elegant 18th-century townhouse.

King of the Vikings
Experience the thrill of raiding the Viking settlement they called 'Vadrefjordyr'. The King of the Vikings - the world's first Viking VR adventure.

Reginald’s Tower
Reginald’s Tower is Waterford’s landmark monument and Ireland’s oldest civic building.
Welcome to Waterford Treasures
The only dedicated Museum Quarter on the island of Ireland.























Welcome to Waterford Treasures!
Plan your visit
Whether you are a first-time visitor or regular visitor, it's always important to plan your visit. Here we have some top tips from our team of experts to help you enjoy your time at the Waterford Treasures.
Medieval Museum
CLOSED
Monday to Friday
9:00 am — 5:00 pm
Saturday
10:00 am — 5:00 pm
Sunday
11:00 am — 5:00 pm
Irish Silver Museum
CLOSED
Monday to Friday
9:30 am — 5:00 pm
Saturday
9:30 am — 5:00 pm
Sunday
9:30 am — 5:00 pm
The Irish Museum of Time
CLOSED
Monday to Friday
10:00 am — 6:00 pm
Saturday
10:00 am — 6:00 pm
Sunday
10:00 am — 6:00 pm
Bishop’s Palace
CLOSED
Monday to Friday
9:00 am — 5:00 pm
Saturday
10:00 am — 5:00 pm
Sunday
11:00 am — 5:00 pm
King of the Vikings
CLOSED
Monday to Friday
10:30 am — 6:00 pm
Saturday
10:30 am — 6:00 pm
Sunday
10:30 am — 6:00 pm
Reginald’s Tower
CLOSED
Monday to Friday
9:30 am — 5:00 pm
Saturday
9:30 am — 5:00 pm
Sunday
9:30 am — 5:00 pm

Our team here at Waterford Treasures are on hand to assist you with any questions you may have.
Our museums have different opening times, prices, addresses & facilities.
What’s on
see all events
Time to Celebrate the Winter Solstice in Waterford
A wonderful winter solstice celebration is planned for Waterford City on the evening of December 21st 2022
Past

Great Calligraphy Festival Celebrating the Art of Writing in Waterford
During lockdown the Waterford Great Parchment Book (1356-1649) was chosen for inclusion in the prestigious Irish Script on Screen project and now all 450 pages are available worldwide on www.isos.dias.ie.
Past

Inaugural ‘Waterford International Festival of Time’ announced for May 2022
The Crème de la Crème of the Watch World Head for Waterford’s International Festival of Time
Past
Visit Ireland's Oldest City
one stay,
one itinerary
Reputed to be Ireland’s oldest city – Waterford is certainly richly decked in Viking tales, architecture, finery and folklore.
Waterford in 1 day: Explore Ireland’s Oldest City in One Day
1
Founded in 914 AD by Vikings from Norway, Waterford City is over 1100 years old making it Ireland’s oldest City. Today, Waterford is a vibrant and picturesque city that has managed to carefully maintain its important heritage, while also having a lively and modern shopping area, filled with cafes, award winning restaurants and an excellent mix of traditional, local and contemporary pubs.
Waterford in 2 days: Discover our City and Country experience over two days
2
Waterford Treasures and Mount Congreve Gardens – Two gems in Ireland’s Ancient East.
From the countryside to the city, discover 1000 years of history in 1000 paces in Ireland’s first open-air museum – Waterford Treasures. Featuring the largest private collection of plants globally, Mount Congreve is one of the most famous gardens in Ireland.
This two-day experience will leave you with a rich understanding of Waterford’s heritage and make for an unforgettable visit to Ireland’s South East.
Uncover Ireland's Ancient East
3
Experience Ireland’s Ancient East where vibrant history and modern life meet. Enjoy memorable food experiences, wander down the cobbled streets of medieval towns and explore the gorgeous gardens of this scenic region.
Hear local legends and mythical tales of the east of Ireland on a lively walking tour or travel back in time at an ancient monastic site. Head on an epic mountain hike and after, experience the cultural riches of the incredible cities.
Stories highlights

The MET Gala: Monroe, Kardashian and textile conservationists

Waterford and Wine Through the Centuries

Who did good and prayed for all. And banished the Devil from Loftus Hall

Winner alright, Winner alright!

New Geneva – The Town That Never Was

Inaugural ‘Waterford International Festival of Time’ announced coming May 2022

The Viking Slave Trade in Ireland

‘Back for the Irish Nation…’: The Withdrawal of British Forces from Waterford City 1922

Great Calligraphy Festival to celebrate the Art of Writing in Waterford – the Great Parchment Book

Stephen de Fulbourn – The Money Was Only Resting In His Account

‘A CYCLING CARNIVAL’: Ireland v England, People’s Park, Waterford – 11th August 1891

A Pirate’s Life For Me – The Real Lives of Munster Pirates

So, What’s the deal with Sea Shanties?

Davy Walsh: Waterford-born Linfield Legend

Spring Heeled Jack: Notorious Urban Legend or the work of the ‘Mad Marquess’ of Waterford?
Reginald’s Tower – Once, Twice, Three Times a Prison

The Siege of Waterford 1495

Paddy Coad: The Greatest Irish Player Never to Play in England

Lionel Richardson: ‘the greatest daffodil grower in the world’

Urban Squalor in Georgian Waterford: Filth, Falls and Fever.

Bringing Home the Bacon – Food in Medieval Ireland

Danny Morgan: Cheltenham Gold Cup Winning Jockey & Trainer

Freemasons in Ireland (and Further Afield)

Concubines and ‘lady wives’: the family life of the British officer in the early days of the Raj

What’s in a name? The story of where Denny’s sausages got their gold medal

Celtic Squash Club: A ‘great Waterford nursery’

The Lost Eleven Days of 1752

Bullion, Bands and Brooches: Silver Culture during the Viking Age

The Longitude Problem – How One Man Saved Sea Travel With A Watch

Bliain an Áir: The forgotten famine of 1740-41

Field Marshal Lord Frederick Sleigh Roberts: A Life Under the Microscope

Crotty the Robber – A Waterford Legend

Tainted by the Stain of Original Sin: Irish Participation in the Atlantic Slave Trade

The Show-Stopping, Chart-Topping Career of Brendan Bowyer

Murder in the Palace! Dastardly Darcy and the Doctor who played Detective

Tea: The Origins of Our National Drink

The French Connection: Letitia Bonaparte Wyse

Crusades, Conspiracies and Coercion: The Knights Templar in Waterford

A Feast or a Famine: the eating habits of the rich in the eighteenth century

Charles Stewart Parnell: Irish nationalist & lost English cricketer?

The Jail Wall Disaster

The Festival of Bealtaine: Traditional Piseogs and practices for May Day

The Devil’s Drink and Disturber of the Peace: The History of Coffee in Ireland

The Easter Rising of 1916: Four Waterford Volunteers

The 1918 Flu Pandemic in Ireland

Georgian January: The Slightly Saucy Fairytale of Dorothea Jordan

The Burning of Bridget Cleary: Witches, Fairies and the Danger of Superstition

Waterford and the last Great Auk of Ireland

Crazy Cures for Ancient Ailments: Medieval Medicine in Ireland

Luke Wadding: The Man who gave us St. Patrick’s Day

A Very Victorian Funeral: Weird Waterfordians

Embroidering the Truth: Sailors and the Art of the Sea

The Exile of Diarmuid Mac Murchada

Morbid Monuments: The Great Plague and the Cadaver Tomb

A Stitch in Time – The long history of the wristwatch

Rivalries, Royals and Rabbits: The Art of Waterford’s Great Charter Roll

The Helen of Ireland: The Abduction of Derbforgaill Iníon Maechleachlainn

Suirside Silver: 2004 FAI Cup runners-up medal

The Christmas Truce of 1914

Murder Aboard the Earl of Sandwich: The Pirates of Dollar Bay

A Viking Christmas: Yule in Vadrarfjordr

A Saturnalia Miracle! the Pagan Origins of Christmas

Object in Focus – Irish Elk Antlers

It’s About Time – The man who accidentally became a clock-maker to the King of Spain

It’s About Time – The first watches!

The Bishop Atherton Conspiracy

Object in Focus Part 2: The Irish Elk Antlers and Victorian Conservation Efforts

Man’s Best Friend: The long history of the Irish Wolfhound

Got a Sweet Tooth? The Scandalous Beginnings of Hot Chocolate

What’s in a word? Viking influences on Irish language

nThe Déise

A New Year in New York – The history of the Waterford Crystal Times Square Ball!

Thomas Francis Meagher and the Fighting 69th

Tell it to the Bees: Brehon Beekeepers

Was Anne Boleyn born in Carrick on Suir?

Medieval Mead and Waterford Whiskey: A history of Spirits in Waterford

A Corrupt Corporation: The Newport/ Alcock agreement of 1818

Cruel Fates and ‘Unnatural Mothers’ – Abandoned Children in Georgian Waterford

Royal Connections – A Chronicle of Waterford’s Royal Visits

Oliver Cromwell and the Siege of Waterford in 1649

PATRICK JOSEPH MAHON: FORGOTTEN WORLD NO. 1 GOLFER?
testimonials
A must visit
This is a great small museum and has a great range of artifacts of historical importance, highly recommended when visiting Waterford
Peter White
6 months ago
A memorable visit
Wow..we never expected such a gem in a smaller town….so many unique and ancient items….Henry VIII hat and sword and the cloth of gold vestments.
Dgccouple
6 months ago
Great museum, A must-see for all ages!
No need to worry about lines and DO purchase the Freedom Pass ticket which gives you admission to most of the museums in the Medieval Triangle. It’s only a few Euros more than the single ticket price and you get to see all the important places. All of the staff are welcoming and wonderful. We were there on a Sunday, so basically had few other tourists and could take our time. We also were glad we went to the Bishop’s Palace which is not at all what we thought it would be. We had a wonderful re-enactor perform as the housekeeper to guide us on our tour. So much richer to experience the house this way! I loved the Silver Museum and my husband and I both enjoyed the Time Museum. Thank you to the wonderful staff!
SoFloSoFawny
7 months ago
Don’t miss the Bishop’s Museum, Waterford
The Bishop’s Museum was unexpectedly comprehensive and thought-provoking. We expected to see beautiful vintage Waterford crystal and lovely furnishings, which we did, but the historical displays of Ireland’s role in WWI and Waterford’s role in the Easter Rising were most enlightening. Be sure to check out the excellent and detailed trench emplacement diorama honouring the men of the Irish and Ulster brigades. Not to be missed is the innovative 3-D video presentation dramatizing the history of Waterford crystal. Lovely, friendly, most accommodating ladies staff the museum which also has a pleasant tearoom for lunch too. On the only rainy day of our visit, the Bishop’s Museum was the perfect place to spend a couple of very worthwhile hours.
Anonymous
9 months ago
Iconic Viking stronghold
It was unfortunate that when we visited the exhibition of artefacts had been removed to a Dublin museum due to the restoration of the building. However, it did not detract from the historical significance of this building which is well recorded in guidebooks. Climbing the circular stone staircase up the three levels was well worth it.
Anonymous
6 months ago
Wide range of Irish silversmiths' craftsmanship through the ages
Display of Irish silver freely donated by Irish silver collectors. Excellent presentation with descriptions of each exhibit. The variety of exhibits and the craftsmanship of their makers is exceptional. Also, a video outlining important events in Irish history. The exhibits are sparklingly clean as they are housed in air-tight cases.
Anonymous
6 months ago
A Different Way to Learn About Viking Life!
After dragging my kids to several museums and hikes, I wanted to find something for them to do that was up their alley - and this TOTALLY was! My sons, ages 16, 9 and 9 all were completely absorbed in this unique activity. I wasn't sure what to expect but you just go into a recreated long house and after a short lesson, you put on a VR headset and watch a 30-minute program that teaches you about the Viking History of Ireland and it feels like you're actually living it! It was my first VR experience and I thought it was super well done! Highly recommended for history buffs, especially, or anyone that likes learning in an interactive way.
Anonymous
11 months ago
A unique experience in the heart of the Viking triangle
We accidentally stumbled upon this museum just before last admission. It was one of those happy accidents! We were astonished by this unique museum and its impressive collection of watches and clocks from all around the world and other artefacts. The museum staff was very kind and informative. If you might be hesitating, because you think it‘s a boring museum about clocks, don‘t. It‘s very modern and interestingly made. Even if you don‘t care about the history of the clocks, they are still nice to look at. Also suitable for small children. If you ever happen to be in Waterford, definitely visit this museum! You will find yourself in another world:)
Anonymous
7 months ago