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one pass, five Experiences

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1,000 years in 1,000 paces

open access to five experiences

Discover the story of the city’s Viking foundations, be inspired by medieval wonders and experience elegant living in Georgian times. The Freedom of Waterford ticket entitles each visitor to a guided walking tour and complete access to the Medieval Museum, Bishop’s Palace, the Irish Museum of Time and the Irish Silver Museum. Visitors can also choose to purchase tickets for the King of the Vikings Virtual Reality, The Irish Wake Museum, Reginald's Tower or Mount Congreve Gardens which are not included in the Freedom Pass.

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Medieval Museum
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Bishop’s Palace
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Irish Silver Museum
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Reginald’s Tower
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Epic Walking Tour

Freedom of Waterford

On the ‘Epic’ guided walking tour the visitor will gain insights into both Waterford and Ireland’s history. Discover the story of Waterford’s Viking foundations, be inspired by medieval wonders and experience elegant living in Georgian times. The visitor can dive deeper into their favourite era of Ireland’s heritage with complete access to the Medieval Museum, Bishop’s Palace, the Irish Museum of Time and the Irish Silver Museum.

At the Medieval Museum visitors can take a step back into 13th and 15th-century Waterford and explore the atmospheric underground Choristers’ Hall and the 15th-century Wine Vault. Exhibition highlights include the medieval cloth-of-gold vestments and the 1373 Great Charter Roll of Waterford – viewed by Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III on their visits to Ireland.

The Bishop’s Palace Museum is an authentic 18th-century Georgian grand residence built in 1743 which is also home to the oldest surviving piece of Waterford Crystal in the world. Visitors can join our re-enactor guide on tour of the House, while discovering the scandalous affairs, tantalising love stories and more – hidden beneath the veneer of Georgian perfection. .

The Irish Museum of Time boasts the finest and earliest collection of Irish timepieces in the world. It celebrates the incredible skills of the virtuoso Irish craftspeople who, since the 1600s, created timepieces of remarkable beauty and technological genius.

The Irish Silver Museum features one of the largest collections of Irish silver in the world. It takes the visitor on a journey through Irish history using beautiful, intimate and personal objects to celebrate the grandeur of Ireland’s past in silver from the Vikings to the Victorians.

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discover
the attractions

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Medieval Museum

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

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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.

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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.

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Irish Silver Museum

Since the Viking period in Ireland, silver has been a most prized metal and a means of exchange.

Book our Freedom Pass

Access five attractions and the guided walking tour

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Waterford City Waterford master 5 1 min

TAKE THE GUIDED TOUR

an epic tour guided by our experts

The only tour in Ireland that gives you access to six national monuments (duration 45 minutes).

Your guide will bring you through the streets of 1100 years of Waterford’s history from the Vikings to the Victorians, in Ireland’s oldest city, ‘Veðrafjǫrðr’,(Waterford).

This guided walking tour, the ‘Epic Tour of the Viking Triangle’ is a wonderful way for visitors to get an overview of Irish history both the historic and archaeological treasures and also experience the developments in architecture over a period of a thousand years as visitors traverse the Viking Triangle. We market the experience as ‘From the Vikings to the Victorians – A thousand years of History in a Thousand Paces’.

The visit includes Reginald’s Tower first mentioned in 1088, Greyfriars Medieval Franciscan friary 1240, the Bishop’s Palace 1743 and  Christ Church Cathedral 1783. It’s a fun engaging tour with lots of stories to engage and entertain you the visitors, with numerous photo opportunities along the way.

Epic Tours of the Viking Triangle are run daily at 12pm, 2pm and 4pm (3:30pm Nov – March) (please arrive 5 minutes prior to start time to book in), tours are subject to availability on the day. Outside of these times the Epic Tour of the Viking Triangle is available all year round for Group Bookings, please contact [email protected] for more details. The Epic Tour of the Viking Triangle starts at the entrance to the Bishop’s Palace.

some of our Awards to date

Medieval Museum

Number 1 Attraction in Waterford on Tripadvisor

Current

Bishop’s Palace

Number 2 Attraction in Waterford on Tripadvisor

Current

King of the Vikings

Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best

2020

Medieval Museum

Stone Federation Great Britain - New Build Natural Stone Award 2015

2015

Medieval Museum

Shortlisted for Mies van der Rohe prize

2015

Medieval Museum

RIAI [Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland]- Best Public Building

2014

Medieval Museum

UK Civic Trust award

2014

Waterford Treasures

Irish Building & Design Awards - Local Authority Members Association Best Building and Best Heritage Project, 2013

2014

Waterford Treasures

Full Accreditation, Museums Standards Programme for Ireland

2014

Waterford Treasures

Shortlisted, European Museum of the Year

2014

Waterford Treasures

Best Local Authority Museum

2009-2010

Waterford Treasures

Listed 12th Top 50 Delights of Ireland – Rough Guide to Ireland

Waterford Treasures

All Ireland Museum of the Year - Best Publication 2004 Award for Waterford Treasures: A Guide to the historical and archaeological treasures of Waterford City

2004

Waterford Treasures

Shortlisted, European Museum of the Year

2002

Waterford Treasures

Irish American Cultural Institute Heritage Award

2001

Waterford Treasures

Designated Museum

Since 2001

Waterford Treasures

All Ireland Museum of the Year

1999 -2000

See all awards

Stunning exhibits

We found the Medieval Museum to be the most fascinating. Our leisurely strolls through the 13th-century Choristers Hall and the exhibits depicting Medieval knights and kings were quite memorable. However, amongst the numerous priceless artifacts on display, the stunning 15th-century gold cloth church vestments made in Florence from Italian silk were beyond breathtaking.

Anonymous

8 months ago

Medieval Museum Tour

If you are going to spend a day in Waterford, do the Epic Walking Tour to get the basic history of the city, and then do the Medieval Museum. This tour will give you much more information about the important role that Waterford played in the history of Ireland. And the collection of artefacts and religious items is a must-see for history enthusiasts.

Mike

10 months ago

The Epic Walking Tour.

Myself and my partner got the Freedom Pass, such good value. We started in the Bishops Palace and then got a tour of the Vikings Triangle from Alex. He was so knowledgeable, extremely easy to talk to and really immersed us! 100% recommend Alex for a tour.

Anonymous

4 months ago

King Of The Viking's VR Tour

I brought my son to the King of the Vikings Virtual Reality Tour, and it was absolutely amazing. He's 8 and has autism and ADHD but managed to stay tuned in for the entire experience, thanks in no small part to our host, Breeanna. She was so informative, answered all our questions and was so kind to my kid. She explained that she's an osteo-archaeologist with a Viking background herself; she spoke multiple languages and had a genuine passion for Viking history. What an asset to the Waterford Treasures! We both learned a lot and would probably do it again and take friends. Thanks so much.

Rachel

3 months ago

Irish Wake Museum Tour of Rituals, Death and Celebration of life

The Irish Wake museum was my main reason for revisiting Waterford, and it did not disappoint. Liam is a wonderful storyteller: he took us through the history of the building as well as the history of Irish traditions. He was open to questions during the tour and stuck around after to receive any questions. After the tour, we were allowed to go back through and take a closer look at the cases. The tour took about 45 minutes with a little bit of time to wander back through the rooms. The admission fee was well worth it!

Mary

1 year ago

The Bishops Palace

Shirly on the front desk is an absolute lady. She made not only my visit to the Bishop's palace a pleasure but also helped me with her wealth of local knowledge to plan an accessible trip to see all the treasures with a wheelchair user. They don't make customer service like this anymore. Fresh, lively, friendly – above and beyond expectation. Thank you.

Janine

1 year ago

History made fun to learn- The Bishops Palace

This was the starting point of the Epic walking tour in and around the Viking Triangle in Waterford. We visited, and it was worth the price alone. Take your time with the Bishop's Palace, as it has lots of interesting stories to tell. My husband and I were fascinated by the exhibits and the snippets of history written everywhere on the walls. We had a nice little chat with a lady from the museum; she gave us great tips on what to see next. The café had the best croissants I've had so far. If you are in Waterford, you should absolutely go check out the Bishop's Palace.

Anonymous

2 weeks ago

Really well curated display - Medieval Museum.

Amazing artefacts on display. The staff are extremely friendly and happy to provide additional information and answer questions. Admission included a guided tour – thanks to Claire, who gave a great overview of more than 750 years; so much for me to learn. Had a great day in Waterford.

Alice

9 months ago

TAKE THE GUIDED TOUR AND ACCESS FIVE ATTRACTIONS

1,000 year history of Waterford and Ireland, all within 1,000 paces.

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    Getting there

    Reginalds Tower 96px 03

    Epic Walking Tour

    Bishop's Palace, The Mall, Viking Triangle, Waterford, X91 E279, Ireland

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    Irish Wake Museum – Rituals of Death

    Irish Wake Museum, Cathedral Square, X91 WFE8, Waterford, Ireland

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    IRISH MUSEUM of silver 96px 05

    Irish Silver Museum

    Irish Silver Museum, Cathedral Square, Waterford, X91 H921

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    Irish Museum Of Time 96px 04

    The Irish Museum of Time

    Irish Museum of Time, Greyfriar's, X91 CF95, Waterford, Ireland

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    Bishops Palace 96px 01

    Bishop’s Palace

    Bishop's Palace, The Mall, Viking Triangle, Waterford, X91 E279, Ireland

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    Medieval Museum 96px 02

    Medieval Museum

    Cathedral Square, The Viking Triangle, Waterford, X91 K10E, Ireland

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    King of the Vikings

    King Of The Vikings, 10 Bailey's New St, X91 A0PF, Waterford, Ireland

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    Reginalds Tower 96px 03

    Reginald’s Tower

    Reginald's Tower, The Quay, X91 Y880, Waterford, Ireland

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