Powerscourt House and Gardens: all you need to know for visiting

All you need to know to plan a visit to Powerscourt House and Garden, award-winning gardens in the East of Ireland.

Powerscourt Estate is one of the most famous attractions in Ireland.

Located in County Wicklow, less than an hour south of Dublin, Powerscourt is an elegant estate with impeccably maintained gardens, developing in front of a breathtaking view of the Wicklow Mountains.

The estate is a must-see for garden lovers but has something to offer to many types of travelers: if you are exploring Ireland with kids, looking for an easy day trip from Dublin or in the mood for a walk in stunning surroundings, you simply cannot miss Powerscourt!

How to get to Powerscourt from Dublin

Powerscourt Estate is in County Wicklow, immediately to the Sout of Dublin, and is easy to reach by car or joining one of the many coach tours available from Dublin.

Going by car, you need to go South and follow for Enniskerry, the small town around the estate.

The gardens are well signposted and he drive from Dublin is easy (no mountain roads if you go via the motorway): ample parking is available, free of charge inside the estate.

If you prefer not to drive, you can easily visit Powerscourt joining a coach tour from Dublin. The tours usually last a day and include other attractions in the area, helping you make the most of your day in Wicklow.

One I like and that also brings you to stunning Glendalough is this one (it also has an excellent cancellation policy, should you need to stay flexible)

Good to know: Powerscourt is served by two different car parks, one in the main area where the house and gardems are and the other one near the waterfall. The two areas are distant from each other: make sure you park close to the area of your choice.

What there is to do in Powerscourt

Powerscourt Estate is vast and has much to offer to its visitors. These are the main things to do in Powerscourt Estate.

Visit the Italian Gardens

The main things to see in Powerscourt estate are its world-famous gardens.

They develop at the back of the house, sloping gently towards the Wicklow mountains, grandly opening up in front of them, and are so expansive you can easily spend a couple of hours here just wandering around their manicured footpaths.

The gardens are organized in different areas and they are all worth visiting.

The first you encounter as soon as you get to the back of the Estate are the Italian gardens.

They were designed by architect Roberston in 1848 and it took 12 years and 100 men for them to come to completion!

Indeed, the result is wonderful. The gardens deep over several terraces decorated with sculptures and flowers, and they slope gently towards an artificial lake, with a statue of a triton in its center.

Fun fact! The statue of the Triton in Powerscourt is based on that by Bernini in Piazza Barberini in Rome!

Relax in the Japanese gardens

Farther down the estate, at the bottom of the Italian gardens lies one of my favorite areas in Powerscourt the Japanese gardens. These are lovely, relaxing gardens crossed by a lovely footpath and decorate with a little Japanese style temple.

Make sure you also visit not just this garden but also the area at its back with the Pepperpot Tower: the tower itself is charming and the view from here fabulous! This is one of the best bits of Powerscourt for kids.

Take a moment at the pet cemetery

On the opposite side of the Triton lake from the Japanese garden lies the small pet cemetery, where the family pets of the Wingfield and Slazenger who lived here.

The pet cemetery is a lovely, quiet corner and is particularly nice in late spring / early summer when the flowers in this part of the estate come into full bloom.

Explore the walled garden

Between the pet cemetery and the main house lies the lovely Powerscourt wall garden is also known as the ‘Kitchen garden’. This is the part of the estate where herbs and produce come from and is a lovely and relaxing place, perfect also to visit with young kids thanks to its flat paths.

Eat cake at the house cafe’

Powerscourt House hosts a lovely Avoca cafe with an excellent choice of cakes in particular (if you taste them and like them, you can even buy the cafe cookbook and try your hand at that at home!)

The cafe’ gets busy but it is worth a stop especially in the good season when you can sit in its stunning terrace overlooking the gardens.

Visit the Powerscourt Distillery

if you love whiskey, then you may enjoy a tour of the Fercullen Irish Whiskey distillery inside Powerscourt house. The distillery is a recent addition to the Powrcourt attractions since it opened its doors in 2019 and offers and excellent tour of its facilities complete, of course, with a whiskey tasting (actually, 4!).

You can see what the tour entails, cost and book your ticket here

The cool planet experience

Another relatively new addition to Powersoucrt and one of the best things to do in Powerscourt if you are visiting with young kids or teenagers is the Cool Planet Experience, and interactive exhibition teaching about climate change.

The experience is wonderful: you walk across several rooms, following a pre-ordered path and you get interactive activities that help you learn about climate change and, even better, help you understand what actions you can personally take in your daily life to help tackle the problem!

The experience is wonderful for school ages kids and teenagers but it great for adults too so I highly recommend you take it with them!

Have a picnic at Powerscourt waterfall

Powerscourt waterfall on the opposite side of the estate from the house and, as I mentioned at the beginning, is served by a different entrance and parking. If you intend to visit both parts of the estate, which is perfectly doable in a day. you will have to drive from one to the other.

The waterfall is a very different type of attraction: here you don’t have manicures gardens but a wonderful waterfall and picnic area that regularly attracts local families in spring and summer weekend.

If you have children, this is a lovely spot as there is a nice playground with sand especially toddlers adore.

Powerscourt with kids

Powerscourt House and Hardens can be a lovely destination for a family day out in Wicklow however, it depends on what you expect.

Powerscourt is excellent for kids if you are looking for large spaces for toddlers to run or if you come on one of the days with kids events (we met Santa here and it was amazing!). It is also great if you have a pic-nic with the kids at the waterfall or if you go to the excellent Cool Planet Experience.

however, Powerscourt doesn’t have a playground and is not a place to kick a ball so if you are looking for that type of entertainment, maybe this is not the best choice.

Baby changing facilities are available both in the main area and at the waterfall. most areas of the main gardens are stroller friendly.

Where to eat in Powerscourt

There are a few options if you want to have a meal in Powerscourt. if you want coffee and cake, then you can eat at the terrace cafe in the main house, which has a view over the Italian gardens.

If you prefer, you can also have a nice meal in the Powerscourt hotel which is usually quieter and has lovely views over the mountains and a good option for lunch and afternoon tea.