Fota House Ticket: Explore Ireland's Iconic Regency Architecture and Exotic Arboretum

Discover the beauty of Fota House, an iconic Regency architecture in Ireland. Explore the exotic arboretum and immerse yourself in the compelling history of the Smith-Barry family. Book your tickets now!

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Fota House - Fota House is one of Ireland’s finest examples of Regency period architecture with superb neoclassical interiors. The main house dating from 1820, remained in the sole ownership of the Smith-Barry family for 155 years and today it shares the compelling life story of this family and their household staff.
    Now an Irish Heritage Trust…
What's Included
  • Local guide
What's Not Included
  • Does not include the €3 site parking fee, payable on exit from the car park by card or cash
Additional Information

One of the most remarkable examples of Regency era architecture in Ireland is Fota House, renowned for its exquisite neoclassical interiors. Since 1820, the main house was exclusively in possession of the Smith-Barry family for a span of 155 years and it now recounts the fascinating narrative of this family along with their domestic employees. It also…

Location
Fota House
All travelers must check in at our Visitor Services Desk which is located in the Long Gallery Craft Shop area next to the Cafe.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(67 Ratings)
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Hilaryd275
Oct 4, 2025
Really interesting tour of the house - A really interesting tour of the house with Lynn, a very knowledgeable and friendly guide. Lynn was especially kind as we arrived at the wrong time for a tour but it was our only chance and she very kindly took us on our own tour. We are so glad that she did! Thank you Lynn, it was very informative with interesting stories.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alanoe8063ix
Sep 26, 2025
The history of a big house, brought to life in beautiful surroundings - A very enjoyable tour with M. as our guide. I'm from Carrigtwohill, and have visited the gardens now and then, but didn't quite realise what a gem we had locally, with the house itself and its history. The tour lasted an hour and a half, and we could easily have lingered for another hour or more in the various rooms, looking at the paintings and furnishings. Afterwards, we purchased 'Through the Green Baize Doors' - a book of recollections of Fota House from someone who worked there in the mid 20th century. The stories of the people who lived and worked here (some of which had been imparted by our tour guide, and on whose recommendation we bought the book) added pathos to beauty of the physical house. The nearby presence of the gardens and arboretum further enrich the offering. It'd be great if the place were more easily accessible by foot and bicycle from Carrigtwohill (I know this is outside the remit of Irish Heritage Trust, but perhaps it's something the local council could work on, in conjunction with those on the island).
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Angela
Sep 18, 2025
A definite go to particularly if you are a wheelchair user and love history! - What a great place to visit! My husband is a wheelchair user and normally these historic house tours are out of bounds for him. Not Fota House - he was able to enjoy 80 per cent of the tour with a lift ride to the first floor. The staff are second to none in terms of welcome and hospitality - a special thank you to Maeve and Carmel. The story of the house is warm and authentic and it’s great that the Irish Heritage Trust is keeping the history alive for visitors. You get a great cup of coffee too! Well done.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
W8316aptonyo
Aug 3, 2025
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and we highly recommend a visit to this stunning house. Tony & Marjorie O'Leary. Cork - Today we were expertly guided through Fota House by Laura, whose enthusiasm for her subject was infectious. Her knowledge of the history of the house and family was very impressive.
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Lorcanw585
Jul 17, 2025
Fota house old but a real good time to spend your free time - Great history and many different rooms. nice staff and great experience. Lovely Coffee shop nice food. Good gift shop .would go again
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577donalm
Jul 16, 2025
Amazing Fota House and Gardens - Just completed a fabulous tour of Fota House. Our guide, Lynn, did an exceptional job making the whole history of the house and area, come a live with her delightful stories and excellent knowledge. Fota house can easily stand side by side with Muckross House with its amazing history, architecture and grounds. Would highly recommend visiting.
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F6439dcmarym
Jun 26, 2025
Informative Tour in pleasant surroundings. - A perfect day out with Visitors. What a lovely day out with our Visitors. We booked a midday guided tour of the House. Mary was an informative Guide with in-depth knowledge of the House and a sincere feel for the place. She also has a pleasant disposition and a clear voice. After our tour, we retired to the Cafe and enjoyed quality coffee. Our friends made nice purchases in the shop. Afterwards, we took a historical tour of the garden with Lynn. She was equally enthusiastic, knowledgeable and pleasant. The property is a credit to staff and volunteers alike. We would recommend Fota House and Gardens as the perfect day out when visiting Cork. You certainly get a good understanding of life in the Big House, not so long ago.
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Nancy
Jun 13, 2025
Fantastic Irish Estate Home to Visit! - What a gem! My husband & I took the train from the Cobh Cruise Port to the Foto train stop & walked to the house. We had a private tour. Very interesting family history, beautiful works of art & fantastic gardens. Lunch in the cafe was delicious too. We highly recommend! Just need a little better signage to get back to the train stop from the extensive grounds.
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Katjahp9170dj
Jun 5, 2025
A beautiful house with a great guided tour - We had an excellent house tour with our guide Mike, who had lots of interesting historical detail and stories about the house to tell. For anyone interested in old houses, Regency/Victorian upper class living and how things were done in the old days, we highly recommend this tour. We didn’t get a chance to try out the café but we walked around the vast arboretum and gardens, all very beautiful and special. It was not too busy, just a really nice place to visit!
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C901pzrachelm
Dec 11, 2025
Worst Santa Visit Ever! - The first station were two elves, they had to make a train from 4 pieces of wood with Velcro. Send station was Mrs Claus where she read a book for ten mins which was poor. Then we met Santa and the first thing I noticed was his beard was ridiculous. He said come here and take a photo first. Then asked where we were from and made a joke about cork jerseys which the kids didn’t get. Then asked the kids what they wanted and my son said a motorbike, instead of being nice about it he said where is your licence. Then we were told to leave. Very short. My daughter came out and said he was clearly fake did you see his beard. And then they got books as a present, I felt so sad for my kids. Worse €115 spent!
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From $15
up to 10 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).