Frequently Asked Questions

Athlone Castle Visitor Centre is open to visitors from 29th June 2020. To ensure the health and safety of our visitors and team members, we are implementing a range of operational changes in accordance with Government and HSE guidelines.

Timed, controlled entry in limited numbers will apply to ensure a safe capacity is maintained. We strongly recommend all visitors to book online in advance to ensure entry at your preferred time and date.

We ask all visitors to adhere to the social distancing advice. We kindly ask all visitors to be considerate and patient with other visitors and our staff in this regard while visiting our museum.

We have introduced a one-way flow system where practicable for your visit to the Athlone Castle Visitor Centre.

Sanitising stations are widely available, at entry, at our ticket desk, in our galleries, in our gift store, and on exit.

We will endeavour to minimise time spent in queues and at reception by asking our visitors to purchase their tickets in advance of arrival.

Visitors are required to wear face masks as per Government Directive effective from 10th August 2020.

Our new, highly trained Visitor Team will be on hand at all times to ensure visitors are informed, safe and comfortable during their visit with us.

We respectfully request visitors to use electronic payment where possible.

We will endeavour to ensure that appropriate social distancing rules are maintained throughout the Visitor Centre.

We reserve the right to refuse permission inside the Visitor Centre if a visitor presents with Covid-19 symptoms.

We will continue to provide audio guides free of charge available in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Mandarin Chinese. The audio guides will be systematically disinfected after each use.

Please make sure to remember to bring your own headphones with you if you intend to use our audio guides during your visit as they will not be supplied for hygiene reasons. Click here to view our Audio Guides Sanitising Procedure

Management reserve the right to update and alter these operational measures at any time and without notice.

We are open to visitors from 29th June 2020 (Please refer back to this page for updates) in accordance with HSE Guidelines, health and safety measures and appreciate your support more than ever in these challenging times.

Athlone Castle opening Hours
August & September
Tuesday – Saturday: 10am to 5.30pm
Sunday 11am to 5.30pm
Last admission one hour prior to closing

Revised opening hours and ticket availability will be monitored in line with guidelines and within the constraints of our business (Please refer back to this page for updates)

Timed, controlled entry in limited numbers will apply to ensure a safe capacity is maintained. We strongly recommend those of you planning to visit Athlone Castle to pre-book your ticket here to ensure entry at your preferred time and date and to avoid long queues..

We are strongly advising visitors to pre-book on line here in advance to ensure entry at your preferred time and date and to avoid queues.

We strongly recommend that all visitors book in advance via our website to ensure entry at their preferred date and time slot. We will be controlling capacity and allowing entry on a timed, staggered basis.

Pre-booked visitors will be allocated specific times to visit. Please ensure you arrive before your pre-booked timeslot or we cannot guarantee that you will not have wait.

If you have a specific request regarding an existing booking please contact Athlone Castle Visitor Centre on tel: 090 6442130 or info@athlonecastle.ie

As a prospective visitor you can book safe in the knowledge that you have the freedom to transfer your booking to a future date if you wish within the terms of our cancellation policy.

Visitors may cancel up to 24hrs in advance of arrival without any penalty. In the event that Athlone Castle Visitor Centre is forced to close due to any reason beyond our control, your booking can be re-scheduled, or a full refund will be issued.

Athlone Castle has rigorous cleaning procedures as standard throughout. As an extra precaution, we have introduced enhanced cleaning and sanitisation protocols throughout all public areas and back of house.

Hand sanitisers are also available for all visitors and staff to use throughout the Visitor Centre.

Athlone Castle Visitor Centre will follow the latest guidance from the World Health Organisation, Public Health and HSE, and ensuring all staff are up to date with enhanced procedures across the visitor centre.

Our teams will be increasing the frequency of cleaning throughout the Visitor Centre. Door handles and other touch points will be cleaned regularly.

The audio guides will be systematically disinfected after each use.

Please make sure to remember to bring your own headphones with you if you intend to use the audio guide app during your visit. Click here to view our Audio Guides Sanitising Procedure .

Specific Covid-19 training has been carried out with all our employees to ensure the safety of our visitors.

Should you have any other questions please contact our team on + 353 90 6442130 or info@athlonecastle.ie and they will be happy to assist you further.

You should allocate 60 – 75 minutes.

There’s a whole lot to do in Athlone, and visiting Athlone Castle is a great starting point. Our sister venue Luan Gallery is located directly across the road and is well worth a visit. Have a look at athlone.ie for more things to do.

Yes, there is a car park alongside the Castle. Have a look here for information on where to park.

Yes, unless a staff member informs you that there are specific restrictions, visitors are permitted to photograph or film Athlone Castle’s displayed collections for personal use, including for sharing on social media. Visitors may not use flash, a tripod, monopod or supplementary lighting.
No unauthorised filming is permitted in the museum, for reasons of data protection, copyright and potential health and safety.

Visit www.athlone.ie

Getting to The Athlone Castle is easy thanks to excellent public transport options, and our close proximity to Ireland’s main motorway network. For maps and detailed instructions visit the getting here information page

We are strongly advising visitors to pre-book online here  in advance to ensure entry at your preferred time and date and to avoid queues.

Pre-booked visitors will be allocated specific times to visit.

If you have a specific request regarding an existing booking please contact Athlone Castle Visitor Centre on tel: 090 6442130 or info@athlonecastle.ie

As a prospective visitor you can book safe in the knowledge that you have the freedom to transfer your booking to a future date if you wish.

Yes, group rates apply to 10 people or more. Please contact Athlone Castle directly for more information.

Yes, however, please note that the only way to enter Athlone Castle is by a relatively steep ramp which was created to keep attackers out. It is wheelchair accessible but persons with reduced mobility may need assistance. The main entrance and courtyard is a flat surface. There are automatic doors with a push pad function to open. The interior of the visitor centre is suitable for wheelchair access with a lift accessing the upper floors. Please also note that the surface in the castle courtyard is uneven in places with steps to raised areas. Accessible toilets are available at in the Castle courtyard. There is a public parking space for persons with reduced mobility adjacent to the Castle.
For further information and booking please contact Athlone Castle on T: 090 6442130.