Things to do in Armagh
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Armagh
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Apple Blossom month, over 4,000 acres of orchards in flower and the prettiest weekends of the Armagh year.
St Patrick's season in the city that claims him, with Home of St Patrick celebrations.
Longest days, cricket on the Mall and Lough Neagh at its best, with marching season peaking around 12 July.
Harvest and the Food and Cider Festival, the best month for food lovers in the Orchard County.
Orchard harvest continues into autumn, then the Georgian Festival opens the Christmas season in late November.
Short, dark and wet, the low season, best for country house fires, museums and the lowest prices.
What's on
- Apple Blossom Festival Early May
Blossom tours, cottage events and tastings across 4,000 acres of flowering orchards.
- John Hewitt International Summer School Late July
A week of poetry, politics and music centred on the Market Place Theatre.
- Armagh Food and Cider Festival 3 to 6 September
Over 40 events built on the PGI Bramley apple, orchard tours, fire cooked feasts and artisan markets.
- Armagh Georgian Festival 26 to 29 November
Costumed characters, a festive artisan market on the Mall, carriage rides and a light show on Market House.
Best things to do in Armagh
St Patrick's Cathedral
Church of Ireland cathedral on the hill where St Patrick founded his church in 445 AD, with a crypt and fine city views.
St Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral
Twin spired Catholic cathedral facing its twin across the valley, with a mosaic covered interior that glows on bright days.
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium
Dome shows, historic telescopes and a walk through Astropark scale models on College Hill, and great value for families.
Navan Centre & Fort
Ancient royal capital of Ulster brought to life with living history Celts, a film on the Ulster Cycle and a guided fort walk.
Armagh Robinson Library
Ireland's first public library, a 1771 long room where staff show you Swift's own annotated copy of Gulliver's Travels.
No 5 Vicars' Hill
A plain Georgian terrace hiding two octagonal rooms of coins, gems and early Christian artefacts, plus a model old Armagh.
The Mall
Armagh's tree lined Georgian green around the cricket ground, the flat accessible circuit that links the whole city.
Armagh County Museum
Ireland's oldest county museum, free, with Neolithic finds, a strong art collection and the Bramley apple story.
Where to stay in Armagh
City centre and historic core
first trip, car free, walking to everything
Stay by the Mall and cathedral hills and walk to both cathedrals, the library, museum, theatre and most restaurants.
Rural Orchard County and beyond
food trips, celebrations, scenery and quiet
Country houses and estate hotels among orchards and hills give the best food and gardens, but you need a car.
Think twice about
- Armagh city centre as a late night base
Not unsafe, just very quiet after about 9pm with few venues open late. Pick a hotel with a lively bar if that matters.
- Isolated rural stays without a car
Country lanes are unlit and rural taxis are scarce at night. Drive, or book the taxi before dinner, not after.
Best restaurants in Armagh
Newforge House
One sitting at 8pm, three seasonal courses from local and garden produce, the county's destination dinner.
Snaffles Restaurant
The estate's award winning restaurant in the Lodge, classic country house dining built for long evenings.
Uluru Bar & Grill
Armagh's busiest dining room, an Australian themed grill with kangaroo on the menu and room for big groups.
Embers Coffee House and Grill Bar
Family run all day grill by the Market Place, known for the chicken and honey basket, garlic chips and Sunday carvery.
Keegan's Bar
A family gastropub for lamb shank, steaks and huge Sunday roasts, with cocktails and live weekend music.
Groucho's On The Square
A long loved cafe bar on Richhill's Georgian square, everything cooked to order, worth the short drive from the city.
Mulberry Bistro
Breakfast and lunch opposite the cathedral, with full breakfasts, club sandwiches and warm chocolate fudge cake.
The Bawn Pantry
Village cafe famous for pancake stacks, eggs royale, soda farls and lemon meringue, with people driving in for breakfast.
Outdoor things to do in Armagh
County Armagh Golf Club
An 18 hole par 70 parkland course in Georgian grounds with panoramic city views, welcoming visitors with day tickets.
Loughgall Country Park and Golf Course
Lake walks, orchard trails, a coarse fishery and an 18 hole course in one estate in the heart of the Orchard County.
Gosford Forest Park
Waymarked forest trails past a deer park with red deer and rare breeds, plus picnic areas and a campsite near Markethill.
Lough Neagh Discovery Centre
Free centre on Oxford Island nature reserve with four miles of shore paths, five bird hides and a cafe over Lough Neagh.
Long Meadow Cider
Award winning family orchard tour ending in the Bramley Barn with cider tastings, local cheese and hot griddle farls.
Armagh Cider Company
Owner led Blossom to Bottle tour and tasting at Ballinteggart House, five generations of apple growers turned cider makers.
Newry Canal Towpath
Twenty flat traffic free miles from Portadown to Newry, with the Scarva to Poyntzpass stretch the prettiest for a day ride.
Slieve Gullion Forest Park
A mythic volcano with a giant story trail and playpark below, a 10km scenic drive, and a 14km loop over both summits.
Best hotels in Armagh
Armagh City Hotel
The city's full service hotel with a pool, sauna, spa and free parking, a short walk from the centre and cathedrals.
Charlemont Arms Hotel
A third generation family run hotel two minutes from both cathedrals, loved for its welcome and cooked breakfasts.
Hillview Lodge
A well kept guesthouse style stay in the city, the value pick for a proper cooked breakfast and a helpful owner.
Armagh City Youth Hostel
Renovated hostel in the city heart with en suite private rooms, a self catering kitchen and free on site parking.
Newforge House
Six room Georgian country house with a single sitting chef's dinner and a legendary Ulster fry breakfast.
Killeavy Castle Estate
A restored castle and 45 room boutique hotel on 350 farm and woodland acres below Slieve Gullion, with a spa.
Castle Leslie Estate
Five star castle, lodge and mews stays on a thousand acres of lakes and woodland, 25 minutes west of Armagh.
Is Armagh expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | £55 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | £110 a person |
| Splurge | £240 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Armagh Observatory and Planetarium: a few days ahead
- Navan Centre & Fort: a few days ahead
- No 5 Vicars' Hill: a few days ahead
- Market Place Theatre & Arts Centre: a few days ahead
- County Armagh Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Long Meadow Cider: weeks ahead
- Armagh Cider Company: weeks ahead
- Castle Leslie Estate: weeks ahead
- Book Long Meadow and Armagh Cider Company tours days to weeks ahead, they run on set dates with small numbers.
- Book Planetarium dome shows ahead at weekends and in school holidays.
- No 5 Vicars Hill is appointment only, email Armagh Robinson Library and combine it with a library visit.
- Book Newforge House rooms and dinner, Killeavy weekends, and Uluru or Keegan's on Saturday nights ahead.
Is Armagh safe?
- There is no central neighbourhood flagged as dangerous, the late night reality is empty, modestly lit streets, not risk.
- Keep the Palace Demesne a daytime visit, its play area can draw teenagers drinking in the evening.
- In the Mournes and on Slieve Gullion carry waterproofs, proper footwear and a downloaded map, weather turns fast.
- Around flags, murals and marching season displays in July, a neutral and respectful courtesy is all that is asked.
Armagh travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not expect a mini Belfast, Armagh is quiet by 9pm and best taken on its own heritage and food terms.
- The Moody Boar at the Palace Stables is permanently closed, ignore older guides that still list it as the top restaurant.
- Gosford Castle cannot be toured as it is private apartments, go to Gosford Forest Park for the forest and deer park.
- The Lough Neagh Discovery Centre is pleasant but tired in parts, go for the shore and birds, not exhibition polish.
Getting around Armagh: public transport and more
- Walk the historic core, everything sits within about a mile, but expect hills between the two cathedrals.
- Armagh has no railway station, the nearest is Portadown, 12 miles away, linked by the hourly 251 bus in about 22 minutes.
- Direct buses run from Armagh to Belfast Grand Central in about 1 hour 10 minutes but only every few hours, so check times.
- You need a car for Navan Fort, the cider farms, Loughgall, Gosford, Oxford Island and Slieve Gullion.
Who Armagh suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Armagh your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store