Groups
Mount Congreve Gardens is an internationally-renowned garden.
Located in the south-east of Ireland, in County Waterford, Mount Congreve Gardens a stunning place to explore, with rare and beautiful plants, flowers, and trees. The gardens are home to a wild meadow and woodlands, which offer a great chance to get away from it all while still staying within the city limits.
The gardens offer plenty of space for groups of all sizes to enjoy themselves. Whether you’re a gardening group, historical society, school active retirement group or tour operator or DMC organising group excursions —a visit to Mount Congreve Gardens will be a unique experience for everyone involved.
If your group love gardens or just want to escape from it all while remaining in the heart of Waterford City, Mount Congreve Gardens should definitely be on your list!
Mount Congreve offers a rich visitor experience from winter to summer, by day and sometimes, even by night. We offer year-round spectacles – from a forest of Asiatic Magnolias that transport visitors to the Himalayas every spring, to a sea of Astilbes blooming in summer through to the autumnal colours of our maple lawn. Early flowering camellias add colour and the wonderful scent of Daphnes fills the air for a fresh winter walk. Unlike gardens where gardeners are behind the scenes, where you can’t walk on the lawn, ‘scrump an apple’ or pocket an acorn, we share our knowledge generously, we’ll always stop for a chat, encouraging visitors to explore, play and to get hands-on as Ambrose Congreve would have.
MOUNT CONGREVE GARDENS, Kilmeaden, Co. Waterford, IRELAND X91 PX05
HOW TO GET THERE
Located just 10 minutes from Waterford City Centre overlooking the majestic River Suir & with direct access from the 45 KM Waterford Greenway, Mount Congreve Gardens are easily accessible from the N25.
Sat nav co-ordinates: 52.2409N, 7.2 140W
EirCode: X91 PX05
| LOCATION | DISTANCE |
|---|---|
| WATERFORD CITY | 10 MIN |
| DUBLIN AIRPORT | 1 HOUR 45 MINS |
| CORK AIRPORT | 1 HOUR 30 MINS |
| ROSSLARE FERRY PORT | 60 MINS |
Facilities
~ The Stables café – 95 seats
~ Private Dining – 120 seats
~ Afternoon Tea
~ Gift shop
~ Ticket desk
~ Accessible toilets
~ Coach parking
~ Drop off facility at entrance
~ Guided Tours
~ House opens – 2023 season
~ Audiovisual
~ Audio Tours available – 2023 season
(English, French, German and Spanish)
Contact us
Contact
Plan your visit
Request our 2024/2025 Tour Operator Guide
To receive our 2024/2025 Tour Operator Guide, please email [email protected]
FAQ
HOW DO I VISIT MOUNT CONGREVE GARDENS & CAN I BUY TICKETS WHEN I ARRIVE?
To avoid disappointment, we recommend that tickets for Mount Congreve Gardens be booked online in advance of your visit. This includes general garden visit tickets and event tickets. These can be purchased here or from the ticket desk in the Secret Garden shop. A discount applies to online General Admission tickets.
DO MEMBERS NEED TO PRE-BOOK?
If you are a member, you do not need to book in advance. You do however need to present your card upon arrival. You may be asked to show proof of identity.
CAN I BRING MY PET?
We are all big animal lovers at Mount Congreve and dog owners will love our new pet-friendly Wetlands Walk located at the entrance to Mount Congreve but unfortunately, due to the biodiversity of the estate, the only pets allowed into the main gardens are registered guide dogs. The Stables Café is dog-friendly provided that owners obey the rules.
Discover More here
ARE THE PATHS WHEELCHAIR AND BUGGY FRIENDLY?
The main pathway through the gardens is wheelchair and buggy friendly, it is however on an incline with loose stone surfaces in many places.
DO YOU HAVE A CAFÉ?
Yes, the Stables Café by The Pantry at CLIFF offers a wide selection of seasonal salads, soups, warming dishes, tasty desserts and pastries. See full details here
CAN WE BRING A PICNIC?
We do not permit foods that have not been purchased on-site to be consumed within the grounds. The Stables Café offers a wide selection of light bites and snacks to suit all tastes and dietary requirements.
CAN I ACCESS THE GREENWAY FROM YOUR GARDENS OR VICE VERSA?
Please find full details here
ARE YOUR TOILET FACILITIES OPEN?
Yes, the bathrooms are located in the main visitor, where we also have a wheelchair-accessible toilet.
Please note there are no public toilets in Mount Congreve House.
DO YOU HAVE BABY-CHANGING FACILITIES?
Yes, these are located in the Stables Café.
WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?
Mount Congreve Gardens are located 10 minutes from Waterford City on the Old Kilmeaden Road. Our Eircode is X91 PX05.
Google maps link here
CAN I USE MY OPW HERITAGE PASS TO VISIT MOUNT CONGREVE GARDENS?
Upon the death of Mr. Congreve, the house and gardens were bequeathed to the state and are held in Trust. Mount Congreve Gardens is not an OPW site and we do not accept OPW Heritage Cards.
HOW DO I BOOK A GROUP?
Discounted rates are available for groups of 10 or more. All group visits or tours must be pre-booked through our office. Please email [email protected]
I WOULD LIKE TO BOOK AFTERNOON TEA?
Afternoon Tea by The Pantry at CLIFF at Mount Congreve Gardens is not to be missed.
CAN I VISIT MOUNT CONGREVE HOUSE?
Mount Congreve House is the new entry point to visit the gardens. Pre-book online or become a Mount Congreve Member for the best value www.mountcongreve.com
WHAT TO EXPECT?
You will enter Mount Congreve House by the main entrance as the Congreve family once did.
You will be welcomed at the reception desk and can scan your pre-booked ticket or membership card or purchase a ticket to visit the gardens.
You will be guided into the audio-visual room where you can watch a 5-minute short film which speaks to Mr Congreve and his inspiration to build one of the Great Gardens of the World.
Visitors can then continue to the interpretation room. This room holds a model of Mount Congreve Estate and two flipbooks. One flipbook documents the plant collection and the other the history of the Congreve family. At this point, guests can then exit to visit the gardens.
CAN I STAY AT MOUNT CONGREVE?
The first of three Gate Lodges at Mount Congreve has been renovated. To find out more and book your stay visit www.mountcongreve.com/gate-lodge/
CAN I BOOK THE HOUSE TOUR?
Guests who wish to visit the gardens can now do so as the Congreve family once did, and enter through Mount Congreve House. Garden admission tickets can be purchased online or on the day.
Visitors will receive a warm welcome from the visitor experience team and be guided into the two new interpretative spaces and then exit to the gardens via the North Terrace.
While guests can enjoy the new interpretative spaces, there is no designated house tour.
DO YOU HAVE A PLAYGROUND?
CAN I VISIT THE CAFÉ AND SHOP WITHOUT VISITING THE GARDENS?
Yes, visitors can visit the Stables Café and Secret Garden shop without visiting the gardens.
CAN I VIEW THE GARDEN MAP?
Please find a pdf of the most recent Mount Congreve Gardens map VIEW HERE
CAN I PURCHASE GIFT CARDS/VOUCHERS?
Yes, you can purchase Gift Vouchers online or Gift Cards from the Secret Garden Gift shop.
Tours
Thursday Tours
Every Thursday between March and October you can join us for a scheduled guided tour of the gardens at 2:00pm (weather permitting). Meet at Mount Congreve House before entering the gardens, through the house, as the Congreve Family once did. From there your guide will take you on a gentle stroll through the woodland gardens, fragrant walk, as well as the walled gardens. Throughout the tour you will experience all that the gardens have to offer, while learning about the estate’s history, including anecdotes about its former owners. This is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon in a world-renowned garden.
Garden Highlight Walk
Following a grand arrival through the main entrance of Mount Congreve House, visitors will enjoy a gentle stroll through Mount Congreve's gardens. Following the terrace path, past the rolling west lawn, highlights include the delicately leafed Acer Tamukeyama and vibrant pink-green tinged Pseudowintera “Marjorie Congreve” named after Mr. Ambrose Congreve's wife. From there, stroll towards the Bell Gate Lawn, overlooked by ancient trees like Oak and Yew and also many rare trees such as the Handkerchief tree. This guided tour includes the Walled Gardens, where fruit and vegetables have been grown to support the estate over centuries. TO BOOK email our Estate Team at [email protected] or telephone +353 (0)51 384 115
Herman Dool Tour
Elmer Dool, a respected horticulturist, leads the 'Herman Dool Guided Tour' at Mount Congreve Gardens in honor of his father, Herman Dool. Herman Dool was Garden Director at Mount Congreve Gardens from the 1960s working alongside Ambrose Congreve to design and plant the gardens over forty years. The gardens feature mass plantings of many varieties, creating stunning, colorful vistas year-round. Elmer Dool is proud to continue his father's legacy by offering guests a chance to explore the gardens and learn about their history. In recognition of his achievements to horticulture, Mr Herman Dool was honoured with the Orange Order of Nassau by the Queen of The Netherlands, which is the equivalent of a British Knighthood. Elmer is delighted to take guests on this tour and to have the opportunity to walk in his father's footsteps. TO BOOK email our Estate Team at [email protected] or telephone +353 (0)51 384 115
Estate Director Tour
A must for nature and garden enthusiasts, this tour offers a rare opportunity to explore the formal and woodland gardens with Mount Congreve Estate’s Director who originally started work in the Estate in 1989. On this tour, visitors will hear of the stories and the origins of rare species and plants that are both native to Ireland and present in these gardens. Visitors will also hear stories and anecdotes about the Estate's former owners including Mr Ambrose Congreve the last owner of the Estate as well as those that worked at Mount Congreve over the years. As visitors move through the gardens, they will also learn innovative techniques and methods along with some surprises about plants, trees and shrubs that have been used throughout history for dietary and medicinal purposes. How plants have helped shape our history and how we can continue to learn from the plants and nature around us. TO BOOK email our Estate Team at [email protected] or telephone +353 (0)51 384 115
Group Gallery
They visited Mount Congreve
