Muckross House is a 19th-century Victorian mansion located in Killarney National Park, Ireland,…read morebuilt between 1839 and 1843 for the Herbert family. After spending loads of money to host Queen Victoria at the time, the owners went into financial decline, leading to changes in ownership, and eventual gifting to the Irish Nation in 1932. Our tour group recently visited this popular (and well-maintained) tourist destination that features period rooms, expansive gardens, and traditional farms. We spent most of our time at the mansion, of which the self-guided tour was well laid out and very interesting to learn about. It's all kind of Downtown Abbey-ish, with the basement servant's work areas were fascinating. There's also a craft center at the end of the tour that's worth a look. The grounds (with Lake views) add to the relative magic to this place.

Muckross House is an incredibly maintained 19th century Victorian mansion. We strolled through on…read morea self guided tour. They offer a pamphlet that you can read as you go through the house which describes the room, furniture and sometimes interesting history. There is even a Queen's room that was put together for the Queen's visit. The basement level was really interesting. It offers quite a glimpse of life below for the servants. If you loved Downton Abbey you will likely feel it coming to life in this home. The grounds are absolutely stunning. You could spend an hour or half a day here.

It was cold rainy and windy our week in Ireland..if that is summer id hate to see winter. I read…read moremuch debate over tours or renting a car. We rented a car and the driving especially a ring of kerry was scary. Highly recommend you do much research of what stops are worth doing. I liked 3 ladies stop and torc falls. Definitely wear non slippery comfortable shoes. Liked the abbey ruins and quick look outside formal house near the ruins. It was cold windy and miserable so boat trips were not of interest. Kerry cliffs are gorgeous but be prepared for the wind ..chin straps on hats are a must. Biggest disappointment was the rock circle .. that was waste of time. We took drinks and snacks but there are a few towns to stop and eat. Getting ice in Europe is Tricky... but we took a small collapsible cooler. Their cheese is nice so might pack cheese slicer and crackers. Hope you can do skellig ring and Dingle ... personally I don't care about castles ... Europe is covered with them but the scenery and colorful buildings . Landscape looks like green quilt.. all shades and a billion sheep.

This is a great drive and way to see the beauty of Kerry County. There are tons of great places to…read morestop and see along the way.