The Japanese gardens and Irish national stud

Perfect place to visit on your day off

I am always looking for somewhere nice to visit on my days off, whether it is a cute cafe or a garden I love to get out and ramble. I was searching for places to visit that were under an hours drive from Dublin and the Irish national stud came up. I had always wanted to visit the Japanese garden’s so on Sunday I hopped in the car and I went down. The Irish national stud is the same exit on the N7 as Kildare village, it was really easy to find. I went early to see the garden’s before the buses of tourists came and I do recommend going early or going midweek. 

Within the Irish national stud is two garden’s, you have the Japanese garden’s and you have St Fiachra’s gardens. You can also ramble around the stables and see where all the racehorses are kept. I paid  €12.50 for an adult ticket but I did see family tickets were available. I spent almost three hours rambling the gardens. 

The Japanese gardens are smaller and really ornate, I chose to walk the rugged path and stepped on the stones and walked through the stream, if you are able I would walk this route, there are loads of things to see, from Ferns to Mosses you see things you might not see in other garden’s you visit. Then you have the infamous red bridge and tea house. You can’t go all the way out without stopping to take a picture on the red bridge. When walking through the Japanese gardens don’t forget to look up at the trees and also climb up the steps and look down. The leaves on the trees look beautiful when you look at them from different angles. The garden’s are so relaxing and there was loads of seats to stop, sit and take in the views. The sound of the stream was a real treat  for the senses and it was so relaxing. 

Once I was done exploring the Japanese garden’s I walked through the stud into St Fiachra’s gardens. These were so cute as there were fairy doors and displays on every other tree. There was even a giant bug hotel called the Buglington which I thought was very funny. There is a stunning waterfall style feature in this garden so make sure to walk through them to see. I walked through these garden’s and strolled up to the staples and got to see some foals. I also got to rub one of the horses on the way back to the cafe. I did get something to eat in the cafe, however, on the way out I noticed people having picnics at the park benches. So a cute picnic is an option if you want to avoid cafe queues. 

Once I finished exploring the garden’s I then headed to Kildare village. I had seen their fab displays and floral walls on Instagram and I wanted to see them for myself. I loved the bike displays that were dotted around. I didn’t buy anything this time but it was a treat to walk around and take in the pretty scenery. 

I would love to get your recommendations on where to visit. If you have a go-to place that you love to visit then please comment below and share. I am always looking for new places to explore. There are some hidden gems dotted around and I love to pay them a visit. 

Thanks so much for reading, 

Chat soon, 

Catherine.