Walk the arboretum
The 11-acre arboretum, begun in the 19th century, holds a world-renowned collection of rare tender and exotic trees that flourish in Cork Harbour's mild climate. It is open daily, year-round.
Fota House
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About
The ancestral home of the Smith-Barry family, Fota House is described as the finest example of Regency architecture in Ireland, set among a world-renowned arboretum and restored Victorian working gardens on Fota Island — the only Irish island with its own railway station.
Things to Do
Victorian Working Garden
This award-winning restored walled garden has an orchard, pit houses and working glasshouses where staff and volunteers grow plants and produce; plants raised here are sold to visitors. Chat to the volunteers and pick up growing tips.
Coffee and lunch at the Café
The Café at Fota House is run by The Food Club, serving hot lunches, salads, sandwiches, teas, coffees and sweet treats, with a kids' meal and drink for €9.90 and gluten-free or vegetarian options on request.
Tour the Regency mansion
Fota House has over 70 rooms and scores of elegant neoclassical interiors. The guided house tour (about 60 minutes) covers the grand principal rooms, a sensibly refurbished Victorian nursery and the Smith-Barry family's collection of art and objects, including one of Ireland's finest collections of landscape paintings outside the National Gallery.
Go below stairs
Explore the vast servants' wing and see the sharp contrast between the family's public rooms and the quarters of the cooks, butlers, footmen and maids who ran the estate.
Formal gardens, orangery and sunken garden
Wander gardens laid out by James Hugh Smith-Barry in the first half of the 19th century, taking in the Italianate sunken garden, the orangery and an excellent rose collection.
Family tree trails
Pick up garden guides from the Long Gallery Gift Shop. The Little Explorer's Tree Trail suits under-6s, while the Junior Plant Hunter Trail for ages 7+ has children find trees in the arboretum and mark their country of origin on a map.
Plan Your Visit
- Hours: Arboretum open daily, year-round. Guided house tours at 12pm and 2pm daily from mid-March to September 2026, with an extra 3:30pm tour in July and August; in October, tours run at 12pm and 2pm at weekends only. Victorian Working Gardens open mid-March to September: weekdays 10:30am-4:45pm, weekends 12pm-4:45pm. Cafe open 10am-4pm.
- Parking: On-site car park costs €3.00 for the day for visitors to Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens (shared with Fota Wildlife Park), payable by card or exact change at the exit barrier. Follow signs past the Wildlife Park car park to the Lower Car Park; the house is a 2-3 minute walk. Coach parking is available.
- Food: The Café at Fota House, managed by The Food Club, serves hot lunches, salads, sandwiches, premium teas and coffees, plus a kids' meal and drink for €9.90; gluten-free and vegetarian options on request. Closed November to mid-March; mid-March to September daily 10am-4pm, September Wednesday-Sunday, October weekends only. The Gift Shop sells Fota's own jams and dressings made on the estate.
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