Waterford and the Viking Triangle

Ireland'S Oldest City, Founded By Vikings In 914, With Reginald'S Tower, The Waterford Treasures Museums And The House Of Waterford Crystal · Waterford, Waterford

Waterford is Ireland's oldest city, founded by Viking raiders who settled on the River Suir in 914, and its compact old core, the Viking Triangle, still follows their street plan between the round stone Reginald's Tower, The Mall and Cathedral Square. Here the Waterford Treasures - three museums a few minutes apart - tell the story from Viking swords to Georgian drawing rooms, and the city's two eighteenth-century cathedrals were both designed by the same local architect. The House of Waterford Crystal on The Mall shows glass being blown and cut. People come for a half day of history that is small, walkable and well told, for the blaa, the city's soft floury roll, and as the start of the Waterford Greenway, a car-free cycle route on an old railway to Dungarvan. The honest caveats: this is a working port city, not a pretty village; outside the Triangle some streets look tired, the quays are dominated by traffic, and most of the famous crystal range is now made abroad.

The Viking Triangle, between Reginald's Tower, The Mall and Cathedral Square, Waterford city; House of Waterford Crystal on The Mall, Waterford, Waterford, Ireland

A city open all year. The Treasures museums open daily in summer and most days in winter, roughly 09:30-18:00, with shorter hours out of season (confirm); Reginald's Tower is run by the OPW. The House of Waterford Crystal runs factory tours daily in summer and on weekdays in parts of winter - book online for a set time (confirm). Trains from Dublin Heuston take about 2-2.5 hours to Plunkett Station, across the river from the centre; the drive from Dublin is about 1 hour 45 minutes on the M9.

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