Powerscourt Estate

This was once the place of residence of Lord Powerscourt. Today, this well-preserved 18th-century mansion is surrounded by magnificent gardens.

There is no admission fee, however to park it was around 12 Euro. If you are without a car, you can catch a bus from Dublin on the regular city buses. It takes about an hour to reach Enniskerry.

I absolutely loved Powerscourt - we visited on a very nice warm and non-rainy day a few weeks ago and had a blast. If you enjoy beautiful flowers and nice scenery and are willing to walk a bit this is the place for you. The first sight of the gardens in the back of the house is breathe taking. Just the view from the Italian garden, causing your eyes to travel down the terraced steps to the lake, then up towards the magnificence of Sugar Loaf Mountain was stunning. Pepperpot Tower was fun. You were actually able to climb up to the top of the round tower and see additional views. The Japanese gardens were pristine and the pet cemetery was a bit quirky.

Also, the food in the Avoca cafe is pretty good, although overpriced like most food is at tourist stops in Ireland. We had the traditional Irish meal of brown bread and soup and it was delicious.