Welcome & Opening Times

Fota House

Fota House is currently closed for house tours but open for events & weddings permissible under Covid-19 guidelines

Bakestone Café at Fota House

Bakestone Café is now closed for the winter months but open at the time of events

Toilets

Outdoor toilets are available

Arboretum & Gardens

We are delighted to welcome visitors to continue to enjoy the magnificent grounds within Level 5 restrictions from 9.00 AM to 5:30 PM daily. Our grounds access plan is for safe, respectful visits to the House, Arboretum & Gardens with visitors asked to observe HSE guidelines at all times.

Victorian Working Gardens is now closed for the winter months
Arboretum open daily 9:00am - 5:30pm
Walled & Pleasure Gardens open during the week but closed at weekends during winter months

Please note that the Arboretum, Walled & Pleasure Gardens are managed by the Office of Public Works (OPW) so any suggestions or comments should be directed here

Further information about the Failte Ireland Covid-19 Safety Charter is available at their website here. Fota House, Arboretum and Gardens is listed as a compliant organisation under the Irish Heritage Trust.

Covid-19 Guidelines

Due to the escalation in Covid-19 restrictions to Level 5 all House Tours are cancelled until further notice

House tours are limited to 10 people per tour to facilitate social distancing based on the layout of this historic house

All visitors on house tours must wear a face mask (use own or available for a €1 charge) Likewise all tour guides will wear face visors. Visitors will be briefed on covid-19 considerations prior to tour commencement
Visitors are asked to refrain from touching exhibits or fixtures etc as much as possible
House tour visitors will be asked for a name & contact number for purposes of contact tracing which is compliant with GDPR regulations
Visitors will be asked to hand sanitise prior & post tour
All touch points are cleaned and sanitised regularly during the day

General Site

Visitors are asked to adhere to social distancing of 2m as advised by the HSE
We welcome our community of visitors to safely and respectfully enjoy the House, Arboretum and Gardens
On pathways around the Arboretum & Gardens and to / from the car park visitors are asked to adopt a ‘keep left / pass right’ walking pattern while observing relevant guidelines for social distancing and 'Cocooner'-reserved areas
At any pinch points, such as crossing pathways, visitors are encouraged to beckon through others to avoid undue contact
Visitors are asked to keep contact with others to a minimum and not congregate in any groups in thoroughfares or key points – please keep pathways free others as per guidelines
Access to the property is only via the main gate
Visitors are asked to be socially conscious and responsible for the maximum enjoyment of all.

More information available at HSE website