Two St Patrick's Cathedrals sit at the heart of the city, Navan Fort carries ancient history on the edge of town, and the Armagh Observatory & Planetarium brings the night sky indoors. Several of the top sights are completely free.
Loughgall Country Park adds free outdoor space with a play park for younger ones, and leisure centres across the area give solid wet-weather cover. With 48 places to visit within about 10 miles, there's plenty to keep a family busy.
The best days out near Armagh
Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum
St Patrick's Trian Visitor Complex
The Market Place Theatre & Arts Centre
Armagh County Museum
The Mall (Armagh)
Armagh Robinson Library
Armagh St Patrick's Cathedral (Church of Ireland)
Armagh St Patrick's Cathedral (Roman Catholic)
Armagh Observatory & Planetarium
No 5 Vicars' Hill
Cathedral Road Recreation Centre
The Sensory Xperience
Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich Memorial Library and Archive
County Armagh Golf Club
Palace Demesne (Armagh)
Spires Retail Park
Gulliver's Soft Play (Orchard Leisure Centre)
Orchard Leisure Centre
Palace Stables Heritage Centre
Little Kingdom
Navan Centre & Fort
Navan Fort (Emain Macha)
orchard organics
Darkley Forest
Richhill Recreation Centre
Loughgall Country Park Play Park
Loughgall Country Park & Manor
Loughgall Country Park & Golf Course
Tassagh Viaduct
Lurgaboy Adventure Centre
Benburb Valley Park & Castle
Lodge Equine Stables
Crossmore Goats
Little Explorers Play Park, Gosford
Tynan Village High Crosses
Gosford Forest Park & Castle
Gosford Forest Park Adventure Trail
Ardress House
MacIvors Cider
Woodlab Distillery (Symphonia Spirits)
Keady Recreation Centre & Keady Glen Play Park
Tullyroan Oval
Rosemount Cottage Farm Meats
Armagh Cider Company (Ballinteggart House)
Armagh Cider Company
Chapman's Farm Fresh
Caledon Village Walking Tour
The Argory
What's on near Armagh
- 18JulCoarse Angling Taster SessionsDungannon Park
- 2AugWelcome to the Summer of Play at The ArgoryThe Argory
- 2AugBlacksmith Forge Demonstrations at ArdressArdress House
- 2AugMake, Play & CreateThe Argory
- 2AugFitness Freddy comes to The ArgoryThe Argory
- 2AugBoat trips in partnership with Blackwater Community BargeThe Argory
Days out in Armagh — your questions
What are the best days out in Armagh?
Navan Centre & Fort is the standout heritage experience — an ancient hillfort with real depth. The Armagh Observatory & Planetarium is a brilliant surprise for all ages. St Patrick's Trian Visitor Complex covers the city's long Christian history well, and Palace Demesne (Armagh) gives you free parkland right in the centre.
What free things are there to do in Armagh?
Quite a few. Armagh County Museum and the Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum are both free to enter. Navan Fort (Emain Macha) is free to walk, as is Palace Demesne (Armagh). Both St Patrick's Cathedrals welcome visitors at no charge, and Loughgall Country Park & Manor is free to explore with children.
Where can you go on a rainy day near Armagh?
Gulliver's Soft Play at the Orchard Leisure Centre is a reliable wet-weather choice for families with young children. Armagh County Museum and the Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum are both free and fully indoors. The Market Place Theatre & Arts Centre also has events and exhibitions worth checking before you visit.
What's good for young children near Armagh?
Gulliver's Soft Play at the Orchard Leisure Centre is the top pick for toddlers and young children — all indoors, all active. Loughgall Country Park Play Park is free outdoor fun when the weather is on your side. The Armagh Observatory & Planetarium also runs shows that hold children's attention well.
More about Armagh
Armagh is one of Ireland’s oldest places. Just west of the city sits Navan Fort (Eamhain Mhacha), an ancient royal site that, according to tradition, was the seat of the kings of Ulster and the setting for the old Red Branch legends. It was largely abandoned by the 1st century, but the great earthwork mound is still there to walk today.
For more than 1,500 years Armagh has been the spiritual centre of Ireland, and it’s one of very few cities anywhere with two cathedrals of the same name — a medieval St Patrick’s on the hill (its site dating to around 445) and a Victorian St Patrick’s with twin 64-metre spires. It only formally became a city in 1994, marking 1,550 years since St Patrick’s traditional founding date — and with around 16,000 people it’s the smallest city in Northern Ireland.
There’s deep science here too: the Armagh Observatory, founded in 1790, has kept a continuous weather record since 1794 — the longest in Ireland — and the Armagh Planetarium next door has brought the night sky to visitors since 1968. The surrounding countryside is classic apple land, the heart of the “Orchard County.”