The Saint Patrick Centre and Down Cathedral give the town real substance, and the free Down County Museum is one of those visits that genuinely surprises.
Head out and things open up fast — a free Game of Thrones ruin at Inch Abbey, woodland trails and a miniature railway at Delamont, and two free beaches within easy reach.
The best days out near Downpatrick
Downpatrick Golf Club
Kaylee's Kidzone
Little Down Town
The Saint Patrick Centre
Down Arts Centre
Down County Museum
Down Cathedral
Dunleath Urban Sports Park
Down Leisure Centre
Downpatrick & County Down Railway
Omniplex Cinema Downpatrick
Inch Abbey (Game of Thrones)
Quoile Pondage National Nature Reserve
Struell Wells
Quoile Castle
Saul Church
Fodder in the Woods
Downpatrick Golf Centre
Pheasants Hill Farm
Byrne Nurseries
Castlescreen Organic Farm
McGraths Farm Shop Ltd
Bright Castle Golf Club
Tullymurray Equestrian Centre
Delamont Adventure Playground
Delamont Country Park
Delamont Miniature Railway
Tyrella Beach wild swim — community swim
Seaforde Gardens & Tropical Butterfly House
Killyleagh Yacht Club
Crossgar Golf Club
Tyrella Beach
Ardglass / Coney Island Beach
Lecale Coast Nature Trail
Rademon Estate Distillery
Killyleagh Castle
Bishopscourt Racing Circuit
Killough to Coney Island Clifftop
Drumaness Airsoft
The Narrows Sea Safari (Clearsky)
Clearsky Adventure Centre Castle Ward
Castle Ward (Winterfell)
Winterfell Tours Castle Ward
Mountpanther Farm Park
Ardglass Marina
Ballyhornan Beach Shore Dive
Lecale Way
Strangford Lough Wildlife Centre
What's on near Downpatrick
- 7JulArt Exhibition by Jane McCaughey — Saintfield LibrarySaintfield Library
- 1AugThe Idiot Sandwich Returns! — Castlewellan LibraryCastlewellan Library
- 1AugLand, Light and Seasons — Killyleagh LibraryKillyleagh Library
- 2AugSummer of Play at Castle WardCastle Ward
- 2AugCornmill DemonstrationsCastle Ward
- 2AugPokémon TCG Mega Evolution Trail at Rowallane GardenRowallane Garden
Days out in Downpatrick — your questions
What are the best days out in Downpatrick?
Start with The Saint Patrick Centre for the full St Patrick story, then head to Down Cathedral and the free Down County Museum. Inch Abbey is a free Game of Thrones location, and Delamont Country Park adds outdoor time for families. There are 48 places within about ten miles in total.
What free things are there to do in Downpatrick?
Quite a few. Down Cathedral and Down County Museum are both free in the town centre. Inch Abbey, Quoile Castle, Saul Church and Struell Wells are all free historic sites nearby. Dunleath Urban Sports Park is a free skate park in town, and Tyrella and Ardglass beaches cost nothing to visit.
Where can you go on a rainy day near Downpatrick?
Down County Museum is the best indoor option in town — free, family-friendly, and genuinely interesting. Omniplex Cinema Downpatrick is nearby for a film afternoon. The Saint Patrick Centre is another solid indoor option. Further out, Seaforde Gardens & Tropical Butterfly House means you can still have a great day out when it's raining.
What's good for young children near Downpatrick?
Delamont Miniature Railway is a real hit with small kids — miniature train rides at Delamont Country Park. Seaforde Gardens & Tropical Butterfly House is another winner, with butterflies and gardens to explore. Down County Museum has family-friendly displays, and Down Leisure Centre has pool facilities for an active afternoon.
More about Downpatrick
Downpatrick is bound up with Ireland's patron saint. Down Cathedral is traditionally said to be the burial place of Saint Patrick, marked since 1900 by a simple granite stone that draws visitors from all over the world. By tradition, Saint Brigid and Saint Columba are said to rest here too, and the Saint Patrick Centre in the town tells the whole story.
There is more history close by: the romantic ruins of Inch Abbey, a 12th-century Cistercian monastery, sit less than a mile away on the River Quoile. And the Downpatrick and County Down Railway runs restored steam and diesel trains, home to Ireland's largest collection of Victorian carriages.