Lynn was the perfect guide. She has the house genuinely at heart and our tour was more a full immersion rather than a perfunctory explanation of what we were seeing! It took 2 hours rather than the usual one hour and they flew by. Pity about the scaffolding on the outside. One can only imagine the grandeur of the architecture. The gardens were not in full bloom but then again, they are beautiful! A must see! And a must-go-again!!

lovely visit with a wonderful guide! super friendly and extremely knowledgeable about property however parts of house are under construction so not all were available on the tour. However it was still worth the visit and worth returning to see the restoration!

My brother , sister and I , were treated to a wonderful tour of Fota House today by our guide Eileen . Instead of a tour of a house , we felt we were introduced to a home by a friend . Eileen was so kind , and it was a pleasure and a privilege to spend time with her as she shared her family history with us . All the staff we met , we could not praise enough , and are , without a doubt the biggest asset that Fota has to offer . Would I recommend a visit ? . In a heartbeat .

This was a fabulous tour of the house by Barry Loved the information on the family tree and all the furniture was original Great to see the kitchen as most historic houses don’t show the kitchen

Do not miss out on the tour of this wonderfully preserved historic home. Brilliant tour given by Carmel, with fantastic knowledge of the family and building. One of the better stately homes we've toured in terms of how the rooms are kept. Tour allowed really good access to lots of rooms including downstairs kitchen, pantry and butlers room. The nursery rooms were exquisite! Again, do not miss out!!!

We were told it would not be far from me ship but it 13 miles by rail and about a mile walking. We loved the tour and it was worth it.

Fascinating tour of a beautiful historic home. Also checked out the gardens, liked the view of the garden from the small Greek temple. Nice cafe.

Lovely gardens surrounding this delightful house. We decided to go on the guided tour and so glad we did. Our guide, Michael, was very knowledgeable and entertaining in the way that he told us about the house and its occupants history. For a modest 10 Euros or 8 for seniors it was worth every penny. It was a small group of just 7 visitors which was perfect. I can't recommend this place highly enough, and it has a delightful cafe too. You don't have to look round the house, you can visit the grounds and cafe for free - what's not to like.

Fota House comprises a lovely old Regency style house and gardens . We stopped by for a quick visit before leaving Cork for the long journey home. The two friendly and professional women on the desk booked our tickets for the 12 noon tour and with a half hour to spare we headed for the cafe to enjoy coffee and delicious carrot cake. Our guide was the very knowledgeable Mike who gave us an excellent and informative tour of the house . He provided us with a short history of the arrival of the Smith Barry family in Fota and their subsequent effect on both the local population and the surrounding landscape. He really made the house and it’s former inhabitants come to life, not just the aristocratic family but the army of servants who worked for them. He pointed out many of the house and garden features that could be easily overlooked but perhaps best of all he gave us a number of humorous anecdotal accounts passed on by the long serving former lady’s maid and companion Patty Butler who died in the 1970s. The tour lasted just over an hour and Mike was more than happy to answer all our questions. Many thanks to all the hard working staff in Fota House that we met that day.

Great tour, lovely home. My teenage daughter and I loved the home and enjoyed seeing all of the rooms. The tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly. A great afternoon.

Fota house tour Excellent tour of this beautiful house with a fabulous guide who had excellent local knowledge Highly recommended

Finally got to (re) do tour of FOTA House as upstairs had been closed for so long. And what a treat fantastic tour guide - Barry Cassidy - brought the place to life with stories about the family, house build and estate in general. We were lucky as just my husband, son and myself were on tour so we’re able to ask all sorts of questions. Barry genuinely loves the house and history there. Highly recommend visiting there.

The house is amazing. The history is like a story and the grounds were absolutely stunning. The gardens are unique and the arboretum is breathtaking.

The best tour I've had in years. Lynn was SO SO knowledgeable and passed all the information in a really beautiful & interesting manner. This should be a must do visit for anyone in the area. A true gem.

We stopped in later in the day and found that although they had conducted their last tour for the day, they would be willing to do one more just for us. We were amazed that they would do something like that. Our guide, Cathryn, was great! It was interesting to hear how the house was used over the years and to see some of the rooms. I was surprised to find out how recently some of the family members were still actively using the house.

A very interesting tour! The story of the people and the house is so exciting! Wandering around the house, touching ancient walls, looking into cloudy mirrors, admiring old photographs and paintings, books and toys, delicate china and silverware - all was so insightful and real! The atmosphere of the house is a living history. Our fantastic guide delivered all the details about the house, I'm really greatful for a tour. Gardens are also very beautiful.

Really enjoyed our guided tour of house. We were a family with 3 generations and our tour guide Joanna made the experience fun & informative for all. All the staff here were friendly & welcoming & we would highly recommend

We were welcomed at the ticket counter and bought a ticket for the 12:00 tour. We had a coffee from the tea room and then spent an hour walking through the gardens. The trees and shrubs were just blooming. The variety is spectacular. The green houses were not open yet, but we very much enjoyed our walk. Rose was our guide on the house tour, and she was wonderful. Not only did she know the history of the house and it's occupants, but she regaled us with stories of the furnishings. She provided wonderful stories of what it was like being a servant in the house from first hand accounts of a woman who had worked in the house as a servant and who lived in the nearby village. We are very glad we chose to visit Fata House instead of the Blarney stone.

One of the best tours I've ever done, Mick was absolutely amazing, a credit to the Fota volunteer team and such a font of knowledge - I could have listened to him for hours! Beautiful house and gardens, will definitely be back!

Don't bother thinking you're going to see a beautiful formal rose garden.They grubbed it all up last year and replaced it with a dreary wildflower garden that looks semi derelict and neglected.Why? Apparently rose gardens aren't "sustainable" enough.Not even one in the whole Cork City area?