75 Best Experiences for Kids and Teenagers in Ireland and the UK

Sorted by county, age and category, with what each one actually costs you in time

By Natali, Printarelle · Handmade in Mallow, Co. Cork · Updated August 2026

Short answer

Seventy five experiences for kids and teenagers, fifty five across Ireland and twenty across the UK, grouped into eight categories with age guidance and county for each. Ireland's strongest picks are its adventure centres and coastal activities. The UK's are its theme parks. Booking online ahead of the gate is almost always cheaper.

Ireland, 55 Experiences

From Donegal to Cork, from Dublin to the Aran Islands.

1. Jurassic Newpark

Kilkenny City · Ages 2 to 12

Ireland's only dedicated dinosaur park. Animatronic trail, fossil dig, inflatable park and the Jurassic Express train. Budget five hours. Hotel guests get free entry.

2. Dinos Alive

Dublin · All ages

Over eighty life sized animatronics in a walk through exhibition, with a junior palaeontologist zone and a VR element. Sensory friendly sessions available.

3. Zoorassic Trail, Dublin Zoo

Phoenix Park, Dublin · All ages

Forty animatronic dinosaurs through the zoo grounds, plus climb in eggs and nesting sites. Included in standard admission, which makes it the best value dinosaur day in Ireland. Runs seasonally.

4. Dino Dash, Emerald Park

Co. Meath · Ages 3 and up

A safari jeep coaster reaching 50km/h through a prehistoric landscape. Riders need 0.95m with an adult, or 1.2m to ride alone.

5. Dinosaurs Survive, W5

Belfast · All ages

A story driven walk through with handlers guiding you past a Carnotaurus and Spinosaurus. Included with W5 admission, but the headquarters show needs pre booking.

6. Emerald Park

Co. Meath · All ages

Ireland's only full theme park, pairing a zoo with the largest wooden roller coaster in the country. Gentle rides for small children and real thrills for teenagers. A full day from Dublin.

7. Dublin Zoo, African Savanna

Phoenix Park, Dublin · All ages

Over four hundred animals across twenty eight hectares. The Savanna puts giraffes, rhinos and zebras in one open sweep that reads far closer to a safari than a zoo.

8. Fota Wildlife Park

Fota Island, Co. Cork · All ages

Many of Fota's animals roam free, so kangaroos hop past the picnic tables. Teenagers go for the cheetah run. The VIP experience lets you hand feed the giraffes.

9. Center Parcs Longford Forest

Co. Longford · All ages

One of the few places you can holiday with teenagers and never need to leave the site. Pool heated to 29.5 degrees year round, plus laser combat, quad bikes, archery and bowling.

10. Titanic Belfast

Belfast · Ages 4 and up

A ride through the ship's construction, dolls hidden in the exhibits for younger children to find, and displays that age up well for teenagers. Allow three hours.

11. Croke Park Skyline Tour

Dublin · Ages 12 and up

A rooftop walk around the stadium with the whole city laid out below, and GAA Museum entry included. Twelve is the minimum age, so check before you promise it.

12. Spike Island

Cork Harbour, ferry from Cobh · Ages 5 and up

Once the largest prison in the world, now Cork's leading attraction. Teenagers want the After Dark tour. Younger children are happy with the ferry and the watchtowers.

13. The Titanic Experience Cobh

Cobh, Co. Cork · All ages

You are handed a boarding card with a real passenger's name on it. At the end you find out whether they survived. Quietly the cleverest piece of storytelling on this list. Pre book a slot.

14. Baysports

Multiple locations · Ages 6 and up

Ireland's largest inflatable waterpark. The Round Tower slide holds the world record for the tallest floating slide. Good for teenagers and brave adults alike.

15. Ballyhass Lakes

Mallow and Coachford, Co. Cork · Ages 8 and up

This one is ten minutes from our studio. Inflatable park, wakeboarding, ziplines over the lake, archery and axe throwing. The cable pulled ringo rings at 25km/h are the pick for teenagers.

16. Lough Derg Aqua Splash

Co. Tipperary · Ages 6 and up

A floating playground of slides and bouncing platforms on Lough Derg. Summer only, and worth checking the forecast before you commit.

17. River Liffey Rafting

Strawberry Beds, Dublin · Ages 8 and up

Wetsuits, helmets and flotation devices all provided. Feels a long way from the city despite being inside it.

18. City Kayaking

Dublin City · Ages 8 and up

Paddling the Liffey through the middle of town. Calm, achievable and a completely different view of a city children think they already know.

19. Paddleboarding in Dingle

Dingle Bay, Co. Kerry · Ages 8 and up

Dolphin sightings are never promised, but paddleboarding one of the finest bays in Ireland stands up on its own for older children.

20. Surfing at Bundoran

Co. Donegal · Ages 8 and up

Ireland's best known surf town, with schools taking complete beginners through to improvers. Boards and wetsuits included.

21. National Surf Centre, Strandhill

Co. Sligo · Ages 8 and up

Three surf schools under one roof, opened in 2023, on a beach set against Knocknarea. Dramatic even on the days nobody catches a wave.

22. Kingdomwaves Surf School

Inch and Banna, Co. Kerry · All ages

Two Blue Flag beaches. Inch sits inside the Dingle Peninsula, which gives it conditions that suit nervous first timers.

23. Kayaking in Killarney National Park

Co. Kerry · Ages 8 and up

A guided paddle past hidden coves and ancient ruins. The calmest thing in this category and the one that suits mixed confidence groups.

24. Whale and shark watching

West Cork and Clare coast · Ages 6 and up

Basking sharks and humpbacks pass the southwest coast seasonally. Boats run from Baltimore, Courtmacsherry and Kilronan.

25. Castlecomer Discovery Park

Co. Kilkenny · Ages 5 and up

Eighty acres of woodland, Ireland's longest zipline for over twelves, and a 38m Skywalk from age seven. The best single choice for families with a wide age spread.

26. Avondale Treetop Walk

Co. Wicklow · All ages

Ireland's highest treetop walk ends at a 38m tower, and the way down is a 90 metre slide. Under sixes ride tandem. Buggy and wheelchair accessible throughout.

27. Carlingford Adventure Centre

Co. Louth · Ages 6 and up

Ziplining, laser tag and high ropes between the mountains and the sea. The medieval village itself is worth the lunch stop.

28. Zipit Forest Adventures

Dublin, Cork and Roscommon · Ages 7 and up

High ropes courses genuinely hard enough for teenagers but manageable for younger children with a parent alongside. Three locations covers most of the country.

29. CP Adventure, Blessington Lakes

Co. Wicklow · Ages 7 and up

Climbing tower, abseiling, kayaking, bushcraft and bike hire beside the lakes, close enough to Dublin for a day trip.

30. Westport Adventure Park

Co. Mayo · Ages 8 and up

High ropes, paintball, splatball and bubble soccer, with Croagh Patrick behind it and one of the prettiest towns in the west around it.

31. Alive Outside, Kilruddery

Bray, Co. Wicklow · Ages 5 and up

Splash zones, kayaking, bushcraft and laser tag on a historic estate. A good mix when one child wants adrenaline and the other does not.

32. Cavan Adventure Centre

Co. Cavan · Ages 4 and up

Water park, boating, guided nature walks and bike rides through lakeland. The gentlest entry point on this list for younger families.

33. The Gobbins Cliff Path

Islandmagee, Co. Antrim · Ages 8 and up

Bridges bolted to the cliff face above the Atlantic, through sea caves and along rocky ledges. Guided only, thirty minutes from Belfast, and worth every step.

34. Wildlands Adventure Centre

Co. Galway · All ages

Junior zoo and trek, Celtic Challenge escape rooms, off road driving with children's vehicles and ziplines. A full day that still leaves things undone.

35. Causey Farm

Co. Meath · All ages

Bog jumping, sheep herding, bodhrán drumming and brown bread from scratch. City children come home filthy and delighted.

36. Dublinia

Dublin City · Ages 4 and up

Viking and medieval Dublin with dress up, runes, real artefacts to handle, and St. Michael's Tower to climb. The best rainy day in the city centre.

37. Giant's Causeway

Co. Antrim · All ages

Tens of thousands of hexagonal basalt columns running into the sea. Children scramble, adults stare, and the legend of Fionn mac Cumhaill does the rest.

38. Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny City · All ages

Family guided tours inside, free grounds outside for a picnic. Pair it with the medieval streets for a full day that costs very little.

39. Glendalough

Co. Wicklow · All ages

A sixth century monastic settlement in a glacial valley. Two lakes, a round tower and forest walks, and no entry fee.

40. Kerry Bog Village Museum

Glenbeigh, Co. Kerry · All ages

Thatched cottages and turf cutting demonstrations. Small, but a well judged stop on a Ring of Kerry drive when everyone needs out of the car.

41. Jaunting car through the Gap of Dunloe

Killarney, Co. Kerry · All ages

A horse drawn carriage through one of the most dramatic mountain passes in the country, setting out from Kate Kearney's Cottage.

42. Dún Aonghasa

Inis Mór, Co. Galway · Ages 6 and up

An Iron Age fort on the lip of a hundred metre drop. Twenty minutes up from the visitor centre, and best combined with a cycling day on the island.

43. Cycling on Inis Mór

Aran Islands, Co. Galway · Ages 6 and up

Hire bikes at the pier and ride to the Worm Hole and the beaches. Stay two nights and you get the island before and after the day trippers.

44. Howth Cliff Walk

Howth, Co. Dublin · Ages 5 and up

Take the family loop rather than the exposed cliff edge route with younger children. Finish at the Summit Inn.

45. Wells House and Gardens

Co. Wexford · Ages 2 to 10

Gruffalo walk, an enchanted woodland with a twenty foot dragon, a working farm and close encounters with meerkats. The strongest pick here for under tens.

46. Trá Mór, the secret beach

Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal · Ages 5 and up

There is no road to it. The walk across the headland is the point, and the beach at the end is one of the least visited in Donegal.

47. Connemara cycling and coastal hiking

Co. Galway · Ages 5 and up

Quiet roads through bogland and coast, self guided and achievable with younger children. Pairs naturally with a night on Inis Mór.

48. Boda Borg, Lough Key Forest Park

Co. Roscommon · Ages 7 and up

Two hours of themed rooms, each a physical or mental quest. Properly difficult, and the one teenagers ask to go back to.

49. Cliffs of Moher

Co. Clare · All ages

Two hundred and fourteen metres of cliff above the Atlantic. The scale genuinely lands with teenagers, and the coastal walks either side are the better half of the visit.

50. Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Garden

Connemara, Co. Galway · All ages

An abbey rising out of a lake against a mountain. The walled garden is the highlight, and the whole estate reads as a fairy tale to younger children.

51. Imaginosity Children's Museum

Sandyford, Dublin · Ages 2 to 10

Three floors of role play, science and art built specifically for small children. The reliable Dublin answer to a wet Saturday.

52. Incognito Escape Rooms

Dublin · Ages 10 and up

Three themed rooms with real storylines rather than a set of padlocks. Good for a group of teenagers who want a proper challenge.

53. Garretstown Surf School

Co. Cork · Ages 8 and up

Surf camps and lessons on one of the finest strands in Cork. Wide, golden and reliable for waves through the summer.

54. Blarney Castle and Grounds

Blarney, Co. Cork · All ages

The stone is the headline, but sixty acres of grounds with a poison garden, rock caves and fairy trails are what fills the day.

55. Bantry Bay kayaking

Bantry, Co. Cork · Ages 8 and up

Sheltered water ringed by the Beara mountains, usually calm enough for a nervous beginner to relax within the first ten minutes.

Booked the day? Now make the telling of it count

A foil reveal card, personalised with their name and the date, turns a booking confirmation into a moment they keep. Handmade in Mallow, Co. Cork.

United Kingdom, 20 Experiences

For the bigger trip, a short flight from Dublin, Cork or Shannon.

56. Alton Towers Resort

Staffordshire · All ages, best for teens

Record breaking coasters for teenagers, CBeebies Land for the youngest, a separate waterpark and on site hotels. Plan two days to do it properly.

57. Thorpe Park

Surrey · Ages 12 and up

Stealth, Colossus, Saw and Nemesis Inferno. Little here for younger children, which makes it the clearest choice for a teenagers only trip.

58. LEGOLAND Windsor Resort

Windsor · Ages 3 to 12

Fifty plus rides, children driving their own vehicles from around age six, and Miniland built from forty two million bricks. The best UK park for under twelves.

59. Chessington World of Adventures

Surrey · All ages

Theme park, zoo, Sea Life centre and a Go Ape trail in one resort. If you have a toddler and a teenager on the same trip, this is the answer.

60. Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Blackpool · All ages

Nickelodeon Land for the small ones and proper white knuckle coasters for the rest. Hotels nearby are the cheapest of any UK park destination.

61. Paultons Park

Hampshire · All ages

Peppa Pig World over five acres for the youngest, Lost Kingdom dinosaurs for the middle, and Ghostly Manor for older children. Seventy rides across 140 acres.

62. Drayton Manor, Thomas Land

Staffordshire · Ages 2 to 12

Thomas themed rides and live shows for the youngest, with white knuckle rides and a fifteen acre zoo in the wider park for older siblings.

63. Flamingo Land

North Yorkshire · All ages

A full zoo attached to a theme park. Sik is intense enough for older teenagers without the all or nothing profile of Thorpe Park.

64. Landmark Forest Adventure Park

Cairngorms, Scotland · All ages

Wild Water Coaster, Skydive and the Tarzan Trail through ancient forest. The setting does half the work here.

65. Lightwater Valley

North Yorkshire · All ages

Family rides, daily live shows and Raptor Attack, one of the better dark rides in the UK. Quieter than the big four.

66. Blackgang Chine

Isle of Wight · Ages 3 to 10

Moving dinosaurs, a princess castle, a pirate ship battle and a good maze. Quirky rather than slick, and all the better for it with younger children.

67. Gulliver's World

Warrington · Ages 2 to 13

Built specifically for two to thirteens. NERF zones, log flumes, indoor water play and character meets. Free parking at every Gulliver's park.

68. Cliff Lakes Aqua Park

Tamworth · Ages 6 and up

An open water inflatable course with floating climbing walls and rope swings, plus calmer paddleboarding and kayaking on the same lake.

69. Aqua Parcs, Willen Lake

Milton Keynes · Ages 6 and up

Monkey bars, rope swings and slides on a floating course. Best booked for a group of teenagers rather than a single child.

70. Alton Towers Waterpark

Staffordshire · All ages

Indoor and open year round whatever the weather, with the Tropical Cyclone and its 45 degree drop at the centre of it.

71. Brighton Palace Pier

Brighton · All ages

Arcades, fairground rides and chips on the promenade, with the city a few minutes behind it. A good base for a short break with teenagers.

72. Adventure Island, Southend

Southend on Sea · All ages

Free entry, pay per band for the rides you actually want. The most flexible option here when bravery levels differ across the family.

73. Crealy Adventure Park and Resort

Devon · All ages

Rides, indoor play and live shows with the option to stay on site. Close enough to Dartmoor and the coast to build a real week around.

74. Flambards Theme Park

Cornwall · All ages

Skycracker and the log flume outside, a Victorian village recreation and a wartime Britain exhibition inside. The indoor half genuinely holds teenagers.

75. Oasis Fun Pools, Newquay

Cornwall · All ages

The fast Aqua Whizz and a gentle lazy river in the same building. Pair it with Newquay's surf beaches for one of the best family weeks in England.

What if the child is too small for the ride we booked?

Check height limits before booking, not age limits. Emerald Park's Dino Dash needs 0.95m with an adult and 1.2m alone. Most Irish ziplines and high ropes start at twelve. Castlecomer's Skywalk drops to seven, which makes it the safer choice for a younger thrill seeker.

How far ahead should I order a reveal card?

Two weeks is comfortable. Cards are hand finished and dispatched within two to three working days, and An Post usually adds one to three more depending on where you are. For a birthday, order once the booking is confirmed rather than waiting.

What are the best rainy day experiences in Ireland?

Imaginosity in Dublin for under tens, Dublinia for primary age, the Titanic Experience in Cobh and W5 in Belfast for older children. For teenagers, the Boda Borg at Lough Key and Incognito's escape rooms both run regardless of weather.

Which UK park works with a toddler and a teenager together?

Chessington, because the zoo, Sea Life centre and Go Ape trail give the older one something while the younger one does the gentle rides. Alton Towers is the alternative, with CBeebies Land at one end and the big coasters at the other.

Where are Printarelle reveal cards made?

Every one is designed, foiled and hand assembled in our studio in Mallow, Co. Cork. Nothing is drop shipped and nothing is printed elsewhere, which is why we can put a child's name on a card the same week you order it.

Booked somewhere we have not listed? Tell us the destination, the child's name and the date and we will tell you honestly whether we can design it in time.

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Make the moment they find out as good as the day itself

Personalised with their name, the destination and the date. Foil finished, hand assembled, posted from Cork.

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