Guided tour

Waterford: House of Waterford Crystal Factory Tour

Guided tour

Waterford: House of Waterford Crystal Factory Tour

Activity provider: House of Waterford Crystal
Likely to sell out

From US$ 18.43 per person

Likely to sell out

Take a tour of the world-famous House of Waterford Crystal. You'll get a unique behind-the-scene look at how master craftsmen create some of the world's most exquisite crystal objects. You’ll also have time to explore Waterford’s retail shop!

About this activity

Free cancellation
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Covid-19 precautions
Special health and safety measures are in place. Check your activity voucher once you book for full details.
Duration 1 hour
Check availability to see starting times.
Live tour guide
English
Wheelchair accessible

Experience

Highlights
  • Learn about the history of Waterford Crystal from its earliest days
  • Watch skilled artisans blow, cut, sculpt and engrave crystal
  • Explore the retail shop’s shining and elegant wares
Full description
The House of Waterford Crystal Tour is more than a factory visit. We take you on a journey into the world of crystal. You’ll see each stage of the process that goes into making these pieces of art. We start in the history room, tracing Waterford Crystal from its birth. This part of the site features detailed exhibits of the firm’s development, and you’ll see some of their great antique pieces on display here. You’ll then proceed to the mold room, where wooden molds and hand tools are still used by master blowers to shape the molten crystal. From here we move on to the blowing room, where you’ll watch as craftsmen transform glowing balls of molten crystal into elegant shapes. In the cutting department, master craftsmen use industrial diamond-tipped wheels to cut the crystal. The diamond wheel ensures a high quality cut to the crystal. The last two stages of the process involve sculpting and engraving, and are arguably the most precision-based stages in the creation of a piece of Waterford Crystal. Your tour ends with a visit to the retail shop, where you’ll see the largest display of Waterford Crystal in the world.
Includes
  • Factory tour admission fee
  • Guided tour of the factory with friendly and knowledgeable guides
  • Detailed information about the history of Waterford Crystal
  • Interactive tour of the factory with the ability to ask questions of the craftsman about their work
  • Visit to the House of Waterford Crystal retail store
  • Meals and drinks
  • Souvenirs
  • Interpretative equipment

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Participants

Date

Meeting point

The Mall, Waterford City

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Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.8 /5

based on 118 reviews

Review summary

  • Guide
    4.7/5
  • Value for money
    4.6/5
  • Service
    4.9/5
  • Organization
    4.8/5

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I was sceptical about how worthwhile this would be, but it was fabulous. It was really interesting to see what goes into maintaining such a fabulous artisanal skill. This was educational, engaging and interesting. I have a new appreciation for Waterford Crystal.

November 30, 2022

One of the best tours we have ever had. Small group lead by a gentleman that was well informed. The tour took about an hour but time sped by fast. We were able to get up close to the Master Crafters that we working that day (it was a Sunday). They allowed us to handle some of the works in progress. Plenty of questions were asked by the group and answered by the guide. Unfortunately they do not hand out free samples.

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October 10, 2022

Nice to see the history, how the pieces are made. Small factory only producing large pieces, amazing to see the sculptures and engravers work. Items are mostly made in Slovenia, however there are magnificent pieces on display. Worth the visit if in Waterford. The guide was super, a really lovely lady.

October 1, 2022

Product ID: 21954