Frequently asked Questions

The House of Waterford is situated on The Mall in Waterford, Ireland. It is in the heart of Waterford City, just a hundred yards or so from the River Suir and the city’s main quay, and bordering the city’s Viking Triangle area.

Our facility includes the Waterford Factory, a Retail Store &  Exhibition Area, a bar and a café.

Yes. We welcome groups of all sizes, tour operators and cruise passengers from Cobh, about 2 hours away, and from Dunmore East 30 minutes.  A visit, including the 50-minute factory tour and time in the store and café, takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. For Group rates / coach parking / how to book. Contact us at [email protected].

The guided tour of our factory includes a visit to all aspects of traditional crystal production including mould making, blowing, quality inspection, marking, finishing, cutting, sculpting and engraving.

The factory tour takes approximately 50 minutes.

No; tickets can be purchased in advance on our website and on arrival at reception.

The timed factory tour ticket is booked for a specific date and time while the flexible factory tour ticket allows you to visit on any date at any time of your choosing. 

If you book a private tour, you will be allocated your own personal guide who will bring you through our factory; you will not be part of a public group tour.

Timed factory tours may be sold out but there is still availability through flexible factory tour tickets.

On weekdays, public tours run approximately every 30 minutes; on weekends due to an altered factory schedule, tours will not operate as frequently.

The senior ticket applies to those aged 60 and over.

Our private tours and afternoon tea are subject to availability. They will show unavailable if previously booked or when trying to book too far in advance.

You can book approximately 3 months in advance.

We allocate our 11:00am time slot for private tours, however we do offer private tours at later times where possible. If you’d like to check availability for a private tour at an alternative time, please contact us by email at [email protected].

Yes of course, please review our retail store opening hours here prior to your visit.

The House of Waterford Retail Store showcases the world’s largest display of Waterford crystal in the world and has the complete range of all our products on display. We offer a Worldwide Shipping Service, Multi-currency Exchange and VAT Refund Service.

No, our café operates on a walk-in basis. If you wish to have afternoon tea in our café, this must be pre-booked on our website.

Our tour is currently conducted in English only.

Yes, the site is fully accessible. 

Parking for House of Waterford is available at the Bolton Street Car Park directly behind our factory. This is a pay-and-display car park and the charge is €1.00 per hour.

Yes of course, you can take photos and film both on the tour of the factory and in the Retail Store.

No, there is no dedicated luggage storage available on site and for health and safety reasons we are unable to permit backpacks into the factory. 

Yes. On the House of Waterford VIP Experience, you tour the factory with your own guide, then sit at the cutting wheel with one of our master craftspeople and cut your own piece of Waterford crystal, which we engrave for you free of charge. It takes 1.5 to 2 hours, costs €250 per person, and ends with a drink at the Waterford Bar. Book through the VIP Experience page.

Yes. Our master craftspeople make trophies for some of the world's biggest sporting events, including the Amgen Irish Open, the Solheim Cup and the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, here in Waterford. We also make corporate awards, engraved gifts and one-off commissions for businesses, clubs and associations, with logo engraving, plinths and insured worldwide delivery. For prices and order lead times, contact Tom Walsh on +353 87 120 9143 or [email protected].

Yes. Teams can take the guided factory tour together, and smaller groups can book the VIP Experience to try cutting crystal themselves with a master craftsperson. We can also bring a Master Craftsman to your own venue for a two-hour cutting demonstration. We can host networking events and receptions in the Waterford Bar with private dining and we can make engraved awards for your team. Contact Shauna Kenneally at +353 86 136 1395 or  [email protected] to plan your day.

Yes. Our 12,000 sq ft retail store has the world's largest collection of Waterford crystal, including our Waterford Christmas ornaments and Holiday Heirlooms collection, and we can engrave many pieces in-store. We ship worldwide, so gifts can go straight to family abroad, with Christmas delivery worldwide. Our Afternoon Tea and House of Waterford Experience gift vouchers make a lovely present too.

Yes. Our engravers can add names, dates, initials or a family crest to many pieces, from champagne flutes and vases to bowls and decanters. Engraving takes place in-store, and you can order in person or by phone at +353 51 317000 or online at [email protected]. We ship worldwide, fully insured, so the gift can go straight to the couple. 

You can buy genuine Waterford crystal here at House of Waterford, or online at www.waterford.com and from our authorised stockists. Genuine pieces carry the Waterford acid-etched mark.

Yes. We ship worldwide, including to every US state, with full insurance. Visitors from outside the EU can get Irish VAT back through our VAT Refund Service, so ask us how it works when we ship your purchases. The official place to book tour tickets is our own website, houseofwaterford.com.

Yes. Our factory on The Mall in Waterford City melts more than 750 tonnes of crystal and makes more than 45,000 pieces every year, using the traditional methods you see on the factory tour. Here our master craftspeople make our prestige and limited-edition collections, sporting trophies, bespoke commissions, pieces such as the robin and collections like Copper Coast, Irish Lace and Aran.