Religious site
Holywood Priory
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Holywood Priory preserves the remains of a Dominican friary founded around 1200 AD, set in a quiet corner of the town. Visitors can wander among the stone walls and arches, imagining the lives of medieval monks. The site includes a graveyard with ancient headstones and a striking 19th-century church built within the ruins. Its peaceful, grassy grounds offer a reflective break and a tangible link to Northern Ireland's religious heritage.
Don't miss
- See the surviving nave and chancel walls of the original 13th-century priory
- Visit the adjacent Holywood Parish Church, built into the priory ruins
- Browse the historic graveyard with centuries-old carved headstones
Tickets & tours
Ways to visit Holywood Priory
You can visit Holywood Priory on your own. A guide is worth it for the history and detail that is easy to walk past, and a tour can combine it with nearby sights.
Cheapest way inHillsborough Castle Gardens only Ticket4.3★ · 27 travelers1-2 hoursFree cancellationFrom$15 per personSee dates →
Best full dayGiants Causeway, Rope Bridge, Carrickfergus Castle and Dark Hedges Tour4.2★ · 676 travelers~8 hoursFree cancellationFrom$33 per personSee dates →
Top ratedPilgrims' Path walk across the sands to Holy Island5★ · 104 travelers~4 hoursFree cancellationFrom$40 per personSee dates →Getting there
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