We visited Marble Arch Caves in Co. Fermanagh last year during midterm break and really enjoyed our visit. It’s the perfect activity for this time of year, and they run a Halloween Spooktacular on the bank holiday weekend. I was surprised how few people had heard of the caves, they’re really a great place to visit with the kids, and I relived my secondary school Geography class days spotting the geological formations.
The Attraction
Marble Arch caves, are as the name suggests a network of caves as well as underground water features. They’re open for guided tours and are very impressive.
Stalactites
What’s to See?
The main draw is the cave formations, stalagmites and stalactites which are really magnificent but there’s an audiovisual presentation and souvenir shop and a a cafe on site too and the kids can learn about bats, or dress up in caving gear while waiting for your tour.
What’s to Do?
The main highlight is access to the caves is via guided tour, with lots of information being provided by the really helpful guides who were happy to answer the eleven thousand questions my kids had.
Weather permitting you can do a boat ride too, the water was too high on the day of our visit so we didn’t get it.
Where is it?
Marble Arch Caves are located in Co. Fermanagh in the Cuilcagh Mountains, about 12 miles from Enniskillen, near Blacklion in Co. Cavan.
We visited from Sligo which is a 55 minute drive.
How much?
Adult tickets cost £11.00 and children’s £7.00, under 5’s are free but need a ticket. There are family tickets available £29.50 for 2 adults and 3 children and £26.00 for 2 adults and 2 children. Cards are accepted as are Euro notes (change is given in sterling), note there is no ATM on site. You can book tickets by phoning
What if it’s raining?
The caves are indoors so they’ll still be open, but if the water level is high the underground boat may not be able to run (like the day that we were there). You can enjoy the interpretative centre too, but the walk from the centre to the cave entrance is outdoors so dress appropriately.
What did we think?
This one one of our top days out for ages, and we really recommend for older kids (6+) that are not claustrophobic or afraid of the dark. I loved it myself. We went during the Halloween Spooktacular event in 2018 which meant that there were lots of Halloweeny surprises to add to the experience.
Tips for your visit
Phone to book in advance, phone number on website
The entrance (and exit) to the caves has over 150 steps so you need to be fit, and it’s not buggy or wheelchair accessible.
Wear warm clothes and comfortable shoes
There’s a cafe where you can get tea and cake or a sandwich before or after your visit.
There’s a waterfall on the same site that you can walk down to and explore.
