Cork is the biggest county in Ireland, and the city sits in the middle of the good bits. The first six below need no car: a bus or a train from the centre and you're there in under an hour. The last four are the ones our guests ask about most once they've seen the city, and they do need wheels. Every one comes with how to get there and how long to give it, and where we've written the history, the link is there too.
By bus or train
Blarney
The one everyone knows: climb the keep and lean back to kiss the Blarney Stone for the gift of the gab. What surprises people is the grounds, the gardens, the eerie Poison Garden and the ancient stones of the Rock Close are worth as much as the castle. Go early, the queue for the stone builds fast by midday in summer. The full history is on our Blarney Castle page.
Cobh
A short train ride down the harbour to one of the most photographed towns in Ireland. Cobh was the Titanic's last port of call, and the Titanic Experience stands where the final passengers boarded; above the town, St Colman's Cathedral looms over the famous Deck of Cards terrace. Easy to do in a half day. The full story is on our Cobh page.
Fota
One stop before Cobh on the same rail line sits Fota, home to Fota Wildlife Park, a proper open-range zoo where giraffes and cheetahs roam rather than sit in cages, and Fota House and its gardens right next door. Easy to pair with Cobh on the same day, or take slowly on its own with small children.
See the city before you leave it
Seventy-five to ninety minutes through old Cork with a local guide, from Shandon to St Fin Barre's. Small groups, every Saturday and Sunday, and every guest goes home with a free Cork history book.
Spike Island
From Cobh's Kennedy Pier a ferry runs out to Spike Island, a star-shaped fort and former prison on its own island in the harbour, once called Ireland's Alcatraz. The guided visit covers a thousand years of monastery, fortress and jail, and the crossing itself is part of the day. Sailings are limited, so book ahead in season. Pair it with Cobh for a full day. The full story is on our Spike Island page.
Midleton
A separate branch line from Kent Station, about 25 minutes out, and home to the Jameson Distillery Midleton Experience, where the old stone distillery and the world's largest pot still sit beside the working plant. Worth booking your distillery slot ahead if whiskey's of any interest, it fills up.
Kinsale
A pretty harbour town about forty-five minutes south, with a decades-old name for food: narrow streets of restaurants, wine bars and brightly painted fronts. Beyond the plate, the coast is the draw, with the huge 17th-century Charles Fort at the harbour mouth and a clifftop walk out to it. Give it a full day and time lunch for the town. The full story is on our Kinsale page.
Youghal
Further east along the coast, Youghal is an old walled port with a long sandy beach and a starring role in film history, its main street stood in for New Bedford in the 1956 Moby Dick. It's a longer trip and quieter than the others, good if you want the sea and a bit of space. The full story is on our Youghal page.
With a car
Gougane Barra
One of the prettiest places in Cork: a small church on a lake in a valley, on the island where St Finbarr had his hermitage before he founded the city, with a hiking path that climbs into the mountains overlooking the water and the church below. You'll need a car for this one, and it's a good ninety minutes each way.
Lough Hyne
Not a hike, a night kayak instead. Lough Hyne, near Skibbereen, is a saltwater lake and Ireland's first marine nature reserve, and after dark the water is bioluminescent: every paddle stroke lights up. Visitors who've gone say it's well worth the trip out, though it's not something your guide has done himself. Car needed, and book the kayak trip ahead.
Ballycotton Cliff Walk
A real hike, about five kilometres along the cliffs from Ballycotton towards Shanagarry, with the lighthouse island off to your right for most of the way. The bus out this way runs too infrequently to rely on, so this one needs a car too. Boots, not runners, after rain.
Or from the water
Out on the harbour
If you'd rather see it all from the water, seasonal harbour cruises run from Cobh and take you past Spike Island, the old naval base at Haulbowline and the mouth of one of the world's great natural harbours out at Roches Point. A relaxed couple of hours and a different angle on the whole area. Check what's sailing before you travel, as operators run seasonally.
Ask your guide on the day
Our guides live here, drive these roads and know which day trip suits which forecast. Tell your guide what you like and how long you have, and you'll get a plan you won't find on any website, including this one.
Take the story home: a free Cork history book
Blarney Castle, Leaving Cork and The Great Hunger all start in the places above. Ten titles, from Rebel Cork to Stout and Whiskey, each 80 to 100 illustrated pages. Walked with us already? Your guide's code also takes 20% off everything else in the shop.
Next: the weekend plan lines these up against the forecast · the history of each place · the whole guide