10 essentials: what to see and do near Cork (Ireland)

After the break that the pandemic has meant for the world of travel, we are looking forward to traveling again to Ireland to do one tourism route like the one we did not long ago to get to know different places of interest for the Atlantic Coastal Route  (Wild Atlantic Way).

Our first contact with said tourist route It was to discover the attractions of making a road trip along the west coast of ireland, specifically for the around Conway.

On this trip we were able to visit charming towns such as Cliffden o westport, hiking through the impressive Cliffs of Moher, see castles like those of Dunguaire and Kinvarra, or stately homes like WestpOrt House.

And we enjoy the irish music in a very special place, the traditional Matt Molloy's pub.

Later we returned to do another route by car, this time around Cork and the area of southern peninsulas of ireland.

And on said trip tourism in Ireland we saw again pretty towns, castlea stately home and we also did Hiking through a natural area next to Cliffs.

Where is and how to get to Cork in the south of Ireland

In order for you to plan your trip, you should know that the starting point to see these interesting places is the cork city, the second most populated on the island, to which you can arrive in summer by direct flight from Madrid or Barcelona.

Our trip was before their availability, so we fly to Dublin, where we rented a car to go to Cork, a city that is located about three hours from the Irish capital.

But if you prefer traveling to Ireland by car, you also have the option of a direct ferry Bilbao to Rosslare, city also located south of ireland, on a trip lasting about 28 hours.

What to see and do on route through Southern Ireland near Cork

Below we tell you what are the best places to see and visit around Cork durante a car route through the south of Ireland.

The best things to see in Cobh and its neo-Gothic cathedral

One of the most beautiful images that after this trip we have from Ireland (perhaps the most beautiful?) is the one you can see in the cobh port from the front of houses with colorful facades, and with a neogothic cathedral that rises above them.

Cobh It is located on the coast, just over half an hour from Cork, and is part of its port complex.

Its history is linked to emigration of the Irish to America, since more than 6 million Irish people left from said port between the period of the mid-XNUMXth century and the mid-XNUMXth century.

Now that port is a stopover for cruise ships that sail through the British Isles, but if there is a stopover that has marked the history of cobh that has been the Titanic, which is remembered in the attraction known as Titanic Experience.

And this place was also the protagonist of another maritime disaster, the sinking of the Lusitania, an ocean liner that was torpedoed by a German submarine in 1914.

This caused the death of 1.198 people and the subsequent entry of the United States into the World War I.

Cobh It can be a place to do various activities, but the essential thing is walk through its port and enjoy the beautiful scene of your multicolored houses culminated with the neogothic cathedral, a building that began construction in 1868.

Visit Titanic Experience in Cobh

El cobh port It was the last stop of the Titanic during her maiden voyage and before her sinking.

120 passengers boarded there and another seven passengers got off, and one of them took the last photo of the missing ship.

En Cobh The dock from where the passengers left for the ship is still preserved and in the building that was the headquarters of a shipping company you can now visit the attraction Titanic Experience.

There above all you will know the Titanic scale history At the port of Queenstown, which was what this town was called at that time.

The visit is carried out with guided tours and will take you about 45 minutes.

During it you will see a multimedia presentation, as well as corners that emulate what the Titanic cabins and various objects and photos.

The Titanic Experience visiting hours in Cobh They are, from April to September, from 9 a.m. to 18:15 p.m., with tours every 10 minutes, and from October to March, from 17,30 a.m. to XNUMX:XNUMX p.m., with tours every half hour.

El Titanic Experience ticket price It is 12 euros for adults, with discounts for children, families and seniors.

How to visit Blarney Castle in southern Ireland

Just 10 kilometers west of Cork you have one of those castles that we like so much.

In a beautiful setting of a large garden is the blarney castle, which was built in the 13th century.

There is hardly any left of it tower of tribute and some venues, although if you travel in summer, you also have the possibility of visiting the Blarney House.

You must climb to the top of the tower where many visitors come to kiss the so-called Blarney Stone: Destiny Stone, which was used in the coronation of the Scottish kings during the Middle Ages.

Of course, to do this you will have to drop to the ground and practically hang towards the cliff, a complete exercise in contortionism.

The Blarney Castle visiting hours They are, depending on the time of year, from 9 a.m. to 17 p.m. in winter, and until 18 p.m. from May to September.

El price of admission general is 20 euros, with discounts for seniors, students, children and families.

Kinsale, pretty town with colorful houses near Cork

Another essential visit near Cork city, just over half an hour to the south, is the pretty village of Kinsale.

In this Coast town which stands out for multicolored facades of their houses, which you will discover on a walk through its streets.

As you can see in the video at the top of this article, our visit coincided with a classic car rally, which increased its attractiveness due to the charm of the numerous participating cars, whose colors contrasted with the facades of the houses.

How to visit Bantry House in the south of Ireland

Following the Driving route to the southwest of Cork, towards the region known as West Cork, you arrive at the coastal town of Bantry where you can visit Bantry House.

It is an imposing stately home Located in front of the sea and surrounded by splendid gardens, which you can see with the images of the second video inserted in this article.

This mansion was built around the year 1700 and since 1750 it belongs to the white family, dukes of bantry.

Bantry House It can be visited since the middle of the last century, and during your tour you will have to walk through its very beautiful gardens, Italian style in the interior area, arranged in several terraces with a long staircase of more than 100 steps.

During the visit you will also walk through the stables and inside the mansion, where you will see several rooms in the public area, as you must bear in mind that this is a house where the owners continue to reside.

It is worth finishing the visit by spending some time sitting on the terrace of the tea room.

The Bantry House visiting hours They are from the end of April to October, every day of the week, from 10 a.m. to 17 p.m.

The ticket prices To visit the house and garden are 14 euros for adults, with discounts for children, families and seniors.

Garnish Island south of Ireland

Not far from the town of Bantry you have the opportunity to take a curious excursion from Glengarriff in the Bantry Bay.

It is about crossing in a small boat to garnish island, where you arrive in just 10 minutes, and on your journey through the calm waters of the bay you will pass next to a seal colony with about 250 copies.

garnish It is actually a park with some nice and pleasant gardens to walk.

In this place you can see a jitalian garden with its fountains, a Greek temple, and even a stone tower where you can climb and from where you have views of the surroundings of the aforementioned bay.

Here you can consult the times to visit Garnish throughout the year, with Ferrys from 9,45:16,15 a.m. to 30:XNUMX p.m., frequently every XNUMX minutes.

El ticket price to go to Garnish Island it is 15 euros.

Hiking at Sheep's Head in the south of Ireland

To enjoy the wildest landscapes of this area of ​​the southern peninsulas of ireland, you can go to the lighthouse located at the tip of what is known as Sheep's Head.

In an arid landscape as a result of being habitually battered by wind and rain, Sheep's Head It is the domain of sheep and cows.

When you reach the end of the road, where in the parking lot you will find a small tea room, you can walk to the lighthouse on a route of an average.

If you want to do Hiking through these landscapes on a tour that can take several hours, you can sign up for the Sheep's Head excursion which has been organizing for years Charlie McCarthy, who will discover the most hidden and curious corners.

Eyeries, a village with colorful houses in the south of Ireland

If you like towns with colorful houses, nearby Beara Peninsula you have the small town of Eyeries.

Tourists come to this corner with the desire to take photos of its streets with houses whose facades are decorated with striking colors.

It is another of the curious places that you can write down for your trip along the Atlantic Coastal Route in the area of ​​the southern peninsulas of ireland.

Here you have more information about the Atlantic Coastal Route.