Cork Travel Guide

  Blarney Castle
by lifeisatrip
 
  • Blarney Castle
      Blarney Castle
    by lifeisatrip
  • Colorful Cork
      Colorful Cork
    by Dabs
  • Cork Harbour
      Cork Harbour
    by AusPinay
  •   Cork
    by dila
  •   Cork
    by dila
 

Pro

Ekaterinburg profile photo

  A really lively place to visit, loads of things to do 


Con

suvanki profile photo

  Come prepared for rain! 


In a nutshell

roamingpaddy profile photo

  Cork is not too big or too small,steeped in culture,proud and friendly 

 

Explore Cork

Things to Do  

Blarney Castle

Blarney Castle, Cork

 30 Reviews  We weren't actually going to visit this castle, as we are 'over' queueing and really didn't think we wanted to do the tourist thing. Sooooo glad we did. We were there at 9am when it opened and were one of the first people up the top. The stairs are narrow and uneven, but I'm on crutches and I... 

St Finbar's Cathedral

St Finbar's Cathedral, Cork

 17 Reviews  Summer Opening Times Monday-Saturday 9:30-17:30 Sunday 12:30 - 17:00 Winter Opening Times Monday-Saturday 10:00 - 12:45 14:00 - 17:00 (Closed Bank Holidays) Admission Adult €3.00 Under 18 €1.50 Student over 18 with I.D. €1.50 

Hotels  

Fitzgerald's Vienna Woods Hotel

 1 Review and 181 Opinions

Clarion Hotel Cork

 1 Review and 647 Opinions  Good modern Irish four star hotel that opened for busines in 2005. I stayed here a good few weeks... 

See all 106 Hotels in Cork

Restaurants  

Luigi Malones

Luigi Malones, Cork

 5 Reviews  If you need to recover from a VT BIG night, head to Luigi for an hearty meal as I did. Keep in mind that Sunday opening is only from 1 PM. I ordered the famous Malone's Big Hamburger large enough to satisfy your stomach for a while... especially if you water your meal with a Montepulciano ;-) Our... 

Cafe Paradiso

Cafe Paradiso, Cork

 3 Reviews  We were drawn to Cafe Paradiso on the strength of various reviews we had read, which suggested that something bordering on alchemy was taking place in the kitchen. We ate there a couple of weeks ago, and although it has a very pleasant ambience and we found some interesting combinations of flavours... 

Nightlife  

Live Music

Live Music, Cork

 7 Reviews  An Crúiscín Lán is a nice pub at the centre of Cork with lots of live music- normally there will be bands playing every night from Wednesday to Saturday. But beware: we’re not talking about traditional Irish music. There might be some traditional music events as well, but the pub focusses on Rock... 

Sin é

Sin é, Cork

 1 Review  Sin é (pronounced 'Shin aye') is right next door to a large funeral parlour. At first I thought the big black hearse had arrived to collect a dead body from the pub!!! Everyone - the taxi driver, the guide books, my landlady - says how nice Sin é is and how it is the only true pub in Cork. I... 

Transportation  

Buses

Buses, Cork

 12 Reviews  Bus Eireann coaches will take you not only around the city but also to many places all over Ireland. The fares are lower than on trains and you can get special tourist rates. You can get the Open Road Pass valid for 6 - 30 days on all Eireann buses across the country, or the Irish Explorer ticket... 

Trains

Trains, Cork

 4 Reviews  Finally Irish Rail has moved with the times. The title of this piece is their current by-line which doesn't realy instil confidence in their ability to get you to your destination on time or even in one piece. But like they say... they are getting there. In the last few years they have introduced... 

Shopping  

English Market

English Market, Cork

 11 Reviews  The market has existed on this site since 1610 but the present building dates back to 1786. Refurbished after a fire in 1980, it is a great place for the world gourmets, who will find here anything they can dream of, from exotic foreign foods, spices and luxury items to such Irish specialities as... 

Departments Store

Departments Store, Cork

 4 Reviews  Penneys is one of the department stores in St Patrick's Street, the main shopping street of Cork. If you look around, you will see many passers-by carrying their brown paper, and therefore recyclable, carrier bag. The shop is extremely popular with Corkonians and tourists alike, offering real... 

See all 28 Shopping in Cork

Local Customs  

Local Drink

Local Drink, Cork

 3 Reviews  Beamish is Corks other stout that is still brewed in the city. I enjoyed a pint at Cork Opera House during our VT Taste of Cork meet. (I must confess that Beamish is my least favourite stout when compared with Murphys and Guiness - it's a bit too sweet for my taste, but I still managed to sink it... 

Irish language

Irish language, Cork

 3 Reviews  Irish people promote the use of Irish Gaelic, which they call simply Irish, in all areas of life. Dual street names are just one sign of this, but there are also Irish names of pubs, signposts in both English and Irish, and names of people too have their Irish equivalents, or should I say Irish... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Warnings

Warnings, Cork

 11 Reviews  Alcohol could be expensive especially if you get a fine. I found this warning sign along the Liffey River... so stay safely inside the pub to enjoy the local pints and priceless Irish atmospere! Save your money... Drink with moderation! 

Driving / Walking

Driving / Walking, Cork

 5 Reviews  July 18 Next we drove through Cork, I had an idea that we could find a B&B right in Cork, boy was I wrong. Driving in the country side with no street signs is one thing, but driving in a city with no street signs and a terrible map is something quite different. So, we drove into Cork and right back... 

Tourist Traps  

Blarney Castle

Blarney Castle, Cork

 10 Reviews  Blarney Castle - yes I know I have photos of it in my travelogue but really unless you get excited at the thought of hanging upside down 300 feet up just to kiss a big stone then give it a miss!! This is especially true in Summer when you will probably have to queue for a while before your turn... 

What to Pack  

Rain Gear

Rain Gear, Cork

 6 Reviews  Cork is probably one of the wettest places in Ireland so an unbrella is a must. Don't let that put you off though as it's also one of the sunniest - you just need a brolly for the showers!! Pop into Pennys or Dunnes on Patrick Street (the main street) for a cheap one if you're forgetful like me and... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Cobh....

Cobh...., Cork

 7 Reviews  Cobh (pronounced cove) - formerly Cove and, subsequently, Queenstown, is a pretty resort and port situated on the largest island in Cork Harbour. Walking along the quayside lined with elegant hotels, good restaurants and interesting shops, the first time visitor might not even suspect the town's... 

Sports & Outdoors  

Gaelic Games

Gaelic Games, Cork

 4 Reviews  The Cork gaelic football and hurling teams are known as the Rebels. Try to see a match if you can (although you may have to sell your Granny to get tickets for an All-Ireland match and they're always held in Croke Park in Dublin!) - especially hurling which is said to be the fastest field game in... 

Favorites  

City Walks, Shopping, and Towns Worth Visiting

City Walks, Shopping, and Towns Worth Visiting, Cork

 22 Reviews  Cork is not too big a city,its suberbs do stretch out a bit but the city centre is small enough being about 1.5 mile squared. there are some interesting buildings in the city centre but most of the centre was burned down by the then occupying British forces in 1920,this episode is called,"The... 

Castles, Big Houses, Ruins and Churches

Castles, Big Houses, Ruins and Churches, Cork

 6 Reviews  I had a real fascination with Castles and especially the Ramparts! I could just vision waiting up in the castle waitin for enemy to attack. Well I thought they were cool anyways! They reminded me the fairytales and stories that I read as a kid. 

The Place

Plan a Cork vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Cork locals

Experience Cork
  •   717 Tips and Reviews
  •  1,504 Photos
  •  8 Videos
  Share your Travels  
Map of Cork
 

The People

505 Members Live Here
 
Advice from the Locals
 profile photo

 Totally Corked - It's been over a year now since I wrote this page on Cork, my very first page on VT. It's still my most visited page and several people who've read it have now actually been here and sampled the real... 

505 members live in Cork

 

Questions and Answers

celtic10 profile photo

Q:  Hi Can anyone tell me where I might get a ticket to the Allianz Football Leage game Cork v Armagh tomorrow and how much it will... 

leics profile photo

A: Again, I can't help with tickets sorry. Same links as for Galway for bus and train to Cork. Bus costs 11.70 euro online (10% discount as before). Train costs 66... 

Read 2 Replies

postQuestion_button

Top Cork Writers

1

Totally Corked

Ekaterinburg profile photo

 It's been over a year now since I wrote this page on Cork, my very first page on VT. It's still my most visited page and several people who've read it have now actually been here and sampled the real... 

2

Colourful Corcaigh

evaanna profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Cork. I'd love to share with you the 25 tips I've written, the 115 photos uploaded, and 3 travelogues I've created. 

3

First time in Cork - Make A Wish!

suvanki profile photo

 Ryanairs £1 offers had enticed me to book a weekend in Dublin, a place that I'd been meaning to re-visit for a while. Whilst planning my itinerary, I realised that this was the same weekend of the... 

4

Corcaigh

Tripack profile photo

 Katherine invites VT members around the world to join a meeting in her home town. So a good excuse to take a break and discover the Irish way of life. The meeting was during the Cork Film Festival...... 

5

Challenger's Cork Page

challenger profile photo

 They don't call it the "true capital of Ireland" for nothing... This is a picture of Bantry House in Bantry, Co. Cork. 

View all rated pages

View newest pages

Build your own Cork page