The weekend of November 23rd/24th I spent in Killarney, I’ve passed through the town a few times but never actually stayed a whole day there. I did it finally, the town is the start/end of the Ring of Kerry Route and it should be properly appreciated.
How to get there?
From Cork you can go either by train or bus, the train is pricy comparing with the bus and in my opinion doesn’t worth much the trouble. It won’t save you much more time, and the price is twice as much.
By bus you can use the buseireann company or any of the few travel agencies that do the Ring of Kerry tour, though if you want to stay overnight isn’t the best idea. By car it is really easy, just follow the N22 and you’ll get there in about 2 hours and half, maybe three.
What to do in Killarney?
Killarney is a very touristic place in Ireland, the city center is full with stores, bookshops, restaurants and pubs (like almost everywhere in Ireland). You can spend a full day just wandering around, we were lucky with the weather, this weekend was really sunny perfect to enjoy the streets and some of the cafés with esplanade.
Really close to the town there are the Lakes of Killarney, you can go there by taxi about 6€, but you’ll want to enjoy it and go around, be prepared for a hiking day or go by car. The lakes are stunning, a must visit place in Kerry.
At night, like it is normal in Ireland, Killarney also has a good variety of pubs, life and traditional music are easy to find, mostly during touristic seasons.
My recommendations
One weekend in one place is never enough to make proper recommendations, but there are some places that stand out, and for me in Killarney Lake is a must visit place! Reachable on foot from the town, and a very pleasant place to visit.
If you feel more courageous, you can always hike the Torc mountain, not far from Killarney, where you’ll enjoy the gorgeous Torc Waterfall.
And in case you want something even more extraordinary, but also demanding, why not testing your hiking skills and climb the highest mountain in Ireland? A bit further away from the town, but a very popular hike in Kerry, the Carrauntoohil Mountain.
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