The Ultimate Cork Travel Guide
Cork is the ultimate Irish city break as we all know, but if you’re not a local you might not be sure how to make the most of your stay like where to get the best pint of Corks own Beamish, hear the best Irish tunes on a Friday night or where to buy a warm jacket when the Iris summer turns around on you.
In this post we give you some recommendations on places to eat, drink, and stay along with some ideas on where to buy the essentials once you arrive in the city. Whether you’re coming to the Rebel County on a short trip, or you’re moving for a few weeks or months we’ve got you covered!
Getting around:
Public transport is your best friend in Cork, it’s easy, affordable and it’s everywhere. You can take busses around the city and suburbs using a Leap travel card, and trains to get a little farther afield if you’d like to go on a day trip.
- Trains: Irish Rail
- Busses: Bus Eireann
- Leap Card
- TFI Live App
- Leap Card Top Up APP
Where to eat:
Quick and budget-friendly for lunch with Google Maps directions on links:
- A burrito in Boojum or Burritos and Blues
- The Palestinian Falafel pita from Umi Falafel
- French Tacos from Crème French
- Sunday Roast Burrito from Masseytown
- Anything you can imagine in the Marina Market
Cork Staples:
We’ve also created a list of international restaurants to suit all tastes that you could use to pick your evening meal, for something a bit fancier and you can see that list of recommendations here. To this list we wouldlike to add:
Where to sleep:
Here are our recommendations for where to stay in Cork depending on what experience you are looking for with Google Maps links:
Hostels:
Cost effective hotels, smaller modern rooms great location:
Boutique:
- Gabriel House (farm to fork, sustainability)
Quality Hotels in/near the city centre:
Where to drink:
Cork has an amazing mixture of old and new concept bars, we also have cocktail bars, tapas bars and nightclubs for after-hours. Here are some recommendations if you’re looking for:
Live Music:
Irish bars, music and craft beer:
Cocktails:
Bottomless Brunch:
Clubbing:
What to do:
Here are some recommendations on activities and day trips you can do in or near the city:
- Cork City Gaol
- Crawford Art Gallery Tour
- Fota Wildlife Park
- See a show at the Everyman Theatre or Cork Opera House
- Blarney Castle
- Blackrock Observatory
Here are some more ideas from Sheilas Hostel:
Where to find:
Here are some places where you can buy a last-minute swimsuit, travel adaptor or some shampoo if you’re staying in the city and are not prepared:
- Toiletries: Dealz, Dunnes, Tesco, Boots
- Clothes: Primark, Dunnes, Dealz
- Medication, toiletries, or travel accessories: Boots
That’s it from us this week, hopefully this guide helps you make the most of your stay in Cork and if you would like to brush up on your English while you’re in Ireland, feel free to contact us by clicking here.