Cork, Ireland Travel Guide - Sightseeing, Hotel, Restaurant & Shopping Highlights (Illustrated)

Cork is Ireland’s most southerly county as well as its largest. It’s delightful villages are adorned by scenery that encompasses verdant green hills and lowlands rising to the Shehy Mountains on the Cork and Kerry border. The coastline is varied and runs for just over 620 miles (1,005 km). The rocky inlets are interspersed with tiny villages squeezed between beaches and green fields beyond.

Cork is the largest city in County Cork and also the capital. The city centre is built on an island created by the two channels of the River Lee that separate at the western end only to join again in the east. There are various docks and quays leading to Cork Harbour and Lough Mahon, the natural harbour in Cork is one of the largest in the world. The city is vibrant and bustling with communities from Lithuania, Hungary and Poland which gives a multi-cultural feel to its many festivals, bars, restaurants and live music events.

The food in County Cork is of the highest quality and much of it is organically produced. There is plenty of locally reared lamb, pork and beef with homegrown vegetables. The lush green grass is ideal grazing for the cows that produce creamy milk that is turned into delicious farmhouse cheeses. There are specialist food shops and farmers markets all over the county and many of the restaurants serve the freshest of produce.

Table of Contents:

Cork, Ireland Travel Guide
Overview
Culture
Location & Orientation
Climate & When To Visit
Sightseeing Highlights
Blarney Castle
Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral
Spike Island
Cork Opera House
Fota Wildlife Park
Crawford Art Gallery
Mizen Head
Garnish Island and Tropical Gardens
Lisselan Estate & Henry Ford Ancestral Site
Blackwater Valley, Dinosaurs & Donkeys
Blackwater Valley
Donkeys
Dinosaurs
Fitzgerald’s Park
Cork Public Museum
Lewis Glucksman Art Gallery
Recommendations for the Budget Traveller
Places To Stay
Paddy’s Palace
Bru Bar Hostel
Stanley Guest House
Mountain View B&B
Annabella Lodge
Places To Eat & Drink
Farmgate Restaurant & Country Store
Cobh Heritage Centre Restaurant
O’Connors Seafood Restaurant
La Jolie Brise Pizza & Grill
Café Paradiso
Places To Shop
The English Market
Quills Woollen Market
Dunnes Stores
SuperValu
Homestore + More