Cork in Three Days: Ireland’s Rebel City Itinerary

Known as Ireland’s second city or Ireland’s real capital, Cork often gets skipped over for destinations like Dublin or Galway. Cork needs to make its way onto more itineraries though because it has a lot to offer visitors. Ireland’s Rebel City is subtly cool and full of friendly faces and modern European vibes. In fact, it was recently named the friendliest city in Ireland. Cork city gives a real feel for what city life in Ireland is like. With popular destinations like Blarney Castle nearby, Cork is a good place to base yourself for three days to explore. Unlike some of the more popular destinations in Ireland, Cork feels like it is full of locals rather than saturated with international tourists. Read on about how to spend three days in Cork and its beautiful surroundings.

Cork’s nickname of the “Rebel City” comes from its history of rebellions. Most recently, it played a key role in Ireland’s War of Independence (1919-1921) in which Cork city and county were the site of battles. Even further back to the 9th century, Cork locals destroyed a Viking castle and killed the ruling Norse leader. So the Rebel City title has been well earned.

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Top 4 Experiences to Have in Cork County, Ireland

1. Wander around the English Market in Cork city
2. Stroll the River Lee and the Historic Shandon District in Cork City
3. Kiss the Blarney Stone
4. Wander the seaside town of Cobh

When to Visit Cork

While you can visit year-round, I would visit between February to November. In fact, I would skip the summer months of June-August and try to travel in late spring to early autumn. The weather is decent in the spring and autumn and you will have to contend with fewer tourists.

What to Do in and Around Cork, Ireland in 3 Days

While Cork is a major city, I felt like I could see most of the major sights in a little more than a day. It’s fairly compact so it is easy to walk around the historic center. Cork is situated in a fantastic location for day trips, even if you are traveling without a rental car. Cork is a great travel destination to spend at least three days in. You can check out how I fit Cork into my 9 day car-free Ireland itinerary here.

Where to Sleep in Cork

Cork is quite walkable and I ended up staying near the University College Cork with a view of the River Lee. It took about 15-20 minutes to walk to the main sights of Cork but there were also frequent buses.

If you are looking for a B&B, Gabriel House Guesthouse is just a short distance from the city centre and offers up basic accommodation. Check rates and availability here.

For a bit of a splurge, check out the stunning River Lee Hotel. It’s set right on Cork’s River Lee and features beautiful spacious rooms as well as the glamorous River Club Bar. Rooms overlooking the river even have window seats to enjoy the view from. The hotel is a short walk from the main sights and is truly a gorgeous building in its own right. Check out rates for the River Lee Hotel here.

Montenotte Hotel is 1km from the centre of Cork and offers up beautiful rooms as well as a sauna, pool, and hot tub. At just a 15 minutes walk to the centre, this affordable hotel is a top pick for Cork. Check rates and availability for Montenotte Hotel here.

Day 1: Cork City

My first stop on my three days in Cork was to the English Market. The English Market is full of delicious food and is a great place to try local foods for lunch. Cork is a great city for a food tour to try out local Irish foods. You can check out my full guide to food in Ireland here.

Cork is a lovely city to wander and it’s one of those places where the streets are the sights. Definitely give yourself some time to take in the multiple bridges over the River Lee and the area around the English Market.

After a bit of wandering time, head over to St Fin Barre’s Cathedral. This elaborate Protestant cathedral is a bit of a walk from the English Market but is worth it. If I didn’t know better, I would swear that this Gothic cathedral was part of France rather than Ireland. The cathedral is dedicated to St. Fin Barre, the patron saint of Cork who founded a monastery in the 7th century.

Depending on when you arrived in Cork, you may have some free time to explore the Shandon Historic District. If not, you can explore the Shandon Historic District on Day 3.

Day 2: Day Trip to Cobh

Cobh (pronounced ‘cove’) was a highlight of my three-day visit to Cork. I spent the whole day in Cobh and found it such a relaxing town to visit.

An interesting fact about Cobh, it’s had a couple of name changes. After some Irish names (Cuan an Neimheadh), it was named Cove in 1750 before being renamed to Queenstown to commemorate a visit from Queen Victoria in 1849. After the War of Independence, Queenstown was renamed to Cobh in 1922. Cobh has no meaning in Irish and is a Gaelicisation of the word cove.

Getting to Cobh from Cork by Public Transit

Cobh is easily accessible from Cork. There is a commuter train from Cork Kent train station leaves frequently and takes only 25 minutes. No need to book your tickets in advance, you can buy them at the station. At the time that I visited, it was only 10 € roundtrip to Cobh. Even though it’s a commuter train, I found it to be quite scenic.

Spending a Day in Cobh

Cobh is in the history books as being the final port of call that the Titanic visited. It’s also the location where more than 70,000 people left Ireland from during the Famine. Because of this, you can find two history museums in Cobh. The first is the Cobh Heritage Centre. I found this museum well worth the visit. It highlights Cobh’s role in transport ships to Australia, the Famine, and famous ships that left from Cobh. There is also the newer Titanic Experience museum housed in the original White Star Line offices. While I didn’t visit this one, it would be worth the visit if you are a history buff.

In addition to museums, Cobh is a beautiful small town. With the towering St. Colman’s Cathedral sitting over the coloured houses of the harbour, it isn’t to be missed. Cobh is set on steep hills but it is worth it to walk up to St. Colman’s Cathedral. If the architectural style looks familiar, E.W. Pugin is the designer of both St. Colman’s Cathedral and the Killarney Cathedral.

After visiting St. Colman’s Cathedral, explore some of Cobh’s steepest roads. Just across from the cathedral you will see a row of colourful houses that looks like it is stacked, this is known as the Deck of Cards. From this street (West View St), you can get a photo of the colourful houses with the cathedral in the background from a park about halfway up it.

Add on a Visit to Kinsale

You can visit both Cobh and Kinsale on this day if you feel like you have the time after your Cobh visit. Kinsale is supposed to be a great location for dinner to try the mussels. After taking the train from Cobh to Cork, grab the Bus Éireann Kinsale 226 bus (45min-1hr) from the Cork Kent Train Station.

Day 3: Shandon Historic Area and Blarney Castle

On the final day of my three-day itinerary in Cork, a visit to the oldest area of Cork was on the schedule for the morning. Visiting Shandon Historic Area in the morning is a great way to explore Cork. I did a bit of a walk along the River Lee on part of the Mardyke Walk and then headed up the steep hill to the Shandon district. It’s a cute area and it was nice to see both St. Anne’s Church and the Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Anne. There is also the Shandon Sweet Shop to visit. I didn’t spend long in this area so I had plenty of time to visit Blarney Castle as I left around 11 am.

Getting to Blarney Castle from Cork

Blarney Castle is super easy and cheap to get to from Cork using public transit. There is a city bus, 215 Blarney route, that takes you right to Blarney. One of the bus stops in Cork is right near the tourist information center near St. Patrick’s bridge. On the schedule, this stop is St. Patrick St and Drawbridge St. Jctn. There are also stops for the 215 in the Shandon district. The journey to Blarney takes only 25 minutes and costs 2.80€ each way.

Spending an Afternoon at Blarney Castle

If you’re spending three days in Cork, you need to make a visit to what is likely Ireland’s most famous castle, Blarney Castle. Blarney Castle makes it onto a lot of itineraries for Ireland, but often for only a quick visit. I think this is the reason it ends up on the list of over-rated cash grabs. Give Blarney Castle a few hours and it will show you it has more to offer beyond kissing the Blarney Stone.

It’s easy to get castle fatigue, however, I found Blarney Castle to be quite charming. Kissing the Blarney Stone requires a walk up to the top of the castle. Gift of the gab aside, the view from the top of Blarney Castle is worth the climb. The 60 acres of grounds are well maintained and Blarney Castle set against rolling green lawns is something to behold. I was stunned to find out that there is not only a castle but also multiple gardens at Blarney. No one ever mentions the gardens here! It’s enjoyable to wander around the castle grounds.

Blarney Castle Gardens

Likely the most visited garden at Blarney Castle is Ireland’s only poison garden. It’s located right at the back of the castle. It has everything from tobacco to poison ivy to marijuana. In addition, there are also some plants you may recognize from Harry Potter, like Wolfsbane and Mandrake. It’s interesting to see the plant choices that have been chosen for it. As a Canadian and sufferer of poison ivy, I found it astounding that they would willingly plant that stuff.

If you walk a little further away from the castle, there are even more carefully thought out gardens. I enjoyed the fern garden that was set in the forest and full of tree ferns and 80 varieties of ferns. The rock close and water garden were another favourite, and it is supposed to be a magical area. It has “Wishing Steps” which are supposed to make all of your wishes come true if you walk down them backwards with your eyes shut. However, I wasn’t brave enough so I can’t tell you if it works. It’s easy to spend a couple of hours exploring all the gardens that Blarney Castle has to offer.

Blarney Village

After visiting Blarney Castle, I highly recommend a visit to the Woolen Mills in Blarney village. This shop is huge and has the best selection of Irish souvenirs that I saw in Ireland. Blarney also has a few restaurant choices on the main street. These restaurants make for affordable and delicious dining before heading back to Cork. Check out Claddagh Restaurant in Blarney for some yummy Italian food and fantastic early bird specials.

How to Spend 4 Days in Cork

If you have another day, you can add the Wild Atlantic Way to your three-day Cork itinerary. Mizen Head would be my pick for the fourth day as it is closer to Cork and gives you more time to explore the area.

With a car, you can easily add on a mini road trip to see Ireland’s most southwesterly point of Mizen Head. Good stopping points on your trip to Mizen Head are Gougane Barra and Bantry. A visit to Mizen Head is also possible from Cork using a tour but it only operates on certain days and during certain months (Feb-Nov) so you do not have a lot of flexibility with it. You can check out the Mizen Head tour here.

From Cork, you can also join a day tour to visit the Ring of Kerry or the Dingle Peninsula. It would make for a long day and isn’t as thorough of a day trip as the ones that leave from Killarney. If you have a car, it would likely make more sense to base yourself out of Killarney or Kenmare before driving the Ring of Kerry or the Dingle Peninsula. This would give you a lot more time to make stops en route.

Where to Eat in Cork City

English Market: Various options here, great for lunch or dessert. There are vegetarian and vegan options in the English Market. Great place to try out local ingredients like local cheeses and jams. I enjoyed the Sandwich Stall as a place to grab a quick bite to eat.

Ó Conaill Chocolate: One of the best brownies I’ve ever had in my life.
Location: 32 Princes Street for Chocolate Bakery or 16 French Church Street for Coffee Shop

Getting to Cork and around Ireland

As Cork is a major city in Ireland, it is one of the easiest to get to using public transit options. I visited Cork between Killarney and Kilkenny and found it easy to get between the cities, but Dublin has a direct train so it is much faster. From other large cities like Galway, it may be a bit too long to transit between them directly.

If you are in Cork, the Cork Tourist Information Centre is super helpful. I bothered them multiple times with questions about public transit routes and what I should visit. Definitely pop in if you are feeling unsure about transit schedules or pick up locations. It’s located centrally, right next to St. Patricks Bridge on the corner. In Ireland, there are lots of tourist companies that say they are tourist information centres when they are not. Definitely, head to the official one if you want unbiased advice rather than to be sold tours.

Cork by Air

Cork airport is a great destination to fly into from other European cities as you can get cheap flights here using Ryanair, Wizzair, or Aer Lingus. From the airport, you can either splurge on a taxi into the city or grab a city bus that takes only 20 minutes. Bus 226 will take you to the main bus station, Parnell Station. It’s also possible to head to other destinations in Ireland on buses right from the airport, you can check out bus information here.

Cork by Train

If you are coming from Dublin or Killarney, the train is the most convenient option. There are also buses but they take longer and are nowhere near as comfortable as the train.

From Dublin Heuston train station, there are trains every hour to Cork and the direct train journey takes only 2.5 hours. Dublin Heuston is easy to get to directly from Dublin Airport using the 747 Airlink Express or by taking the Red Luas route and getting off at the Heuston stop.

If you are coming from Killarney, you do have to change trains at Mallow. The journey is fairly short at 1.5 hours and there are trains every 2 hours. The change at Mallow is straightforward and you have plenty of time to switch trains.

You can book tickets in advance to save money and pick up your tickets from a machine at the train station using your reservation code. Booking with Irish Rail is easy and helpfully, they display your name above your seat on the train.

Cork By Bus

Traveling by bus in Ireland is my least favourite option. The buses just are not as comfortable as the trains and do not always have bathrooms. The fastest way between Galway and Cork is the express bus service operated by Citylink as it takes only 2.5 hours. Using Citylink you can also travel between Cork and Limerick (1.5hr) using the non-express routes. In Cork, these buses leave from St. Patrick’s Quay.

The bus is also how you can get between Cork and Kilkenny. To and from Kilkenny you can use the Dublin Coach service that will get you to Kilkenny in 2.5 hours. Pickups are at St. Patrick’s Quay in Cork.

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