As well as being Ireland’s second largest city, Cork is the capital of the ‘Rebel County’ and is a great choice for a short break or a longer stay. Located on the banks of the River Lee, this city provides visitors with an impressive selection of things to see and do, along with entertaining nightlife and friendly Corkonians.
In operation since 1788, the Cork English Market is one of the city's most important attractions. In this podcast, Hostelworld.com's Rebecca Keenan speaks with Kay Harte from the Farmgate Cafe to find out what makes this food market so special.
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Download Cork Pocket Guide View all guides »If you do a trip to ireland Cork is one of the city you shouldn't miss. Whit it's small/tight streets and colourful houses, the many churches and the river lee. A nice modern city. The city center with a lot shops and cafes e.g. english market is awesome! You realy can walk through the city in approx. 2h. From Cork you can use the train to get to cobh in approx. 45min.
Insider Tip:- university, beautiful buildings - from Richmond Hill you have a nice view over Cork
We stayed in Cork for two days and I wish we had one or two more. It is a convenient base point for Ring of Kerry or Cliffs of Moher day trips. We booked through PaddyWagon and I had the best tour guide I could imagine (no bathrooms on the bus though) Skip Cobh unless you really want to see the cathedral or the Titanic museum (which was a little disappointing). Thomonds has great breakfast and there are a ton of late night pubs around town.
Insider Tip:Really get into the "Rebel County" vibe. It may have been a fluke, but I definitely noticed the locals were more fiery then the locals up in Dublin.
Dont go there and expect warmth and sunshine, but do expect a lovely city with great food, pubs, and environment. The best part of my visit to cork was the short bus trip to blarney, which was out of this world gorgeous!!
Insider Tip:have a coffee at cork coffee roasters, eat lunch at the quay coop (amazing and inepensive veganorganic meals!!), and GO TO BLARNEY. early in the morning before the tour buses get there and there are a thousand old people milling about in the castle, and the line for kissing the stone gets ridiculous.
Be ready to walk or buy a day pass for the city bus system which is worth the price. There are a number of things within walking distance if you are up for some hiking. There are some surprising little gems such as the observatory in the castle and the Shandon Bell Tower. Have a great time.
Cork is a good city in south Ireland, with lots of live music, especially good trad sessions. Blarney castle is close by, easy to cycle to which makes for a nice day trip, as well as a good base to explore some of the coast.
Insider Tip:Ride a bicycle to blarney castle and get some gorgeous views down over cork and the surrounding countryside.
Ireland is a very easy country to get around thanks to an extensive bus service which connects all major towns and cities. It also has a country wide rail service but for most journeys the bus is more flexible, frequent and most importantly, at least 50% cheaper than taking the train. It’s not a big country so you can easily make your way to the major cities but it certainly makes for an action packed seven days. Where better to begin your speedy tour than in ‘Dublin’s Fair City’ - the fun filled capital of the Emerald Isle. As well as the host of attractions on offer, the city can really only be appreciated by those who truly immerse themselves in the culture and there’s no better way to do this than by frequenting the host of the pubs and restaurants on offer. Sip on a pint of Guinness in its native home while listening to some Irish music or sampling traditional cuisine and you’ll know what we mean.
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