City centre
First-timersO'Connell Street and around, with shops, pubs and restaurants.
Limerick city guide
Things To Do In Limerick
A river city on the Shannon, with a thirteenth-century castle, a Georgian quarter and the most fervent rugby crowd in Ireland. Twenty-five minutes from Shannon Airport, and the gateway to the west coast.
1
Hostels in the city
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Average, from 947 reviews
1691
The Treaty of Limerick
1168
St Mary's Cathedral founded
25 km
From Shannon Airport
A rugby city on the Shannon
Limerick sits on the River Shannon where it widens towards the Atlantic, and it has been a city since the Vikings founded it in the tenth century. The Normans built King John's Castle on King's Island, and the Treaty of Limerick, signed in 1691, ended the Williamite war in Ireland.
The centre divides into three: the medieval English Town on King's Island, the old Irish Town across the Abbey River, and the Georgian Newtown Pery, laid out in the late eighteenth century in a grid of red-brick terraces.
The city had a hard reputation in the late twentieth century, which Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes did little to soften. It has long outgrown it, and was Ireland's first City of Culture in 2014. Munster rugby is the local religion. One or two days is right, and it is the natural first stop from Shannon Airport.
Where to stay
The centre is compact. Stay in the Georgian quarter or close to King's Island.
Georgian Quarter
A calmer stayNewtown Pery's red-brick terraces, the Crescent and the People's Park.
King's Island
HistoryThe medieval English Town, with the castle and cathedral, across the Abbey River.
Castletroy
StudentsNear the University of Limerick, a few kilometres east. Cheaper and quieter.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 1 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Limerick
Start at King John's Castle on King's Island, a thirteenth-century fortress on the river with an excellent interactive exhibition and views from the battlements.
St Mary's Cathedral, nearby, was founded in 1168 and is the oldest building in the city still in daily use. The Hunt Museum, in the old Custom House on the river, has a very good collection of art and antiquities, including a small bronze horse attributed to Leonardo's workshop.
The Treaty Stone, across Thomond Bridge from the castle, is where the Treaty of Limerick was supposedly signed. Walk the Georgian quarter around the Crescent and the People's Park, and on Saturday go to the Milk Market, a covered food market in the old Cornmarket.
If Munster are playing at home, go to Thomond Park. The crowd falls silent for kicks at goal, which says a great deal about the city.
Free things
Free things to do in Limerick
The riverside walks along the Shannon are free, and the view of the castle from the river is the best in the city.
The Treaty Stone, the Georgian streets of Newtown Pery and the People's Park cost nothing. The Limerick City Gallery of Art, beside the park, is free.
The Milk Market is free to browse, and busiest on Saturday mornings.
The University of Limerick campus, a few kilometres out, has riverside paths and a free art collection.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Limerick
Limerick eats well and cheaply compared with Dublin. The Milk Market on Saturdays is the place to start, with local food producers, bakers and hot-food stalls.
Pub food and carvery lunches are the everyday option, and the city's restaurants are cheaper than Galway or Cork.
Limerick ham was once famous across the world, and the Irish coffee was invented at Foynes, down the estuary, in the 1940s.
Nightlife
Going out in Limerick
Limerick is a student city, with the university and two colleges, and the nightlife is lively and cheap for Ireland. O'Connell Street and the streets around it have most of the bars and late venues.
The pubs fill up on match days, when Munster rugby is on, and the whole city goes out.
A pint is €5 to €6. Pubs close around 23:30 during the week and 00:30 at weekends, and late bars by about 02:30.
Getting around
Getting around Limerick
The centre is walkable. The bus and train station, Colbert Station, is on the edge of the centre.
Shannon Airport is about twenty-five kilometres west, and buses run to the city in about thirty-five minutes. Trains run to Dublin, direct or with a change at Limerick Junction, in about two to two and a half hours, and to Galway and Ennis. Buses go to Galway, Cork, Killarney and the Cliffs of Moher.
For Adare, Bunratty and Lough Gur, buses run to some and a car is easier for others.
Costs
What Limerick costs
Limerick is one of the cheaper cities in Ireland, but it has very few dorm hostels, so most budget travellers stay in budget hotels or guesthouses.
A pint is €5 to €6. A careful day, with a shared room, comes to €55 to €75.
The gallery, the riverside, the Georgian quarter and the market are free. Come on a match weekend for the atmosphere, but book early.
Safety
Staying safe in Limerick
Limerick's old reputation is outdated, and the city centre is safe with ordinary care. As in any city, be aware late at night around O'Connell Street and the quays after closing time.
The Shannon is wide, fast and cold. Stay back from the edge, especially at night.
Emergency numbers are 112 or 999.
Day trips from Limerick
Limerick sits between the Burren and Kerry, and some of the best day trips in Ireland are within an hour.
Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
A restored fifteenth-century castle and a village of reconstructed traditional buildings.
Cliffs of Moher
The 214-metre sea cliffs, with the Burren behind them.
What's on
What is on while you are there
Riverfest on the May bank holiday is the city's biggest weekend.
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Hostels
Where to stay in Limerick
Limerick has very few dorm hostels. The places to stay Hostelworld lists here appear below, live.
When to go
May to September is best. The rugby season runs from autumn to spring, which makes winter busier than you might expect.
Jan
Rugby season, quiet otherwise
Feb
Six Nations on every pub screen
Mar
St Patrick's Day parade
Apr
Spring
May
Riverfest weekend
Jun
Long days
Jul
Busy with visitors
Aug
Peak season
Sep
Excellent. Rugby returns
Oct
Quiet and cheap
Nov
Rugby season
Dec
Christmas at the castle
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. Limerick is mild and wet, like most of the west.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.
Beds are for a room shared between two, as the city has very few dorms. Transport assumes walking.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Limerick travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Is Limerick worth visiting?
Yes, for a day or two. It has a thirteenth-century castle, a good museum, a Georgian quarter and a lively, cheap night out, and it is a good base for Adare, Bunratty and the Cliffs of Moher.
Is Limerick safe?
Yes. Its old reputation is outdated, and the centre is safe with ordinary care, as in any city.
Are there hostels in Limerick?
Very few with dorms. Budget hotels and guesthouses are the usual option.
How do I get from Shannon Airport to Limerick?
Buses run to the city in about thirty-five minutes.
Can I see a Munster rugby match?
If you can get a ticket. Home games at Thomond Park sell out, especially against Leinster and in Europe. The pubs show every match.
What is there to do near Limerick?
Adare, Bunratty Castle, Lough Gur, the Cliffs of Moher and the Foynes Flying Boat Museum are all within an hour and a half.
When is the best time to visit Limerick?
May to September. Riverfest, on the May bank holiday weekend, is the biggest event of the year.
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