Visitors have been coming to Killarney since the eighteenth century, and the town has had long practice at looking after them. What they came for is still there: the three lakes, the ancient oak and yew woods and the red deer of Killarney National Park, which begins at the edge of town, with Carrauntoohil, Ireland’s highest peak at 1,038 metres, on the skyline.
The Ring of Kerry is the 179 km road around the Iveragh Peninsula to the west: fishing harbours, long beaches, stone forts and mountain passes, with views across to the Dingle Peninsula on one side and the Beara on the other. Off its tip rise the Skellig rocks, where monks built a monastery on a pinnacle in the ocean.
Highlights
- Muckross House, Abbey and Torc Waterfall — the heart of the national park, reachable by bike or jaunting car.
- The Gap of Dunloe — a glacial pass walked, cycled or ridden through, with a boat back across the lakes.
- The Ring of Kerry — by car, coach or, for the fit, bicycle.
- Ladies View and Moll’s Gap — the classic panoramas on the road to Kenmare.
- Skellig Michael — a sixth-century monastery on a rock 12 km out to sea. Landing permits are strictly limited.
- Ross Castle — a lakeside tower house, with boats to Innisfallen island.
Quick facts
| Where | County Kerry, in the south-west |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Republic of Ireland — euro (€), km/h |
| Gateway | Kerry Airport (20 min); Cork (1 h 30 min); Shannon (2 hours); Dublin (about 3 h 45 min, or 3 h 15 min by train) |
| Ideal stay | 2–3 nights |
| Best for | Scenery, walking and cycling, families, touring without a car |
| Getting around | Park on foot, by bike or jaunting car; the Ring by car or coach tour |
How long to stay & where to base yourself
Stay at least two nights: one day for the national park and one for the Ring of Kerry. A third allows the Gap of Dunloe or a day on the Dingle Peninsula. Killarney town is the obvious base, with a railway station, scores of hotels and every tour on the doorstep. For something quieter, try Kenmare, a handsome small town with excellent restaurants at the junction of the Ring of Kerry and the Ring of Beara. For Skellig Michael, sleep in Portmagee, Waterville or on Valentia Island the night before your boat.
