Kinsale is the gourmet town that Cork pretends not to be jealous of. It is a thirty minute drive south of Cork city, sits on a sheltered harbour at the mouth of the Bandon River, and packs more good restaurants per square kilometre than anywhere on the south coast. Allow a full day. You will fill it.
The harbour itself
The Kinsale harbour is one of the prettiest on the Atlantic coast. The Spanish Armada nearly landed here in 1601 and the village still has the two seventeenth century forts, Charles Fort and James Fort, that were built to make sure that did not happen again. Charles Fort is open to visitors and worth an hour of slow walking; the views back across the harbour to the village from the ramparts are spectacular.
Eating in Kinsale
Fishy Fishy on Pier Road is the most famous and rightly so. Seafood pulled from boats fifty metres away. The Bulman in Summercove is the gastropub of the area and has a deck right on the water. Bastion on Market Street has held a Michelin star for several years. Finn's Table, also Michelin recommended, is the best long lunch in the village.
For something cheaper, the Black Pig wine bar on Lower O'Connell Street does proper food at moderate prices. The Spaniard pub on the hill above the village does pub lunches with a sea view.
How long do I need in Kinsale?
A long lunch and a walk takes about four hours. A proper day with the fort, lunch, the harbour walk and dinner takes nine or ten hours. If you have a full weekend in the area, give Kinsale one full day and use the rest of the time for the surrounding peninsula and West Cork.
What about the Old Head?
The Old Head of Kinsale is a long peninsula that juts out south of the village. Most of it is occupied by the Old Head of Kinsale Golf Links, one of the most expensive rounds of golf in Europe. The lighthouse and the cliffs are accessible to non-golfers via the visitor centre, which is also where the memorial to the Lusitania (which was sunk twelve miles offshore in 1915) sits. Worth an hour if you have a car.
Is Kinsale walkable from Cork city?
No. There is no direct walking route. The 226 bus from Cork to Kinsale runs roughly hourly and takes about fifty minutes; check times because the schedule thins out on weekends. Driving is faster and gives you the option to drive on to the Old Head or West Cork after.
What to bring
Comfortable shoes for the harbour walk and Charles Fort. A waterproof; the Atlantic gets weather quickly. A reservation if you want any of the Michelin places at dinner; the village has more diners than tables in summer.
When is the best time to visit?
Late May, June, or September. July and August are too busy and accommodation prices peak. October has the Kinsale Gourmet Festival, which is the foodie weekend of the year on the south coast and brings the best chefs in the country to a series of pop-up dinners. Tickets for festival events sell out by August.
The Charles Fort detour
Charles Fort is fifteen minutes' walk from the village along the Scilly Walk, a path on the cliff edge overlooking the harbour. Inside, the fort is one of the largest star forts in Ireland and contains a barracks, a gunpowder room, and a parade ground. Allow ninety minutes including the walk out and back. Six fifty for adults, with the standard OPW yearly pass.