About Killarney
Killarney has been a tourist town since the Victorians decided this was the most beautiful corner of the British Isles. They were not entirely wrong. The town itself is small and built around a single main street, but it sits at the gates of Killarney National Park, the Lakes of Killarney, MacGillycuddy's Reeks, Muckross House and Ross Castle. Most visitors use Killarney as a base for two or three days and explore from there.
The Ring of Kerry begins and ends in Killarney. So does the Kerry Way long-distance walking trail. Trailheads for Carrauntoohil, the highest peak in the country, are a thirty minute drive south. If the weather turns, Muckross House and the Killarney Brewing Company tour both work as wet-weather options.
The train from Dublin Heuston runs to Killarney in about three hours. Kerry Airport is a fifteen minute drive away.
Stories & guides
Reading from Killarney and beyond
Muckross House and Traditional Farms, Killarney: what to actually see
You'll walk past the jaunting car drivers at the main gate and think "maybe later," and then you'll come back from the house and the gardens and the…
Ross Castle and the Killarney lakes: hire a boat, row to Innisfallen, stay for the morning
Get to Ross Castle before ten on a clear morning and you'll have the lake mostly to yourself. The castle sits at the end of Ross Island, three…
The Dingle Peninsula from Killarney, the day trip that takes over
The problem with the Dingle Peninsula as a day trip from Killarney is the word 'day'. You'll need one. You might need two. And there's a fair chance…
Killarney without a car: jaunting cars, bikes, and everything you can reach on foot
Killarney is one of the only places in Ireland where not having a car is genuinely fine. Maybe even better than fine. The national park surrounds the…
The Gap of Dunloe, what visitors should know
The Gap of Dunloe is a narrow glacier-cut valley running between Purple Mountain and the MacGillycuddy's Reeks west of Killarney. It is the most…
Killarney for non-walkers, rainy day options
Most Killarney guides assume you are here to walk. If you have arrived with knees that disagree, weather that makes hiking pointless, or just a…