Planning a trip to Cork City

Getting There

By Bus -- AirCoach (www.aircoach.ie; 01/844-7118) runs a regular direct service from Dublin to Cork City. You can catch the bus either at Dublin Airport or Westmoreland Street, in the center of Dublin; from there, the journey to Patrick’s Quay in the center of Cork takes 3 hours, traffic permitting. Buses leave at 25 minutes past the hour from Terminal 2 (starting at 6:25am), 5 minutes later from Terminal 1, and then on the hour from Aston Quay, with the final bus of the day leaving Terminal 2 at 25 minutes past midnight (from Aston Quay at 1am). One-way tickets are €17 adults, €10 children under 13; round-trip tickets are €27 adults, €20 children. You can sometimes (but not always) get a discount for booking online. In Cork City, Bus Éireann (www.buseireann.ie; 021/450-8188) runs from the Parnell Place Bus Station to all parts of the Republic. Bus 226 connects Cork with Kinsale. Buses also arrive on Pier Road.

By Train -- Iarnród Éireann/Irish Rail (www.irishrail.ie; 185/036-6222) travels to Cork City from Dublin and other parts of Ireland. Trains arrive at Kent Station, Lower Glanmire Road, in eastern Cork City (021/455-7277). Kinsale does not have a train station.

By Ferry -- There are no longer any direct ferry routes into Cork from Britain. However, Brittany Ferries (www.brittany-ferries.com; 021/427-7801) sail a few times per week between Roscoff, in France, and Cork’s Ringaskiddy Ferryport.

By Car -- Cork is easily reachable on the N8 from Dublin, N25 from Waterford, and N22 from Killarney. To rent a car in Dublin, click here for more information; to rent a car at Shannon Airport, click here. To hire a car in Cork try Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Kinsale Road (021/497-5133) or Hertz at Cork Airport (021/496-5849).

By Plane -- Cork Airport, Kinsale Road (www.corkairport.com; 021/413131), is served by several airlines, including Aer Lingus, British Airways, Flybe, and Ryanair. Cork recently overtook Shannon as the Republic of Ireland’s second busiest airport (and the fourth in Ireland overall, after Dublin and the two airports in Belfast. it has direct flights to and from several European countries, including the U.K. and France. However, it has stopped running any scheduled flights to other airports within Ireland.

Flying Within Ireland: Should You Bother? -- In February 2011, tragedy befell Cork Airport when a Manx2 Airlines commuter plane crashed there in heavy fog, killing six, and strongly reinforcing our general antipathy towards taking planes for short hops within Ireland. This isn't so much for safety reasons -- the country has an excellent air safety record -- but for the simple reason: Why would you bother? This is such a tiny country that taking internal flights just seems pointless to us. In almost all circumstances, you're better off driving, or going by train or coach.

Getting Around

By Public Transportation

Bus Éireann operates bus service from Parnell Place Bus Station (tel. 021/450-8188; www.buseireann.ie) to all parts of the city, its suburbs, and nearby towns. A local journey within Cork costs around €1.10; a return ticket to Blarney costs €5.60, and to Kinsale €11. City buses run frequently from 7am to 11pm Monday to Saturday, with slightly shorter hours on Sunday.

By Taxi

Taxis are readily available throughout Cork. The main taxi ranks are along St. Patrick Street, along the South Mall, and outside major hotels. To call for a taxi, try ABC Taxis (tel. 021/496-1961), Cork Taxi Co-Op (tel. 021/427-2222), or Satellite Taxis (tel. 1890/202020).

By Car

It's best to park and explore the city on foot or by public transport. Unless your hotel has a parking lot, it can be a hassle finding street parking. If you have to park in public areas, it costs around €2 per hour, whether you park in one of the city's two multistory parking lots, at Lavitt's Quay and Merchant's Quay, or on the street, where you still must pay to park. There are plenty of ground-level parking lots throughout the city.

Many international car-rental firms maintain rental desks at Cork Airport, including Alamo (tel. 021/2400-100), Avis (tel. 021/432-7460), Budget (tel. 021/431-4000), Hertz (tel. 021/496-5849), and Murray's Europcar (tel. 021/491-7300).

On Foot

Because of the limited parking, the best way to see Cork is on foot, but don't try to do it all in a day. The South Bank and the central part, or flat, of the city can easily take a day to explore; save the Cork Hills and the North Bank for another day. You might want to follow the signposted Tourist Trail to guide you to the major sights.

Fast Facts

ATMs/Banks

In Cork City try Ulster Bank (88 Patrick St.; tel. 021/427-0618). In Kinsale try Bank of Ireland, Emmett Place (tel. 021/477-2521).

Dentists

For dental emergencies, your hotel will usually contact a dentist for you; otherwise, in Cork try Smiles Town Dental, 112 Oliver Plunkett St., Cork (tel. 021/427-4706); in Kinsale, Catherine McCarthy, Market Sq. (tel. 021/477-4133).

Doctors

For medical emergencies dial tel. 999. For non-emergencies, your hotel should call you a doctor. Otherwise in Cork you could try the Patrick Street Medical Centre, 9 Patrick St., Cork (tel. 021/427-8699); and in Kinsale, The Medical Centre, Emmet Place (tel. 021/477-2253).

Emergencies

For police, fire, or other emergencies, dial tel. 999.

Internet Access

Cork City Library at 57 Grand Parade (tel. 021/492-4900) has internet terminals that non-members can use for €1 per half hour.

Pharmacies

In Cork try Murphy’s Pharmacy, 48 North Main St. (tel. 021/427-4121) or Marian Pharmacy on Friar’s Walk (tel. 021/496-3821). In Kinsale try John Collins, Market Place (tel. 021/477-2077).

Post Office

In Cork the main post office is on Oliver Plunkett St. (tel. 021/485-1032). In Kinsale it’s at 10 Pearse St. (tel. 021/477-2246).

Taxis

The main taxi ranks are along St. Patrick’s Street, along the South Mall, and outside major hotels. To call, try ABC Cabs (tel. 021/496-1961), or Cork Taxi Co-Op (tel. 021/427-2222). In Kinsale, try Kinsale Cabs (tel. 021/477-2642), or Cab 3000 (tel. 021/477-3000). In Cobh, try Island Taxis (tel. 021/481-1111).

Parking

The most confusing thing about Cork City’s layout is that there is not one River Lee but two—two channels making an island of the city’s center. These divide the city into three sections:

Flat of the City -- The downtown core is bounded by two channels of the River Lee. Its main shopping thoroughfare is bustling St. Patrick Street, which curves up to St. Patrick’s Bridge. Nearby, the South Mall is a wide, tree-lined street with attractive Georgian architecture and a row of banks, insurance companies, and legal offices; linking them at their western end is the Grand Parade, a spacious thoroughfare that blends 18th-century bow-fronted houses with the remains of the old city walls. It has lots of offices and shops as well as Bishop Lucey Park.

North Bank -- St. Patrick’s Bridge leads over the river’s north channel to the hilly north side of the city, where St. Patrick Street becomes St. Patrick’s Hill. And is it ever a hill, with an incline so steep that it’s virtually San Franciscan. East of St. Patrick’s Hill, commercial MacCurtain Street runs past the train station and out to the M8 motorway. West of St. Patrick's Hill is Shandon, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, with the tall spire of St. Anne’s Church its chief landmark.

South Bank -- Across the river’s south channel, the largely residential South Bank is where you’ll find St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral, the site of St. Fin Barre’s 6th-century monastery, and, farther west, the sprawling campus of University College Cork.