287. Kenmare, Ireland
Why Kenmare, Ireland
If you like picturesque towns with multi-colored buildings and great views, plus very friendly locals, then I highly recommend Kenmare, Ireland. The town is also along the Wild Atlantic Way so you will be experiencing one of Ireland’s major attractions.
This trip was compliments of Failte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and The Park Kenmare Hotel.
Kenmare, Ireland – Shelbourne/Henry Streets
Kenmare, Ireland – Kenmare Dog
Where
Kenmare, Ireland is located about 45 minutes drive through the mountains outside of Killarney in county Kerry and west of Cork.
How To Get Here
By Train
There is no train station in Kenmare. Train service in Ireland is provided by Irish Rail, and you can take trains from various cities around the country to Killarney and then take a local bus or a taxi to Kenmare. I used a local Taxi service and was expertly driven by Denis. I say expertly as the roads are winding and sometimes narrow in parts; beautiful country. Riding with Denis is like riding with a friend. He’s also very knowledgeable about the are as well. So its a win al around. You can contact Denis here.
Kenmare, Ireland – Killarney Train Station
Kenmare, Ireland – Denis Griffin Kenmare Taxi Service
By Plane
The closest airport to Kenmare, Ireland is the Kerry Airport (KIR).
The following airlines has service to Kerry Airport (KIR):
Aer Lingus (EI) and Ryanair (FR).
Kenmare, Ireland – Kerry Airport (KIR)
Alternatively, you may fly into Cork, Dublin (DUB) or Shannon (SNN) and take the bus or train combinations to Kenmare.
The following airlines has service to Cork, Ireland (ORK):
Aer Lingus (EI), Norwegian Airlines (D8), Flybe. (BE), Iberia Airlines (IB), Ryanair (FR), Swiss Airlines (LX), Volotea (V7) and Wow Air (WW).
Kenmare, Ireland – Cork Airport (ORK)
The following airlines has service to Dublin Airport (DUB), the home of Aer Lingus (EI):
Aegean Airlines (A3), Aer Lingus (EI), Air Arabia Maroc (3O), Air Canada (AC), Air France (AF), Air Moldova (9U), Air Transat (TS), American Airlines (AA), Blue Air (0B), British Airways (BA), Cathay Pacific Airways (CX), CityJet (WX), Norwegian Air Shuttle (D8), Delta Air Lines (DL), Emirates (EK), Ethiopian Airlines (ET), Etihad Airways (EY), Eurowings (EW), Finnair (AY), Flybe. (BE), Germanwings (4U), Iberia Airlines (IB), Icelandair (FI), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL), Loganair (LM), Lufthansa German Airlines (LH), Luxair (LG), Norwegian Air Shuttle (DY), Qatar Airways (QR), Ryanair (FR), S7 Airlines (S7), SAS (SK), Swiss Airlines (LX), Transavia (HV), Transavia France (TO), Turkish Airlines (TK), United Airlines (UA), Vueling (VY), WestJet (WS) and Wow Air (WW).
Kenmare, Ireland – Aer Lingus Check-in at Dublin Airport (DUB)
The following airlines has service to Shannon Airport (SNN):
Aer Lingus (EI), Air Canada (AC), American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Norwegian Air Shuttle (D8), Delta Air Lines (DL), Kuwait Airways (KU), Lufthansa German Airlines (LH), Ryanair (FR) and United Airlines (UA).
By Bus
The Bus Eireann, Dublin Coach and Eireagle will all take you into Killarney. Very reliable and comfortable. Free wi-fi is available as well. Then you take the Bus Eireann into Kenmare. The bus stop is right on main street.
Kenmare, Ireland – Bus Eireann Stop in Kenmare
By Car
If you are already in Ireland or Europe, renting a car is a great option as you can explore on your own. Just use a service like Google Maps for directions. The ferries to Ireland do take cars so no worries there. The roads in this area is very winding, so take care while navigating them.
By Shared Ride
You can try a service like Carpool Ireland.
Where To Stay
I stayed compliments of The Park Hotel Kenmare which sits less than a minute from Main Street. This is a five-star hotel. For me, the best part of the hotel is the Spa and the decor. Try to get a room away from the main lobby as they may have piano playing at night if noise is a thing. These rooms have amazing views though, so it’s a tradeoff.
My best feature for the hotel is the Spa and the swimming pool. It’s such a contrast from the older part of the hotel that they compliment each other. I really love the place.
Kenmare, Ireland – The Park Kenmare Hotel Entrance just steps away from Main Street
Kenmare, Ireland – The Park Kenmare Hotel Jacuzzi
Kenmare, Ireland – The Park Kenmare Hotel The Lap Pool
There are several other properties in the area to choose from; hostels, hotels, bed and breakfast and small cottages.
Kenmare, Ireland – The Landsdowne Arms Hotel
Kenmare, Ireland – Hawthorn House
==>> You can find a list of hotels from TripAdvisor here.
==>> Try Airbnb.
Where To Eat
Food is everywhere in this town, not mention Pubs all stocking Irish Whiskey and Guinness of course.
Plus you MUST get some ice cream from the Kenmare ice cream store. Just take a walk down Main Street to see what I mean. There are typically three major streets in the town and they intersect each other forming a triangle. So you don’t have far to walk to find cool places.
Kenmare, Ireland – Kenmare ice cream
I had soup with a local gentleman at Poffs which had great atmosphere and of course good soup.
Kenmare, Ireland – Soup at Poffs Restaurant
Kenmare, Ireland – Lily House and Tom Crean Fish & Wine
Kenmare, Ireland – The Roughty Bar
==>> You can find a list of restaurants from TripAdvisor here.
What To Do
When in Kenmare, try to do things that are in Kenmare itself as there is so much to do in the surrounding areas. Walk around the town and enjoy what the local businesses has to offer. You can do some golfing at The Park Kenmare, walk along the banks of the Kenmare River or take a walk in the woods in the area.
Rent a bike or use one from your hotel to ride around the area and explore.
Kenmare, Ireland – Rent a Bike
There are also two churches in the area to check out as well.
Kenmare, Ireland – Holy Cross Church
There is also a boat that will take you down the river so you can explore and see the homes and the natural beauty of the surroundings.
Take a drive just a bit out of town towards Killarney and stop and enjoy the rivers and streams. If you’re lucky, you’ll see a few deers along the way too.
Consider a Seafari; this is where you take a boat down the Kenmare River to see seals, eagles and other creatures in their natural habitat along the river. You’ll be piloted by Ray who reminds of Frost The Snowman. Fellow Travel Blogger Terry from Strangers in the Living Room did take this excursion. You can read about her experience here.
Kenmare, Ireland – Ray from Seafari
Also, make sure you check out the local Library; its just one room and so quaint with the Theatre and the Roads Office upstairs.
Kenmare, Ireland – Library and Theatre
Kenmare, Ireland – Shelbourne/Henry Streets
Also check out the Star Outdoor Adventure Center for many outdoor activities as well.
Kenmare, Ireland River
==>> Here is a list of things to do from Trip Advisor.
==>> Here is a list of Tour offered by Viator.
==>> Here is some additional information from Lonely Planet.
Additional Information
Language Spoken:English with a lovely Irish accent and Irish Gaelic (Irish)
Currency: Euros (EUR)
Twitter (Failte Ireland)
Twitter (Tourism Ireland U.S.)
Instagram (Tourism Ireland)
Blogger Naddya from NTripping passed through Kenmare on her way to the Beara Peninsula. Check out her story.
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Kenmare, Ireland – Main Street
