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Cork hotels

Overview                    Prepare                    Get Around                    Highlights

Hotels in Cork provide a base in what is a very compact city, so wherever you stay you will be within reach of the city centre, which is on an island between two channels of the Lee River. Cork Hotels range from basic hotels to luxury hotels, and all levels of comfort in between, with plenty of family friendly establishments available.

One of the most appealing areas of Cork is that of Shandon...

If you are looking to get in some retail therapy, consider a hotel along Patrick Street, the main shopping area.  North Mall also offers some excellent hotels, whilst the high end hotels of Cork tend to be found in the South Mall district. One of the most appealing areas of Cork is that of Shandon, with its old Butter Market and the Firkin Crane Dance Project; hotels here include mid range and budget options. Outside of Cork itself are further options for hotels, such as the historic town of Kinsdale, which has a wonderful marina, and the suburb of West Cork, where there are luxury hotels with spa facilities.

Use our price comparison tool to find cheap hotels in Cork but book online in advance to secure your rooms at the quoted price.

Overview

Overview

At once boisterous and cultured, the self-styled People's Republic of Cork exudes confidence. Sliced through by the waters of the River Lee, history mingles easily with modernity, enlivened by a college town buzz.

See

Embraced by two channels of the River Lee, The Island is Cork's cosmopolitan heart. Meet and eat at English Market then take a spin around the Crawford Art Gallery. In Shandon, the red and yellow Church of St Anne looks across to the triple Gothic spires of Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral. Out west, the Lewis Glucksman Gallery brings modernism to the university's green fields.
Spend

Get the latest look in boutiques around Paul Street and the Huguenot Quarter. Feel a grittier vibe in the streets back from Coal Quay, where a street market provides characters as well as bargains. Climb the lanes of Shandon for classic confectionery at the vintage Linehan's Sweets, then bag a Celtic bodhran drum at The Living Tradition on bustling MacCurtain Street.
Get Out

West along the River Lee, riverside sculptures adorn Fitzgerald Park, home of the Cork Public Museum. Beyond the city, wander in the formal gardens of Fota House, Ireland's finest Regency pile. Take the train to the historic port of Cobh, the final departure point of the Titanic, and enjoy dazzling colours and gourmet seafood in nearby Kinsale.

Culture

The Firkin Crane Centre in Shandon showcases modern dance, while the Crawford Art Gallery houses an art collection to rival those in Dublin. Triskel Arts Centre is the cool cultural hangout on Tobin Street. The sleek, wood-and-glass Lewis Glucksman Gallery blends with ease into university campus greenery.
Eat & Drink

Gourmet temple Ivory Tower heads the busy cast of restaurants on Princes Street. Get to Café Paradiso on Lancaster Quay for top-notch vegetarian fare, or historic venues like The Long Valley on Winthrop Street and Dan Lowry's on MacCurtain Street for the finest pub meals. Feeling bold? Taste offal-heavy traditional dishes in the restaurants overlooking the English Market's bustling stalls.
New Perspective

Linking Fitzgerald Park with the charmingly named Sunday Wells district, the narrow Daly's Bridge not only has a fine view of the leafy banks but also an endearing tremor that has earned it its nickname: the Shaky Bridge.

Prepare

Prepare

Practise your yarns to keep up with the loquacious locals. Bring comfortable shoes for climbing the north-bank lanes - and learn to tell Beamish (the Cork brew) from Guinness.

Cork Year

Sweet harmony rules in late April/early May at the International Choral Festival. Outdoor theatre enlivens parks and quays each June for the Cork Midsummer Festival. Racers take to the river for the Lee Swim in August, while fiddles soundtrack the fun at the Folk Festival in September. Short movies light up darkening nights at the Film Festival in October.
Public Holidays

New Year's Day (1 Jan), St Patrick's Day (17 Mar), Good Friday (Mar/Apr), Easter Monday (Mar/Apr), May Bank Holiday (first Mon in May), Spring Bank Holiday (first Mon in Jun), Summer Bank Holiday (first Mon in Aug), Halloween (last Mon in Oct), Christmas Day (25 Dec), St Stephen's Day (26 Dec).
Weather

One of the driest places in Ireland, Cork's south coast location also makes it one of the brightest with 5-6 hours of sunshine on summer days. Eat al fresco from May to September when temperatures hover pleasantly between 15°C and 22°C. November to January is the rainiest time, but the temperature rarely dips below freezing and snowfall is rare.
Electricity

230V AC, 50 Hz, three-pin plugs are standard.
Dialling Code

+353 (national), (0) 21 + 7-figure number (Cork).
Money

Euro (€) is the currency.
GMT

Precisely (+1 in British summertime).
Cork Tourist Info

Cork Kerry Tourism website

Fit In

Engaging but relaxed are Cork watchwords. Style flourishes will blend with the students and young designers, or don country casuals to ape the rural set. Don't get flustered by the distinctive dialect.

Highlights

Highlights

Water defines Cork. The Lee splits the city neatly into clear zones linked by a maze of bridges, while its calm waters instil a tranquil charm. Recreation, not seafaring, dominates once hectic quays.

The Island is where the action is - fashion shopping around French Church Street, foodie temptation at the English Market, culture at the Crawford Art Gallery and Opera House.

There's an older, more characterful vibe on the north bank along busy MacCurtain Street, complemented by the quiet lanes of Shandon and Sunday Wells, home to the Cork City Gaol and fascinating Cork Butter Museum. West of the centre, beyond Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral's triple spires and Fitzgerald Park, the university shows its influence with cheap eats, budget shops and funky bars.
Sightseeing Tips

Find cultural gems beyond the big-name galleries. Tigh Fili Arts Centre by Merchant's Quay offers a mixed visual and literary arts programme. University College quad has imposing pre-Christian standing stones, and nearby Honan's Chapel stained glass and mosaics. Get a discount joint ticket for Cork City Gaol and Radio Museum. Most museums are closed on Sunday.

Content provided by Frommer's Unlimited © 2009, Whatsonwhen Limited.



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