Cobh, County Cork, Ireland – Explore Cork County’s charming coastal town, Cobh – the last port for the Titanic. What to see, what to eat, and what to do.
From the city of Cork, there are tons of beautiful day trips across the south of Ireland you can easily take – but my family chose to visit Cobh (pronounced “cove”) for an afternoon by the seaside, to explore the cheerful and colorful homes, adorning the town’s steep cobblestone streets.
It’s also the ancestral hometown of John F Kennedy – adding to the town’s historic charms!
It is a town ready and excited to host tourists (many coming from cruise ships), but don’t let that dissuade you – Cobh is a town you must visit and stroll through when in Southern Ireland!
The day we were in Cobh just so happened to be the day an Australian flagged world cruise came into port, so there were tons and tons of Aussie-themed celebrations through the town- which corresponded perfectly with my Australian sister-in-law’s birthday- so we got to facetime her with lots of Aussie flags in the background.
Things to do:
–Titanic Experience Cobh. See model staterooms, artifacts, and be given a ticket of one of the passengers on the Titanic – find out at the end if your ticket holder survived.
-Walk the cobblestone streets. Tons of cute shops and people watching to do around Cobh!
-Visit Cobh Cathedral. The gothic style cathedral sits over the town and provides the best view – as well as some gorgeous stained glass and unique details inside. There is a nice gift shop and church store with fantastic prices – we bought our kids teachers gorgeous rosaries (we go to Catholic school) and lots of gifts from Cobh.
-Take hyper kids to the park. There is a small park next to the cruise ship port – but it is very fun! Our kids played for about a half an hour and could have played there all day if we let them!
-Check out a street fair. On days with cruise ships docked, there are often mini festivals like farmers markets set up for cruise passengers. We grabbed delicious food from stalls and food carts, but saw face painters, balloon animals, and lots of fun stalls!
-Fish or see boats come in and out of the bay. We walked out to see a tugboat coming in, and watched a lot of people fishing off the dock.
-Take a boat ride. We ended up skipping out on a boat ride in Cobh because the minimum age for kids – but there are numerous operators who offer fast boat rides along the coast. There are also some slower self-driven boats (that were fully booked the day we visited) that do allow for kids and looked like a lot of fun.
Where to eat:
-Gilbert’s.
-The Quays.
-Kelly’s Bar and Pub. Cozy bar with great music, perfect for a pint.
-Titanic Bar and Grill. Nice patio where you can look out over the water and see the boats come in and out- appetizers and lots of pub food.
Getting to Cobh:
-Take a day trip from Cork – it’s only about a half an hour to Cobh.
-Combine a trip to Cobh with a visit to the Blarney Castle. It’s an easy combination for a day from Cork or even Dublin, and you’ll get t experience two great, easy places!
-Park in the Cobh cathedral lot. This will give you a bit of a walk- but it’s downhill. If you are a bit nervous about the steep walk back uphill, never fear – there are lots of cabs who wait to ferry people back and forth from the shops and high street back up to the cathedral parking lot.
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