Killarney - too touristy?
Jan 2nd, 2007, 05:28 AM
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Killarney - too touristy?
My husband and I are taking a 2 week trip to Ireland in April for the first time.
Our trip includes flying into Dublin and out of Shannon, driving across the south and west of Ireland. (would love to do the north, but we may save that for another trip).
Question is - is Killarney too touristy of a town? I was thinking it would be a good base for a few days to do Dingle, Ring of Kerry, etc. I've heard from some folks that it's a fun place, but I was reading Rick Steves' who was pretty much bashing Killarney as too touristy and filled with Holiday Inns. Can someone offer some insight? Thanks!
Our trip includes flying into Dublin and out of Shannon, driving across the south and west of Ireland. (would love to do the north, but we may save that for another trip).
Question is - is Killarney too touristy of a town? I was thinking it would be a good base for a few days to do Dingle, Ring of Kerry, etc. I've heard from some folks that it's a fun place, but I was reading Rick Steves' who was pretty much bashing Killarney as too touristy and filled with Holiday Inns. Can someone offer some insight? Thanks!
Jan 2nd, 2007, 06:18 AM
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I agree with Steves. Killarney has gotten very big and busy in the last few years. I would stay a few nights in Dingle and a few nights in Kenmare. From these two locations you can do everything you mention. The Gap of Dunloe and Muckross house are worth a visit but you don't have to say in Killarney do either. Be sure and visit the Beara, Sheepshead and Mizen Penninsulas for great views that I think rival the Ring of Kerry without the buses and tourist shops.
Jan 2nd, 2007, 09:20 AM
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Killarney is too touristy AND too crowded. I was in Dingle and Kenmare in the first half of May. Neither were crowded and we enjoyed both for 2 nights each. (Had a lunch in Killarney and was not particularly impressed with the Town.)
Jan 2nd, 2007, 10:09 AM
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This is one Rick Steve's opinion that I disagreed with whole heartedly! Go to Killarney. We had a great time there and it will be so beautiful in April. Make sure you go to the falls and Muckross House. Killarney is "touristy" but so are many of the other towns in Ireland at this point. It also has many good restaurants, shops, pubs and is a good spot for sight-seeing. We visited Kenmare but I was glad we did not say there as it is very quiet and a bit of a drive from other sights. I would not want to stay in Killarney in the summer but would not hesitate to do so in the spring. We stayed at the Great Southern Hotel which was very nice. Enjoy your trip!
Jan 2nd, 2007, 10:18 AM
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We also like Killarney. I think it's a good base. We were there in the late May/early June timeframe twice. I didn't think it was overrun by tourist. I thought it had great shopping, pubs, restaurants, and convenient to the area attractions. 
Jan 2nd, 2007, 10:48 AM
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I stayed in Killarney one early Nov for 5 nights at Killarney Park Hotel and I must say, I did not enjoy the stay in Killarney. The hotel was great, the town was just ok but the weather was so bad I couldn't do much walking and tours by taxis weren't very good, again because of the weather. I heeded the advice of Fodorites on my last trip and stayed 5 nights in Dingle and 6 nights in Kenmare. What a wonderful trip that was. We did go over to Killarney and guess what? It was raining and we couldn't do any walking. I think that may color my thoughts of Killarney. Maybe not, as I've been rained on in much of Ireland and it hasn't kept me from going back for more. That is just my opinion. Also, I was there in April my last trip and it wasn't too touristy.
Jan 2nd, 2007, 10:57 AM
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Just what do you consider "touristy"? If it is a place that tourists visit then you might as well cross Ireland off your list along with England, France, Italy, Spain, etc. You are tourists, are you not? Rick Steves is a tourist, is he not? Just because it is mentioned in a Rick Steves book does that make it the gospel truth...or one person's opinion?
On a July bank holiday, I might skip Killarney too. But you will be there in April. You will see a few other tourists (including yourselves if you look in the mirror) but it will not be inundated.
Killarney is a fine town with everything you (as a tourist) need. It has good restaurants, pubs, shops, B&Bs and hotels. It is surrounded by a great deal of natural beauty including mountains, lakes, woods, Killarney National Park, waterfalls, gardens, etc. It makes a perfect base for Dingle and Ring of Kerry. It has ONE Holiday Inn. This has made it a tourist attraction for almost three centuries.
I have a friend that runs a B&B near one of Ireland's airports. People who stay there on their last night often give her travel books that they have finished with to pass on to other tourists. The one book that is always in the trash can is Rick Steves. That shoud tell you something. They have used the book and are not passing it on to someone else.
(Getting off my soapbox once again)
On a July bank holiday, I might skip Killarney too. But you will be there in April. You will see a few other tourists (including yourselves if you look in the mirror) but it will not be inundated.
Killarney is a fine town with everything you (as a tourist) need. It has good restaurants, pubs, shops, B&Bs and hotels. It is surrounded by a great deal of natural beauty including mountains, lakes, woods, Killarney National Park, waterfalls, gardens, etc. It makes a perfect base for Dingle and Ring of Kerry. It has ONE Holiday Inn. This has made it a tourist attraction for almost three centuries.
I have a friend that runs a B&B near one of Ireland's airports. People who stay there on their last night often give her travel books that they have finished with to pass on to other tourists. The one book that is always in the trash can is Rick Steves. That shoud tell you something. They have used the book and are not passing it on to someone else.
(Getting off my soapbox once again)
Jan 2nd, 2007, 11:30 AM
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I did not expect to like Killarney, but was very pleasantly surprised. We stayed at the Killarney Avenue Hotel and were very happy with the location. It was easy to get in and out of town to reach other places and attractions, yet we could leave our car parked at the hotel in the evening and have a selection of pubs, cafes and other restaurants within easy walking distance.
Jan 2nd, 2007, 12:03 PM
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At various times on this board I've heard folks call Rothenburg, Neuschwanstein, Florence, Pisa and the Eifel Tower referred to as "touristy". And I've been to each place multiple times.
That's because I AM A TOURIST!!!
That's because I AM A TOURIST!!!
Jan 2nd, 2007, 12:26 PM
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The reason I am going back to Ireland is Killarney. Spent 2 days last year and enjoyed Killarnet so much that this year we are spending 6 days in Killarney. and 2 in Dingle Great people.sights and pubs,
Jan 2nd, 2007, 01:18 PM
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A great swathe of buses descends on Killarney town starting in April; believe me, you're better off staying away. Killarney is the gateway to the Ring of Kerry, obviously, but you can drive in the back way from Kenmare and have much the same experience (if not a better one, since you'll avoid the traffic). I agree with those who said that staying in Kenmare would be a good idea, as I personally think it's a much nicer town; however, you might just consider staying in Waterville or even close to Aghadoe if you can. You'd be on the Ring, for one thing; for another, you'd be 'off the beaten path', which so much of that part of Ireland is (this is, by the way, a stilted, Cork opinion 
)
Keep in mind that it's quite a long drive from Killarney to Dingle, despite how close it looks on the map, though if you've got two weeks you won't be pressed.
)Keep in mind that it's quite a long drive from Killarney to Dingle, despite how close it looks on the map, though if you've got two weeks you won't be pressed.
Jan 3rd, 2007, 03:42 PM
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The drive from Killarney to Dingle takes about 1 1/2 hours. I have never been inundated by tour buses in Killarney in April, May, September, October or November. They do park in the hotel parking lots after all. It is not as if you are dodging them through every part of town. I have done Dingle as a day trip from Kenmare and would not do it again. If you stay in Kenmare plan on overnighting in Dingle as well.
Jan 3rd, 2007, 05:04 PM
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There is a reason why Killarney attracts so many tourists (and HAS for hundreds of years!).. ... The National Park, Muckross House and Farms, the Lakes, Torc Falls, the Gap of Dunloe ...
Is it crowded and "touristy"? You bet, though April isn't bad. Stay in the Carraige House at Caratlea (sp) over looking the lake, midway between Ross Castle and Muckross House, or the Harp B%B, just south of town.
Spend an evening in the newly remodeled upstairs of O'Rian's on High Street.
If you want a base from which to cover ROK AND Dingle, consider splitting the difference and staying in Kilorglin.
We did that in June of 2005.
Here's a link to the trip report for that trip:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34679685
We were back in Killarney in April of '06, as well.
That trip can be browesed at:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34787168
Bob
Is it crowded and "touristy"? You bet, though April isn't bad. Stay in the Carraige House at Caratlea (sp) over looking the lake, midway between Ross Castle and Muckross House, or the Harp B%B, just south of town.
Spend an evening in the newly remodeled upstairs of O'Rian's on High Street.
If you want a base from which to cover ROK AND Dingle, consider splitting the difference and staying in Kilorglin.
We did that in June of 2005.
Here's a link to the trip report for that trip:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34679685
We were back in Killarney in April of '06, as well.
That trip can be browesed at:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34787168
Bob
Jan 3rd, 2007, 06:10 PM
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But April <i>is</i> bad, folks. Believe me! For the past two years, I have taken various groups of friends on tours of the Dingle Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry, one in the start of April (first week) and one towards the end (20th onward). Each time, we encountered stacks of tour buses; and they do park in the hotel parking lots, yes... but they have to <i>get</i> into the town first. Killarney's streets are narrow, and fitting a huge bus down them creates instant log jams, no matter what time of year. The group that visited us here in Cork at the beginning of the month decided they wanted to go to Killarney on Sunday. This is the God's honest truth: it took us two hours to make it from Killarney Outlet Centre at the top of town to the mouth of Killarney National Park.
Also, it is a rule that tour buses may only drive one way around the Ring to prevent collisions on the narrow and steep upper roads. But because they're all going the same way at the same time, you will average roughly 20 mph in some locales on the Ring, sometimes even less.
American tourism (and tourism in general) is back up in bulk; and the numbers of tourists pouring in here, according to Bord Failte, has been restored to pre-9/11 numbers. While that's a good thing for the Irish economy--and we aren't complaining, mind you--it's also multiplying the length of time needing to be set aside for journeys.
Just keep it in mind when you're planning. And no offence meant to previous posters.
Also, it is a rule that tour buses may only drive one way around the Ring to prevent collisions on the narrow and steep upper roads. But because they're all going the same way at the same time, you will average roughly 20 mph in some locales on the Ring, sometimes even less.
American tourism (and tourism in general) is back up in bulk; and the numbers of tourists pouring in here, according to Bord Failte, has been restored to pre-9/11 numbers. While that's a good thing for the Irish economy--and we aren't complaining, mind you--it's also multiplying the length of time needing to be set aside for journeys.
Just keep it in mind when you're planning. And no offence meant to previous posters.
Jan 3rd, 2007, 06:30 PM
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I didn't read the other postings, but I just have to say...
YES!! Killarney town is just one big tourist pit (and this is coming from someone who likes places like Wall Drug). Even many of the pubs now have folding chairs and tables to accommodate the hordes. The restaurants have less-than-mediocre food at inflated prices, and it's just someplace you're better off avoiding altogether.
I did notice that one poster said that Killarney has recently become touristy--I first went there 18 years ago, and it was a tourist trap from hell then.
That said, the countryside around Killarney is lovely, and worth a wander about. Enjoy your stay.
YES!! Killarney town is just one big tourist pit (and this is coming from someone who likes places like Wall Drug). Even many of the pubs now have folding chairs and tables to accommodate the hordes. The restaurants have less-than-mediocre food at inflated prices, and it's just someplace you're better off avoiding altogether.
I did notice that one poster said that Killarney has recently become touristy--I first went there 18 years ago, and it was a tourist trap from hell then.
That said, the countryside around Killarney is lovely, and worth a wander about. Enjoy your stay.
Jan 3rd, 2007, 07:47 PM
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We love Killarney, not so much for the town itself, but for the beautiful national park, lake, Muckross House, and the easy access to many areas including Dingle and Ring of Kerry. We go in September or October and stay at Carriglea House overlooking the lake, set far off the road and very quiet. It's become one of our favorite spots. As for Rick Steves, we use his book for reference but not for gospel.
