The city of Cork is one of the biggest tourist destinations in southern Ireland, and its proximity to both coast and countryside makes it the perfect base for exploring the area. Forget public transport for this, however, as some of the most scenic and remote areas are inaccessible this mode of transport, so if you really want to get out and about with your family you should pre-book and then collect a family car hire at Cork airport.
The airport is around 3 miles to south of the city near a small town called bally graven. It is well connected to the city but bear in mind that that 3 miles can take about 30 minutes at peak times so try and time your journey’s to avoid this. Cork airport plays host to Budget, Avis, 353, Alamo, Hertz, Thrifty and Six Enterprise hire car companies, but bear in mind that the latter two are off site and have to be reached by a shuttle bus whereas the others are based in the luggage reclaim area.
You have a choice of pre-booking your vehicle before you fly or when you arrive, and the former is strongly recommended if you need a larger, family car. You then have the total freedom to explore as much of southern Ireland as you can fit into one trip, which is an awful lot more than you would be able to do if you hadn’t hired a car. Cork is the second largest city in Ireland and is the ideal base to get out and about in the counties of Cork and Kerry.
8km to the north west of Cork city is Blarney Castle, one of the biggest tourist attractions in Ireland and famous for its Blarney Stone which, according to legend, brings anyone good luck who kisses it. The castle has been in existence for 6 centuries and was built by Cormac McCarthy, once the King of Munster.
Feta Wildlife Park is 24km from Cork and offers everything you could want from a great family day out. There are over 30 species of mammals and 50 species of birds, all living in a wonderful environment that stretches for over 75 hectares, and many of the birds and animals can be seen moving about freely as they would in their natural habitat. A unique feature is the chance to see cheetah’s working for their food.