Cobh (Cork), Ireland Port Reviews

tour didn't allow time to kiss the blarney stone at the castle.

Visited: Jun 13, 2016

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Again easy walk to town enjoyed the city especially the pubs

Visited: Sep 09, 2017

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We took the walking tour of Cobh; charming town with quite a history of its own. Lovely

Visited: Aug 04, 2013

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Beautiful port! Easy on and off. Free wifi in the small coffee shops

Visited: Apr 30, 2014

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Did the Best of Ireland tour. we had a little more free time on this one, visiting the Blarney Castle. Mary, our tour guide was knowledgeable and did a good job.

Visited: May 04, 2019

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We went to Blarney Castle . Great place to visit and beautiful grounds.

We booked an excursion with an outside company, which took us to Blarney Castle and Jameson distillery. Be aware that lines to get in the Castle and kiss the Blarney stone are very long. It was a 90-minute wait when we were there. So we did not wait in line, but instead roamed the grounds which were very lovely with lots of gardens. Jameson distillery was great.

Loved Cobh. No excursion, went off on our own.

Our goal for the day was to see how "Emerald" the Isle actually was, and we weren't disappointed! We booked an excursion through TripAdvisor for Paddywagon Tours to take us into the countryside under the heading "Small Group Tour - Cork (Cobh), Kinsale, and Blarney Castle." Although it wasn't associated with Norwegian, they worked very closely with the ship schedule and adjusted the tour to fit into it with no concerns about getting back in time. Alex, our driver and guide was personable and interesting--particularly when giving the Irish perspective of the Potato Famine. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Blarney Castle. Even though we didn't stand in the extremely long line to kiss the Blarney Stone (some of our group did and were unable to do anything else in the complex--besides, I wasn't too crazy about having to lie on my back and lean over a crevasse while being held by strangers to fulfill a fable), there was plenty to do and see: portions of the castle ruins, the Blarney House, Blarney Woolen Mills, and best of all, the lovely garden trails, of which there were many. We then went cross county to the charming village of Kinsale for lunch and exploration. This was probably the most colorful of all the villages we saw, and had a lovely time. On the way back to the ship, we drove through Cobh and saw the historic Cobh Cathedral, and the White Star Office (Owners who built the Titanic). If time had permitted, we were to have gone into the Cathedral, but unfortunately we weren't in port long enough.

Take the local railtours train and bus from the station next to the pier for a nice train ride then bus ride to Blarney castle. The price includes castle admission. Kiss the Blarney stone, walk the expansive gardens, find numerous hidden gems, return to Cobh by bus, visit the cathedral, then visit the Titanic museum (price also included). Finally, on the pier, a band plays as the ship departs.