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Cobh to Blarney Castle & Kinsale
4.8
188 Ratings
Cobh
Discover Blarney Castle, Cork City, and Kinsale on a tailored shore excursion. Enjoy local insights, shopping, and scenic views. Book your adventure now!
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Blarney Castle & Gardens - Here you will have the opportunity to kiss the famous Blarney Stone, explore the 15th century castle and wander discover the magnificent gardens. Admission to the castle and gardens is included in your tour price.
Our visit to Blarney will be up to 2 hours in total depending on your ships docking/sailing schedule.
- Blarney Woollen Mills - Take time out to shop at the Worlds largest Irish Store, Indulge in a coffee and delicious scone or even sip on a sumptuous Irish Coffee.
Avail of the free wifi while you are here.
Time spent here is part of your total 2 hour approx. stay in Blarney.
- Charles Fort - Discover the fascination history of this 17th century fort and the Battle of Kinsale in 1601. Be amazed by the stunning scenery and the very sad tale of The Cunard ocean liner RMS Lusitania.
Get you cameral ready for some amazing pics!
- The English Market - Enjoy a panoramic driving tour of Cork city. See the sights like The English Market, Shandon Bells and Murphy’s Brewery. Be enthralled by the history of this fascinating rebel city from the the time of Vikings through to The Anglo Norman Invasion and right up to the modern times of the formation of our state.
- Kinsale - Stroll around the very charming winding streets of the village of Kinsale and choose from one of the many fine restaurants to enjoy a great lunch or maybe even sample a local beverage.
On your stroll you will get to see the 12th century St. Multose Church, Desmond Castle & International Museum of Wine, The Giants House and Market Square.
- Cobh Cathedral - We will enjoy a short stop here at this majestic Cathedral with the largest carillon of bells in Europe. Take in the stunning harbour scenery here while you learn about the ill fated Titanic, mass emigration, rich maritime history, the gorgeous gael and much more.
What's Included
- Live commentary on board from local experienced guides
- Storage for wheelchairs, scooters, etc
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Admission To Blarney Castle & Gardens
- Pick up from your ship and return to same
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Exciting Shore Excursion from Cobh to Blarney Castle, Cork City, Kinsale, and Cobh. Bus Tour starts/finishes at your ship and is tailored to suit your docking/sailing times.
Our Bus Tour Includes:
• Admission To The Famous Blarney Castle & Gardens
• Shopping at Blarney Woolen Mills - The Worlds Largest Irish Store
• Driving Tour of Unique Cork City
• Photo Op at Historic Charles Fort
• Free Time in Picturesque Kinsale for lunch and exploring
• A Visit To The Magnificent St. Coleman’s Cathedral
Up to 8 hours Tour day (Tour times are tailored to work with your docking/sailing times)
Our bus tour departs/returns right at your ship in Cobh/Cork
We’re based in Cobh and have over 50 years experience.
Our driver/guides are all locals and have lots of interesting facts, fascinating history, fun stories, songs and jokes.
- Front seats can be reserved if you have mobility issues (let us know after you book)
- Good agility is required for the famous Blarney stone which has lots of challenging steps up to it
- Our tours are for ships that dock in Cobh/Cork
- Live commentary is while on the bus only - Blarney Castle is a self guided tour.
Location
Port of Cobh
Departure time is EITHER 8am OR 30 minutes after docking is complete (whichever is later)
When you get off your ship, turn right and head for the gates. Our team will be there holding signs with "Butlers Shore Tours" on them and will escort you to your correct bus.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(188 Ratings)
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Anne_b
May 7, 2024
Gets you to Blarney Castle early before the giant crowds! - Great tour! Ample time at stops, they leave when each bus is full and get you to Blarney Castle right when it opens, so you can get to the Blarney Stone before a huge line forms! Kinsale was lovely as well. The whole day was wonderful.
Review provided by Viator
Gretchen_c
May 7, 2024
Best of Cobh/Cork in a day - With only having a day in Cork/Cobh this was a perfect excursion to see the area. Ian was fabulous! Learned so muxh of the history of the area! He was full of information and gave great tips of things to do in the areas we stopped. Loved all his stories! Definitely recommended and he made sure we got back in time for ship departure!
Review provided by Viator
Sherry_d
May 6, 2024
Do this tour, no disappointment here! - Ian was a terrific guide, and Michael was a very talented driver haha, wow, some tight areas! The castle was epic, the climb to the top was crazy worth it! Kinsale was a delightful stop, lunch at Dino's was incredible - best fish n chips ever! Finally, Cobh was just enchanting, St. Colman's is just amazing. This is a fabulous tour, highly recommend it! Cheers!
Review provided by Viator
Tlgirl
May 6, 2024
Cohb Blarney Castle tour and Cobh City Tour - Loved our bus tour of Cobh. The guide was very knowable and did a fantastic job. We saw so much! Would highly recommend.the guide advised so many helpful hints. Loved the final stop at St Coleman’s cathedral and the Deck of Cards
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephen
May 5, 2024
Blarney Castle with Ian - Ian was an excellent tour guide it was our first time to Ireland and we learned so much about the country.
Castle and scenery was amazing definitely recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rebecca_g
May 4, 2024
Blarney oh what fun - Although I booked a shore excursion instead of a land tour I had so much fun , Ian was an amazing tour guide and commentator. The blarney castle and grounds were gorgeous and we arrived just before they opened so the line was short of you wanted to kiss the Blarney Stone ! Kinsale was an adorable town were we had lunch .
Review provided by Viator
Natalie_s
Apr 30, 2024
Kiss the Blarney. Tour is great! - Loved this tour. We got out early and was first to the castle! Wonderful time on this tour. Lunched in Kinsale. Guide made it special and entertaining!
Review provided by Viator
Lloyd_w
Apr 28, 2024
Fast lane - The tour got us to Blarney castle be large group of people came. This was a plus, our line to the top of the castle was less than 30 minutes. After coming down from the top, the line was at the 90 minute sign. Thanks
Review provided by Viator
Jacqueline_p
Apr 26, 2024
What a great day! - Ian our guide and George our driver were wonderful. Full of information and humor, but allowed us plenty of time to look around on our own. They offered great suggestions.
Review provided by Viator
Linda_h
Apr 26, 2024
Enjoyable Tour Except for Confusion About Time at Blarney - This was a large group tour with 2 full buses. Ian was our guide. He did a fantastic job getting us to Blarney Castle right before it opened. We were the first group to enter the castle and enjoyed it before all the other big groups arrived. There was no line to kiss the stone, so all who wanted to kiss the stone could do so. The gardens were stunning and well worth spending time to see. The only negative was the poor communication and confusion about how much time we were allowed at the castle. The people at the front of the bus (including us) were told that we had 1.5 hours to spend at Blarney, while those at the back of the bus were told that they had 2.5 hours to spend at Blarney. It was very frustrating that many of us had to wait a full hour at the bus, not understanding where the others were and why the others weren’t back yet. We all would have loved the extra hour at the castle that the others were allowed. Perhaps a note could have been left for us at the bus. I would have rated this tour a 5 if this confusion about time had not occurred. We enjoyed the free time in beautiful Kinsale, and had nice photo stops at Coleman Cathedral and Deck of Cards on the way back to the port.
Review provided by Viator