Scenic Railtour to Cork and Blarney Castle

Scenic Railtour to Cork and Blarney Castle
Price: $112.00
Please refer to the calendar for specific availability.
Choose Options My Cruise Itinerary
Summary
Shore Excursion Size ? Standard
Shore Excursion Type Cultural, Scenic
Shore Excursion Duration 5 Hours 30 Minutes
Activity Level ? Easy
Shore Excursion Leaves From ? Cruise Ship Pier
Food/Beverage Provided Not Included
Recommended Dress We recommend wearing comfortable walking shoes and casual, comfortable weather-appropriate clothing.
Restrictions This tour is wheelchair accessible as long as guests are able to climb some steps up onto the coach and the train. Guests need to have some mobility in order to maneuver in and out of all transportation. This tour can only accommodate collapsible wheelchairs.

Scenic Railtour to Cork and Blarney Castle

Check in at the old Victorian Cábh Railway Station, directly adjacent to the cruise pier, and climb aboard your train for a scenic rail journey from Great Island in Cork Harbour. Cábh is recognized as the Titanic's last port of call in 1912. Titanic Experience Cábh is a themed attraction in the former White Star Line ticket office, plus more displays on the liner are in the Cobh Heritage Centre, which also explores how Cobh became an embarkation point during Ireland's mass emigrations. North of town, you will pass by the huge Fota Wildlife Park, on Fota Island. Your train ride will cross onto the island of Fota, before finally reaching the mainland and the outskirts of Cork City.

Resting quite proudly on an island in the middle of the River Lee, Cork is comprised of decidedly great pubs with a thriving craft beer scene, museums, galleries, and the ever-present bohemian coffee houses. She might be a city, but you will feel as though you may be in one of the small local towns, where the pace is more laid back and nobody is in a hurry.

Your journey continues along the banks of the River Lee with views of Blackrock Castle before arriving into Cork Kent Station. Transfer by road to the magnificent Blarney Castle and Gardens where you have the opportunity to kiss the famous stone and thus acquire the gift of eternal eloquence. There is ample time allowed for shopping, exploring and lunch at Blarney Village upon your arrival.

Enjoy a Cork City tour before returning to Cábh to visit the fabulous Cábh Cathedral - St. Colman's. St. Colman's Cathedral is an exquisite gem of neo-Gothic architecture by the architects Pugin and Ashlin. It took 47 years to build, starting in 1868. In 1916 a Carillon of 42 bells was installed. The largest bell is 200 feet above the ground and weighs 3.6 tons. The cathedral organ, by Telford and Telford, contains 2,468 pipes. Before heading back to Cábh Harbour, visit Cábh cemetery and the mass graves of the Lusitania victims as well as that of the famous Jack Doyle.

Your final stop is the Cábh Heritage Centre. The Heritage Centre explores the themes of famine and emigration, as well as maritime histories of the Lusitania and the Titanic. The Lusitania was torpedoed nearby at the Old Head of Kinsale and the Titanic called Cábh its final port of call. Cábh was the embarkation point for generations of Irish emigrants to the new worlds, from the time of the famine to recent years.

Return to your ship at your leisure after your visit to the Heritage Centre as the pier is only a stroll away.

Please Note: There are no restrooms on the bus or train, however, there are facilities at the different tourist attractions.

5 Stars4.9 / 5  |  11 ReviewsReview This Tour
My favorite excursion!
November 20, 2022
Our trip to Blarney castle was perhaps the best day of our entire trip! Our guide was top-notch! He was so helpful and genuine and attentive to those who needed help or had questions. He was a wealth of information! I can’t say enough about him! Blarney castle, and Blarney village in the surrounding area was so beautiful and the people were so kind. I didn’t kiss the Blarney Stone because I wasn’t interested in doing that but I don’t feel like I was missing much because the line was so long. Therefore I was able to walk around the grounds and it was just magical!
Reviewer: Diane Gorham
5 Stars
Great excursion
October 12, 2022
This was a wonderful excursion. It was fun to ride the train and then to have the bus right there to pick us up. It's a lot cheaper and you experience more than the one time we took the excursion from the ship. We were able to climb and kiss the Blarney stone if you wanted to or just walk the grounds and see all of the beauty there. Since we had already kissed the stone this time we walked around. Did not feel press for time at all. Made a few surprise stops on the way back to the ship. The tour guide and bus driver were very enjoyable. I would highly recommend this excursion if you would like to an enjoyable trip to Blarney Castle.
Reviewer: Charlene Nelson
5 Stars
Scenic Railtour to Cork and Blarney Castle
October 11, 2022
A great tour. The host was on time, very informative and took really god care of us. Got to ride the train going in and came back by coach. Blarney castle gave us the gift of gab again. This was a fantastic tour and price reasonably. Thanks to Kristin of AAA for introducing it to us.
Reviewer: Jimmy Register
5 Stars
Kissed the stone
October 05, 2022
Enjoyed our time in Cork and at Blarney castle. Start of tour started right at the train station . What a beautiful town Cork is . We loved the seaside . St Colman’s Cathedral , the beautifully coloured rows of houses . Our highlight was kissing the Blarney Stone . Waiting in the hour lineup took up most of our time at the castle . There are beautiful gardens all around but couldn’t pass up on doing what we wanted to do and make a wish . Would recommend
Reviewer: Laura and Ted Kemper
5 Stars
Nice day
October 03, 2022
Some interesting history talk on Cobh and Cork. Nice train ride and walkabout on the grounds of Blarney Castle. Great Wollens store and pub to visit after walk.
Reviewer: Monika Rhodes
4 Stars
blarney castle And cofrk
October 02, 2022
very informative journey and very scenic
Reviewer: anil patel
5 Stars