Tourism in Cork

Cork City Council is proud to take a leading role in promoting the City on the international stage as an attractive location for tourists and visitors.  

The City has entered the 21^st Century assuming the mantle of a modern, vibrant and progressive urban centre, a status underlined by the designation of Cork as European Capital of Culture in 2005.

Fireworks light up the night sky over Cork to welcome in the 2005 European City of Culture.

Building from the successful Capital of Culture Year, the City Council has continued to develop the City through substantial development in the public realm and through the active support of culture and the arts. This commitment has been matched by private sector investment in the hotel, retail and hospitality sectors, increasing the capacity and appeal of the city for visitors.  

 Irish Dancers take to the streets for the Annual Céilí Mór, part of the

Beamish Folk Festival

The Harbour hosts a colourful flotilla each year for the Ocean to City Race

At the close of 2009 the City’s international appeal was again recognized by the selection of Cork by leading Travel Guidebook, Lonely Planet, as one of the Top Ten cities in the world to visit in 2010 –“Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2010” 

“With a population of the Cork Metropolitan Area of four hundred thousand people and a huge investment into infrastructure Cork now has one million square feet of retail space in an easily accessible city centre. Cork also has some of the best restaurants in Ireland or England so this vote is not really a surprise to the people of Cork,” say Lonely Planet. “Sophisticated, vibrant and diverse while still retaining its friendliness, relaxed charm and quickfire wit, Cork buzzes with the energy of a city that’s certain of its place in Ireland.”

Cork City is a Regional Capital, at the centre of an area of outstanding natural beauty and Ireland's premier tourism region. The City Council, working with Cork County Council and other agencies have come together to form the Cork Marketing Partnership “to undertake Cork promotional initiatives, develop and promote business tourism and assist in promoting economic development in the Cork region”. Further details of these initiatives and the work of the Partnership are available at www.cometocork.ie.

Among the numerous individual tourist and heritage attractions in the area include:

• The Lifetime Lab at the Old Cork Waterworks 
• Fota Wildlife Park  
• Blackrock Castle Observatory
• The Cork City Gaol , Sundays Well
• Barryscourt Castle, Carrigtwohill
• Blarney Castle
• Cork Butter Museum
• Cork Public Museum, Fitzgerald's Park
• The Cork Vision Centre
• Jameson Heritage Centre Midleton
• Shandon Bells, Shandon
• Queenstown Heritage Centre Cobh