Cork City (Ireland)

Advantages: You need never have a boring moment...
Disadvantages: I'm not there to show you around

...QUALIFIED TO TELL YOU ABOUT CORK CITY? From the years 1996 to 2000, I attended UCC in Cork (the big university there) and have gone back every year for varying amounts of time from weekend break to ‘using up holiday time’ week long holidays. Presuming you have a week or so to spare, some cash to spend and are curious to visit the city which will be the European city of Culture in 2005, here is a 'week-filling guide' for that city..... Each of the ...
...THERE... *Fly directly into Cork airport **Train from Heuston Station Dublin into Kent Street station Cork. Warning - the evening trains (post 4.30) are PACKED beyond seating room and FORGET trying to get on a train from Dublin after 2.00 pm on a Friday. (Train Station is 15 mins walk from City centre) Trains are wheelchair / buggy friendly. ***Bus from Busaras, Dublin's Central Bus Station to Parnell Place Bus Station Cork (Bus Station is 5 mins ... Read review

Advantages: Attractive and compact city, eclectic and diverse yet still traditional, lots to do
Disadvantages: Eating out not cheap; some may find it too hilly

Cork is a city I had long fancied visiting without really knowing why and I was lucky enough to visit for a weekend break last December. Booking the flights and the accommodation was the only preparation we did so when we arrived in the city we had little idea of what we wanted to do and see. Arriving late Friday afternoon and departing again Sunday lunchtime did not leave us with a great deal of time but we managed to cram in plenty of activity ...
...a pair of comfortable shoes; Cork has excellent public transport but in the city you may as well walk: although the centre is compact, there are a few hills. It takes a little while to get your bearings in Cork; the city started life as an island in the swampy River Lee and today the river flows in two channels through the centre of the city. As a result you find that you are constantly crossing bridges and some of the main streets are even built ... Read review

Advantages: Everything!
Disadvantages: It's too hard to leave!

...place! I've only been to Cork city centre a few times as when we go every year we stay in Youghal, a small seaside resort on the east coast of Cork county. Cork is the second biggest city in Southern Ireland, only behind the country's capital Dublin. There are 127, 253 people in Cork city and 283,116 in the county. The shopping is great, there is some really great scenery and the nightlife is brilliant! What more could you want? I think this is the ...
...in an English market in Cork which sells local and exotic food. This is a good place to visit if you're around the city. Mahon point is a mall in Cork city, it has plenty of good shops, cafes, a cinema and bars. Aswell as food shops, there are jewellers, chemists, charity shops, the usual naff souvenir shops, beauty salons, sports shops, entertainment and music shops e.g hmv and virgin megastores. There are also a couple of tattoo parlours. Not that ... Read review

Advantages: Quieter, and cheaper than Dublin. Some good restaurants to be found
Disadvantages: Very little tourism in winter time, fewer 'sights' open, smaller than Dublin

...that people have said that Cork is a somewhat similar place to Dublin, being Eire's second city and all that.. so after a particularly enjoyable trip to Dublin in November, myself and the other half decided that we would take ourselves off to Cork as a treat and to see what it had to offer people like us (in our 20's and who found Dublin a little expensive). We arrived early on a Saturday morning, into the tiny Cork Airport (which we later learned ...
...only spent about 48hrs in Cork in total, so we obviously couldn't get to see and do everything. I'd actually recommend the city as a good base for exploring the beautiful surrounding villages in Southern Ireland - of course there's Blarney (and the castle with the infamous Blarney Stone), Midleton (for the Jameson factory - Irish whiskey production), but really, I think you'd need to hire a car to get out and about. To be honest, the two days we ... Read review

Advantages: Plenty to see and do, cheap accomodation
Disadvantages: Rather touristy, not suited to people wanting to 'get away from it all'

...thought as we arrived in Cork was “Oh my god, we’re back in Dublin!” Having slept most of the stretch from Cahir to Cork we were worried for a minute that we’d hopped on the wrong bus – the river running through the town centre complete with periodic bridges, the ‘Centra Quick Stop’ on every second corner and the slightly crumbly stone houses did seem almost uncannily familiar. But no – we were in ...
...in the Republic of Ireland, Cork is quite a buzzing place, full of old buildings, churches, shopping centres, pubs and, of course, tourists. On arrival, we hefted our backpacks and began to follow my hastily scribbled directions for the ‘Sheila’s of Cork’ hostel. Only about 10 minutes walk from the bus stop (depending on quality of directions and size of backpack), it was a bit of a struggle up a hill but still quite convenient ... Read review