The Essential Guide to Killarney National Park

In the heart of County Kerry lies a land of contrasts, where rare ferns and moss blanket lush valleys of ancient forests, which meet freshwater lakes backed by sandstone peaks.

Mysterious medieval ruins fleck otherwise untouched vistas that are often shrouded in mist, and through them, rare animals roam the lowlands, and towering waterfalls meander from above. If you follow the Wild Atlantic Way (a 1,550-mile-long driving route that passes through nine Irish counties), you’ll eventually find your way here, to the foot of Ireland’s highest mountain range, the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, and Killarney National Park.

Killarney is Ireland's oldest national park. It's also an Irish Special Area of Conservation (meaning it's a wildlife conservation area) and part of the  Kerry UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The park is home to rare, native Irish plants, animals, and birds—many of which can’t be found anywhere else on earth. For example, Ireland’s last surviving herd of wild red deer roam here, and visitors can wander through the Reenadinna Yew Woodland, western Europe’s largest forest of yews—some trees are more than 200 years old. In addition to unique wildlife, the park has some of the country’s most impressive historic sites, too. There's a medieval castle and monasteries, plus Victorian mansions and gardens.

“As Ireland’s oldest national park, it has infrastructure for hiking and exploring that you won’t find anywhere else,” says Patricia Doe, managing director of Wilderness Ireland, which specializes in a range of small-group and private travel experiences in the park. “It doesn’t really matter where you go, you’ll have incredible views. What you can’t particularly get from looking at photos or from reading a description is the light and the atmosphere here. There’s something very special about the way those two things combine, regardless of the weather, in this part of Ireland. It’s truly unique to Kerry and Killarney.”

Here’s what you need to know before planning a trip to Killarney National Park.

How to Get There

Most travelers fly into Dublin Airport (DUB), Cork Airport (ORK), or Kerry Airport (KIR). Kerry Airport is about 15 miles (about a 20-minute drive) from the park, while Cork Airport is a little over 55 miles away, and Dublin Airport is 200 miles away and about a three-and-a-half-hour drive. For convenience, your best bet is to rent a car to get to the park’s main road, the N71. Parking is free, but heritage sites and gardens aren’t accessible by car, so be prepared to walk a bit.

Alternatively, bus and train services are available from Dublin or Cork, Ireland, to the town of Killarney. Between March and November, a hop-on, hop-off bus service is available from the town to some of the park’s main sites through the tour operator Killarney Tours.

Know Before You Go

Free to enter, Killarney National Park is open to pedestrians 24 hours per day, year-round. The historic homes and museums, Muckross House and Killarney House, are open every day, year-round. You’ll find a park visitor center in Killarney House, as well as many other facilities spread across the park's 25,000 acres, including free parking, first aid centers, bathrooms, gift shops, cafes, and more. 

Since Killarney National Park is part of a designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, anything that impacts wildlife habitats or plants, or creates pollution—noise, or otherwise—is strictly prohibited. So, leave no trace, taking nothing from the park that doesn't belong to you, and know that drones, camping, and campfires aren’t permitted.

Check the Killarney National Park's website for detailed maps, opening hours at various sites, and any news or updates that may impact your trip.

Best Time to Visit

Famous for its moody weather, Ireland has mild temperatures any time you visit. Summer in Killarney, however, is most popular for its warm temperatures (it's about 70 degrees Fahrenheit on average) and long, sun-filled days. You can plan for up to 18 hours of daylight, but if you do visit during the summer, you’ll need to be prepared for big crowds, too. 

Winter’s frosty, mist-draped landscapes have their own kind of magic, with far fewer travelers. However, shorter days of sullen, blustery weather—and nearly nonstop rain at times—can put a damper on outdoor exploration. 

Early spring and autumn are particularly good times to visit Killarney National Park. “From late March into April, when things are just starting to come green, you really have the trails to yourself,” says Doe. “If I were going to choose, though, I’d say to visit in autumn. There’s something really special about the energy in the air then. The hikes tend not to be busy, and it feels a little bit more off-season, a bit more relaxed, there’s less traffic.”

The colors of the old-growth woodlands—bright amber, crimson, and citrine—lend an otherworldly aura to the park, too.

Best Things to Do

Take a boat trip on the Lakes of Killarney.

Lough Leane, Muckross, and Upper Lake make up the three lakes of Killarney. Renowned for their stunning panoramas and fascinating historic sites, no visit to this national park would be complete without exploring them—one of the best ways to do that is by joining a boating tour.

From 15th-century Ross Castle on Lough Leane, you can head to Innisfallen Island, where you’ll find some of Ireland’s most impressive archaeological ruins: a 12th-century monastery and church, where monks lived from at least the 7th century. Here, they wrote the Annals of Innisfallen, an ancient text which chronicles medieval Irish history in more than 2,500 entries, now kept in the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford.

Boat trips are also available from the Old Boat House on Muckross Lake to Dinis Peninsula, where the 18th-century tearoom Dinis Cottage is still serving snacks and drinks, near Old Weir Bridge, which crosses a spot where all three Lakes of Killarney converge: the Meeting of the Waters. You can also visit other spots along the water, like Lord Brandon’s Cottage. Kayaking and canoeing are options, too, but you’ll have to obtain a permit and power wash your vessel first.

Visit Muckross House for formal gardens and Victorian antiques.

An arboretum of towering Scots pines, oaks, and silver fir surrounds this Victorian mansion, hemmed by formal gardens of flowers and shrubs. Inside, period artifacts like antique furniture, tapestries, and John Singer Sargent paintings give a sense of high-end 19th-century décor. The estate served as a family home for centuries and was donated to the people of Ireland in 1932, becoming the country’s first national park. The house and gardens, however, are still one of the most popular places to visit.

Enjoy the silence at Muckross Abbey.

The well-preserved ruins of the 15th-century friary, Muckross Abbey, are an incredible place to explore ancient Irish heritage as you bask in solitude and contemplate the ages. Its cloistered courtyard is centered around a massive, ancient yew tree, estimated to be as old as the abbey itself. Next door, a cemetery still in use, is the final resting place of local chieftains and several notable poets from County Kerry. 

Spot wildlife.

Many of Killarney’s wild landscapes have sat undisturbed for centuries, creating pristine habitats for a range of wildlife, like Ireland’s last surviving herd of wild red deer. A rare breed of black cows known as Kerry cattle, estimated to be one of Europe’s oldest, can often be seen in fields along with the Irish hare, which can only be found in Ireland and has lived here for roughly 12,000 years. You can see Japanese Sika deer here too, along with rare species of butterflies, dragonflies, fish, and amphibians. Find a quiet spot and keep watch for some of the 140 species of birds that call the park home, like the Irish cuckoo, white-tailed sea eagle, rare red grouse, ring ouzel, and more.

Cycle to ancient sites and see natural wonders.

Rent a bike in town and hit the paved tracks around Muckross, Ross Castle and Island, or Knockreer. You can expect stunning panoramas of the surrounding mountains and lakes with plenty of places to stop and explore.

Watch the sunset from Ladies View.

When they visited Killarney in 1861, Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting were so impressed by this mountainous panorama of the Upper Lake winding into the Long Range River that it was named after them. It’s one of Ireland’s most photographed spots, and an epic place to watch the light change at dusk, when red deer can often be spotted ambling through the field below.

Best Hikes

With so much stunning scenery, one of the best ways to discover Killarney National Park is to take a walk. Some of Ireland’s most spectacular, accessible, and historic hikes can be found here, and though the landscapes can change drastically, all the trails are very walkable.

Knockreer Circular Walk

A great walk for all skill levels, this three-mile paved loop is also suitable for biking. It has minimal elevation gain but still has great views of the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, Lough Leane, and open expanses of meadow. Wildlife sightings are common here, too. “If you’re going to go on just one small hike in the park,” Doe says, “I highly recommend this one.”

Muckross Lake Loop

Starting and ending at the 19th-century Muckross House, this roughly 10-mile circuit around the coves and beaches of Muckross Lake passes by the house’s formal gardens, traditional working farm, and 200-year-old Dinis Cottage. Watch for red deer and red squirrels in moss-covered, fern-swathed Reenadinna Wood, Western Europe’s largest expanse of ancient yew forest, a Special Area of Conservation where many trees are said to be more than two centuries old.

Muckross House to Torc Waterfall Loop

This route follows the start of the previous loop from Muckross House, along the Old Boathouse Trail towards the mountains, Dundag Point’s limestone cliffs, and Muckross Lake, climbing steadily through sylvan landscapes of ancient trees. Stone steps descend to the best views of Torc Waterfall, most impressive after a heavy rain. From here, you’ll rejoin the Muckross Lake Loop to where you started.

Torc Mountain

Alternately, for an out-and-back hike from Torc Waterfall, you can follow a section of the waymarked, long-distance hiking trail, Kerry Way, to the summit of Torc Mountain. It's an 8.5-mile trek to get there. “Torc Mountain is not a particularly high hill in terms of elevation relative to other mountains in the region, but what you get up there is just spectacular views back across Killarney and the Lakes, and across towards Carrauntoohil, [Ireland’s highest mountain], and some of the bigger mountains,” Doe says.

Old Kenmare Road

If you’re up for a challenge, the historic road from Killarney to vibrant Kenmare, Ireland, is part of the Kerry Way, Ireland's longest signposted walking trail. You can hike a stretch of it within the park, from Torc Waterfall through uplands and ancient woodlands, passing popular sites like Lord Brandon’s Cottage, Ross Castle, and picturesque scenes of the Owengarriff River. Or, you could go the distance to Kenmare, about 10 miles away. “It’s very well waymarked,” says Doe. “The challenge is that you would need to coordinate your start and finish since it's a linear route.”

Places to Eat

Manna Café and Bistro

With few options for substantial meals in the park, Doe recommends stopping at one of the many cafés in town for a takeaway picnic. Manna Café and Bistro serves great options for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner with vegan and vegetarian choices too, many of which can be easily transported.

Dinis Cottage

This lakeside café near Muckross House has been in business for over 200 years, with a history that goes back even farther. Here, you can find light fare like sandwiches with a variety of desserts, some plant-based, gluten-free, and sugar-free options, plus tea and coffee.

Yew Tree Restaurant

There are four dining options at the park’s only five-star hotel, Muckross Park, but the multi-award-winning Yew Tree Restaurant might be the most unique. Serving seasonal ingredients in the hotel’s original Victorian lounge, it's garnered accolades and praise for innovative Irish dishes made with ingredients from local farms.

Places to Stay

The Killarney Park Hotel

Five minutes’ walk from Killarney Train Station and six minutes’ drive from the National Park, this five-star, award-winning, family-owned hotel is surrounded by private gardens and decked in a modern take on old-world Irish décor. With a spa and multiple options for local and seasonal food onsite, The Killarney Park Hotel is a sustainable property that gives a true experience of Irish hospitality.

Killarney Glamping

Camping is strictly prohibited in the park, but several sites are available outside its perimeter, including this couple’s only spot with views of the Kerry Mountains. Just over a mile from town and a six-minute drive to the park, you can choose from heated suites, luxury lodges, or a cabin with private showers and bathrooms at Killarney Glamping at the Grove.

Muckross Park Hotel & Spa

The only five-star hotel located inside Killarney National Park, this award-winning, 70-room property was Killarney’s first hotel,and has been in business since 1795. Surrounded by stunning views and walking trails, it’s just minutes from Lough Leane and Ross Castle. A Gothic-inspired spa and an award-winning restaurant in the original Victorian lounge offer a bit of history with higher-end amenities.

The Lake Hotel Killarney

For a family-friendly option, try this award-winning property with epic mountain views from the shores of Lough Leane. Owned and operated by the same family for over 100 years, you can expect traditional Irish hospitality. A pool and a Fairy Trail are good for kids.