This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel.
County Kerry's Killarney is a popular tourist stop, and in the summer the streets are crowded with tour buses. Finding a place to stay in a Killarney hostel shouldn't be too much of a problem during weeknights, but call ahead to get a bed on the weekend as it can get fairly crowded. Tourism seems to go back decades ago, and the town thrives on the income that comes from tourists.
There are some nice walks within the city and along the river. Ross Castle is a decent walk away, but is a quite scenic historical place. Built in the fifteenth century, it sits on the the shore of Lough Leane and is worth a tour inside. Muckross Abbey, the ruins of a Franciscan abbey, is the other attraction local to Killarney. There is also a cathedral (where you can find free parking if you're driving a car) inside the city.
Because of the town's location, a Killarney hostel makes a good base camp for those wanting to travel Ring of Kerry, another highly traveled route by tour buses. Nightlife is quite lively, with many pubs and live music venues. There are also lots of opportunities to see some sort of popular athletic games -- Gaelic soccer, rugby, and rowing.
However, for a real Irish experience, it might be best to pass through Killarney and find a smaller town, since Killarney seems to have become a plastic pit stop for tour buses and tourists looking to buy trinkets. While it's not as a large city as Dublin or Cork, it definitely can reach a fair level of popularity with visitors.
Written by local expertz for Killarney
Emily Schreiber
