Travel Information

Getting to Kerry

Kerry is located in the southwest of Ireland and well connected internationally. Kerry Airport operates national and international routes, and Shannon, Cork and Dublin Airports are each important gateways to the country, all connected to Kerry by much improved national road and rail networks. The nearest seaport is at Cork, and national bus services connect Kerry to Cork, Limerick, Dublin with excellent regular bus transfers from Kerry to Dublin Airport.

Check out our list below of travel options for getting to Kerry, including links to accessibility support, real time journey planners and tips on travelling more sustainably. 

Kerry Airport operates flights to Manchester, London, Faro, Dublin, Brittany, Alicante and London. Centrally located at Farranfore between the towns of Killarney, Tralee and Castleisland, getting to and from the airport is easy, with regular rail and bus connections, taxis, car hire facilities, and a public car park. From Kerry Airport, visitors can quickly access the Wild Atlantic Way and all of Kerry's main attractions, towns and villages. In Ireland, airlines, trains, buses and ferries are accessible to people using a wheelchair or mobility device. Kerry airport provides services for people with disabilities and are able to assist with baggage, getting around the airport and getting on and off the plane.

Shannon Airport and Cork Airport are major international airports located within 1.5 to 2 hours travel from most parts of Co Kerry. Kerry Airport operates direct flights to Dublin Airport which is Ireland's main international air hub. 

Ireland's international ferry ports are located in Cork (70km from Kerry), Dublin and Rosslare. Stena Line, Irish Ferries, P&O Ferries and Brittany Ferries operate ferries to Ireland from the UK ports of Holyhead, Fishguard, and Pembroke; from Roscoff and Cherbourg in France; and from Santander in Spain. Prices and times vary depending on the date and time of travel.

The Tarbert - Killimer car ferry connects Co. Clare with Co. Kerry via a direct crossing across the Shannon Estuary; and Kerry's islands are connected by ferry routes from the mainland to Valentia Island or the Blasket Islands / na Blascaodí.

Rail connections from all around Ireland connect with Kerry, with three train stations in the county offering eight daily arrivals from routes originating in Dublin. There are regular connecting trains from Galway, Cork and Limerick.

Your journey can be planned using the Transport for Ireland (TFI) Real Time Journey Planner at www.transportforireland.ie or by visiting Irish Rail's website. Irish Rail provide an accessibility guide for travellers and request that people who require assistance to inform their accessibility team in advance - see the full guide here.

Bus Eireann operates the main national routes around Ireland, and is complemented at a local level by the Local Link bus service. Routes and timetables are synchronised throughout Kerry, meaning that your journey can be planned using the Transport for Ireland (TFI) Real Time Journey Planner at www.transportforireland.ie

Flightlink and the Big Green Bus are vital transport providers linking Tralee and Killarney to stops in Limerick, Clare, Kildare and Dublin itself.

By Greenway & Walking Trails

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Kerry is connected to neighbouring counties by numerous walking routes and cycle paths. The Limerick Greenway connects with Co. Kerry just past the town of Abbeyfeale as it continues on to Listowel, a vibrant centre of literature, traditional music and Irish culture. Just south of Kenmare, numerous walking trails cross over from Co. Cork into Co. Kerry. 

With recent years seeing greatly improved roads and a huge increase in the number of motorways, getting around by private or rental car has never been easier. National road routes leading to Kerry from Dublin, Cork or Limerick lead into the main towns and villages of the region. Road routes break off into secondary routes and further into rural areas, roads become windier but safely navigable by car. 

Many of the major car hire companies are based at Kerry Airport, as well as in Shannon, Cork and Dublin Airports. Visit AA Roadwatch for the latest live travel updates. 

Kerry has a growing list of electric vehicle charging points and we have compiled a helpful map on our guide to sustainable travel in Kerry, showing charge points throughout the county to assist you in planning your journey by electric vehicle.

Planning Your Journey

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Explore Kerry

Tralee

VISIT

Tralee

Known for the International Rose of Tralee festival, Tralee is on the doorstep of the most enthralling watersports facilities around Kerry, and its bay is a safe harbour for many forms of marine life. Tralee has much of Kerry's best rainy day…

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Killarney

VISIT

Killarney

Famed for Muckross House & Gardens, the Lakes of Killarney and the Gap of Dunloe, Killarney is a walkers and cyclists paradise. Connected to ten thousand hectares of national park, your visit can be as active or as easy as you'd like!

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Listowel & North Kerry

Listowel's rich cultural and literary heritage is celebrated throughout its lively pubs and vibrant festival programme & writers museum. Kerry's wild coastline wraps around the jagged cliffs at Ballybunion as the County heads northwards to the…

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Kenmare

VISIT

Kenmare

Nestled and sheltered by Kenmare Bay, Kenmare and its surrounding areas from the Ring of Kerry / Iveragh Peninsula down into the Beara Peninsula, is a nexus of art, culture, luxury hotels, boutiques, archaeological sites & natural beauty all around.

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Reeks District

Fall under the spell of the highlands of Kerry where amongst Ireland's highest peaks, the mighty Carrauntoohil rises up and from its summit you will see views out over the neighbouring Dingle Peninsula and out into the Atlantic Ocean.

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Stories from Kerry

Grounded in heritage yet open to ideas, Kerry is a place to gain and share perspective. Keep exploring the county with our latest blogs.

Things To Do
10 Breathtaking Walks That Won't Leave You Breathless

Kerry has some of the most beautiful landscapes you can find - and what better way to soak in that beauty than a leisurely stroll through some of Kerry’s most magical walkways and trails? Here’s a list of 10 walks which will leave you speechless, without leaving you breathless! Nestled in the Slieve…

Conservation
Keeping The West Wild - Conservation in Kerry

Kerry is Ireland’s wild west. A land which is largely undisturbed by man, left to flourish in its natural beauty. While the rest of the world expanded into urban sprawl, the people of Kerry fought to preserve its green rolling hills and rugged coastline from the influence of overdevelopment. It’s…

Things To Do
The Local's Guide to Kerry

When visiting new places what better information can you gather than that of the locals. We are delighted to share local knowledge of some great things to discover in Kerry. The following are tips and information from locals, who of course, love Kerry and are passionate about their beautiful county.

Work
Try a Triathlon: Kerry’s Untapped Potential as a Sporting Destination.

Killarney native Alan Ryan has spent most of his adult life overseas, mostly in the U.K. and Asia. When it was time to come back to Ireland, he knew exactly what his home town was missing—a triathlon. “I have always been interested in events like triathlons, especially while I was living abroad. I…