Kinsale Itineraries
Half a day or a full weekend. Here are the best ways to spend your time in Kinsale, planned step by step.
Whether you have a few hours off the DART or a full weekend to explore, these itineraries give you a local’s route through Kinsale. Each one links directly to the restaurants and activities along the way.
The Scilly Walk, Charles Fort and a Harbour Lunch
The half-day that gives you the harbour, the history and a feed without rushing. Coffee in town, the water's-edge Scilly Walk out to Summercove, the star fort above the harbour and lunch at the pub by the slip. Easy underfoot and good in any season.
- 110:00·30-45 min
Coffee at O'Herlihy's
Start in the centre of the town with a coffee and a bite at O'Herlihy's, a daytime spot to fuel up before the walk. Take your time; the harbour is not going anywhere.
View OHK (O'Herlihy's) - 210:45·45-60 min
Walk the Scilly Walk to Summercove
Pick up the Scilly Walk and follow the water's edge out past the Scilly waterside to the village of Summercove. This is the signature harbour path and the best view of the town across the water, yachts below and brightly painted houses behind.
View The Scilly Walk - 311:45·60-75 min
Charles Fort
Up to Charles Fort, the OPW star fort built in the 1670s and 1680s above Summercove, garrisoned right up to 1922. Walk the bastions for the long view down the harbour and out toward the open sea.
View Charles Fort - 413:00·60-90 min
Lunch at the Bulman
Drop back down to the slip at Summercove and into the Bulman, the waterside pub right on the harbour. A pint and a plate looking out over the water, then either walk back the way you came or get a lift into town.
View The Bulman
A Day in the Gourmet Capital
A full day built around the thing Kinsale is known for: the food. Coffee, time on the water, two proper meals and the harbour history in between. The Gourmet Capital of Ireland has earned the title over fifty years, so this is a day that eats well and walks it off.
- 109:30·30-45 min
Coffee at O'Herlihy's
Open the day with a coffee in the centre of the town at O'Herlihy's, then plan the morning around the tide and the sailings.
View OHK (O'Herlihy's) - 210:30·90-120 min
Out on the harbour or onto the food trail
Take a Kinsale Harbour Cruise out around the harbour for the forts and the wildlife from the water, or, if you would rather eat your way through the morning, join a Kinsale Food Tour through the town's kitchens and counters. Both depend on the day, so book ahead.
View Kinsale Harbour Cruises - 313:00·75-90 min
Lunch in town
Lunch at The Supper Club for the small-plate treatment, or The Black Pig wine bar if you want a glass with your plate. Either way you are eating in the heart of the gourmet trail.
View The Supper Club - 414:45·120 min
The Scilly Walk and Charles Fort
Walk it off on the Scilly Walk out to Summercove, then up to Charles Fort for the afternoon light on the harbour. The water's-edge path and the star fort are the classic Kinsale afternoon.
View The Scilly Walk - 519:30·90-120 min
Dinner at Fishy Fishy
Finish with dinner at Fishy Fishy, the seafood name that put modern Kinsale on the map, or Bastion, the town's Michelin-starred tasting room, if you have booked ahead. A fitting last plate in the Gourmet Capital.
View Fishy Fishy
Ready to plan your visit?
Check tide times, live DART departures, and the weather forecast before you head out.