Shore Excursion: Cork and Blarney Castle Visit from Cobh by Train

We had a fantastic time on this tour. Our guide John Todd was so knowledgeable and really friendly and welcoming. Blarney was well worth the visit and the beautiful Cobh Cathedral was stunning. We booked directly with the company before travelling to Cobh with MSC cruises on a 4-day break. The train station is next to the port and we were warmly welcomed by Ritchie- very visible in his bright yellow jacket- making him easily identifiable. Brilliant company. Would definitely recommend.

The beginning of this excursion was a bit of a mess....There were so many people booked and no one could hear the tour guide and his instructions for the train. My husband and I also could not sit together on the train because it was a bit of a cluster boarding...Once we broke up into busses the experience got a lot better. The castle itself was really fun to walk around and see and everyone got a chance to kiss the Blarney Stone if they wanted! We do recommend this trip but I wish there were less people per excursion booked!

Very well planned. Had a dedicated train car from COBH to Cork then a bus to Blarney and back to COBH. They had staff at each connection to make it clear and easy. Guide provided a good mixture of information and guided walks and free time.

Our tour guide Andrew was very nice and informative. He told us a lot of info and always made sure we were ok. Visited the Blarney Castle. The line up was very long almost an Hour. But the experience was fun. Kissing the rock was quite uneasy as you had to go upside down. But lots of people did it. I think it’s worth the hype. The garden was beautiful. The tour was fun especially they had a private train just for this tour. Very close from the cruise port to meet up. Strongly recommended rather than doing with the cruise ship.

We really enjoyed our **Cork and Blarney Castle excursion from Cobh by train**. It was a great way to see and learn about the area while visiting from the cruise ship. The excursion starts at the train station in Cobh, where a train is brought in specifically for this tour. One thing we really appreciated was that the train makes special arrangements for the excursion, so you don’t have to follow the train’s normal stops and schedule. After the train ride, we transferred to a bus where our guide shared information about the area, its history, and what to expect at Blarney Castle. Our guide did a wonderful job providing history and interesting information throughout the day. We learned about the Titanic’s connection to the area, the jail, the cathedral, and even stopped at a cemetery where our guide shared the story of those who lost their lives in the Lusitania disaster. The countryside we traveled through was beautiful, and the bus ride gave us a great opportunity to see more of Ireland beyond the immediate tourist areas. The biggest thing to be aware of is that the time at Blarney Castle is limited, especially if you are visiting during a busy time of year. When we arrived, the wait to enter the castle was already about 90 minutes. We decided not to wait, while three couples in our group chose to wait and were still able to make it back to the bus on time. However, they didn’t have time to explore the grounds. The grounds are absolutely stunning! There are so many different gardens and areas to explore, each with its own unique character. We were glad we had the opportunity to experience them, even though it meant choosing the gardens over going inside the castle. Overall, we would highly recommend this excursion. It was well organized, informative, and a wonderful way to experience more of Ireland from Cobh. Just be aware that depending on the time of year and the crowds, you may have to choose between spending your limited time waiting to see the castle or exploring the incredible gardens and grounds. For us, the beautiful scenery, history, and overall experience made it well worth it!

Can't give up the chance to kiss the Blarney Stone. The wait was about an hour and it was good that Richard, our guide had advised to head to the castle to get that task done. Noel was our driver and got us all back safely.

Very beautiful gardens around the castle. Not much to see in castle as it is unfurnished. Steps u to Blarney Rock are steep and over a hundred steps. It’s a slow go though due to crowd. Otherwise just to kiss Blarney rock not much reason to climb.

After confirming well before the date that there was sufficient time and sufficient guests to operate this tour, the operator messaged me less than two days before the tour to say it would not be operating (even after charging me for the tour just a few hours before they messaged me about the cancellation). If they had given me enough notice, I could have found a different excursion. So now we will just walk around Cobh.

We enjoyed our visit to the Blarney castle with our awesome guide Richie and driver Tim who maneuvered the coach with ease through tough areas. We would definitely recommend this tour! We even got an added bonus by Tim taking us to a cemetery and St Coleman‘s Cathedral that was not listed in the description of the tour so we got to see more than what was expected.

This was a very nice excursion. Our tour guides Rich and Andrew were lovely gentlemen. We enjoyed talking with them. The tour started right off the ship and so we did not have far to walk. The gardens at the Blarney Castle were beautiful. We also had time to shop and get a bite to eat. Unfortunately, a woman forgot her cellphone at the castle, and we lost about 45 minutes waiting for her to retrieve it, so we did not get to tour the cathedral in Cobh at the end. People were not happy about this; however, it was very nice of the driver to accommodate her. All in all, I would definitely recommend this excursion.