Overnight we have crossed the Irish Sea, arriving in Cobh (pronounced ‘cove’) as we wake up. A pair of tugs push and pull us into position on a dock near the centre of town.
Top tip: The railway station is directly opposite the dock. You can catch a train straight into Cork city centre which is about €6, much cheaper than taking one of the excursions arranged by the cruise line.
Bonus tip: If you are super organised, mobile and up for a challenge, you can reach Blarney Castle with its famous stone by public transport. However, you should allow between 90 and 120 minutes each way.
Like Falmouth yesterday, Cobh feels like a bit of a filler for the itinerary. We can’t really find anything of interest in Cork, so decide to stay local and take a look at Cobh itself. Interestingly, Titanic made it’s final stop here to pick up 150 unlucky locals – and the Titanic Experience commemorates this fact.
Obviously this appeals to our dark tourist nature, so we take a look. The exhibition takes place in the old White Star Line ticket office which is quite cool, as are the recreations of the various cabins on the ship. We are given a tour by a guide and then left to check out the last part of the display ourselves. There’s probably nothing new to be learned here, but it’s still worth a visit.
Top tip: Book your tickets for the Titanic Experience online when you arrive in Cobh to avoid long queues and waits at the ticket office. Tickets cost €12 and are slightly cheaper for OAPs, students and children.
Afterwards, we visit the Titanic Bar & Grill downstairs so Linda can have a real Guinness and I can sample a local beer. It is absolutely heaving with other travellers from the ship – thankfully ours is the only one in port today, otherwise I imagine it would be even worse. The beer is reasonable and the food looks delicious so it’s not the worst tourist trap we have ever landed in.
One for the tourists
Beer drunk we head back to the ship. I’m sure there are a few other things to look at in town, but we decide to call it a day early on.
