Eat & Drink
Kenmare’s food scene
Award-winning restaurants, neighbourhood bistros, seafood bars and traditional pubs sit shoulder-to-shoulder around the main square. Book ahead in summer.
Kenmare Guide
Where to eat, walk and wander.
A short, honest guide to our favourite places in and around Kenmare — written by the people who live here.
Welcome to Kenmare
A heritage town between mountain and sea.
Kenmare is a designated Heritage Town at the junction of the Ring of Kerry, the Ring of Beara and the Wild Atlantic Way. It’s a working town with a strong food scene, traditional music, and the kind of mountain & sea scenery that defines the south-west of Ireland.
If you have only a couple of days, spend one of them on the Ring of Kerry and one wandering Kenmare itself — that combination alone is worth the trip.
In Town
A few essentials within walking distance.
Walk
Reenagross Park
A peaceful woodland and shoreline walk that starts a few minutes from town — perfect before breakfast or to stretch the legs after a drive.
Heritage
Cromwell’s Bridge & the Stone Circle
Two of Kenmare’s quietest landmarks. The Bronze-Age Stone Circle is right in town; Cromwell’s Bridge sits just upstream on the Finnihy.
Photo Stop
The Suspension Bridge
A 19th-century iron suspension bridge spanning Kenmare Bay, originally built in 1841 by the Marquis of Lansdowne. Lit up at night and a favourite Kenmare photograph.
Day Trips
Three drives, three very different days.
Approx. 6–7 hours
The Ring of Kerry
Drive west to Sneem, Waterville, Cahersiveen and Killorglin, returning via Killarney. Stop at Derrynane Beach and Ladies’ View. Start early in summer.
Approx. 4–5 hours
The Ring of Beara
The quieter, wilder cousin to the Ring of Kerry. Take the Healy Pass, stop in Eyeries and Allihies, and finish with seafood in Castletownbere.
Approx. 25 min drive
Killarney National Park
The lakes of Killarney, Muckross House & Gardens, Torc Waterfall and the Gap of Dunloe — all within easy reach via the spectacular N71 mountain road.
Practical
Getting here.
By car — Kenmare is on the N71 between Killarney and Glengarriff. Cork Airport is about 1h 45m away, Kerry Airport about 50 minutes.
By bus — Bus Éireann route 270 connects Kenmare with Killarney year-round.
By air — Fly into Kerry (KIR), Cork (ORK) or Shannon (SNN). All have car-hire desks.
We’re happy to help you plan from arrival — just ask when you book.
Ready to come?
Choose where to stay.
Three family-run homes, all within a short walk of the town and everything in this guide.