Tralee
Tralee (Irish: Trá Lí) is a beautiful town in County Kerry with one of the best climates in Ireland. The witty and honest population is about 25,000
Understand
Get in
By car
From Dublin - 3.5 hours
From Cork City - 1 hour 45 minutes
From Limerick City - 1 hour 30 minutes
From Galway City - 2 hours 15 minutes
From Killarney - 30 minutes
By train
Iarnrod Eireann trains run to Tralee every couple of hours from Mallow, taking 90 mins via Killarney; a few start from Cork. There's one direct train daily between Dublin Heuston and Tralee, but usually you have to change at Mallow, with journey time 4 hours. Change also at Mallow for Limerick, Galway and Cobh. Returning to central Dublin, get a ticket for city centre not Heuston, as this will include the onward tram fare and save a couple of euros over separate tickets.
Tralee's 1 Casement railway & bus station is 750 m northeast of town centre.
By bus
Bus Eireann, Ireland's national bus operator, services Tralee for most locations. Direct services to Killarney, Dingle, Cork, Limerick and Dublin as well as most major towns in the county are available.
Additional services are available to/from Dublin from private operator Dublin Coach on their M7 Express service.
The train/bus station is located 750 meters from the town centre.
The M7 Express bus stop is located outside the Kerry Group Headquarters near the Aqua Dome on the southside of the town.
By plane
Kerry International Airport is located 15 minutes drive from Tralee. The airport can also be reached by train or bus which both stop in Farranfore village and then a 15 to 20 minute walk.
Flights are available from Aer Lingus and Ryanair. Daily service is available to/from Dublin and London. Additional regular services are available to Hahn Airport near Frankfurt, Germany.
During summertime services are also available to/from Spain and Portugal.
Get around
By foot
Tralee is very accessible by foot as the town centre is small.
By car
If you plan on using Tralee as a base to see the county and surrounding towns and villages a car is the best option.
By taxi
Tralee is well serviced by local taxi companies. There is a taxi rank in the town centre on The Mall.
See
- 1 Kerry County Museum, Ashe Memorial Park (Denny St), ☏ +353 66 712-7777. Jun-Aug daily 09:30-17:30, Sept-May Tu-Sa 09:30-17:00. Engaging "Medieval Experience" winds through a reconstruction of a 15th C town. Also has an exhibit (closed until autumn 2019) on Antarctic explorer Tom Crean (1877-1938), a survivor of Scott's 1911-13 expedition, and one of the six who sailed a small boat to South Georgia to bring help to Shackleton's marooned expedition. €5.
- The Town Park. Especially when the roses are in bloom. Interesting and labelled trees and a clean play area for small children. Closed at night - at irregular hours.
- St. John's Church of Ireland, Ashe St (by town park).
- Dominican Church, Princes' St.
- Court House, Ashe St. With two cannons from The Crimean War visible outside.
- Ardfert is a village 8 km north of Tralee with a cathedral dating to 12th C, open April-Sept daily.
Do
- Aqua Dome, Ballyard Rd (off Dingle Rd).
- Tralee Bay Wetlands eco-tourism (located near to the Aqua Dome on the Ballyard road), 066 7126700. A nice place to walk and has a playground for children (free). The Wetlands Centre has a cafe and offers a wetland tour by solar powered river boat. Also has a viewing tower, paddle and row boat hire. €6 adult / €4 child / senior citizen €5 / student €5 / family ticket €20
Buy
- Town Centre has plenty shops
- Manor Shopping Centre, Killarney Rd.
Eat
- Chopin’s Cafe & Restaurant, 8 Ashe St, ☏ +353 66 711-7539, nfo@chopinscafe.ie. M-Sa 08:00-18:00. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and cakes. Small terrace. €9-20.
- Denny Lane Restaurant, 11 Denny St, ☏ +353 66 719 4319, info@dennylane.ie. M-W 10:00-18:00, Th-Sa 10:00-23:00, Su 11:00-21:00. Small place serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon snacks and sandwiches, plus raciones & main meals Th-Sat. Two course early bird €20.
- The Roast House, 3 Denny St, ☏ +353 66 7181011. M-Sa 09:00-17:00. Possibly the best coffee in town, the owner roasts his own coffee beans in-house. Good food selection, including the pulled pork sandwich. €8 sandwich, €12 mains, €3 coffee.
- Yummy Cafe-Market, Dominic St (Just off town square), ☏ +353 66 7119019. M-Sa 09:00-18:00. Nice cafe for breakfast & lunch with free play area for kids. Popular with families.
Drink
- Roundy's Bar, 5 Broguemaker's Lane (across from the Ashe Hotel). Th 10:00-23:00, F Sa 10:00-00:30, Su 12:00-23:00. A delightful, cosy little pub with music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.
- An Cearnóg bar, 7 Dominick St (off The Square), ☏ +353 66 712 1908. M-Th 10:30-23:30, F Sa 10:30-00:30, Su 12:00-23:30. Small cosy pub with excellent bar staff. Serves free snacks on Fridays at 18:00, but no bar food. Music most weekends and some weeknights.
Sleep
- Woodlands Caravan & Camping Park, Dan Spring Road (follow lane across river bridge), ☏ +353 66 712 1235, woodlandstralee@gmail.com. Open March-Oct, a long-established friendly well-run site, a short walk to town. Tent or caravan with 2 adults €33.
- Several small B&Bs along Oakpark Rd towards Listowel.
- The Ashe Hotel on Maine St is comfy and well-run, but there's often noise from the pubs in the street.
- Manor West Hotel, Killarney Rd, R875 (by retail park 2 km east of town centre), ☏ +353 66 719 4500. Modern efficient hotel on retail park, with pool & gym. B&B double €100.
- Meadowlands Hotel, Oakpark Rd (1 km northeast of town centre), ☏ +353 66 718 0444. Comfy modern hotel in a quiet area on road towards Listowel. B&B double €100.
- Brandon Hotel, Princes' Quay, ☏ +353 66 712 3333. Modern hotel in town centre, good for business meetings with meeting hall, spa, pool and parking. B&B double €100.
- The Grand Hotel, Denny St, ☏ +353 66 7121499. Cosy town centre hotel. Showing its age but gets good reviews for comfort, food and service. B&B double €100.
- The Rose Hotel, Dan Spring Road, Cloon Beg, Tralee (N86 on riverside), ☏ +353 66 719 9100. Friendly well-run place on south edge of town. B&B double €130.
- 1 Ballyroe Heights, Ardfert Rd, Ballyroe (R551, 4 km NW of town centre), ☏ +353 66 712 6796. Friendly modern hotel with good food. B&B double €95.
- 2 Ballygarry House Hotel, Killarney Rd (Jcn N21 & N22, 4 km east of town centre), ☏ +353 66 712 3322. Modern hotel, well furnished & comfy, with spa. Off east bypass, handy for motorists. B&B double €140.