Dublin to Cork in 5 days — the eco-friendly southern loop
A five-day route from the capital to Cork via Wicklow, Kilkenny and Waterford. Train-friendly, walkable cities, and serious food.
This is the cleanest five-day trip in Ireland for a first-time visitor. You arrive in Dublin, you leave from Cork, and you cover the country's prettiest inland landscape (Wicklow), its best-preserved medieval town (Kilkenny), its oldest city (Waterford), and its food capital (Cork) in between — all on the same train line.
It's also a fully no-car-required trip if you skip the Wicklow leg, or a single-day car-hire if you want to do Wicklow properly. We'll cover both.
Carbon math, up front. Every IMPT hotel booking retires one tonne of UN-verified CO₂ on-chain — roughly 28× the per-night footprint of a hotel stay. Across five hotel nights, the per-traveller offset more than covers the hotel-stay portion of your trip's emissions.
The route at a glance
- Day 1–2: Dublin — 2 nights
- Day 3: Wicklow — 1 night
- Day 4: Kilkenny — 1 night
- Day 5: Waterford — 1 night
- Day 6: Cork — 1 night
Getting around: Train Dublin → Kilkenny + Kilkenny → Waterford + Waterford → Cork via Iarnród Éireann; the Wicklow leg requires a local DART or hire-car day
Day 1–2 Dublin — 2 nights
Arrive into DUB; the Aircoach (€8) or 16 bus (€2.50) drops you in the city centre in 40 minutes. Base yourself south of the Liffey — Temple Bar for the noise, Merrion Square for the quiet, Camden Street for the locals' Dublin. Any IMPT-listed hotel inside the canals is walkable to the headliners.
Morning
Trinity College Library and the Book of Kells (book the early 9:30am slot, it's properly quiet then). After: walk to Merrion Square for the Oscar Wilde statue and the Georgian doors photo. Coffee at 3FE on Grand Canal Street.
The walk worth doing
St Stephen's Green → Grafton Street → Trinity → the Liffey boardwalk → Temple Bar → Christ Church → Dublin Castle, all in a 90-minute loop. Or the longer one: walk west along the Liffey to the Phoenix Park, Europe's largest enclosed urban park, with the President's residence and a wild deer herd you can walk among.
Where to eat
Chapter One (two Michelin stars) for the formal night; The Pig's Ear on Nassau Street for the modern-Irish casual; The Brazen Head (Ireland's oldest pub, 1198) for the trad. Skip Temple Bar's pubs at peak — they're for tourists. Bowes on Fleet Street is the locals' Temple Bar.
Day-trip from here
Howth (25 minutes by DART from Connolly Station) for the morning — pier walk, seafood lunch at the Aqua restaurant overlooking the harbour, cliff walk above Howth Head, back to town by 4pm.
Day 3 Wicklow — 1 night
Hire a car in Dublin for the day (or take the St Kevin's bus from St Stephen's Green directly to Glendalough — runs twice a day). Wicklow County is 30 minutes south of Dublin and a completely different country once you're over the Sally Gap.
Morning
Glendalough — the 6th-century monastic site with two lakes, a round tower, and a 9km walking trail (the Spinc) that climbs above the upper lake for the postcard view. Allow 3 hours. Quiet before 10am and after 4pm; mobbed at midday.
The walk worth doing
Powerscourt Gardens and Waterfall (Ireland's highest at 121m) — a half-day combined. The Italianate gardens at the house are remarkable; the waterfall is a separate 7km drive but does not need a separate ticket.
Where to eat
The Lobster Pot in Carne (a coastal detour if you have time) or the Avoca café at Powerscourt for the lunch. The Strawberry Tree in Brooklodge is Ireland's only certified-organic restaurant — worth the booking if you're staying at Brooklodge.
Day-trip from here
Already done — Glendalough + Powerscourt in a single day is the Wicklow set piece. If you have an extra half-day, the Sally Gap drive across the Wicklow Mountains is the cinematic version of the route.
Day 4 Kilkenny — 1 night
Train Dublin → Kilkenny is 90 minutes from Heuston Station; or if you have the hire car from Wicklow, return it in Kilkenny and continue by train from there. The town centre is a 10-minute walk from Kilkenny rail station.
Morning
Kilkenny Castle (12th-century, full guided tour or self-guided — book the early slot) and the formal gardens behind it, which are free and properly beautiful. Coffee at the Kilkenny Design Centre opposite the castle.
The walk worth doing
The Medieval Mile — from the castle, down John Street, past Kyteler's Inn, to St Canice's Cathedral and the climbable round tower at the top. The cathedral has Ireland's most complete medieval stained-glass windows; the tower has the best view of the town. The full loop is 1km but takes 90 minutes if you stop properly.
Where to eat
Campagne (one Michelin star, modern Irish) for the splurge; Rinuccini opposite the castle for the classic Italian; Kyteler's Inn for the medieval-pub experience (the building dates to 1324, the food is honest pub food). Smithwick's brewery (founded 1710) does tours twice a day and the included tasting is generous.
Day-trip from here
Jerpoint Abbey (15km south) for the 12th-century Cistercian ruins, or Mount Juliet estate for the formal afternoon tea. Both half-day if you choose.
Day 5 Waterford — 1 night
Train Kilkenny → Waterford is 35 minutes. Waterford is Ireland's oldest city (founded by Vikings in 914) and the smallest of the trip's stops. The Viking Triangle — the medieval heart — is walkable from the rail station in 12 minutes.
Morning
The three Waterford Treasures museums in the Viking Triangle — Reginald's Tower (Viking + Norman history), the Medieval Museum, the Bishop's Palace. A combined ticket covers all three; allow a full morning to do them justice. The Viking sword and the Charter Roll (1373, world's oldest charter) are the headliners.
The walk worth doing
Walk the Viking Triangle perimeter — Reginald's Tower → the Mall → Bishop's Palace → Christchurch Cathedral → the Theatre Royal — in 30 minutes, then walk along the quays for the river views.
Where to eat
Bodéga on John Street for the seafood-led dinner; Geoff's pub on John Street for the late drink (it's where the locals are); The Old Town café in the Bishop's Palace grounds for the morning. The Waterford Blaa (a soft white bread roll, geographically protected like Champagne) is the local thing — Walsh's bakery does the best one.
Day-trip from here
House of Waterford Crystal tour (45 minutes from the Bishop's Palace) — the factory is genuinely working, the master blowers are happy to be photographed, and the gift shop has factory-second prices. Tramore beach (15km south) for the surf if you have a half-day.
Day 6 Cork — 1 night
Train Waterford → Cork is 1h 45m via Limerick Junction. Cork (population 220,000) is Ireland's second city and feels more European than Dublin — narrow streets, a working harbour, a serious food scene, less English-speaking tourism. Base yourself near the English Market or on MacCurtain Street.
Morning
The English Market (covered market, founded 1788, in continuous operation since) for the breakfast — On the Pig's Back stall for charcuterie, the Real Olive Co for the morning coffee, Iago for the pasta-to-go. Then walk Patrick Street (the curved main street) and across the Daunt Bridge to the Coal Quay.
The walk worth doing
Shandon Steeple (climb the bell tower of St Anne's Church for the best Cork view, including the four clock faces locals call the 'Four-Faced Liar' because they show slightly different times) and the Cork Butter Museum below it.
Where to eat
Paradiso (vegetarian, properly excellent, booking essential) for the formal; Market Lane on Oliver Plunkett Street for the casual Irish; the Long Valley pub on Winthrop Street for the sandwiches Cork is genuinely famous for. Sin É (Coburg Street) for the trad session.
Day-trip from here
Cobh (24 minutes by train from Cork Kent Station) — the Titanic's last port of call, with a museum dedicated to the event and a Victorian-era waterfront. Half-day. Or Blarney Castle (15km north) for the stone-kissing if it's a first trip.
Practical notes + how to extend
From Cork, fly out via ORK (direct to most UK + EU cities, two-hour ferry-and-train alternative to Rosslare) or take the train back to Dublin (2h 30m direct). The Cork → Dublin train is on the same line as the rest of the trip, which makes the loop genuinely closed.
For travellers who want to extend, Kerry (Killarney + Dingle) is two hours west of Cork by train and rental — see our Killarney + Dingle itinerary for the natural continuation.
The carbon mechanic — in plain English
Every hotel booked through IMPT triggers the retirement of one tonne of UN-verified CO₂ — roughly 28× the per-night footprint of a hotel stay. The room price is the standard rate. The offset is funded from IMPT's commission, recorded on-chain on Ethereum, and tied to your booking ID. For a multi-night Irish itinerary booked through IMPT, the per-traveller offset comfortably exceeds the carbon cost of the hotel-stay portion of the trip.
Ready to book this itinerary?
Same price as direct, free cancellation on most stays, 1 tonne UN-verified CO₂ retired on-chain per booking.
Search hotels for Dublin →