For years I’ve been wanting to go to Ireland with my family. Part of it was on our own, and part was through JB’s company.  I am grateful that we did this with our kids at 9 and 11.  I can remember wanting to take the boys at 5 and 7, and JB telling us to hold off a bit.  Ireland is great for kids, and people are friendly toward them.  So don’t get me wrong, I still think you could have a great time!  But for what we wanted to see, as it was our first time, it did require a lot of car time.  That would have been hard with our kids at younger ages.  At 9 and 11, they were troopers and I can’t remember them even complaining about it.  It was also very busy.  We didn’t have a single day where we weren’t up and at ’em, ready for an activity or tour. 

 You can read the other parts of our Ireland trip HERE.  

But back to Killarney …

Where we stayed in Killarney, Ireland:

We broke up our trip to Killarney into two different hotels.  Two nights at the Killarney Park Hotel (on our own) and three nights at The Europe Hotel (through JBs work).  

The Killarney Park hotel is so quaint, welcoming, and beautiful.  Everything in the mini bar is free, which just feels so fun for kids – and adults!  We all felt at home there.  We were upgraded – through using our AMEX, and had a spacious family bedroom.  A rarity in Europe!  Through AMEX we also had free breakfast, a $100 credit to use on site, and a 4pm check out.  We booked this mostly on points, so that helped too!  The gardens are stunning.  There are bikes to borrow.  It’s really beautiful!  I would stay here again in a heartbeat.  

The Europe Hotel is beautiful too, but not quaint and small at all.  It’s huge with a ton of amenities, and a beautiful view of the lake.  The grounds are stunning here too.  We loved the pools.  So it was perfect for JBs work part of the trip, where there are other families joining as well.  They had complimentary pony rides with gorgeous haflinger ponies.  There is a big indoors sports complex too where my boys played soccer and basketball.  There are tons of trails around on the property.  I’d recommend both hotels but they give off totally different vibes.  

Where we ate in Killarney, Ireland:

The Garden Bar – we ate here both nights when we stayed at Killarney Park.  It’s adorable and worth visiting for.  You can also enjoy a cocktail or some tea in the library beforehand.  Both nights they situated us close to the garden so we could watch the boys play soccer when they were finished with their meals.  

Hilliard’s – This is downtown and we thought it was quite good, and had excellent service.  I loved their Indian twist on Fish and Chips.  

The Laurel’s Pub – Also downtown!  An iconic spot to grab fish and chips and watch a futbal match.  

Brasserie at The Europe Hotel – Honestly my favorite meal in Killarney was here.  I was tired of eating so much fried food and butter, and they delivered with a great salad and the most delicious hummus.  

The Cafeteria at Muckross – It was quite good for cafeteria food!  It was also our only option close by (:  

Lord Brandon’s Cottage – we ate here during our journey through the Gap of Dunloe.  I had delicious soup to warm me up.  Very simple.

What we did in Killarney, Ireland: 

Dingle and Slea Head drive – We hired a driver to take us to Dingle and Slea Head drive.  If I could go back and do it again, I would be very specific with my driver about what we’d like to do.  We ended up in a spot for lunch that JB and I have laughed about so much during our trip.  It was ROUGH.  Dingle was adorable and the drive is beautiful.  Though long, so definitely time it right with your kids.  

Torc Waterfall – You can start the hike at Muckross Castle, which is what we did.  Torc Waterfall is the main attraction but the remaining hike is beautiful too!  

Muckross Castle, gardens, and farm – I could have spent a week here.  You can also do a Jaunting car ride which is fun to see all of the grounds.  The traditional farm is worth the visit.  The workers are in costume, and everything is run like it was 100 years ago.  There’s a neat petting zoo there too!  

The Gap of Dunloe – I don’t think we really knew what we got into on this tour!  It was 7 miles with a horse, and pouring rain on us.  At one point, I looked at JB and said “and we paid money for this??!!” and laughed.  Still the ride was beautiful.  And somehow we all had good attitudes, and were awfully thankful for good raincoats!  The horses take you to Lord Brandon’s cottage for dinner.  Then you take a boat ride back.  Our boat ride was sunny and we were thankful for that.  

Petting Zoo – On the Slea Head drive, there’s a spot to stop off.  They have a fairy fort, tons of lambs, alpacas, sheep dogs, etc.  

If you need packing help with Ireland, I’ve outlined that all right here.