Car hire in Cork at the best price

Auto Europe has a wide range of cars available for hire in Cork. Whether you want to explore the city centre or see the countryside, we can get you the best price for your car hire in Cork. Cork is the largest county in Ireland and is more commonly known as the rebel county. It is a warm, vibrant city situated on the river Lee. Cork is the Irish city that is dedicated to the arts, good food & drink, and with regular live traditional music played in many local pubs. Cork has so much to offer for all different types of people. However, the most popular attraction in Cork is the annual Guinness Jazz Festival. Cork is often said to be a real competition to Dublin in popularity. It is more commonly known as a University City. University College Cork is a leading Irish University with 24,000 students. The county of Cork also has vast amounts to offer. You can experience the Irish traditional towns such as Kinsale, Cobh and Bandon.

How is the traffic in Cork?

Like many other major counties in Ireland, it is relatively easy to navigate your car rental in Cork. It has clear signposts that are in Irish and English. In Cork, traffic is typically light during the day. Traffic in the morning and evening is often busy. The main areas of traffic are throughout the city centre.

Where can I park my car hire in Cork?

Cork city has numerous options for parking. There are many multi storey public car parks or surface level car parks throughout the city. You pay an hourly rate in these car parks. A second option is the park and ride service. You park your car in a suburban area and then get a bus into the city. This often is a cheaper option than parking in the city. The final option is to park along designated streets. You require a parking disc which you must display on the dash board of your rent a car in Cork. Parking discs can be bought in most shops throughout Cork and cost about 2 euros. If you park the car along the street and do not have a parking disc displayed or have an invalid parking disc, you will most likely incur a parking fine and have to pay 60.00 euros to Cork City Council.To learn more about the driving regulations for your car hire in Cork, please look at our Driving Information Page.

Cork Airport

Cork Airport is one of the main three airports in Ireland. It is based about 6.5km south of Cork City and handles roughly 2,2 million passengers a year. Regular and seasonal charter flights are offered to domestic, as well as European destinations and includes flights with Aer Lingus, Ryanair, Flybe, Volotea and Iberia Express. The airport is easily accesible with bus, car hire or taxi.

Cork Airport (ORK)
Address: Kinsale Rd, Cork, Ireland
Website: http://www.corkairport.com/
Telephone: +353 21 431 3131

What to do in Cork

• Guinness Jazz festival: This is one of the most popular events in the calendar year for Cork. It began in 1978 and has taken place at the end of October every year since. This festival attracts people from all walks of life, who are passionate about jazz music. It is a friendly and popular event that takes place in many pubs across Cork City. There is always a great variety of musicians with something for everybody. Even if you're not too interested in Jazz music, you are guaranteed a great time!


• Blarney Castle and Stone:This is a medieval castle based in Cork. It is a famous landmark in Ireland and was built by Cormac MacCarthy. Today, Blarney Castle is associated to the Blarney Stone which is on the top of the tower. Legend says that if you kiss the Killarney stone that you will never be lost for words again.


• Fota Wildlife Park:A great day out for all the family, it is a 100 acre park on Fota Island just 10km east of Cork City. This is the largest visitor attraction in Munster. It has a wide variety of animals from around the world. Fota Wildlife Parks vision is for people to have inspiration on the biodiversity of our natural world. .


• Jameson Distillery Midleton:This is the visitor centre and museum for the world famous Irish Jameson whiskey. It is in Midleton Co. Cork and is on a 15-acre estate that dates back to the 18th century. It educates you about the history of whiskey, how it has become a global success and shows visitors the skill of making great whiskey


• Cork City Gaol:This is a popular visitor attraction as it has historical and archaeological heritage. It is a majestic castlelike ground that was occupied by 19th century prisoners. It is furnished with wax like figures to give visitors the full experience of what it was like for the inmates over 100 years ago. It was later used for radio broadcasting. Therefore, there now are also old radios as part of the museum.


• English Market:This is Ireland's most famous covered food market. It dates back to 1788 and has been a success ever since. The market has a wide variety of foods for all occasions. The market also sells other items such as crockery, t-shirts, clothing alterations and much more. A great place to visit for good atmosphere and good quality food.

• Kinsale:Kinsale is a well-known scenic fishing town in the south of Cork. It is near the head of Kinsale with many popular activities such as yachting, sea angling and golf.

Best day trips with my car rental in Cork

There are many things to see and places to visit around Cork that are a must-see while on your trip.

Cliffs of Moher

The cliffs are just under a three hour drive to County Clare from Cork. You can enjoy an amazing walk along the cliff tops and visit the heritage centre giving you spectacular Irish natural wonder. There are many local towns such as Lahinch that have many lovely pubs and restaurants.

Ring of Kerry:

The Ring of Kerry is one of the well-known trips to do in Ireland. It includes many of Kerry's spectacular scenery while taking in the traditions and culture of all the small towns along the way. The popular stops along the Ring of Kerry include The Dingle Peninsula, Skellig Islands and Muckross house.

Galway:

A great city in Western Ireland is Galway.There is a wide variety of activities in Galway including Eyre square, Galway Cathedral and The Claddagh.

Killarney National Park:

This was the first National Park in Ireland and is based in County Kerry. It is comprised of woodlands, bogland, flora and fauna. A very popular part of the National Park is the Killarney Lake. They make up about a quarter of the lakes system. Despite being inter linked, they in fact have their own Eco System.

Dublin:

While visiting Cork, another great city to visit is Irelands capital, Dublin. Dublin has a huge amount to offer for a day trip. Spend the day on Grafton street shopping, being entertained by buskers along the streets, learning about the famous Guinness beer in the Guinness store house and much more.

House Waterford Crystal:

This is a tour about all there is to know about the world famous brand, Waterford Crystal. There are several options for things you can do in the House Waterford Crystal including the factory tour, Waterford retail store and the Crystal Café.

Geographic Information & History

Cork, which is commonly known as Corgaigh in Ireland, it is the largest county in Ireland and is based in the South of Ireland. The River Liffey flows through Cork city centre and flows into the ocean in Cork harbour. The Shehy Mountains which is situated on the Cork-Kerry border is the highest peak in the county of Cork. The history of Cork dates back to the 8th Century. Throughout the centuries, Cork faced many difficulties especially the flood of people into the city during the famine and the events such as the Civil war. The weather in Cork is similar to the rest of Ireland, the coldest month is January, the warmest month is July and the wettest month is December.

How to get around Cork

The main method of getting around Cork city is the bus. Bus Eireann have modern buses that travel through the city and suburbs. There are about 20 different bus routes throughout. Bus routes start at 5am and stop at 12am. There are also several different buses available that will bring you to different counties around Ireland including Limerick. The city's bus station is centrally located at Parnell Place. There are also many trains that go in and out of Cork on a daily basis travelling to other counties and also within the county of Cork. The main train station is based in Kent station which is the east of the city. There are two main train lines that travel around Cork County; One heading east to Cobh and the other heading north to Mallow, Charlaville and Millstreet. There are also many trains throughout the day that travel to other counties throughout Ireland.

Useful Links

Tourism Information

Back to the top