Bantry is a market town on Bantry Bay in West Cork. Its waterfront, shops and Bantry House and Gardens provide starting points for a visit, with peninsula scenery beyond the town. Use this guide to explore Bantry and connect it with a wider West Cork trip.
Located some 80kms from Cork City, Bantry is a busy market town and seaport at the mouth of Bantry Bay, with a fine raised plaza in its main square, where one may relax before heading for the Beara Peninsula. A stroll in Bantry will offer visitors plenty of shops and restaurants. While there, visitors must make sure to visit the beautiful Bantry House and Gardens.
From Bantry, one can also appreciate the rocky ruggedness and view the islands in the bay, including Whiddy and Bere Island, both served by ferries, and Dursey, which has a rather unique cable car service.
Touring routes will take visitors over a wide variety of breathtaking scenery: coastal routes around each of the peninsulas, spectacular winding roads through the mountains, cliff-face roadways, and unrivalled vistas of mountain lakes, waterfalls and fast running rivers.
Bantry Highlights:
-
Bantry House
-
Bantry Bay Golf Club
-
The French Invasion Exhibition Centre
-
The Kilnaruane Carved Pillar Stone
-
The gun batteries of Whiddy Island