Limerick, Ireland: travel guide
Once synonymous with urban grittiness, Limerick has reinvented itself as a dynamic, confident city — European Capital of Culture 2014, and home to one of Ireland's finest medieval fortresses. King John's Castle, commissioned in 1210, occupies a dramatic island site in the River Shannon. The Hunt Museum holds one of Ireland's greatest private art collections. Adare, 16 km south, is Ireland's prettiest village.
- Country
- Ireland
- Currency
- EUR
- Time zone
- Europe/Dublin
- Nearest airport
- SNN
Top places to visit in Limerick
Limerick Bunratty Castle
Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 8 h
A day trip from Limerick to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park — the spectacular 1425 castle with the iconic Medieval Banquet, the recreated Irish village, and the famous shillelagh dancers.
King John's Castle Limerick
Fort · 4.5 rating · about 1.5 h · entry EUR 14
One of the finest and best-preserved Anglo-Norman castles in Europe — a massive five-towered fortress built on Thomond Island in the River Shannon by order of King John of England in 1210. The castle has survived eleven centuries of…
Adare Village
Heritage · 4.8 rating · about 2 h
Ireland's prettiest village — a perfectly composed ensemble of thatched limestone cottages, manicured hedges, medieval ruins, a working Trinitarian priory and the gates of Adare Manor estate lining a single village street 16 km south of…
Limerick Cliffs Moher
Viewpoint · 4.9 rating · about 8 h
A day trip from Limerick to the Cliffs of Moher — Ireland's spectacular 214m Atlantic cliffs, with O'Brien's Tower and the Wild Atlantic Way coastal views.
Limerick Hunt Drogheda
Heritage · 4.5 rating · about 0.5 h
The Treaty Stone — Limerick's spectacular monument commemorating the 1691 Treaty of Limerick that ended the Williamite War, on the banks of the River Shannon.
Limerick People Park
Nature · 4.5 rating · about 1 h
People's Park — Limerick's spectacular Victorian park (1877) with the iconic Spring Rice Memorial, the Carnegie Building, and the famous Pearse Stadium.
Hunt Museum Limerick
Museum · 4.7 rating · about 1.3 h · entry EUR 8
One of Ireland's greatest private art collections — an astonishing assembly of 2,000 works spanning 5,000 years of human creativity, collected by antiquarian couple John and Gertrude Hunt and bequeathed to the Irish public. Displayed in…
St Mary's Cathedral Limerick
Church · 4.6 rating · about 0.8 h · entry EUR 5
The oldest building in Limerick city still in everyday use — a Romanesque cathedral founded by Donal Mór O'Brien, King of Munster, in 1168 CE on the site of his royal palace on King's Island. The cathedral has been in continuous use as a…
Limerick Frank McCourt
Museum · 4.5 rating · about 1 h
The Frank McCourt Museum — the spectacular museum in McCourt's former Leamy School, dedicated to the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Angela's Ashes.
Limerick Foynes Flying Boat
Museum · 4.7 rating · about 8 h · entry EUR 18
A day trip from Limerick to the Foynes Flying Boat Museum — the historic 1939-1945 transatlantic flying boat terminal, with the original Irish coffee invention story.
Limerick Lough Gur Heritage
Heritage · 4.6 rating · about 8 h · entry EUR 5
A day trip from Limerick to Lough Gur — the spectacular prehistoric lake with the Grange Stone Circle (Ireland's largest), the Neolithic settlement, and the heritage centre.
Things to do
- King John's Castle Guided Tour Limerick Cultural · 1.5 h · from EUR 12 per person
Day trips and tours
- Limerick Heritage Day: Castle, Museum & Adare 7 h · from EUR 29
Where to stay in Limerick
- King's Island & Georgian Quarter about EUR 115 per night
Staying on or near King's Island puts King John's Castle and the Hunt Museum within 5 minutes' walk. The Georgian Quarter around Pery Square has Limerick's finest boutique hotel.
Hotels
- Adare Manor 5-star · EUR 500 to EUR 2,500 per night
- No.1 Pery Square Hotel & Spa 4-star · EUR 120 to EUR 295 per night
- Limerick City Hostel 2-star · EUR 15 to EUR 68 per night
Where to eat
- The Cornstore Limerick Steakhouse, Modern Irish · about EUR 60 per person
- Limerick Milk Market Market, Street Food · about EUR 14 per person
- Hook & Ladder Limerick Modern Irish, Café, Wine Bar · about EUR 28 per person
Getting around
- Car Rental Self main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Walking
Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.