Ireland - Day 10
August 30, 2025: Today was another transition day. We traveled from Galway to Killarney via train. We had to make three changes along the way. Our second train was running late, so we though we might miss our last train, but it waited for our train to arrive with a large number of passengers heading from Mallow to Killarney. The entire trip took about 4 hours. As we have mentioned before, traveling by train in Europe is very easy and it is one of our favorite ways to travel. The only place we have rented a car while traveling outside of the United States was in New Zealand because there was no other easy way to get to the places we wanted to visit.
For this leg of our trip, we are staying at a hotel. We chose The Lake Hotel for its history and location on the shores of Lough Leane with the ruins of a 12th-century castle on its grounds. The Lake Hotel in Killarney has been welcoming guests since 1820. Queen Victoria stayed at the hotel in 1861. What began as a townhouse turned guesthouse soon became a beloved lakeside retreat, passing through several local families before being purchased by the Huggards in 1940. The Huggard family are renowned hoteliers in Ireland.
When we arrived in Killarney, we walked from the train station to a pub nearby to grab something to eat because they didn’t have any food service on the train and we didn’t think to grab something to bring along before we left. Then we grabbed a taxi and headed to the hotel to check in. We have a beautiful room that overlooks the lake and the castle ruins with a nice sitting area. The hotel is large with a bar, bistro and restaurant along with a piano lounge, a library and open sitting room. We got settled in and headed down to check it all out. We had not made any specific plans for the evening, so we were able to relax and enjoy the view and ambience of the hotel. We played some cards up in our room and then had a late dinner in the bistro. We have a lot to see in Killarney in just two days before we head to our next stop.
A little about Killarney, it is considered one of Ireland’s most picturesque towns, famed for its breathtaking landscapes and warm hospitality. The Lakes of Killarney, a trio of glacial lakes, are mountains, including Ireland’s highest peak, Carrauntoohil. We noticed the changed in topography as we were traveling here on the train. Instead of being rocky like Galway with miles of rock walls on the seaside, Killarney is inland and has more forest and trees. Killarney also serves as the starting point for the iconic Ring of Kerry. As ever, we are packing in as much as we can over the next couple of days including a bus ride to Dingle. More to come!