Killarney National Park and the Muckross gardens share the same stretch of lakeshore and account for most of the walking on this page: 102 km² of oak and yew woodland, the Lakes of Killarney, a native red deer herd, and a Victorian garden laid out around an 1840s mansion where the rhododendrons and azaleas peak in May and June. The Muckross grounds are free; you pay only to go inside the house or the farms.
Two of the gardens are here because of the Gulf Stream. Glanleam sits in a sheltered pocket of Valentia Island outside Knightstown, where the Knight of Kerry planted tree ferns and Chilean myrtle in the 1830s; it opens April to October for €6. Kells Bay, in a valley off the Ring of Kerry, grows one of the northern hemisphere’s largest tree-fern forests, with a rope bridge and a Thai restaurant in the grounds.
The rest is spread wide and most of it needs a car. Bonane’s archaeology loop is 10km west of Kenmare, Caragh Lake Forest climbs steeply 13km southwest of Killorglin, and the Mullaghareirks straddle the Cork and Limerick borders. Tralee Town Park is the one you can reach on foot from a town centre.
A 102 km² UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of ancient oak and yew woodland, glacial lakes and Ireland's only native red deer herd.
A 2km loop past a solstice-aligned stone circle, a ringfort and famine-era ruins, 10km west of Kenmare.
A sheltered pocket of Valentia Island where the Knight of Kerry planted tree ferns and Chilean myrtle in the 1830s, open April to October.
Free Victorian gardens on the shore of Muckross Lake, with a rock garden built onto limestone and rhododendrons at their best in May and June.
A 35-acre park in the centre of Tralee, with a Rose Garden whose wall names every Rose of Tralee since 1959.
8 of 8 shown — tap a pin for the place.
Killarney, kerry
Wander through centuries-old oak and yew forests, paddle across the glacial Lakes of Killarney, and spot Ireland's only native red deer herd. This 102 km² UNESCO Biosphere Reserve blends wild mountain scenery with well-preserved Victorian gardens and Bronze Age ruins.
Bonane, kerry
Bonane is a Kerry valley between the Sheehy and Caha Mountains with over 250 recorded archaeological sites. The heritage park's 2km loop walks you past a solstice-aligned stone circle, a ringfort, a bullaun stone and famine-era ruins across 5,000 years, for €5. It sits where the Ring of Kerry meets the Ring of Beara, 10km west of Kenmare.
Knightstown, kerry
Built as a linen mill in 1775, Glanleam House sits in a pocket of Valentia Island sheltered enough to grow tree ferns and Chilean myrtle outdoors. The Knight of Kerry planted the gardens in the 1830s; today they open to visitors from April to October for €6, with the house running as a B&B and three self-catering cottages.
Muckross, kerry
The gardens at Muckross are free; you only pay to go inside the house or the farms. Laid out around an 1840s mansion and dressed up for Queen Victoria's visit in 1861, they run from a rock garden built straight onto limestone to a walled arboretum of Southern-Hemisphere trees, with the rhododendrons and azaleas at their best in May and June.
Tralee, kerry
Locals call it 'The Green'. Built on the Denny family's old castle demesne and opened to the public in 1922, this 35-acre park holds an award-winning Rose Garden whose wall carries the name of every Rose of Tralee since 1959, a mythology-themed Garden of the Senses, and Ireland's National Folk Theatre, Siamsa Tíre.
Killorglin, kerry
Kells, kerry
Newmarket, cork
← All things to do in County Kerry
Book tours & tickets
We may earn a commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you.
Book tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips with GetYourGuide. Free cancellation on most experiences.
See tours & tickets in County Kerry →