The county town of Tralee is the main town in the Bay Area. With one of Irelands best town parks and top museums, Tralee is one of Irelands best tourist destinations and fast becoming Irelands family friendly holiday capital on the Wild Atlantic Way. Recently named in Tripadvisor’s Top 10 Irish destinations and named top tourism town by Failte Ireland, Tralee is an ideal holiday destination with great places to stay, pubs, restaurants and traditional music and a perfect base to explore Ireland’s south west coast including the Dingle Peninsula, the Ring of Kerry drive, the Skellig Ring drive, Loop Head Co. Clare, West Cork and the Wild Atlantic Way.
Best Places to Stay in Tralee:
Best Place To Eat and Drink in and near Tralee:
Best Things to See and Do in and near Tralee:
- The Playdium, ‘Where Fun Happens’, Tralee
- Ireland Walk Hike Bike, Tralee
- Little Samphire Island Lighthouse Boat Tour, Fenit
- Tralee Bay Maritime Centre, Fenit
- Local Walking Guide or Tour Guide: coming Soon
- Top Things to See and Do in the Bay Area
- Best Moderate and Mountain Walks in the Bay Area
- Best Easy and Family Walks in the Bay Area
- Best Cycle Routes and Drives in the Bay Area
- Best Beaches and Fishing Spots in Bay Area
- Festivals and Events in the Bay Area
Shopping in and near Tralee:
- Landers Outdoor World, Tralee
- Manor West Shopping Centre and Retail Park, Tralee
- Liscahane Nursery and Garden Centre, Ardfert
With people having lived in Tralee and the Bay Area for well over 5,000 years and Tralee recently celebrating 800 years as a town founded by the Normans in 1216, the town is rich in history, heritage and rebellion. With Kerry famous for its Festivals, Tralee is probably best known for the Rose of Tralee International Festival which is held every August since 1959 but the Tralee and Bay Area have many other great events here and offer so much more. Take a stroll in Tralee Town Park and playground and past lovely 18th-century Georgian buildings, visit the nearby County Museum, one of Irelands best or Siamsa Tire, the National Folk Theater of Ireland. Walk along the scenic Canal walk from Tralee and you will pass one of Irelands best bird watching locations, the Tralee wetlands and further on Derrymore Island and Brandon Point.
Enjoy a peaceful walk in Ballyseedy, Glanteenassig or Glanageety Woods and if the weather isn’t the best for you or the kids, you have so many choices for indoor and outdoor holiday fun. Visit the Aquadome indoor water park, have fun in the Playdium indoor play centre, Tralee Pitch n’Putt, Bowling Buddies, tour the Wetlands Centre, dress up and excavate bones in the County Museum, enjoy one of Irelands largest model railways and Irelands oldest working windmill in Blennerville or take in a movie at the Tralee Cinema with its new Maxx screen.
You can cycle safely with the kids in Tralee Town Park, Ballyseedy woods and when the tide is out a great place is Banna Beach, recently voted Ireland best beach by TripAdvisor. Choose from over 70km of sandy and Blue Flag beaches only minutes from Tralee including Fenit, Castlegregory, Banna, Ballyheigue, Fermoyle, Killelton and Derrymore. Take on some of Irelands best walks including the unmissable Mt. Brandon walk (952m), Sás Creek, Caherconree Mtn, the Dingle Way, the North Kerry Way, the Slieve Mish Mtns and don’t forget that Irelands highest mountain, Carrauntoohil is only 30 mins away.
Just a few minutes outside the town Tralee you can go back in time visiting the ruins of the ancient stone fort on Caherconree Mtn, Killelton Oratory, Ardfert Cathedral, Annagh Church and Queen Scotia’s Grave from Irish Mythology. For something a little more modern why not visit Fenit Beach and Lighthouse and its connection with St Brendan the Navigator and if golf is your thing, then a round of golf at Ballyheigue Castle Golf Course is just for you or maybe Tralee Golf Course, one of Irelands best links courses. With some beaches facing the Atlantic and some sheltered, they are perfect for surfing, kite surfing, sailing, wind surfing, kayaking, snorkeling, diving, swimming, SUP, water trampolines, water bouncing castles and play areas, fishing charter boats, bird watching, harbour and dolphin watching tours, shore fishing, walking, cycling and much more. You can also enjoy some of Irelands best cycling routes, scenic drives and mountain biking around Tralee including many loop routes and mountain climbs including the Conor Pass, the Short Mountain, Fenit, Brandon point and Kerry Head.
Tralee is located at the gateway to the Dingle Peninsula in the Lee valley. The town is at the base of an ancient pathway which passes over the short mountain, part of the Slieve Mish mountain range. Off this ancient path is a place called Scotia’s Grave, said to be the the burial place of an Egyptian Pharaoh’s daughter, Queen Scotia, after whom Scotland is named. The ancient inhabitants of the Tralee Bay Area built Irelands highest and most impressive stone forts and Ogham Stones on the mountains overlooking the Bay Area and from these people emerged some of the most famous stories of Irish Mythology and Folklore. Follow in the footsteps of Fionn MacChumhaill and Cú Chulainn, the ancient heroes of Irish Mythology who are said to have lived, hunted and roamed the mountains and valleys of the Bay Area.
