It was our first full day in Cork, and we had just finished having breakfast, and wanted to get a sense as to what the area had to offer. As we had had general success with city tours in Dublin and Galway we figured why not, there are certainly worse ways to spend a couple of hours.
That's probably technically true - we could have spent a couple of hours fighting off pickpockets or being strangled by an elephant. But at least with those activities the level of expectation would have been minimal (and hey, what stories we'd have to share!).
We waited with a group of others near the foot of Oliver Plunkett Street on a surprisingly humid early Sunday afternoon (word to the wise - at the time we visited Ireland, the weather was more consistent with our experiences in Florida than our expectations for the British Isles, so one doesn't necessarily require heavy-layered clothing in the summertime). The bus arrived on time, and we were able to secure spots on the roof.
In some limited ways the ride was informative - we did learn about tours we could take of nearby places, and we were informed about some freaky churches in the area. The close calls with foliage was also surprisingly entertaining. But unlike other rides, there was no personality from the driver. In fact, there was no interaction from the driver, apart from collecting our tolls, as the commentary was pre-recorded, and boring.
So, my recommendation would be to consult one of the tourist shops to inquire about things to do in the area (i.e. Ring Of Kerry, Cobh, The Blarney Stone), and to simply walk around the River Lee island to take the city sights in yourself. read more
