Whether you are visiting for the International Festival of the Rose of Tralee or just looking for a good base to explore the Wild Atlantic Way. Tralee is the perfect town to stay, explore and enjoy! From beautiful greenways to excellent museums and fabulous wetland areas. You will certainly have a fantastic time in Tralee!
Table of Contents
Where Is Tralee?
Tralee is in County Kerry, just to the North of the Dingle peninsula in Ireland. An easy location to get to and a perfect base to explore Kerry.
How To Get To Tralee
Driving to Tralee is easy, along various larger roads, sometimes Google maps may take you a shorter route along smaller roads, but we had no issues using Google maps in Ireland.
Tralee is served by direct trains to and from Limerick and Dublin Heuston. However there are also plenty of trains to elsewhere in Ireland that just require a change at Mallow station too.
By bus there are direct trips between Cork and Tralee, Killarney and Tralee or Tralee to Limerick. There are of course local buses to get around the area too.
The nearest airport is Kerry airport, a 15 minute drive from Tralee.
Where To Stay In Tralee
Tralee has plenty of hotels, guest houses and self catering properties. We stayed at the family friendly Manor West Hotel in the East of Tralee. It has excellent facilities including leisure centre with pool, a fantastic restaurant and children’s indoor play area.
The family bunk rooms are perfect for kids, with bunk beds for children and a double bed for the adults. Family rooms also boast plenty of floor space to move around, a desk and TV. If you have younger kids then the Den play space is perfect for some indoor play time! Or head down to the leisure centre to use the kids pool.
There is plenty of space in the large restaurant for dinner, or more relaxing seats if you prefer to sit and have a drink. A kids menu is available, although our kids order from the main menu now at 14 and 12 years old.
Breakfast is in the smaller dining area, buffet style continental breakfast or order the cooked breakfast made to order. The hotel also has a variety of communal seating areas, which would suit larger groups to sit and chat together. There is also plenty of parking outside, with free parking for guests.
What Is There To Do In Tralee?
What can you actually do in Tralee? There’s lots of things to do, from museums and parks to wetlands and cycling. It’s a great place to spend a few days exploring the town and surrounding area.
Tralee to Fenit Greenway
One of the most fun activities for families in Tralee is hiring bikes from Tralee Bike Rental to cycle to Fenit on the Greenway. It was heatwave when we were there, over 30 degrees! So we did have to make sure we stopped frequently for water, fortunately there are plenty of rest areas with benches and posts to lock your bike to.
The Greenway to Fenit from Tralee Bike Rental is only 7 km, 14km return. So only around an hour to get to Fenit from Tralee, a bit longer if you stop to take in the views! The trailhead in Tralee is just across the road from Tralee Bike Rental, so it’s really easy to access. Park your car at the station car park, paid parking.
Fenit has plenty of space to lock up your bikes and small sandy beach area with lifeguard. The beach was very busy when we visited, however it was a Sunday in 30 degrees heat in Ireland. So it’s to be expected!
Get lunch or a snack at Fenit Boathouse Cafe just above the beach. They have delicious lunch options, with everything from baguettes and wraps to pancakes and nacho chips. You can also order mocktails/cocktails and plenty of desserts and ice cream too. This was the perfect refuelling stop before cycling back to Tralee.
The journey back doesn’t take too long and the route is mostly flat. Although I do still recommend stopping to take in the views and just enjoy your journey back. The Greenway is very pretty and has great coastal views.
Kerry County Museum
Kerry County Museum is located in the centre of Tralee, right beside the town park. Unfortunately the museum wasn’t open when we visited, opening days are Tuesday – Saturday (also open on bank holiday Mondays). The museum has 7 galleries spread across 3 floors, with everything from a tactile archaeology exhibition to the medieval experience where you can stroll down medieval streets in costume. It sounds brilliant and we’ll have to go back one day to visit!
The town park outside is lovely with plenty of greenery to walk around and a great play park for the kids.
Tralee Bay Wetlands Eco and Activity Centre
If you’re in Tralee area you definitely make a stop at the Tralee Bay Wetlands Eco and Activity Centre. This is at the edge of the town and needs at least half a day to properly explore. Again, as it was so hot we didn’t get to make the most of the wetlands area. I think most wildlife was hiding in the shade of the reeds so they didn’t cook in the sun! But this is very unusual weather for Kerry!
On a typical day you can leisurely stroll around the wetlands, take a guided or self guided tour. Stop at the bird hides to spot wildlife and listen to the birds all around. If you are taking a self guided tour download a bird identification app so you can record bird song and the app can tell you which birds are there.
Kids may also enjoy the scavenger hunt, spotting flowers and invertebrates around the wetlands. Don’t miss the tower either, there’s a lift if required, to get an amazing birds eye view of the area.
You can also take a trip out on the peddle boats to visit the ducks and resident heron (it was so still I thought it was a model at first!). We also saw plenty of dragonflies zipping around the water, so don’t go too fast and ignore the little things! There are other activities too, including a climbing wall and water zorbing.
Then there is the lakeside cafe with a range of delicious breakfast and lunch options, plus snacks. It was a bit early for lunch for us, so we just had ice cream. But there were plenty of locals having brunch and it looked delicious!
Blennerville Windmill and Model Railway
The Blennerville Windmill is Ireland’s largest working windmill. It’s a restored 18th century windmill that is now the centre of a visitor attraction. Inside you have a guided tour explaining the history of milling grain, from grinding with quern stones to how a windmill works.
There are also exhibitions about emigration during the famine from Blennerville port and a model railway exhibition about the famous Tralee and Dingle Line. You can even work some of the trains on the smaller railway exhibits. And don’t miss the historic displays of agricultural equipment.
Blennerville was a historically important port for Tralee, until the bay silted up and the port was moved out to deeper water at Fenit. Apparently the silting up of the bay had a lot to do with the same tsunami that caused devastation to Lisbon, Portugal in 1755. It began the movement of sand into the bay, reducing the depth over time as more sand and silt was deposited. Later a canal was constructed into Tralee from the bay.
Aquadome
The Aquadome in Tralee is just opposite Tralee Bay Wetlands Eco and Activity Park. Here you can enjoy a flumes, wave pool and a lazy river. Along with a great swimming pool and whirlpool spas and bubble seats.
This is perfect for those wet days or just when you have a couple of spare hours to entertain active kids! Outside is a newly refurbished 18-hole miniature golf course. With opening hours stretching into the evening, this a great place to take the kids after dinner for some fun before bedtime.
Is Tralee A Good Base For Families?
Yes, it’s in the perfect location to access other areas of the Wild Atlantic Way, particularly the Dingle peninsula and coastal beaches around the North of Kerry. For a longer day out you can head down to the Ring of Kerry. But there really is plenty to do in Tralee for a good few full days as well!
Other Posts You May Enjoy
Pin Tralee, County Kerry – The Wild Atlantic Way Town you Shouldn’t Miss
