Cork’s folksy, earthy, local charm never fails to impress, and it’s easy to see why travellers who come here to get lost in the town’s wealth of hidden Guinness pubs, tight-knit cobblestone alleyways, haunting gothic churches, canal-side shopping streets and mind-blowing array of worldly eateries find it so difficult to leave.

Between the lichen-spotted remnants of the Red Abbey, the old Cork Gaol and the mythical bulwarks of nearby Blarney Castle, the city’s past blurs the boundaries of history and legend, while its Old World drinking holes – all clustered around bustling Barrack Street – do well to create that fabled Irish Epicureanism. True to its claim as Ireland’s second capital, it also boasts a modern and edgy side, for which Cork tourist guides often point travellers to the Cork Vision Centre artistic space, the various galleries peppering the city’s University College, or even onto the tail end of the inebriated Rebel Pub Crawl. There are also oodles of nature pursuits on offer here – with whale watching opportunities along the coast, and hiking trails aplenty in the greater Cork County region.