Charles Fort

Can’t fault this as a stop… I’ll post some pics later but a really nice detour and a beautiful spot to soak in the vistas.

Beautiful fort and worth a visit. I happened to visit on a bright sunny day so really worth it. They have a small museum that’s worth a stop for some of the history. Beyond that it’s just walking around the fort and enjoying the views. It’s almost like a park in some respects. They also have a café with drinks and sandwiches available for purchase.
It would be nice if they could get a shuttle to take people back and forth. For a tourist — it’s a 45 minute walk from the city center and there doesn’t appear to be any other way to get there. You can also rent a bike (for the rip off price of 15 euros) which is the option I went with just because I like to bike. I recommend walking along the lower street to get there. You avoid most of the road traffic that way.

€ 4.00 buys you a lot of history and entertainment. Very fun walking around these ruins and you have a lot of liberty to walk all over the place. We came in the morning off season in April and practically had the entire place to ourself. Tour groups and buses start rolling in by noon, but luckily we were done by then.
Pro Tip: Beware of the Scilly walk from Kinsale. Its beautiful, but its deceptively long, hilly, takes about 45min with some steep hills. I wish we had driven to save time, not because we’re lazy Americans :)

I have a very vague recollection of running around Charles Fort back on my first family holiday way back in the 80s. We were even allowed to walk around the top of the fort walls!
On my second visit over a year ago we paid 4 EUR in and I had my proper look around as a adult. This is a bargain of an entry fee. The place is so well maintained and there some good exhibitions here too. I found the army uniforms on display excellent.
But just walking around and taking in the views is the highlight for me. There is a great view of the town to the right and the open seas to the left. And when the sun is shining, bonus!
The walk from Kinsale itself out to here is defintely worth doing too.
Unfortunately on my third visit just recently it was closed for most of the month of February (2014) so the entrance archway can have conservation work done on it.

Amazing history of all things Kinsale and Ireland.

Fabulous place to explore and with great views of Kinsale. Take the walking trail from the town centre and explore the area nearby. A great thing to do when in Kinsale. There are some fabulous pubs along the way and you can stop in for lunch or a pint on the way there or back.

A must see if you go near on your visit to Ireland. We stayed in Kinsale and walked to Charles Fort — it was worth the long walk for sure and we even ended up going a second time on our last day in Kinsale.

Charles Fort was one of the highlights of our trip to Kinsale. We walked here from the town center, which was a scenic mile or two walk. Charles Fort is a star-​shaped fort that was first built in the late 1600s. You can walk around its green, grassy points overlooking the water, stroll among the still standing military barracks. The grounds here are absolutely stunning; we spent a lot of time meandering around imagining what it must have been like to be a soldier there. If you’re in the area, this is a must-​visit.

CHARLES FORT
The star-​shaped Charles Fort was a tough station. Blasphemy was punishable by «boring the tongue» with a red hot iron. More controversial still was the «cat o’ nine tails» flogging punishment, introduced in the early 18^th century.
If you came back wounded, you were at the mercy of the surgeons. But while the title sounds good, these guys were handy at blood-​letting and amputation and little else apparently.
Most of the punishments were carried out on the parade ground, to create the maximum impression on potential offenders. Nowadays, the grounds of the 17^th century fort are much more civilised. But, if those walls could talk, what a tale they’d tell.
Overlooking the harbour and town of Kinsale, it is scenically situated and a lovely and interesting visit at a very reasonable cost of just four euro per adult. For more info on the fort, associated with some of the most momentous events in Irish history, see
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A major attraction 2 miles from Kinsale, Charles Fort is on the road just past Summer Cove. BuiIt in the 17^th Century in a star shape, much of the structure has survived despite attempts to destroy it during the Irish Civil War. Two of the 5 large bastions afford a great view over the estuary. Take a pair of binoculars and see if you can spot a dolphin!
Kinsale was at one time an important naval base and the fort was occupied by the British until 1922, when it was handed over to the Irish Free State. There are interesting historical exhibits which illustrate what life must have been like.
It’s open all year and guided tours are available. Café on site. Not suitable for anyone with disabilities due to the uneven terrain.

Charles Fort is a star-​shaped 17^th century fort right on the sea in Kinsale, County Cork. We had an interesting visit here last year.
The guide that showed us around the site was impressive and knew her stuff. There was quite a lot to see and a tearooms, shop and exhibition centre.
It was very atmospheric too and we spent some time just looking out to sea!
An easy spot to find and well worth the entrance fee which was under 4 EURO per adult. Charles Fort is owned by Heritage Ireland so you obviously get a special rate if you are one of their members.