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Waterford Crystal & Midleton Distillery en route Dublin to Cork
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From €790 per person
If you’re travelling from Dublin to Cork, there’s a smarter way to do it than sitting on a bus watching motorway. This private transfer takes you door to door in a Mercedes, but stops at two of Ireland’s most worth-it attractions along the way.
First is the House of Waterford Crystal in Waterford City, where you can watch skilled craftspeople blow and cut crystal glass in a tradition that’s been running here for centuries. Then it’s on to the Midleton Distillery in Cork, home to some of Ireland’s most famous whiskeys - Jameson, Redbreast, and Powers among them. A visit here takes you through the whole story of Irish whiskey-making, from ancient pot stills to modern production.
Your driver/guide handles all the navigation and commentary, so you arrive at your Cork hotel having actually seen something of Ireland rather than the inside of a motorway coach.
Pick-up is from wherever suits you - your Dublin hotel reception is the usual spot. Just get in touch after booking to confirm your collection point and time.
Meeting point: Your chauffeur will meet you at your hotel reception, or wherever suits you best. After booking, contact the team to confirm your collection point and preferred departure time.
The House of Waterford Crystal sits in the heart of Waterford’s Viking Triangle, and the admission is well spent, but if someone in your group has seen glass-blowing before, know that the Bishop’s Palace across the road holds the oldest piece of Waterford Crystal in the world - it’s included in a general museum ticket. After your Crystal visit, if you’ve got a spare thirty minutes before the road south, grab a blaa from Walsh’s Bakehouse nearby. It’s the city’s EU-protected soft flour roll, baked twice a day and best eaten warm in a car park - genuinely one of those things you can’t get anywhere else.
At Midleton, the Old Midleton Distillery tells the story well - the pot still you’ll see in the yard is one of the largest ever built, at around 31,000 gallons. The new production facility sits adjacent and doesn’t take visitors, so the museum buildings are the right place to be. If you’re visiting on a Saturday morning before catching the distillery, Midleton’s farmers market is one of the strongest in Munster - real producers, real food, worth a quick lap before your tour time.
Timing-wise, the Cork leg of the journey puts you close to the city by mid-afternoon. Your driver handles the routing, but it’s worth noting that Midleton sits 30 minutes east of Cork city on the N25 - you’ll arrive refreshed rather than road-weary.