Killarney is the main base for exploring southwest Ireland's lake and mountain scenery — the national park, the Gap of Dunloe, and the Ring of Kerry all start from here. The town itself is not especially beautiful, but it has been hosting visitors for over two hundred years and does it well: there are pubs, restaurants, and places to stay in every price range.
The real attraction is what surrounds the town. Killarney National Park was the first national park in the Republic of Ireland and covers over 100 square kilometres of lakes, oak and yew woodland, and mountain terrain. Ross Castle, a fifteenth-century tower house on the shore of Lough Leane, is one of the most photogenic spots. Muckross House and its gardens are nearby, and jaunting cars (horse-drawn traps) run between the main sights. Muckross Abbey, with its 500-year-old yew tree filling the cloister, is a short walk further into the park. Innisfallen Island in Lough Leane can be reached by rowing boat from Ross Castle and contains the ruins of a seventh-century monastery.
Killarney is well connected by rail and bus to Dublin, Cork, and Tralee. It makes for a natural starting or ending point for the Ring of Kerry drive. The Kerry Way, Ireland's longest waymarked trail at 214 km, begins and ends here.