Perched on the south coast of the Dingle Peninsula, Dingle is a charming port town that’s been famed in recent years for its friendly bottlenose dolphin “Fungie”. It’s surrounded by rugged coastal scenery and wild beaches and is home to an aquarium that showcases marine species from the Atlantic Ocean and beyond.

Things to do

One of the most popular attractions in Dingle is the Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium, which boasts a huge diversity of marine life from around the globe. Get up close to gentoo penguins, sand tiger sharks and Asian short-clawed otters, then admire the aquarium’s green iguanas and African dwarf crocodiles. The Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium also plays an important role in protecting European lobsters and rearing Natterjack toads.

A short walk from the Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium is a statue of the “Dingle Dolphin”, a common bottlenose dolphin who was known to interact with swimmers, kayakers and divers in the nearby waters. In 2019, “Fungie” was declared by Guinness World Records as being the oldest solitary dolphin in the world and a statue was erected after he disappeared the following year.

Whiskey, gin and vodka fans shouldn’t miss a visit to the Dingle Distillery, which has been crafting high-quality spirits since 2012. Join a guided tour to get a behind-the-scenes look at the distillery and sample some of their Irish whiskey while learning about what the makers have in store for the future.

Getting around

Dingle is around 45 minutes’ drive from Tralee and one hour from Kerry Airport, which has flights to destinations across Europe. Trains connect from cities across Ireland to the Tralee railway station, from where buses continue the journey to Dingle. The centre of Dingle is small enough to explore on foot.