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Cork · Ireland

Car hire and driving in Cork

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In Ireland traffic drives on the left. Picking up at ORK means 6 km (4 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257.

Drives from Cork

Car rental from Cork: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Cork to LimerickIreland86 km (53 mi)about 1 h 19 min
Cork to DublinIreland219 km (136 mi)about 3 h 20 min
Cork to SwanseaUnited Kingdom313 km (195 mi)about 4 h 46 min
Cork to BelfastUnited Kingdom345 km (214 mi)about 5 h 15 min
Cork to PlymouthUnited Kingdom346 km (215 mi)about 5 h 17 min
Cork to ExeterUnited Kingdom367 km (228 mi)about 5 h 36 min
Cork to CardiffUnited Kingdom368 km (228 mi)about 5 h 36 min
Cork to NewportUnited Kingdom378 km (235 mi)about 5 h 46 min
Cork to BirkenheadUnited Kingdom404 km (251 mi)about 6 h 9 min
Cork to LiverpoolUnited Kingdom407 km (253 mi)about 6 h 12 min
Cork to BristolUnited Kingdom408 km (253 mi)about 6 h 13 min
Cork to TelfordUnited Kingdom418 km (260 mi)about 6 h 23 min
Cork to LondonUnited Kingdom576 km (358 mi)about 8 h 47 min
Cork to BerlinGermany1,487 km (924 mi)about 22 h 40 min
Cork to MadridSpain1,328 km (825 mi)about 20 h 15 min
Cork to ParisFrance838 km (520 mi)about 12 h 46 min
Cork to HamburgGermany1,253 km (779 mi)about 19 h 7 min
Cork to BarcelonaSpain1,419 km (882 mi)about 21 h 39 min
Cork to MunichGermany1,487 km (924 mi)about 22 h 40 min
Cork to MilanItaly1,475 km (917 mi)about 22 h 30 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Auto EuropeA broker specialising in Europe, often with clearer all-in pricing for US renters.Get European rates on Auto Europe (opens www.autoeurope.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Cork?

The left, as everywhere in Ireland.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.