Cobh (Titanic's Last Port)

Cobh, a harbor town on Cork Harbour, was the Titanic's final port of call before it sank in April 1912, and the town's waterfront still holds the original White Star Line ticket office building, now home to the Titanic Experience museum, which recreates the boarding process and tells the stories of the 123 passengers who joined the ship here. Nearby, the Cobh Heritage Centre focuses on the town's role as the principal port of emigration for millions of Irish people leaving for North America and Australia during the 19th and 20th centuries, alongside its connection to the Lusitania, sunk by a German U-boat off the coast in 1915. The town itself climbs steeply from the harbor, its pastel-colored terraced houses beneath the twin spires of St. Colman's Cathedral forming one of the most photographed streetscapes on the Cork coast. A visit to both museums and a walk along the waterfront takes two to three hours. Spike Island, a former prison fortress nicknamed Ireland's Alcatraz, sits in the harbor and is reachable by a short ferry crossing for those with extra time. Cobh makes an easy half-day trip from Cork city, roughly 25 minutes away by train.