⚠️ Timetables, opening hours, prices and access conditions may change without notice, for reasons beyond our control (season, weather, decisions by operators, venues or local authorities). Before every trip, check the information with the relevant authorities and service providers. Entry requirements and local rules (reserves, quotas) are subject to the same caveat.
⚠️ Skellig Michael: the 2026 landing season was closed by the OPW on 21 September 2026 because of sea conditions; landings resume in 2027 (mid-May to late September, weather permitting). Cruises around the islands, without landing, continue until October.
At the tip of the Ring of Kerry, Valentia Island is reached by a bridge from Portmagee or by a small car ferry from Reenard Point. Gentle and green, the island hides some unexpected treasures: tetrapod footprints 385 million years old, the station of the first transatlantic telegraph cable and, from the summit of Geokaun, a view of the Skelligs. Offshore, Skellig Michael, a rock crowned by an early medieval monastery listed by UNESCO, is one of the most powerful visits in Ireland.
A monastery at the top of 618 steps
Founded between the 6th and 8th centuries, the monastery of Skellig Michael — Sceilg Mhichíl — stands about 180 m above the sea, at the top of 618 stone steps. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, it was used as the planet Ahch-To in Star Wars. Landing is only possible with one of the 15 permit-holding boats (12 passengers each), from mid-May to late September, sea permitting; children under 12 cannot land.
Puffins nest there from April to mid-August, and Little Skellig is home to one of the largest gannet colonies in the world. If the sea prevents a landing, cruises around the two islands let you see them up close.
Tetrapods, the transatlantic cable and cliffs
11 km long, the island has 658 inhabitants, living mostly in Knightstown and Chapeltown. In the north, the Dohilla tetrapod trackway preserves Devonian footprints, among the oldest of vertebrates walking on dry land. At Knightstown, it was from Valentia that the first lasting transatlantic telegraph cable to Newfoundland set out in 1866.
Geokaun, the island's highest point, has a scenic road up to the Fogher Cliffs and views over the Skelligs and Dingle Bay. Cromwell Point lighthouse is open to visitors in season.
Bridge, car ferry and departures for the Skelligs
The Maurice O'Neill Bridge links Valentia to Portmagee, where most boats for the Skelligs leave from. From April to October, a car ferry crosses in five minutes between Reenard Point, near Cahersiveen, and Knightstown, roughly every ten minutes.
Places for Skellig Michael go fast: book several weeks ahead for the summer, and keep a day in reserve, as trips are cancelled as soon as the swell is too high.
The essentials
| Getting there | Kerry Airport or Killarney, then ≈ 1 h 15 by road; bridge from Portmagee or car ferry Reenard Point–Knightstown |
|---|---|
| Best season | Mid-May to September to land on Skellig Michael; April to mid-August for the puffins |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) |
| Language | English; place names in Irish |
| Entry requirements | Valid ID card or passport |
Your questions answered
How do I visit Skellig Michael?
Only with one of the 15 boats holding an OPW permit, departing from Portmagee or Valentia, from mid-May to late September and sea permitting. You need to book well in advance; under-12s cannot land.
Is Skellig Michael open at the moment?
The 2026 season was closed on 21 September 2026 because of sea conditions; landings resume in 2027. Cruises around the islands, without landing, continue until October.
How do I get to Valentia Island?
By car over the bridge from Portmagee, all year round, or by the car ferry between Reenard Point and Knightstown, from April to October (about 5 minutes).
Photo: Sonse, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons