Valentia Island is accessible by a bridge which connects the Island to the Mainland at Portmagee.  A car ferry connects Knightstown, the largest of the Island’s two villages, to the Mainland at Renard Point near Caherciveen.  The ferry is a shuttle service every 10-12 minutes and operates Mid March to Mid October.

Knightstown is a planned village, designed by Alexander Nimmo, built on the seafront and was the European end of the Transatlantic Cable for almost 100 years.  It has many interesting and historical buildings, 2 beautiful Churches, Cafes, Gift shops, Restaurants, Pubs and the Island Heritage Centre.  Sea sports, swimming and boating bring a lively feeling to the seafront during the summer. Valentia Farmhouse Dairy near Knightstown makes ice-cream and has an ice-cream parlour open from June to September.

Glanleam Gardens are woodland gardens with a subtropical feeling.  The Lighthouse at the harbour entrance is built in a star shaped Cromwellian Fort, and a place for some spectacular camera shots during the stormy weather.

The Tetrapod Footprints are the oldest fossilised footprints in the world.  At 385 million years, they are to be found in Dohilla on the rocks at the seashore near the Radio Station.  The Slate Quarry is the setting for a spectacular Grotto (Marian Shrine).

Further on, the best views are from Geokaun Mountain, the Islands highest point.  A viewing deck stands on the edge of the spectacular Fogher Cliffs.  At the peak, there are 360 degree views of the whole Island, and as far as the Skelligs, Blaskets, Dingle Peninsula and the McGillicuddy Reeks.

There is a candle-making workshop close by which is at the end of a short laneway and children can make their own candles.

St. Brendan’s Well is one of the many Christian and Archaelogical sites on the Island and the Skellig Experience centre near the Bridge gives a flavour of the Skellig Islands – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, their bird life, The Monastery, and the Lighthouse.

Bray Head is a popular walking path all year round, and the Valentia Island Heritage Centre based in Knightstown is well worth a visit with a wealth of history inside.

The Slate Quarry was first opened in 1816 by the Knight of Kerry.  The slates were used to make benches, sundials & tables and also on the roof of the British House of Commons Westminister.  It was also exported to Bahia in South America on the San Salvador Railway station in 1860.  A rock fall closed the quarry in 1910 but it was reopened in 1998 by three local businessmen under the title Valentia Slate Ltd.