Flights Manchester to Cork, £28.00 Returns and a Day Out
Founders pay £19.00 a year, for as long as you stay. See the founding offer
Flights from Manchester to Cork take about 1 hour 15 minutes and same-day returns are £28.00 on dates including Wednesday 11 November and Tuesday 8 December 2026, with a day in Cork costing £83.85 all in.
£28.00 return. That's what flights from Manchester to Cork cost on a handful of midweek dates this winter, and you're only in the air for an hour and a quarter. Cork is one of the cheapest extreme day trips you can do from the north.
Whether you're going to see family or just fancy a day in Ireland's second city, here's what's on the board.
How long is the flight from Manchester to Cork?
1 hour 15 minutes. Ireland is on the same time as the UK, so there's no clock changing. On the Tuesday 8 December flight you leave Manchester at 06:55 and land in Cork at 08:10.
When are Manchester to Cork flights cheapest?
These were all £28.00 or £29.00 for a same-day return with Ryanair when we checked.
- Tuesday 10 and Tuesday 17 November, £29.00, out at 06:55, home at 20:00.
- Wednesday 11 November, £28.00, out at 07:50, home at 20:45.
- Wednesday 25 November, £29.00, out at 07:50, home at 20:45.
- Tuesday 8 December, £28.00, out at 06:55, home at 20:00. See the day trip to Cork from Manchester
Every one of the cheapest days is a Tuesday or Wednesday, so if you can take a day off midweek, that's where the savings are.
Can you do Cork in a day from Manchester?
Easily. On 8 December you're in the city from about 08:35 to 18:05, nearly ten hours, and back in Manchester at 21:15. On the 11 November flights it's 09:30 to 18:50.
What does a day in Cork cost?
It's £83.85 a head all in. The flight is £28.00, then the trip page adds £14.00 for the bus in and out, £4.00 for getting about, £17.60 for lunch and £20.25 for dinner, £55.85 on the ground in total.
Cork isn't cheap to eat in, so food is most of the cost. Do lunch at the English Market and you'll get the best of the city's food without the restaurant prices.
The free stuff, and a few paid bits
The English Market is the place to start, it's free and it's the heart of the city's food. Elizabeth Fort is free, and so is a walk through Fitzgerald's Park to the Shakey Bridge, with the Cork Public Museum in the park too.
Paid ones, if you've got time. Cork City Gaol is €12, St Fin Barre's Cathedral is €8, and Blarney Castle and Gardens is €24.
Sunset on 8 December is at 16:24, so do the park and the fort in the morning and save the market and the pubs for later.
A day in Cork, start to finish
Land, get the bus into town and have breakfast. Walk up to Elizabeth Fort for the view over the city, then across the river and out along the Lee to Fitzgerald's Park while it's light. Cross the Shakey Bridge, have a look in the Cork Public Museum, then walk back in.
Lunch at the English Market. Pick one paid thing for the afternoon, the Gaol or the cathedral, and then find a pub for an hour before dinner. Leave the city when the trip page says, and you'll be home in Manchester before most people are in bed.
Is Cork worth a day trip?
For £83.85 all in and an hour in the air, it's one of the easiest days out we list from Manchester. Short flight, no time difference, a walkable city and a proper food market. If you've only ever been to Dublin, Cork is a nice change of pace.
Two small things. Ireland uses the euro, so bring a card that doesn't charge for spending abroad, and check what photo ID Ryanair wants for flights between the UK and Ireland.
Our day trip to Cork guide has more on the city, and you can see everything else from day trips from Manchester. All of this was on our board on 2 November.
We price every Manchester date six months ahead for founders, so the £28.00 days are easy to spot. It's £19.00 a year. Have a look
Day trips in this article
Founders pay £19.00 a year, for as long as you stay. See the founding offer
The cheapest day trips of the week, by email
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