Athlone travel guide

Athlone, South Africa

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Athlone

Introduction

Athlone is a suburb of Cape Town, forming part of the city's Cape Flats region. As you plan your visit, it helps to know that the area is defined by two prominent landmarks: Athlone Stadium and the decommissioned, coal-burning Athlone Power Station.

Before you go

Athlone sits on the River Shannon at a historic crossing point, where the Normans built a bridge and a fortified town and castle on the west bank. The river once marked the boundary between the Gaelic kingdoms of Connacht to the west and Meath to the east, and the town's strategic position meant later rulers kept a garrison here. The west bank still keeps its higgledy-piggledy medieval street pattern, though most buildings from that era were destroyed in the sieges of 1690/91, so the town you see was largely rebuilt in the 18th and 19th centuries. Before you go, it helps to know that Athlone's inland setting shaped how it was reached: ancient travel north-south followed the Shannon, while east-west routes ran along the eskers, the gravel ridges left by glaciers. The main east-west route lay further south, crossing the Shannon at Clonmacnoise, which grew into a great monastic centre. Today the town's central location makes it a base for state agencies, industry and the army, with healthcare and IT among the leading employers.

Getting there

Athlone sits roughly 90 minutes by road from Dublin (DUB), Shannon (SNN) or Knock (NOC) airports. Dublin is generally your best bet, thanks to its wide range of flights and good onward transport, and two bus lines compete on the route from the airport and city centre to Athlone and Galway.

By rail, trains from Dublin Heuston run hourly and take about 1 hr 20 min to Athlone via Portarlington, Tullamore and Clara. From Athlone they either continue west via Athenry to Galway, or northwest to Roscommon, Castlebar and Westport, with connections to Ballina. The railway station is 500 m north of the town centre, with a ticket office open shortly before trains on weekdays, plus ticket machines and toilets. By road from Dublin, follow the N4/M4, which becomes the M6 at Kinnegad; it continues west to Galway, another hour. Bus services are extensive: City Link's 763 runs several times daily to Dublin and Galway, stopping outside B&Q in Athlone, while Bus Éireann routes link the town with Limerick, Drogheda, Mullingar, Waterford, Westport, Cavan and Roscrea, among others. Local Link services such as the 819, 815, 850 and 548 fill in rural villages and towns, several running 364 days a year.

Getting around

The centre of Athlone is compact enough to explore on foot, and walking is the simplest option for most short trips within the town centre. Be aware, though, that Athlone is a ribbon town stretching a long way east to west while being very narrow north to south in places, so some destinations that look close on a map can be a long walk. Taxi ranks sit at the train station and on Church Street, handy for the main arrival points and the town centre.

For anything beyond the centre, Bus Éireann's cross-town routes A1 and A2 run from Monksland in the west via the bus and railway station, town centre, Golden Island Shopping Centre and Athlone Institute of Technology to Creggan Court in the east, every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 30 minutes on Sundays and public holidays; the A1 goes via Retreat Road and the A2 via Ballymahon Road. Flagline's Ath1 links Golden Island Shopping Centre and Athlone Institute of Technology every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday. Several regional and intercity services make multiple stops around town rather than a single central stop: the 190, 815, 819 and 850 stop at Golden Island and Athlone TUS, the 72 and 73 at Athlone TUS, and the 548 at Northgate Street, the Luan Art Gallery and Monksland among others. Route maps and stop locations are shown on the TFI route mapper. Note that Bus Éireann's former services to Dublin and Galway from the bus station were cancelled indefinitely in July 2021, so those journeys are now operated by private companies such as Citylink and an Aircoach route, with passengers picked up and dropped off at the Arcadia Retail Park and Athlone Institute of Technology rather than the bus station.

Where to stay

For budget stays, you'll find a cluster of small B&Bs and guesthouses around town. Creggan Court Hotel sits on the eastern edge along the Dublin road and is dog-friendly, while Shamrock Lodge Hotel on the western edge is a small, friendly and very clean option. Arch House B&B on Sean Costello Street offers simple but clean and roomy rooms plus self-catering apartments, and the Bastion B&B is a charming small place a block west of the castle. Mid-range choices are mostly central. The Prince of Wales on Church Street is a slick, comfy hotel in the heart of town, and the Sheraton Athlone Hotel on Gleeson Street is a well-run option with a fitness centre and spa. The Radisson Blu sits on the east riverbank with conference facilities and a fitness centre, while the Athlone Springs Hotel on the Tuam Road is a clean, modern base handy for motorists near the M6. Coosan Cottage Eco Hotel north of town is a charmingly sustainable eco B&B, and Shelmalier House is a welcoming B&B at the eastern edge. The Mill Bar west of town has comfy en suite rooms and is best known for its Cornloft Restaurant. For a splurge, Wineport Lodge is an upscale lakeside lodge with great comfort, service and views, and the Hodson Bay Hotel is a four-star option on the west shore of Lough Ree, handy for lake activities.

Food & drink

For eating, you have plenty of choice in the town centre. Left Bank Bistro, on the south side of the castle, is a chic modern bistro with a wide menu. Kin Khao Thai sits a block south of the castle in a turmeric-hued building and serves Thai cuisine. Di Bella on High Street is a reliable Italian option, while Al Mezza on Bastion Street serves Lebanese meze and shwarma. For something heartier, try 1810 Steakhouse on Pearse Street for steaks, seafood and tapas, or Thyme Restaurant on the east side of the river bridge, known for modern Irish cuisine. The Fatted Calf on Church Street, by the shopping centre, is another good option in the town centre.

For drinks, Sean's Bar on Main Street is lively and friendly, right next to the castle, and is alleged to be the oldest pub in Ireland. The Castle Inn is also on Main Street. East of the river, Dublin Gate Street has a cluster of pubs including Gertie Browne, Pedlar Mac's, Malt House, Piano Bar, Carey's Tavern, Murphy's Law, Flannery's and Dark Horse. Further out, the Lough Ree Inn at Coosan Point is a scenic spot for drinks and a meal where Lough Ree meets the "inner lakes".

What to see and do

Athlone Castle is the obvious starting point: built for King John in 1210 and extended later in the 13th century, it saw its heaviest fighting in the two 17th-century sieges, when the Jacobites held the town and the Williamites bombarded it from across the Shannon before finally forcing a crossing downstream and taking the castle. Much of what stands today dates from its Napoleonic-era rebuilding, and the tourist information centre is on site. Nearby on Barrack Street, the twin-towered Church of St Peter & Paul is the city's emblem, built in the 1930s with stained glass by the Harry Clarke workshop. Other churches repay a look, including the Methodist church on Northgate and the Church of Ireland St Mary's on Dublin Gate Street, while the Luan Gallery next to St Peter & Paul shows contemporary work in a modern wing joined to a 19th-century former library. Outside it stands a bust of the tenor John McCormack, with a full-sized statue of him outside Civic Hall. Architecture is clustered along Church Street, Northgate Street and Pearse Street, and the 1851 railway bridge carries the Galway line across the Shannon, with the original classical stone station building on the west bank now used as offices. The old Athlone Canal on the west side has been culverted into a park. For events, read the Westmeath Independent or listen to ACR on 88.4 FM, and the Drama Festival runs in early May. Theatres include the Dean Crowe Theatre west of the castle, Athlone Little Theatre on the east side and Tonnta Street Theatre to the northeast, and there's a cinema in Golden Island Shopping Centre. River cruises leave from the west bank quay by the bridge, heading upstream to Lough Ree or downstream to Clonmacnoise. Coosan Point, where Lough Ree narrows into the Shannon, is the local base for water sports, with Killinure Point just north enclosing the sheltered inner lakes. You can play golf at Hodson Bay on the west shore or at Aghanasmore east of town, watch Athlone Town AFC play soccer at their stadium in Lissywollen, or walk and cycle the Greenway, a paved trail along an abandoned railway branch that runs from near the station out to Moate and on towards Mullingar.

Three days in Athlone

Day one: Start in Athlone itself, where the River Shannon divides the town. Walk the streets and take in the Normans' legacy, then look to the Gaelic past that shaped Connacht and Meath. Before you leave the Shannon, consider a trip out to Clonmacnoise. Today the town is easy to reach: by air via Dublin (DUB), Shannon (SNN) or Knock (NOC), by rail from Dublin Heuston through Portarlington, Tullamore and Clara, or from Galway and Athenry, and by bus with City Link or Bus Éireann from Limerick, Drogheda and Kinnegad.

Day two: Use Athlone as your base for the wider region. Head west towards Roscommon, Castlebar, Westport and Ballina, or south towards Limerick. Keep the town's landmarks in view as you go: Athlone Stadium and Athlone Power Station are part of the local landscape. If you prefer a city day, Cape Town and the Cape Flats are far away, but the contrast is worth noting when you plan your route.

Day three: Return to the Shannon and the town's older layers. The Normans, the Gaelic order, and the pull of Connacht and Meath all meet here. Before you go, trace the river one more time and let Athlone's position at the crossing settle in your mind. From Athlone you can head back to Dublin, Galway or Limerick by the same rail and bus links that brought you.

About this place