County Fermanagh (Irish: Contae Fhear Manach) is a largely rural county in the south-west of Northern Ireland and is famed for its numerous lakes. County Fermanagh belongs to the province of Ulster and is one of the six counties that form Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's western most county and covers an area of 1,691 km². Its capital (County Town) is Enniskillen housing the tourist attractions of Enniskillen Castle, Cole's Monument, the Ardhowen Theatre and Saint Macartin's Cathedral.

County Fermanagh is a rural area and therefore agriculture and tourism are the most important industries. The agricultural land is mainly used for hay and grazing than for other crops. The two lakes Upper Lough Erne and Lower Lough Erne are separated by the county's capital and linked to the river Shannon.

Towns

• 1 Enniskillen (Inis Ceithleann, "Ceithlenn's island") – situated between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne
• 2 Belcoo on the Irish border is near Florence Court and Marble Arch Caves.
• 3 Belleek (Béal Leice, "mouth of the flagstones") - with Belleek Pottery, the oldest pottery in Ireland producing the finest china.
• 4 Irvinestown near Necarne Castle and Castle Archdale is the main base for exploring the north end of Lower Lough Erne.
• 5 Lisnaskea is near Upper Lough Erne, with Crom Estate.

Get in

See Belfast for long-distance travel options.

The principal airports in Northern Ireland are Belfast International (BFS ^IATA) and George Best Belfast City (BHD ^IATA), both a 2-hour drive away.

City of Derry Airport (LDY ^IATA) is slightly closer, with a limited range of flights.

Dublin Airport (DUB ^IATA) is about a 2 hr 30 min drive; it has the best range of flights with competitive fares. Check the rules on cross-border driving, which changed in 2021.

There are ferries from Great Britain to Belfast, Larne and Dublin.

Enniskillen has buses from Belfast and Dublin.

Get around

Many like the freedom of self-drive tours of Northern Ireland. AA Route Planner is a good resource for planning your travel routes. You drive on the left hand side of the well maintained roads in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland has excellent bus services. Review Translink or Bus Eireann -(for bus services to and from Southern Ireland)

A network of national cycleways crosses the county, though they're mostly on road.

See

• Castles: choose from the sternly functional (Enniskillen Castle became a barracks), the tumbledown (such as Necarne and Archdale at Irvinestown), and the decorative (such as Castle Coole in Enniskillen), and make-overs such as Crom near Lisnaskea.
• Shabby abbeys: all the religious foundations were broken by the Dissolution circa 1540, but some continued as parish churches and graveyards. These include Aghalurcher near Lisnaskrea, and Devenish Island reached from Trory near Enniskillen.
• Karst and caves: southwest along the border near Belcoo is limestone country, with Burren Park above ground and Marble Arch Caves below.

Do

• Boating: trips and hire are mostly from Enniskillen and marinas on the lower lough. There's less on the upper lough, though its many islets make it more sheltered - the lower lough is open and aligned with the prevailing breeze, so the waves can really mount up.
• Gaelic games: Fermanagh GAA play football and hurling at Brewster Park in Enniskillen. There are about 20 GAA clubs across the county.
• Caves: beyond the show caves of Marble Arch lies an extensive system for suitably skilled cavers to explore. They're often flooded, all that rainfall has to go somewhere.

Buy

Pounds sterling (£) are official currency, but many retailers accept Euro notes though not coins.

Eat

You would look at spending about £5-7 on "pub grub" for lunch in a bar. Budget for about £20 for a main course meal in a mid price restaurant in the evenings.

Sleep

B&Bs and guesthouses

There are high quality B&Bs/family run guesthouses in Fermanagh. Expect to pay around £20-30 per person on average. With over 58 properties on offer this is the preferred method of accommodation for most visiting Fermanagh looking for value.

Hostels

Hostels are a cheaper option but have less coverage than B&Bs. There are only 4 hostels: the Bridges Youth Hostel, Lough Melvin Holiday Centre, Tir Navar, and Share Centre.

Hotels

There are about 11 hotels operating in Fermanagh, ranging from 2- to 4-star.

Holiday rentals

For groups and larger families there are over 180 self-catering choices on offer so you will be spoilt for choice.

Stay safe

You be surprised to hear that Fermanagh has the second lowest crime rate in Europe. Even during the height of the "troubles" and civil rights movement Fermanagh tourist attractions were hardly affected. The unrest of the 1970s and 1980s have become a thing of the past.

Go next

• North East to County Tyrone
• North West to County Donegal, Ireland
• South East to County Monaghan, Ireland
• South West to County Leitrim, Ireland
• South to County Cavan, Ireland