Dublin Coastal Craft Beer and Seafood Trail

About This Tour

Howth is only 30 minutes from Dublin city centre on the DART, and it feels like a different world. It’s a working fishing village with a harbour that’s been active since the Vikings, and this trail gives you the best of it: craft beer, proper seafood, and a guide who actually knows the place.

You’ll walk through the village and along the waterfront, stopping at pubs and seafood spots that visitors on their own rarely stumble across. The three-course lunch includes seafood chowder and mussels pulled from these very waters. The craft beers are locally brewed and paired as you go. Your guide weaves in the stories too - the Viking church ruins, the famous 1914 Gun Running event at the lighthouse, and the literary connections to the clifftops above.

Groups are capped at 15, so you’re not shuffling through in a crowd. A private tour option is available if you’d prefer it to yourselves.

What’s Included

• Local guide
• 3-course lunch
• Beverages
• Several half pints or bottles of craft beer
• Food tasting
• Video memento of the journey
• Private tour option available

What’s Not Included

• Hotel pickup

Itinerary

1. Bloody Stream Pub, Howth Train Station - The trail kicks off here with locally crafted beers and seafood chowder. Your guide sets the scene: the fishing village, the craft beer scene, and the fishermen you can watch unloading their catch at the port just nearby. (30 min)
2. Hidden Howth - Your guide takes you through parts of the village that most visitors never reach, giving you a real feel for how people actually live here. (pass by)
3. Viking ruins - These are the remains of a Viking church dating back to 1042, built during the rule of King Sitric. You get good views of Ireland’s Eye from here. (30 min)
4. Howth Lighthouse and The Oar House - The lighthouse has been a constant presence on this coast for centuries. Your guide covers the story of the 1914 Gun Running event that happened here. The trail finishes at The Oar House with a seafood platter - prawns, mussels, crab claws, and more - alongside a final round of craft beer. (60 min)
5. Howth Courthouse - A look inside the old courthouse, its exhibits and courtroom, followed by Howth’s locally smoked salmon with fresh Guinness soda bread. (30 min)
6. Howth Head coastal walk - A wander back through the village with views of the Howth Head cliffs and coastline. These landscapes drew writers including W.B. Yeats and James Joyce. (30 min)
7. The Harbour Bar - Howth’s oldest pub, for a final craft beer and more of the village’s stories. (30 min)

Meeting point: Just outside the Bloody Stream Pub, at Howth Train Station

Good to Know

• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller; infants must sit on an adult’s lap
• Service animals are welcome
• The DART stops right at the meeting point, so you don’t need a car
• Group size is capped at 15
• Tour conducted in English

Local Tips

The DART ride out is part of the experience. Hop on at Connolly, Tara Street, or Pearse, and watch the coastline open up as you pass through Clontarf and Sutton. By the time you reach Howth station, you’ve already left the city behind. Trains run frequently and the journey takes around 30 minutes from the city centre.

Dress for the sea air. Even on a warm Dublin day, Howth’s waterfront has a breeze to it. A light layer in your bag means you’ll actually enjoy the coastal walk at the end rather than rushing through it. If you’re doing this in autumn or spring, a proper jacket is worth it.

The seafood here is genuinely fresh. Howth has been a working fishing port for a long time, and the catch you’re eating at The Oar House came off those boats. It’s not a performative fishing village - it’s the real thing, which is what makes the food taste the way it does.

Leave time to wander before or after. The trail covers a lot, but Howth rewards anyone who lingers. The cliff walk above the village is one of the finest short walks near Dublin. If you want to explore the area further, the Howth peninsula has its own character worth spending more time in.

The craft beer scene here has real personality. The beers on this trail aren’t generic. Your guide will walk you through what you’re drinking and where it comes from - pay attention, because you’ll want to know the names for when you’re back in the city.

Nearby on IrelandMe

• Howth - A proper fishing village on a peninsula northeast of Dublin, with cliff walks, fresh seafood, and a harbour that’s been working since Viking times.
• Malahide - A coastal village a few stops north of Howth on the DART, known for its Norman castle, a long sandy beach, and a village centre that locals clearly enjoy.
• Clontarf - A quiet, residential stretch of Dublin’s northside coast, famous as the site of the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 and still home to a pleasant promenade along the bay.