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Dublin: Howth Cliffs and Ireland's Eye Coastal Cruise
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From €27 per person
Howth is a fishing town that most people see from the cliff path or the pier. The view from the water is something else entirely. This 55-minute coastal cruise takes you out along the cliffs, past Ireland’s Eye, and back through the harbour with Dublin Bay opening up behind you - and it’s the kind of trip that changes how you think about the whole coastline.
You meet on the pier and head out along the Howth coastline, taking in Balscadden Bay, the rugged cliff scenery, the Howth Lighthouse, and the uninhabited island of Ireland’s Eye. Your captain provides live commentary throughout - local knowledge about the seabirds, the rock formations, and the history of the area. The native seal colony tends to gather around the rocks near the island, and with a bit of luck you’ll get close enough for a proper look. Seabirds nest along the cliff faces in good numbers too, so bring binoculars if you have them.
It’s a relaxed trip that doesn’t ask much of you - just show up on the pier, get on the boat, and let someone who knows the coastline inside out show it to you from the best possible angle.
The DART to Howth is the obvious move. Take the northbound DART from Connolly or Pearse stations to the end of the line - Howth is the terminus, so you can’t overshoot it. The journey takes about 30 minutes from the city centre and drops you a short walk from the pier.
Get there with time to walk along the pier beforehand. The fishing boats, the lobster pots piled up on the quay, the smell of the sea - it all sets the scene nicely before you get out on the water. The pier itself is a good spot for photos of the village and the harbour mouth.
If you’re combining this with the cliff walk, do the walk first. The Howth cliff loop is one of the finest short walks in the Dublin area and takes a couple of hours depending on which route you take. Finishing with a boat trip gives you the coastal picture from both angles, and you’ll have earned a good lunch on the pier afterwards.
The fish and chips on the pier are worth staying for. Howth has a long-running reputation for fresh seafood and the chippers along the harbour front live up to it. Sitting out on the pier with a paper bag of chips after a morning on the water is a very solid plan.
Ireland’s Eye looks different up close. From the cliff path the island appears as a silhouette on the horizon. From the water you can see the rock stacks, the nesting birds, and the old ruined church on the island’s shore. The commentary from the captain ties all of that together in a way that makes it land properly.