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Dublin: Howth Coastal Boat Tour
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From €25 per person
Howth is only 30 minutes from Dublin city centre by DART, but it genuinely feels like a different world - a working fishing village on a rocky peninsula, with dramatic cliff walks and a harbour full of trawlers. This small-group boat tour gets you out on the water for 50 minutes, cruising along the base of the Howth Head cliffs and circling Ireland’s Eye, the uninhabited island that sits just offshore.
The views from the water are something else entirely. Your skipper hugs the coastline, pointing out sea caves, the Baily Lighthouse, and the towering rock formation known as “the Stack” at the northeastern corner of Ireland’s Eye - a massive freestanding pillar that’s home to one of Dublin Bay’s largest seabird colonies. Depending on the season, you might spot puffins, gannets, guillemots, razorbills, and cormorants nesting on the cliffs. Grey seals are regular visitors too, often lounging on the rocks below the island.
The boat is small enough to get close to the cliffs and nose into coves and corners you’d never see from land. Your skipper keeps the commentary flowing with local knowledge and stories about the area. It’s the kind of context that only comes from someone who’s been on this water their whole life.
Back at Howth harbour, the fish restaurants and seafood stalls along the pier make for a very natural follow-up to your time on the water.
Get there early and walk the harbour first. The West Pier comes alive in the morning when the trawlers are unloading, and watching the catch come in gives you a feel for how much this village still depends on the sea. It’s a nice backdrop to carry with you once you’re out on the water.
Puffin season is worth timing your visit around. If you can get out here between late April and mid-July, the seabird action around the Stack on Ireland’s Eye is genuinely spectacular. Outside that window, the gannets and seals more than hold their own, but puffin season is something special.
The DART journey itself is part of the experience. The line hugs the coast from Clontarf northward, and by the time you pull into Howth station the bay views are already worth the trip. Sit on the left side coming from the city and you’ll see why people fall for this stretch of coastline.
Layers are not optional. Even on a warm summer day, the moment the boat clears the harbour the wind picks up. A windproof jacket stuffed in your bag will save you from spending the whole tour wishing you’d brought one.
Stay for lunch on the pier after. The seafood stalls and restaurants along the West Pier are the real deal - Howth catches most of what’s on the menu. A bowl of chowder or a crab claw platter eaten on a bench with the harbour in front of you is a Dublin afternoon well spent.