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Howth Coastal Boat Tour (Ireland's Eye Ferries 50 mins trip)
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Howth is an easy 40-minute DART ride from the city, and this small-boat cruise is one of the best reasons to make the trip. You’re out on the water for 60 minutes, close enough to the cliffs to feel the spray, with Ireland’s Eye sitting just offshore and the Dublin Bay Biosphere stretching out around you.
The groups are capped at 11, so you’re not wedged onto a large ferry. You’re right at the waterline, which puts you much closer to the wildlife than you’d expect. Your skipper runs live commentary throughout, mixing local history with a running identification of whatever seabirds you happen to pass. Depending on the season, you might spot puffins, gannets, guillemots, cormorants, kittiwakes and the large grey seal colony around the harbour and Ireland’s Eye. Some Irish music plays in the background.
When you get back to the pier, you’re steps from several good seafood restaurants along the harbour.
Meeting point: From Howth train station, turn left and after 50 metres take a left turn down onto the West Pier. Continue along the pier with the trawlers on your right and restaurants to your left. Near the end of the pier, just past Aqua Restaurant, you’ll see the ferry boats on the right in the harbour.
Get there by DART and you’ve already won. Howth is about 40 minutes from Connolly or Pearse stations, and the train drops you practically at the harbour. You skip the car parking headache entirely, and the coastal views on the way out aren’t bad either.
Puffins are seasonal. If seeing puffins is the main draw, aim for late spring through early summer — typically April to July. The birds nest in the cliff faces and are far more visible from the water than from the walking paths above. Your skipper will know exactly where to look.
The seal colony is there year-round. Grey seals are reliably spotted around the harbour and the waters near Ireland’s Eye regardless of season. They’re a lot closer at water level than you’d imagine from the pier.
Arrive a few minutes early. The meeting point is at the end of the West Pier, just past Aqua Restaurant. It’s a short walk from the station but the pier is longer than it looks, so give yourself a few extra minutes.
Pair it with the cliff walk. If you’ve got the afternoon, the Howth cliff walk starts near the harbour and gives you the same coastal scenery from the other direction — up on the headland looking out over where you just sailed. A good way to see both sides of the headland in one visit.