Guide · Half days

A day trip to Howth from Dublin, and Malahide too

Howth is a fishing village on a headland at the north end of Dublin Bay, close enough for a morning and wild enough to feel far away. Here is how to plan a day trip to Howth from Dublin, with or without a guide.

Check availabilityfrom $49 · free cancellation

Editorial team, dublindaytrip.comUpdated October 18, 20266-minute read23 sources

The tour that goes with it From Dublin: Half-Day Guided Coastal Tour to Howth Village 4.5 (2,721 reviews) 4 hours from$49per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

In a nutshell

01Guided coach: 4 hours from O'Connell Street, from $49.
02On your own: DART from Connolly, Tara Street or Pearse in under 30 minutes.¹
03The cliff walk: A 7.8 km loop from the DART station, about 2 hours.²
04With Malahide: A 7.5-hour tour adds Malahide Castle.
05From the water: A 50-minute coastal boat tour.

Why Howth is the easy escape

Howth sits on a rocky peninsula that closes Dublin Bay to the north. In a short ride from the city you trade traffic for a busy harbor, seals in the water, fish restaurants on the pier and a cliff path with views to the islands offshore. It is the classic choice when you want sea air without committing a whole day, and it sits comfortably among the classic half-day trips from Dublin.

Getting there is simple. The DART, Dublin's coastal train, runs from Howth and Malahide in the north right into the heart of the city.³ From Connolly, Tara Street or Pearse Street station it reaches Howth in under 30 minutes, so you can leave after breakfast and be walking above the sea well before lunch.¹

If you would rather not navigate on your own, a guided coach trip handles the logistics, adds a short guided walk at the cliffs and brings you back to the city. Both approaches work; the right one depends on how much you want to walk and how much you like a commentary. Whichever you pick, the city is yours again with plenty of the day left for a museum, a walk or an early dinner.

Half day

The guided Howth trip, step by step

9:45 AM or 2:00 PM

O'Connell Street

Board at Big Bus Stop 1; arrive 15 minutes early.
60 min

To Howth

Along the north side of Dublin Bay to the summit.
On arrival

Cliff walk

A short guided walk and orientation on the headland.
75 min

Free time

Lunch, the harbor and the village at your own pace.
60 min

Back to the city

About 60 minutes back to Dublin.

The guided half-day coach tour

The coach tour this page recommends is run by Big Bus Tours and departs twice a day from Stop 1 at 13 Upper O'Connell Street, at 9:45 AM and 2:00 PM. The whole trip takes about four hours: around 60 minutes to Howth, a short guided walk and orientation on the cliffs, about 75 minutes of free time in the village, and around 60 minutes back.

Your driver doubles as the guide, and the walk along the headland comes with the chance to spot gannets, seals and other wildlife on the headlands over Dublin Bay. The coach is wheelchair and pram accessible, and children aged four and under ride free without a ticket. Show your booking to a Big Bus staff member at least 15 minutes before departure.

The tour starts from $49 and holds 4.52 from 2,721 reviews, with the guide scored 4.7. It is a gentle outing that suits families, older travelers and anyone who wants the view without route-finding. Keep a light jacket handy for the headland, where the breeze is stronger than in the village.

Time

Minutes for each part of a Howth outing

minutes

Times as the listings state them; the DART takes under 30 minutes each way.¹

Compared

Four ways to spend a Howth day

Option	Length	Guide	Price
Half-day coach tour	4 hrs	English	from $49
Howth and Malahide tour	7.5 hrs	Italian, Spanish	from $57
Coastal boat tour	50 min	English	from $29
DART on your own	under 30 min each way	none	train fare

From-prices and guide languages from each GetYourGuide listing; DART times from Discover Ireland.¹

Pick your Howth

Coach, combo or boat

Most reviewed

Half-day coach

Guided cliff walk, free time

Length: 4 hrs
Rating: 4.52
Price: from $49

Check dates

Full day

Howth and Malahide

Castle and village

Length: 7.5 hrs
Guides: Italian, Spanish
Price: from $57

Check dates

Shortest

Coastal boat tour

The cliffs from the sea

Length: 50 min
Rating: 4.74
Price: from $29

Check dates

Decision helper

How to do Howth your way

Pick the line that sounds like you

Half-day coach tour

Two departures a day, guided cliff walk included.

DART on your own

The 7.8 km loop starts at the station.²

DART to Malahide and Howth

The DART serves both places.³

Coastal boat tour

See the cliffs in 50 minutes from the water.

Half-day coach tour

The coach is wheelchair and pram accessible.

The delightful Howth - Cliff Path Loop takes 2 hours to complete and starts from the village DART (train) station.

Fáilte Ireland (Discover Ireland)Source 2

Walking the Howth cliff path

If you are happy to walk, the cliff path is the heart of any visit. The Howth Cliff Path Loop is a 7.8 km circuit that starts at the village DART station and takes about 2 hours to complete.² The total ascent is 130 m, so expect a steady climb out of the harbor and some uneven ground on the headland.⁴

The trail leaves the harbor, climbs around the Nose of Howth and runs along the clifftop with the sea far below, then loops back inland through heath and gorse. In good visibility the view reaches over the bay to the mountains south of the city, and the lighthouse below the cliffs makes a fine photo. Yellow gorse in spring and purple heather in late summer make the loop especially colorful.

Wear proper shoes, keep to the marked path and give yourself time to stop. The edges are unfenced in places and the wind can be strong, so stay back from the drop, especially with children. In wet weather the path turns muddy, and a shorter out-and-back walk may be the smarter plan.

Map

Where the day trips from Dublin go

The big tours cross the whole island; the coast towns and the stations sit within the city's reach.

Map of Ireland with Dublin, the Cliffs of Moher, Galway, the Giant's Causeway, Belfast, Glendalough, Kilkenny, Newgrange, the Rock of Cashel, Blarney Castle and Killarney — Across Ireland

Map of Dublin Bay with Connolly and Heuston stations, Trinity College, the Guinness Storehouse, Howth, Malahide Castle, Dún Laoghaire and Dublin Port — Dublin and its coast

1
Dublin city centre
Day trips leave from the city centre, and the Cliffs of Moher tour drops you back at 12 Aston Quay in Temple Bar.
In Google Maps ↗
2
Cliffs of Moher
The cliffs stretch for 14 km and rise to over 200 m at O'Brien's Tower.⁵
In Google Maps ↗
3
Galway
Trains from Dublin take about 2.5 hours and stop at Galway Ceannt, just off Eyre Square.⁶ ⁷
In Google Maps ↗
4
Giant's Causeway
Over 40,000 basalt columns, formed some 60 million years ago.⁸
In Google Maps ↗
5
Belfast City Hall
Causeway day tours stop near City Hall for around 1.5 hours.
In Google Maps ↗
6
Glendalough
A monastery founded in the sixth century; St Kevin's bus gets there from the city in an hour.⁹ ¹⁰
In Google Maps ↗
7
Kilkenny Castle
A twelfth-century castle, later the principal seat of the Butlers.¹¹
In Google Maps ↗
8
Newgrange
A passage tomb built around 3200 BC, entered on a guided tour only.¹² ¹³
In Google Maps ↗
9
Rock of Cashel
Brian Boru was crowned High King here in 978.¹⁴
In Google Maps ↗
10
Blarney Castle
In Blarney village, 8 km northwest of Cork city.¹⁵
In Google Maps ↗
11
Killarney
The gateway to Killarney National Park and the 179 km Ring of Kerry.¹⁶
In Google Maps ↗
12
Connolly Station
Enterprise trains to Belfast leave from here, and the DART reaches Howth in under 30 minutes.¹⁷ ¹
In Google Maps ↗
13
Heuston Station
The rail day tours to the Cliffs of Moher and the Ring of Kerry check in here at 6:40 in the morning.
In Google Maps ↗
14
Trinity College
Home of the Book of Kells, a 1,200-year-old manuscript.¹⁸
In Google Maps ↗
15
Guinness Storehouse
Visit Dublin suggests planning 2 to 3 hours here.¹⁹
In Google Maps ↗
16
Howth
The cliff path loop from the DART station is 7.8 km and takes about 2 hours.²
In Google Maps ↗
17
Malahide Castle
Home to the Talbot family for over 800 years.²⁰
In Google Maps ↗
18
Dún Laoghaire
Cruise passengers can pick up a rail ticket into the city at the DoDublin kiosk by the harbour.
In Google Maps ↗
19
Dublin Port
Ferries from Holyhead dock here; buses reach the centre in about 20 minutes.²¹
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

For a day on the headland

Bring

Walking shoes with grip
A windproof, waterproof layer
Money for lunch on the harbor

Know

Arrive 15 minutes before the coach
The coach is wheelchair and pram accessible
Children four and under ride free
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead

Cost calculator

A Howth outing for your group

Compare the totals for your party.

Half-day coach4 hrsfrom $49 Howth and Malahide7.5 hrsfrom $57 Coastal boat50 minfrom $29

People 2

Total from$97

per head from $49

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Totals multiply the starting price GetYourGuide lists by your party size, shown in your chosen currency at the ECB rate; checkout confirms the final sum.

Video

By DART to the Howth peninsula

The YouTube player stays switched off until you press play, then streams through youtube-nocookie.

Adding Malahide Castle

Malahide, a short way north on the same coast, is home to a castle that was the Talbot family seat for over 800 years.²⁰ King Henry II granted Richard Talbot the lands and harbor of Malahide in 1185, and the castle opened to the public in 1977.²² ²³ Today it pairs period rooms with large gardens, and the DART serves Malahide as well as Howth.³ The gardens are worth an hour of their own if you enjoy plants, and the courtyard has a café for a break.

A full-day tour combines both places. It leaves at 9:30 AM from Cathal Brugha Street, makes a 15-minute photo stop at the Casino at Marino, then gives 1.5 hours at Malahide Castle on a self-guided visit. After that comes an optional 75-minute walk at Howth and 1.5 hours of free time for lunch in the village.

Note one important detail: this tour runs with guides in Italian and Spanish, not English. It lasts 7.5 hours, starts from $57 and holds 4.40 from 93 reviews. English speakers who want both places can simply ride the DART and visit them in one day at their own pace.

Seeing Howth from the water

The headland looks very different from a boat. A coastal boat tour from Howth lasts 50 minutes, holds 4.74 from 1,226 reviews and starts from $29. It runs along the cliffs that the walkers see from above, and it is a good option if someone in your group cannot manage the climb.

Combine it with the DART and lunch in the harbor and you have a relaxed, low-effort day: train out in the morning, boat before lunch, a walk along the pier in the afternoon and the train back. With luck you will spot seals in the harbor, and watching them costs nothing. It is an easy plan for a rest day between longer trips across the country.

Boats depend on the sea, so check the forecast and the operator's notes the evening before. Calm mornings are best for photos and for anyone prone to seasickness, and a windproof layer keeps the spray off on the open water.

Food and time in the village

Howth's harbor is lined with seafood restaurants, fish shops and casual places selling fish and chips to eat on the pier. The guided coach tour leaves about 75 minutes of free time in the village, enough for a quick lunch and a stroll, but not for a long sit-down meal.

If food is a big part of your day, go independently by DART and book a table for lunch. Weekends are busy, especially in summer, and the popular places fill up early. On weekdays the village is quieter, and the harbor walk is at its most peaceful. Ask in the fish shops what came in that morning; the catch changes with the season.

Look out for the old abbey ruins above the harbor and the Martello tower on the headland, both easy additions to a walk. A coffee on the pier at the end of the day, watching the boats come in, is the perfect way to close the trip.

Coach, Malahide combo, boat or DART?

Choose the guided coach if you want everything organized, a commentary on the way and a short guided walk, with departures in the morning and the afternoon. It is the easiest of the half-day trips from Dublin and suits travelers who do not want to plan anything.

Choose the DART if you want to walk the full cliff loop, eat a long lunch or stay into the evening. It is the most flexible option, and it lets you add Malahide on the same day. Choose the boat if the views from the water appeal or if hills are not for you.

Whatever you pick, plan for changeable weather and wind on the headland. And if Howth leaves you wanting more coast, the bigger day trips to the Cliffs of Moher or the Giant's Causeway take the same feeling and scale it up. A single half day here is often the perfect warm-up for the longer coach trips later in your stay.

Plan your west