Day Trip from Dublin to Howth

If you have some extra time in Dublin I highly recommend taking a day trip to Howth and exploring the coast. It’s a short trip from Dublin and a great way to experience the seaside of Ireland. Comprised of a quaint downtown area with a stunning cliff walk, Howth is the perfect place to spend a late morning or early afternoon exploring!

How to get to Howth from Dublin

Getting to Howth is a quick train ride from Dublin (roughly 30 minutes) You can catch the train at either Dublin Pearse or Dublin Connolly, depending on which station you are closer to. The Train costs around $8 and is operated by Irish Rail. You’ll take the train to the Howth stop. The train runs around every 20 minutes or so.

Best things to do in Howth

Cliff Walk

The Cliff Walk is undoubtedly the most popular thing to do in Howth (and for good reason) The cliff walk in s stunning series of paths around Howth that provide breathtaking cliffside views! You don’t need to follow a set path, and generally Howth is rather small, so you can follow the paths in a circle and you’ll eventually end up back at the town center (where the train station is)

A loop like this one on Google Maps takes about three hours to complete, depending on how fast you’re walking and how often you’re stopping to enjoy those views! You’ll pass all the major landmarks. The trail is marked in places as the “green route” so you can keep an eye out for those signs. Some of the highlights of the walk are Howth Head Peak, Baily Lighthouse, & Ben of Howth!

Howth Pier & Lighthouse

Located right in the town center where you exit the train is Howth Pier, Howth Pier Park and the Howth Lighthouse. This is a good area for exploring and there are little shops and restaurants as this is the main downtown area. Also, you can admire all the yachts at the Howth Yacht Club (Howth is known to be one of the swankiest suburbs of Dublin!)

Howth Market

If you’re visiting Howth on a weekend they have an awesome open-aired market right in the town square on Saturdays and Sundays. The booths sell a variety of food and collectible items!

Lunch & Drinks with a View

I highly recommend stopping for lunch or drinks at one of Howth’s many restaurants and pubs! Most feature seafood heavy menus! Some of my favorites are:

• The Bloody Stream – great for outdoor drinks
• Crabby Joe’s – for a casual lunch with a view
• O’connells Restaurant and Pub – for a traditional Irish Pub feel
• The Sunmit Inn – located along the cliff walk this historic pub offers the best cliffside views with you drink!

Getting back to Dublin from Howth

From Howth Station, located right downtown near the pier, you can catch the same train back to Dublin Connelly or Dublin Pearse station. They run every twenty minutes roughly!

If you take a day trip to Howth let me know what you think in the comments section! And if you’re interested in reading more travel recommendations, check out the rest of my blog posts here