I spent about five hours of the first day of our trip to Ireland exploring Howth, a small coastal town just outside Dublin.

Between Howth’s scenic cliff walk, the harbour and local shops and killer seafood, it was the perfect way to experience Ireland’s coastline on the Irish Sea without committing to a full-day excursion.

So, is Howth worth visiting on a trip to Dublin, and is half a day enough? After visiting in August, I’d say yes, provided you plan around the weather and give yourself enough time for the walk.

I’ll dive into what exactly we had time for, including the famous and gorgeous cliff walk, walking around town and lunch, and what I’d do differently next time!

Looking for a place for in Dublin? 🏨

My Favorite Hotels in Dublin
Zanzibar Locke ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hotel Rui Gresham⭐⭐⭐⭐

How Long Do You Need in Howth?

You really don’t need more than half a day to a full day to visit Howth. Unless you specifically want a longer coastal getaway, I wouldn’t go out of my way to stay overnight.

I wouldn’t try to cram in other major Dublin attractions the same day, but rest assured it won’t be a long 12-hour day if you choose to visit Howth.

We were able to fit in the highlights: the cliff walk, including plenty of time to stop, take in the scenery and snap photos, do some shopping and have a relaxed post-hike lunch.

If you really want to take advantage of a full day, there are more things to see in Howth, including sights like St. Mary’s Abbey Monastery and Howth Castle Estate.

How to Spend a Half-Day in Howth

At a Glance: How to Spend 5 Hours in Howth

• 11:00 am: Cliff Walk
  Arrive at the summit and start your walk. There are multiple routes that start at the same spot, so you can start and see what route you have the energy and desire to do.
• 2:00 pm: Town and Harbour Area
  Walk downhill back into the Howth village area, browse the shops and if it’s a weekend, go to the Howth Market, and grab a coffee, tea or sweet treat.
• 3:00 pm: Lunch
  Choose from countless lunch options for a rewarding seafood lunch after a long hike. Stop at Octopussy’s for an insane sampling of fresh seafood, which you’ll see more of later.

---

How to Get to Howth from Dublin

From Dublin, transport to Howth and back is very easy with a few different options.

Getting to Howth is straightforward by DART train or Dublin Bus, with the following major options:

1. The DART takes you to Howth Station in the village
2. Bus line H3 runs directly to Howth Summit
3. Bus line 6 runs to Howth Station in the village
4. Guided day tour

The guided tour option is easy and preorganized, but it wouldn’t really be my first choice. We much preferred having our own timeline and being able to come and go as we pleased.

And, it’s really easy to get to and from Howth so a guided tour really isn’t required unless you absolutely prefer it!

---

Walking the Howth Cliff Walk

This was our first activity, and I’d absolutely recommend starting with the hike when spending a half-day in Howth. As I mentioned earlier, you can get dropped off directly at the summit near the cliff walk.

We took the longer green Howth Cliff Path Loop route than we anticipated because we were enjoying the scenery and weather so much.

It took us about 2 hours to do the full route, including lots of stops and a very slow pace.

The path was slippery in places, and I wouldn’t recommend tackling it in heavy rain or after substantial rainfall. Some sections run close to steep cliff edges, so wear shoes with good grip (decent sneakers are good on a dry day), watch your footing and stay well back from the edge.

Overall, the route was very manageable, even for someone who is not a huge hiker like me.

The scenery was incredible, with dramatic cliffs overlooking the sea and wildflowers ranging from purple and pink to deep yellow.

After we completed the cliff walk, it took us about 30-40 minutes to walk back into town, which leads me into my experience in town and our fantastic lunch.

---

Exploring the Harbour Area in Howth

Our walk down into town was easy breezy, which was thanks to our carefully planned route that avoided an uphill walk and saved our energy.

We walked near the Howth Market, which is one of the things we wanted to do in Howth. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go since it’s only open weekends. The market is a farmers market type stall setup with vendors selling their goods.

Instead, we grabbed coffee at Bodega Coffee and snagged some souvenirs, including some Donegal county natural soap.

One of our favorite souvenirs has become local soap with natural ingredients, so we’re always sure to grab some everywhere we go.

---

Eating in Howth: Where to Have Lunch

I would highly recommend our lunch spot, Octopussy’s. Despite its quirky name, the food was fantastic.

It’s a small seafood tapas restaurant on the Howth West Pier. It’s helpful that we went at 3pm, otherwise we would have been waiting a long time for a seat.

We ordered a full spread of mussels, calamari, crab toast on Irish brown bread, prawns, seafood chowder and fish and chips.

As you can see, we ordered a little bit of everything, from shellfish to classic fish and chips. And everything was amazing.

A seriously small-world moment I had here was when I saw a patron wearing a Jayhawk hat, where I greeted him with a “Rock Chalk” on our way out.

Other contenders for a slow lunch were Brass Monkey, King Sitric and the Oar House. We didn’t personally try any of these spots, but came across them multiple times in our research on where to eat in Howth.

A Half-Day in Howth: What We’d Do Differently

One of the best things to do in Howth is the cliff walk, so that is what the bulk of the day should be spent on.

We arrived around 11am and headed back around 4pm and didn’t feel rushed at any point.

Was half a day enough time for Howth? Yes, to see the highlights.

In retrospect, one thing I would have done was visit Ireland’s Eye, an uninhabited island just a 15 minute ferry from Howth.

Ireland’s Eye is known to be home of gray seals, large seabird colonies and old ruins of an 8th-century church.

This absolutely would have been worth visiting, so if I were to go again I would build this into my Howth itinerary.

Planning an adventure to Ireland? ✈

See More of Ireland (Without Rushing)
Check out my full itinerary to Ireland!

Is Howth Worth Visiting?

Absolutely! Howth, Ireland is 100% worth visiting on any trip to Dublin.

Ireland is known for its dramatic cliff coastlines all over the country, and Howth’s proximity to a huge city like Dublin is so convenient.

In addition to its epic scenery, other things to do in Howth include feasting on fresh seafood, enjoying the water and browsing the shops.

My recommendation is to plan to visit Howth around the nicest day in your Dublin forecast, as rainy weather will seriously put a damper on your visit.

You won’t regret visiting!

---

Check out my other Ireland guides below!