Howth Coastal Boat Tour (Ireland's Eye Ferries 50 mins trip)
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Dublin, Ireland
- 1 hour (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Keep your eyes peeled for guillemots, puffins, seals and more as you cruise the water in the Dublin Bay Biosphere near Howth. This small-group, hassle-free tour takes you from Howth pier along the coastal cliffs, where your captain tells stories about the history of the peninsula while Irish music plays in the background. Get your cameras ready for wild photos of the Howth Cliffs and Ireland's Eye.
- Easily meet your guide and group at the pier in Howth
- Enjoy this intimate cruise with your guide and group (max 11)
- Learn all about the area’s history and nature from your captain
- Easily reach Howth on your own by train or bus, about 40 min from Dublin
What's Included
- All Fees and Taxes
- Snacks
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Ireland's Eye Ferries (Howth Coastal Boat Tours and Island Voyages)1 W Pier, Howth, Dublin 13, D13 H2V4, Ireland
From the train station: Turn left and after 50m take a left turn down unto the West Pier. Continue down the pier with trawlers on the right and restaurants to your left. Near the end of the pier, just past Aqua Restaurant you'll see ferry boats on the right in the harbour.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Howth
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 11 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Mauri_Q
We stayed in Dublin and took the DART train for 8 euro round trip per person, 30 min. each way to Howth. This was a great tour. Harry, our captain, was kind and funny. He was also very informative and answered our questions. I highly recommend this tour. Great way to see the coastal Howth.
Reviews
4.9
based on 230 reviews
Jodi_H, May 2026
This was an amazing experience! Our guide was so good at pointing out all the animals!! (We saw seals and PUFFINS!!!) Do not hesitate to book this!!
Bharati_J, May 2026
Very prompt, boat was just right for 8-9 people. Maggie was very informative. We started off with rain and it was cold but we sat with skipper and the sun came out. We saw puffins, gnats, gillets. I would go on this tour again!
50luckycharms, May 2026
The captain was very good - he was a good driver since the water was choppy. He explained the history very well and brought us close to the penguins. The island was so beautiful, and the small town's fish and chips were so good. It was a nice little 1/2 day trip from Dublin. The taxi was a bit hard to find on the way back since there were not many taxis out in that area. We got lucky; however, the Dart is available if you are good at navigating other countries' public transit.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for the kind review!
Upclose and personal is what we aim for every time, and the Irish penguins are just magical this time of year. It's always good to hear that the captain made the experience extra special too.
Great tip for future visitors too, the DART is ideal for transport, or alternatively UBER is reliable for taxis.
Maggi
Skipper
Tammie_S, May 2026
While it was fun to be out on the water, the waves made it a little bit difficult to get around to the backside of the island that we are going to see so we hung out mostly in the harbor. For the amount of time that we were out there we didn't see as much as we had hoped. The crew was great!
Response from Host, May 2026
Hi Tammie,
Thank you for leaving a review and we apologise that the experience wasn't 5 stars for you. We (rarely) have to alter routes for the safety and comfort of the passengers, but always try our best to provide a top quality experience regardless.
If you are back in Howth anther time, please reach out and let us make it up to you!
Alyssa_L, May 2026
Small group boat tour around the island. What a great way to spend an hour. We saw puffins, seals, and a variety of other birds. Getting up close to the island and viewing it from the boat was really nice.
Great time!
Response from Host, May 2026
Hi Alyssa,
Upclose and personal to the island and its unique wildlife is what we aim for every time! We are so glad to hear that you appreciated that.
Good job spotting the puffins too, hope you made a wish.
Maggi
Skipper
Raven_H, May 2026
This was such a fun experience, and I couldn’t believe how close we were able to get to Ireland’s Eye. What made it especially memorable was seeing so many puffins. I wasn’t sure we’d spot any, but we ended up seeing at least 30! The other seabirds were absolutely beautiful as well, and the seals were incredibly cute.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a promising review!
Sounds like you had a good day with the puffins, they are truly magical - along with all the other wildlife on the island at this time of year.
We are honoured that you found our experience to be so memorable, if you find yourself back in Howth sometime, come again! No two days are ever the same.
Lauren_B, May 2026
Very informative, didn’t see any puffins, but saw lots of other native birds to Ireland and lots of seals.
Response from Host, May 2026
Hi Lauren,
Thank you for the 5 star review! Glad you learnt a lot and spotted some of our magical wildlife and migratory birds.
Sorry you missed the puffins, they must have been hiding in their burrows that day!
JASON_S, Apr 2026
The skipper was very friendly and knowledgeable, but the tour didn't allow her to share much, but when she wasn't seeing the ship we learned a lot. The views we great, we especially enjoyed the Irish penguins.
Madeline_B, Apr 2026
This is more of a casual excursion, as you can wander around the boat and take photos of the wildlife as you please. The crew was knowledgeable and pointed out different sea birds (including the famous puffins!) as well as explained the various watchtowers seen across the country's coasts. Prepare for rain and wind, but mostly just enjoy a laidback boat trip around Ireland's Eye! Thank you to the boat crew for making the ride pleasant.
Diane_H, Apr 2026
Whole boat experience was exceptionally well done. We had a small group but that made it easy for taking pictures and hearing the guide
Francisco_S, Apr 2026
We had fun on the boat tour. It was entertaining and educational. I just wished it was a little longer. We will pass this on to our family and friends.
Megan_S, Apr 2026
The tour was easy to find, and smooth to get onto the boats. Our skipper, Mikey, was fantastic and kept an eye out for any animals and pointed them out. My husband and I had a fantastic time on this tour and would absolutely recommend it. We were lucky to see puffins and seals!
Massiel_P, Apr 2026
Absolutely beautiful experience. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Ireland. I highly recommend this experience.
April_H, Apr 2026
Had a great time! Got to see a variety of birds. The landmarks were beautiful. Even saw a seal before we left the port!
Maria_C, Mar 2026
My aunty and I had a amazing experience, the boats are not filled up to the brim and are very comfortable, we had moments of bad weather that quickly resolved but even so had such a great experience, the boat guide ( I unfortunately forgot his name ) was so great!! Provided so much knowledge about the Wildlife and surroundings. I personally am more interested in wildlife so this was definitely the right trip for me as there are many other trips that focus more on the buildings and surroundings. The guide was brilliant he was so warm and answered all of our questions!! I would definitely recommend, seeing the seal colony was the best part of my trip :)
Shari_B, Mar 2026
Just what we needed to start our vacation. The relaxing ride introduced to different species of seals and birds. It was magical! Also leaned some of Ireland’s history.
Because of the cooler weather we did not see puffins, not any fault of the tour.
Highly recommend!
Whitney_D, Mar 2026
This was so much fun and worth every penny! We saw puffins, seals, birds and beautiful scenery. The boat ride was pretty choppy, but that’s to be expected when up next to the island. Highly recommend (if you don’t get motion sickness easily lol!)!!
tess_g, Mar 2026
Harry was our captain. He was knowledgeable, personable and we had a great cruise. Would definitely do again!
Charlie_T, Mar 2026
A really interesting tour - just the right length! Although we didn’t see many seals, we learnt a lot about the rich wildlife and the landscapes were stunning.
Rob_M, Mar 2026
My son and I were the only ones on our Howth Hike, our guide was Zach. It could not have been better. His knowledge of every aspect of Howth, from 5,000 years of history, wildlife, food, traditions and literature was on point. His dog, Loki, led us on a 8km hike through all kinds of terrain, including a surreal 360 degree view from the highest point in Howth - from a spot that HG Wells claimed was the most beautiful view on earth. Wear hiking boots, this not a trip for inexperienced hikers. We will heee forget this experience!
Emma_W, Jan 2026
We truly loved our tour around Ireland’s Eye. We had a fantastic tour guide, Harry, who was kind and extremely informative and gave us such a great rundown of the history of the island. We loved his style of touring which was never overbearing. Thanks to Harry and Maggie, this was a highlight of our trip to Howth!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Hi Emma, we are thrilled that your Voyage was a highlight of your time in Howth! Harry and Maggi make a great team and no doubt were delighted to share Howth with you :)
Hayley_B, Jan 2026
If you love the sea then this one is for you! If you’re doing the boat trip in winter make sure you wrap up very warm! Shane the captain was amazing friendly welcoming and charming!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Hayley, we are thrilled that you enjoyed your crisp winter voayge. Good advice with the clothing! Thank you for the 5 star review.
Stewart_B, Dec 2025
Waste of money, got on boat at 3pm waited 10mins for trip to start sailed a few minutes out to the island captain moored for 10 minutes while he told us a Story about history then got told it was too windy to go round the island which he normally does so turned round sailed a few minutrdback to harbour arriving only about 30 mins after setting off definitely does not do what it says on the tin. Complete waste of money. Max 20 minutes of actual boat trip. A complete rip off.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Hi Stewart, we are very sorry to hear that the tour did not meet your expectations.
Safety and comfort are our top priorities always and at times routes may be adjusted to meet these standards.
We try to give our guests the best, 5 star experience on every trip, including local history, tales and general chit chat - as seen in all of our other reviews.
If you are back out in Howth, get in touch. We would love a chance to make it up to you.
JARED_C, Oct 2025
Beautiful short boat ride around the island. Unfortunately the puffins were gone for the season but we saw reveals baby seals and the birds not migrating. A great breakaway from the busy Dublin city. Take the train to Howth vs a car, it’s cheaper and easier to get to!
Juan_T, Oct 2025
Very accommodating when travel delays had me miss my initial booking and let me get onto the next available tour with no hassle!
Craig_H, Oct 2025
It’s a fun way to spend an hour on the water. And Howth is a gorgeous little fishing town for lunch afterwards. Our captain was a very nice young lady who knew her stuff too.
Nicholle_O, Oct 2025
Great coastal tour! Informative and wonderful views to take in. We saw sea lions and seasonal birds. Great experience
Christina_C, Oct 2025
Short and sweet, learned some history and just enough time to enjoy the water views while still enjoying the rest of the day. Definitely recommend for busy travelers.
Thomasina_F, Oct 2025
Be prepared to get a bit wet when the water is choppy- but that is half the fun. Saw seals and birds a plenty. “Captain” of the boat most pleasant d helpful.
Mahmoud_M, Oct 2025
It was nice experience which I really enjoyed
Easy instructions for reaching the boat also good historical explenations
From $29.65
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Howth Coastal Boat Tour (Ireland's Eye Ferries 50 mins trip)
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