Dublin to Howth: A day trip

Busy streets, full pubs and tons of people. Dublin is a lot of fun but it can be quite a handful as well. Only twenty minutes away lies a cute, little sea side paradies. From Dublin to Howth, the perfect day trip getaway.

From Dublin to Howth: The perfect day trip getaway

Getting there

Catch the DART at Connelly or Pearse station. Both are in reach within ten to fifteen minutes from the O’ Connell Street. You can’t miss the Connelly station – it’s such an impressive building. Trains run every thirty minutes from Dublin to Howth throughout the day. With 3,50 euros per ride it’s an unbeatable prize, isn’t it? Buy a round-way ticket, which is not dependent on a specific time,  so you don’t have to worry about your return later on. If you wish, you can also buy coffee and little snacks within the station. I bought a sandwich and decided to wait for coffee.

The train ride from Dublin to Howth takes about twenty minutes. The city on the east coast of Ireland is a really popular tourist spot. Trains are usually really crowded, but you should try to get a spot near a window. So you can take in a lot of the Irish architecture and landscape. Especially the last part of the ride along the coast is really pretty. A lot of people lead to misted windows, like the ones on my train ride below.

Welcome to Howth

This Sunday morning in December the weather was cold, but clear after arriving Howth. Some people directly walked to the open water, some into the city. Me and my Italian friend decided we needed a coffee to warm up and to fully wake up. Beschoff, a café/supermarket close to the station was the first thing that looked good to us. So we went in. I have to admit it was kind of strange drinking coffee between people who were grocery shopping, but there’s a first time for everything, right?

Walking along the harbor

Winter coat, hat, scarf and gloves. Dressed warmly we were ready to explore the waterside of Howth. Now and then the sun came out and drove out nearly all grey clouds. The city has a beautiful harbor which hosts a lighthouse and ships in different sizes. You can walk up a few stairs close to the lighthouse and overview the open sea. It still amazes me that you only need half an hour from a crowded city to a place where there are tons of seagulls, salty air and a totally different vibe. But don’t just believe my words, take a look for yourself:

One lovely thing I noticed while strolling around was different musicians closed to the sea. They played accordion or violin, always smiled and greeted the people that passed them by. The music, the open sea, the salty wind: This atmosphere felt more like Ireland than the Irish capitol ever could. Even though there are some pretty cool things you can do in Dublin.

Go for a walk in the city center of Howth

Howth not only has a cool harbor but also a really cute historic center. Just take a look at those colored houses, doors (!) and their typical Irish/English chimneys below. The historic center is small and you can walk up different hills to have a great view over the area. By that time me and my friend were already walking for a few hours and were craving some real good local food.

The Brass Monkey in Howth

On our way to find a restaurant we passed the tourist information we couldn’t find earlier. It was a small wooden box along the main road. A nice lady explained us that there is a hike we could do that takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours inu total that would bring us to the cliffs. There are not as high as the cliffs of Moher but still nice to look at. It’s supposedly one of the favorite things travelers like to do while being in Howth. It was almost 4 P.M. and so with a heavy heart we decided against it and continued our way to find food.

The Brass Monkey on 12 West Pier was exactly what we were looking foor. Dark red walls, and monkeys were literally everywhere. Figuratively, not literally. Locals and travelers alike were sitting close to each other surrounded by Christmas decorations and chains of light. We took seats close to the windows. A short amount later we ordered seafood chowder and fish and chips. A full water bottle was on the house. The waiters were really nice and brought my friend fish and chips even though it wasn’t part of the evening menu.

The chowder was everthing I never knew I needed in my life. It was delicious and I ate the whole bowl. 7 euros for that dish was a fair deal. 16 euros for fish and chips not so much – however my friend that it was the best fish she has ever eaten. So maybe indeed it was worth it. Stuffed but happy as can be we left The Brass Monkey and made our way back to the station and to Dublin.

Have you been to Howth? What did you like about it the most? Or do you prefer Dublin? Tell me about it in the comments below. I’d love to hear it!