Malahide Castle & Howth tour: coastal villages and castle grounds

★★★★★★★★★★ 5.00 (7 reviews)

Free cancellation

1/11

Duration5h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Medieval castle, walled gardens, cliff-top village and the working fishing pier in one morning

A private guided tour from the city to the coastal villages of Howth and Malahide, with a local guide, a walk around Howth's cliff-top paths, entry to Malahide Castle and its walled gardens with butterfly conservatory, and lunch at the Avoca café on the estate. The tour runs five hours and includes hotel pickup, bottled water and air-conditioned transport. Malahide Castle entry is an optional add-on at checkout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Coastal tour of Howth and Malahide Castle

Drive from city to Howth
Hike Howth Cliff walk
Tour Malahide Castle interior
Visit walled gardens and butterfly conservatory
Lunch at Avoca cafe
Stroll along Howth Pier and visit fish shops
Walk around castle exterior

The Experience

The drive out of the city takes an hour, moving north along the coast toward Howth. Once there, you choose how much time to spend on the cliff walk—anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours, depending on your pace and how far you want to go. The path runs from the summit down toward the village, with views across the water and the chance to see the working fishing boats below. There's no rush; the guide adjusts the timing to what suits you.

Malahide Castle is the centerpiece. You'll walk the grounds and the walled gardens, visit the butterfly conservatory, and if you've added entry tickets, tour the interior with the guide, who knows the estate's history and how it has changed over decades. Lunch happens at the Avoca café on the castle grounds, so you're eating without leaving the property. Afterward, there's a walk along the pier back in Howth village, where you can stop at the local fish shops to see what came in that day—mackerel, cod, whatever the Irish waters are yielding.

The tour also includes a stop at a second castle nearby, currently closed for renovations but worth photographing from the outside. Transport is private throughout, the vehicle is air-conditioned, and the guide speaks English and knows these villages well enough to answer questions about how they've stayed the same and where they've shifted. Pickup from your hotel is included.

What’s included

Private transportation with an air-conditioned vehicle.
a local English-speaking guide.
hotel pickup and drop-off.
bottled water.
WiFi on board.
lunch at the Avoca café on the castle estate.
and access to the castle grounds, walled gardens and butterfly conservatory (castle interior entry is optional at €18 per person).

Good to know

Moderate physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Luxury Private Chauffeur tours from Dublin

Is this one for you?Five hours is long enough to walk Howth's cliffs at your own pace, tour Malahide Castle's grounds and gardens, eat lunch on the estate, and see the fishing pier without rushing any of it—but short enough to leave the rest of your day free. Choose this if you want to move beyond the city center without committing a full day, or if you prefer a private guide who can adjust the stops to what interests you.