# Newgrange and the Boyne Valley Newgrange and Knowth, tombs from around 3200 BC, can only be visited with a reservation and from the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre. Tara, Oldbridge and Mellifont are close by. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/ireland/bru-na-boinne · Revisado: 2026-11-12 In a bend of the River Boyne, north of Dublin, three great passage tombs, Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, were built around 3200 BC, surrounded by dozens of smaller mounds. The complex, called Brú na Bóinne, is a World Heritage Site and holds the largest collection of megalithic art in western Europe. Newgrange, with its white stone façade and the roof-box through which the midwinter solstice sun enters, is the most sought-after visit. ## How do you get tickets? This is the first thing to sort out, because without a reservation you will usually be left outside: Only from the visitor centre. You cannot go directly to Newgrange or Knowth. All visits leave from the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre, in Donore, with a shuttle bus and a guide. Only on the official website. Tickets are booked at heritageireland.ie; the Office of Public Works warns that there are no authorised resellers and that tickets bought on other websites are not valid. With a departure date. They go on sale at midnight, Irish time: 30 days ahead for visits from April to early November and 7 days ahead for the rest of the year. Cancellations are released every morning from 8:30 to 9:30 and every afternoon from 15:00 to 16:00. Everyone needs a ticket. Babies too. Under-18s may only enter with an adult. The visit changes with the season: from March to early November the main one is the Brú na Bóinne Tour with the Newgrange chamber (adult €18); in winter it is Newgrange with the exhibition (€10). Knowth has a single visit a day, and only in some seasons. The visitor centre exhibition can be seen without booking. Without a car and without hassle, Mary Gibbons's day tour from Dublin includes entry to the Newgrange chamber and the Hill of Tara. ## How do you get there from Dublin? By car, a little over an hour along the M1 towards Drogheda and the turn-off for Donore; there is parking next to the centre. Dublin airport is on the way. Public transport does not connect the sites in the valley well: if you do not drive, the organised tour is the practical option. ## What else is there to see in the valley? With a car, one day is enough for Newgrange in the morning and two of these in the afternoon: Hill of Tara, the legendary seat of the High Kings, free. Battle of the Boyne, at Oldbridge, with the exhibition free for a limited time. Mellifont Abbey, Ireland's first Cistercian abbey. If you stay in Slane, you can spread it over two days and take the first visit of the morning. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Malahide (a 33.8 km), Dublin (a 40.6 km), Powerscourt and Enniskerry (a 59 km), Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains (a 76.5 km) ## Qué hacer - **Newgrange, the 5,000-year-old tomb with the solstice chamber** (2 h 30 · From age 8; low, narrow passage, not suitable if you are claustrophobic · Brú na Bóinne Tour + Newgrange chamber (March–November) adult €18, child or student €12, family €48 · Newgrange + exhibition (winter) €10 · under-12s free with a ticket): Newgrange is a round burial mound built about five thousand years ago, older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza, with a stone passage leading to a cross-shaped chamber. It is famous for its white façade, the carved spiral stones around it and, above all, the roof-box above the entrance, through which the sun of the winter solstice lights up the chamber. It is a World Heritage Site together with Knowth and Dowth, in a bend of the River Boyne. How to visit. You cannot go straight to the monument: every visit starts at the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre, from where a shuttle bus takes you there with a guide. You walk into the passage and the chamber, which are low and narrow; photos are not allowed inside. Tickets. You must book, and only on the Heritage Ireland website: the Office of Public Works warns that there are no authorised resellers. Tickets are released at midnight (Irish time) 30 days ahead from April to early November and 7 days ahead the rest of the year; cancellations go back on sale every morning from 8:30 to 9:30 and every afternoon from 15:00 to 16:00. Turning up without a booking means risking not getting in. Everyone needs a ticket, babies included, and under-18s must be accompanied by an adult. Without a car, Newgrange Tours by Mary Gibbons runs a day trip from Dublin taking in Newgrange and the Hill of Tara for €80, with tickets and access to the chamber guaranteed. - **The Hill of Tara, seat of the High Kings** (1 h · All ages · Free; guided tour adult €5, family €13): Tara is a low hill with an enormous view over the fields of Meath, and the place in Ireland most steeped in legend: tradition makes it the seat of the High Kings. What you see are earthworks, circles of earth and a small Stone Age passage tomb, along with a standing stone that tradition associates with coronation. Without a guide it is hard to imagine: read the panels or join the guided tour in season. It is about 25 minutes by car from the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre, and Mary Gibbons's tour from Dublin combines it with Newgrange. Access to the hill is open and free all year. - **Knowth, the mound with the largest collection of megalithic art** (1 h 30 · All ages; outdoors · Knowth + exhibition adult €10, child or student €5, family €25 · under-12s free with a ticket): Knowth is the other great mound of Brú na Bóinne, very close to Newgrange: an enormous mound surrounded by smaller mounds, with a reconstruction of a wooden circle. Its carved stones form the largest collection of megalithic art in western Europe. Unlike Newgrange, here you do not enter the chambers: the visit is outside, going up to the top of the mound. There are fewer visits than to Newgrange: the Knowth visit with the exhibition is one a day and only in some seasons (in 2025, from late February to April and from October to early November). You book just the same, on the Heritage Ireland website, and it leaves from the visitor centre by shuttle. - **Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre** (45 min · All ages · Exhibition only, adult €5, child or student €3, family €13 · no reservation): The visitor centre is on the south bank of the Boyne, in Donore, and is the only gateway to Newgrange and Knowth: you collect your ticket here and the shuttle buses leave from here. The interactive exhibition explains who built the mounds, how they lived and how the solstice light works. It can be visited on its own, without booking, for €5. In November, December, January and February it is open from 9:00 to 16:15; from May to September, until 17:45. Arrive with time to spare before your visit to collect your ticket and catch the shuttle. If you have not managed to get a ticket for the mounds, come anyway first thing in the morning or in mid-afternoon and see if there are cancellations. - **Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre, at Oldbridge** (1 h 30 · All ages · Exhibition free for a limited time; gardens and battlefield paths always free): In 1690, in these meadows beside the Boyne, the armies of two kings who were contesting the crown met: the Catholic James II and the Protestant William of Orange. William's victory shaped the history of Ireland to this day. The OPW centre on the Oldbridge estate tells the story with an exhibition and lets you walk the battlefield along paths, with a walled garden next to it. At the moment Oldbridge House is closed and the exhibition has moved to the stable yard, with free entry for a limited time. It is ten minutes by car from the Brú na Bóinne centre. - **Mellifont Abbey, Ireland's first Cistercian monastery** (45 min · All ages · Grounds free · exhibition and guided tour adult €5, family €13): Mellifont was the first Cistercian abbey in Ireland, founded in the 12th century. What remains are the foundations of the church and the cloister and, above all, part of the lavabo, an octagonal building of arches where the monks washed before eating. It stands in a quiet valley beside a stream, fifteen minutes by car from Brú na Bóinne and Oldbridge. The grounds can be visited free all year. The visitor centre, with an exhibition and guided tour, is open only from April to early October. ## Dónde comer - **Conyngham Arms Restaurant** (Restaurant, Slane, €€). Qué pedir: lunch after Newgrange, with local seasonal produce. - **The Brabazon, at Tankardstown House** (Restaurant, Slane, €€€). Qué pedir: afternoon tea if you are coming from Newgrange, or dinner if you are staying on the estate. ## By plane: Fly to Dublin and an hour north Brú na Bóinne is a good hour north of Dublin, and the airport is on the way: if you hire a car when you land, you can be at Newgrange by mid-morning. Without a car, stay in Dublin and come on an organised tour, which sorts out your ticket, always in short supply in season. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **Conyngham Arms Hotel** (Small hotel): A village hotel for a night by the Boyne The Conyngham Arms is in the centre of Slane, a small village on the river, about ten minutes by car from the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre. Staying here lets you catch the first Newgrange visit of the morning, when it is quieter, and spread Knowth, Tara and Mellifont over two relaxed days. Rooms and food It has double, twin, triple and family rooms. The restaurant is open seven days a week, with breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner made with seasonal produce. The website does not publish check-in and check-out times: ask when you book. How to get there You need a car: from Dublin, take the M1 north and then the Slane road, in just over an hour. - **Tankardstown House** (Small hotel): A Georgian country house near Slane Tankardstown House is an estate with a Georgian house in Rathkenny, north of Slane, surrounded by meadows and gardens. It is the place to treat yourself after Newgrange: suites in the main house (the Master Suite, the library suite), period rooms, and cottages and converted stables around the courtyard, which work well for families or groups. Eat without leaving the estate Its restaurant, The Brabazon, is in the old walled garden, the Garden Village, and serves informal lunches, afternoon tea and dinner. The website does not publish opening hours: book it when you book your room. How to get there You need a car: it is about 15 minutes from Slane along minor roads and a little over an hour from Dublin. ### Servicios - **How to get to Brú na Bóinne from Dublin**: By car, a good hour along the M1 to Donore; without a car, an organised tour. Every visit to Newgrange and Knowth starts at the visitor centre. ## By car: By car through the Boyne Valley The Boyne Valley is car country: the sights are ten to twenty minutes from one another along minor roads, and public transport does not link them. With a car from Dublin, a good hour along the M1, you can do Newgrange in the morning and Tara or Mellifont in the afternoon, or sleep in Slane and spread it over two days. Presupuesto orientativo: 90–170 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Conyngham Arms Hotel** (Small hotel): A village hotel for a night by the Boyne The Conyngham Arms is in the centre of Slane, a small village on the river, about ten minutes by car from the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre. Staying here lets you catch the first Newgrange visit of the morning, when it is quieter, and spread Knowth, Tara and Mellifont over two relaxed days. Rooms and food It has double, twin, triple and family rooms. The restaurant is open seven days a week, with breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner made with seasonal produce. The website does not publish check-in and check-out times: ask when you book. How to get there You need a car: from Dublin, take the M1 north and then the Slane road, in just over an hour. - **Tankardstown House** (Small hotel): A Georgian country house near Slane Tankardstown House is an estate with a Georgian house in Rathkenny, north of Slane, surrounded by meadows and gardens. It is the place to treat yourself after Newgrange: suites in the main house (the Master Suite, the library suite), period rooms, and cottages and converted stables around the courtyard, which work well for families or groups. Eat without leaving the estate Its restaurant, The Brabazon, is in the old walled garden, the Garden Village, and serves informal lunches, afternoon tea and dinner. The website does not publish opening hours: book it when you book your room. How to get there You need a car: it is about 15 minutes from Slane along minor roads and a little over an hour from Dublin. ### Servicios - **How to get to Brú na Bóinne from Dublin**: By car, a good hour along the M1 to Donore; without a car, an organised tour. Every visit to Newgrange and Knowth starts at the visitor centre. ## As a family: A tomb with solstice light and a hill of kings Children are hooked by the idea of walking into a five-thousand-year-old tomb along a stone passage, and the shuttle bus and the guide make the visit easy going. Tara is a hill made for running; Oldbridge and Mellifont are good for stretching your legs with a bit of history. ### What works best Newgrange, with the passage and the chamber Visitor centre, the exhibition, no booking needed Hill of Tara, free and outdoors Oldbridge, the battlefield and the walled garden ### Where to sleep Conyngham Arms, with family rooms Tankardstown House, cottages around the courtyard ### Where to eat Conyngham Arms, every day ### Worth knowing Everyone needs a ticket for the mounds, babies included The Newgrange passage is low and narrow; it is not for anyone who is claustrophobic The mounds are in the open air: bring a warm layer and a waterproof ### Qué hacer as a family - Newgrange, the 5,000-year-old tomb with the solstice chamber - The Hill of Tara, seat of the High Kings - Knowth, the mound with the largest collection of megalithic art - Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre - Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre, at Oldbridge - Mellifont Abbey, Ireland's first Cistercian monastery ## With teenagers: Older than the pyramids For teenagers, the hook is the scale of time: Newgrange is older than the pyramids of Giza, and at Knowth the carved stones have spirals that nobody quite knows the meaning of. If they are interested in history, the Battle of the Boyne explains conflicts that reach right up to today. ### What works best Newgrange, the passage and the story of the solstice Knowth, the climb up the mound and the megalithic art Battle of the Boyne, now with the free exhibition Hill of Tara, the seat of the high kings ### Where to sleep Conyngham Arms, in Slane ### Where to eat Conyngham Arms, in Slane ### Worth knowing Photos are not allowed inside Newgrange Under-18s must be accompanied by an adult ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Newgrange, the 5,000-year-old tomb with the solstice chamber - The Hill of Tara, seat of the High Kings - Knowth, the mound with the largest collection of megalithic art - Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre - Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre, at Oldbridge ## Consejos ### Set an alarm for midnight Tickets are released at 00:00, Irish time (the same as the Canary Islands, one hour behind mainland Spain). ### Check for cancellations Every morning from 8:30 to 9:30 and every afternoon from 15:00 to 16:00. ### Allow plenty of time You have to collect your ticket and catch the shuttle on time. ### Wrap up warm The mounds are in the open air with no shelter. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Can I buy tickets for Newgrange at the door? Only for the visitor centre exhibition. For Newgrange and Knowth you must book at heritageireland.ie, and in season they sell out. ### How far in advance are tickets released? 30 days ahead for visits from April to early November and 7 days ahead from November to March, at midnight Irish time. ### Can you go inside Newgrange? Yes, into the passage and the chamber, with a guide. They are low and narrow and photography is not allowed. At Knowth you do not enter the chambers. ### Can I see the solstice? From 18 to 22 December there are special early openings and normal visits are suspended. Check the official website. ### How do I get there without a car? On a day tour from Dublin; Mary Gibbons's costs €80 with tickets included.