Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Which tomb is best? If you can't see both, I'd pick Newgrange because it's more fam-
ous and allows you inside. (On the other hand, wait times for the Newgrange shuttle bus
can be longer.) Knowth is bigger and more impressive on the outside, but you can't go in.
Each site is different enough and worthwhile, but for many, seeing just one is adequate.
You might pick your tomb according to whichever shuttle bus is leaving next.
Cost:
Newgrange-€6, Knowth-€5; the museum is included in both tomb prices.
Hours:
May-Sept daily 9:00-18:30, slightly shorter hours off-season, last entry to visitors
center 45 minutes before closing. Newgrange is open year-round, while Knowth is
open Easter to mid-Oct only.
Crowd-Beating Tips:
Arrive early—ideally before 10:00 in peak season—to avoid the
big midday bus-tour crowds from Dublin. Visits are limited, and on busy summer days
those arriving in the afternoon may not get a spot on a shuttle bus. No reservations are
possible, and the last bus to the tombs leaves 1.75 hours before closing.
Getting There:
By
car,
drive 45 minutes north from Dublin on N-1 to Drogheda, where
signs direct you to the visitors center. If you're using a GPS, input “Brú na Bóinne”
rather than “Newgrange” to get to the visitors center, where you must check in.
Without a car, you could take Mary Gibbon's
tour,
which includes the passage tombs
(see “Tours of the Valley of the Boyne,” earlier).
Or take the
Newgrange shuttle bus,
a 15-seat van that runs daily from Dublin to
the visitors center. It departs Dublin at 8:45 and 11:15 from Gresham Hotel on Upper
O'Connell Street, and at 9:00 and 11:30 from the Dublin TI on Suffolk Street. Return
trips depart Brú na Bóinne at 13:30 and 16:30. Since it generally fills up in summer
(and may not run every day in winter), seat reservations are essential. Depending on
yourdeparture time, you'llhave3.5to6.5hoursofsightseeing time; keepinmindit's
logistically tricky (though not impossible) to see both tombs in 3.5 hours (€17 round-
trip, 45 minutes each way, must book in advance, run by Over the Top Tours, tel. 01/
838-6128 or Ireland toll-free 1-800-424-252,
www.overthetoptours.com
)
.
Information:
Tel. 041/988-0300,
www.heritageireland.ie
.
