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Celtic Boyne Valley and Ancient Sites Day Tour from Dublin
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From €70 per person
There’s a lot of ancient Ireland within a couple of hours of Dublin, and this 10-hour day tour covers the best of it — from a Neolithic hilltop cemetery more than 5,000 years old to a 13th-century Norman castle to a 7th-century monastery. Your driver-guide talks you through every stop, so you’re never just staring at ruins without knowing what you’re looking at.
The day begins at the Hill of Tara, the ceremonial and political heart of ancient Ireland. The High Kings of Ireland were inaugurated here, and the site includes the Coronation Stone and the An Forradh monument, with long views across the Boyne Valley. From there it’s on to Trim, where Ireland’s largest Anglo-Norman castle stands on the banks of the Boyne. Built in the 12th century, it has a striking three-storey keep and substantial grounds to walk around. Entry to the castle interior is at your own cost and not included in the tour price.
Loughcrew comes next — a hilltop site with passage tombs decorated with rock art on the interior walls, older than Stonehenge by a considerable margin. Then a stop at the Fore Valley Distillery, where you see behind the scenes of local spirits production. An optional lunch is available here at your own expense. The day ends at Fore Abbey, founded by Saint Fechin in the 7th century, famous locally for the Seven Wonders of Fore. The settlement once held 300 monks before being destroyed twelve times over the centuries. The ruins include Saint Fechin’s Church, dating to around 900 AD.
Meet at the Molly Malone statue on Suffolk Street. Arrive at least 10 minutes before the scheduled departure.
The Hill of Tara is best appreciated slowly. The site looks modest — open grassland with a few earthworks — but your guide’s commentary transforms it. The Coronation Stone (Lia Fáil) is the centrepiece, a standing stone with a very long history of ritual use, and the views from the top of the hill on a clear day are genuinely sweeping. Give yourself the full hour here rather than rushing towards the next stop.
Budget for Trim Castle entry separately. It’s not included in the tour price. The exterior and grounds are substantial and free to explore, but the interior of the keep — which gives you the best sense of the castle’s scale and history — requires a ticket. It’s worth it if castles interest you at all. The castle has one of the most complete Norman keeps in Europe.
Loughcrew involves a walk uphill to reach the tombs. It’s not a demanding climb but it’s exposed, and the terrain can be soft underfoot after rain. Wear shoes with some grip. The tombs at the top are genuine passage tombs — you can look inside — and the decorated kerbstones are the main reason to make the climb. The rock art is subtle but remarkable once you know what you’re looking for.
Plan your lunch at Fore Valley Distillery. It’s the only proper stop with food available and the timing falls in the middle of the day. The 25 minutes here is a natural break point — use it. The optional lunch is at your own cost and it’s worth factoring into your budget before you go, so you’re not caught out at a rural distillery with nothing else nearby.
Fore Abbey’s Seven Wonders are an odd and charming part of the day. They’re a collection of local legends about the site — including a mill with no race, a monastery built on a quaking bog, and a tree that won’t burn — and your guide will walk you through them. It’s a lighter note to end the day on, and the ruins themselves are beautiful in the late afternoon light.