Newgrange and The Boyne Valley Tour

About This Tour

The Boyne Valley has been called the heartland of the Irish nation, and a day here makes that feel reasonable. In one eight-hour private tour you cover three of Ireland’s most significant heritage sites: the Brú na Bóinne passage tombs (UNESCO World Heritage), the High Crosses at Monasterboice, and the Battle of the Boyne site at Oldbridge House.

Your guide spent years managing a major heritage property in the valley and was involved in drafting the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site Management Plan. You get a reading of these places that goes beyond the standard script - why Newgrange’s passage aligns with the winter solstice sunrise, what the carved scenes on Muiredach’s Cross actually depict, how a day on the River Boyne in 1690 rearranged the political and religious map of Europe. Private vehicle throughout, sensible pace.

What’s Included

• Private transportation for the day
• Bottled water
• English-speaking guide

What’s Not Included

• Lunch (typically at Donegan’s Monasterboice Inn, a historic pub close to the high crosses with a menu at various price points)
• Entrance tickets to the Newgrange chamber (charged separately, must be arranged 30 days in advance)
• Gratuities

Itinerary

1. Newgrange, Brú na Bóinne (3 hours) - You start at the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre near Donore; shuttle buses take you to the monument. Newgrange dates to around 3200 BC - older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids. The 80-metre mound is ringed by 97 kerbstones and faced in white quartz. A 19-metre passage leads to a corbelled chamber aligned with the winter solstice sunrise. Chamber access is charged separately, arranged 30 days out.

2. Monasterboice High Crosses (1 hour) - An early-Christian monastic site north of Drogheda. Muiredach’s Cross stands 5.5 metres tall and is widely considered Ireland’s finest carved high cross - its sandstone faces dense with biblical scenes. The West Cross beside it is the tallest high cross in the country. Free entry.

3. Battle of the Boyne Site, Oldbridge (1 hour) - Oldbridge House sits on the ground where 61,000 soldiers fought on 1 July 1690, when William III’s forces crossed the River Boyne to defeat James II’s Jacobites. Original weapons, a laser battlefield model, and a 15-minute audiovisual. Tickets on arrival.

Good to Know

• Private tour, conducted in English
• Wheelchair accessible by vehicle; wheelchair users need to transfer to a car seat with the chair stored in the boot
• The Newgrange chamber is not accessible by wheelchair or stroller
• Suitable for all fitness levels
• Contact your operator about Newgrange chamber access right after booking

Local Tips

• Book the Newgrange chamber right after confirming your tour. Access is capped and fills fast - miss the 30-day window and you’ll see the mound from outside only.
• Afternoon light at Monasterboice is worth timing for. The carved scenes on Muiredach’s Cross read differently when shadow plays across the sandstone.
• Donegan’s Monasterboice Inn is the obvious lunch stop. A historic pub right by the crosses with a real menu - good to know it’s there before you arrive hungry.
• Slane sits right at the edge of this landscape. The village crossroads has four symmetrical Georgian houses on an octagonal plan - one of the more distinctive things you’ll pass through in meath. The Slane Distillery in the old castle stable yards runs tasting tours if you want an evening add-on.

Nearby on IrelandMe

• Slane - Four Georgian houses at a planned crossroads, the Hill of Slane (where St Patrick lit the Paschal fire in 433 AD), and a whiskey distillery in the old castle stable yards
• Drogheda - Fifteen minutes east: St Laurence’s Gate, the Boyne site six kilometres upriver, AA-rosette dining at Scholars Townhouse
• meath - County hub for Boyne Valley sites and village guides