This private day trip from Dublin covers three of Ireland’s most compelling ancient and medieval sites - Newgrange, the Hill of Tara, and Trim Castle - with a local guide who knows all three well.
Newgrange is over 5,500 years old, predating both the pyramids at Giza and Stonehenge. Stepping inside the passage tomb is a genuinely remarkable experience, especially if you’re drawn to antiquity and the ancient world. The Hill of Tara was the sacred seat of the High Kings of Ireland, a place where pagan and early Christian traditions crossed and local folklore still speaks of the good people - the faeries - making their home here. Trim is a lovely heritage town, and Trim Castle is one of the finest examples of a medieval Anglo-Norman fortress you’ll find anywhere in Ireland.
One thing to sort before you book: Newgrange entrance tickets must be purchased separately by you, online, about one month before your tour date. The guide covers the rest.
What’s Included
Private transportation
Local guide
What’s Not Included
Lunch
Newgrange entrance fees (purchase online approximately one month before your tour)
Itinerary
Newgrange - Your guide takes you to this passage tomb that’s older than the pyramids in Giza and Stonehenge in England. Allow around 2 hours.
Hill of Tara - Your guide walks you through this 5,000-year-old site, covering the history, archaeology, folklore, and mythology - there’s a lot of it. Allow around 60 minutes.
Trim Castle - Your guide walks you around the castle grounds, built over 800 years ago. The castle was famously used as part of the film set for Braveheart. Allow around 15 minutes.
Trim town - There’s free time in this lovely old town to have an optional lunch at a local pub or restaurant - not included in the tour price. Allow around 50 minutes.
Good to Know
This is a private tour - just you and your guide
Newgrange entrance tickets must be bought online by you, roughly one month in advance
Remaining travel time is accounted for in the 8-hour duration
Service animals are welcome
Public transport options are available nearby
Suitable for all fitness levels
Conducted in English
Local Tips
Buy your Newgrange tickets online as soon as you confirm this tour. One month is the stated minimum but in summer the slots sell out further in advance than that - buy them the same day you book.
The Hill of Tara looks modest when you arrive - an open hilltop in County Meath with earthworks and a standing stone. What makes it remarkable is what your guide fills in: 5,000 years of ceremonial use, the Lia Fáil (Stone of Destiny) that stood here when the High Kings were inaugurated, and the dense archaeology just beneath the grass. Don’t rush this one - the 60 minutes is well used.
Trim Castle was used as a location for Braveheart in 1994, and you can still see how the exterior stood in for various Scottish and English settings. The keep is the largest Norman castle in Ireland - a three-storey cruciform structure that took thirty years to build. A guided castle tour takes you inside; the grounds are free to wander separately.
Use the Trim town free time well. StockHouse Restaurant and Brogans Bar on the main street are both within a short walk of the castle. The 50-minute window is comfortable but not long - decide where you’re eating before the castle stop. The walk to the Yellow Steeple (the fragment of a 14th-century abbey across the Boyne) is 2 km and takes 45 minutes; it gives you the classic view back across the river to the keep, but only attempt it if you’re happy skipping lunch.
Nearby on IrelandMe
Trim - the final stop on this tour; the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland sits on the south bank of the Boyne, with the Yellow Steeple visible across the water and a heritage town that wraps around 850 years of medieval life. StockHouse and Brogans are the two reliable places for the free-time lunch stop.
