Hi all you helpful peeps! We will be spending our last 5 days of Ireland trip in Dublin. We would like to go to Newgrange...what's your advice there? Do we need to buy a tour, or do we take a bus and go on our own? TIA
Posted by
Tampa, FL
626 posts
Several years ago, my Mom and I took a bus day tour from Dublin to Howth, Newgrange and Hill of Tara. Sorry I don’t remember the company we used but there are several choices online. I really learned a lot having a guide and was glad the transportation was all arranged for me. Newgrange is awesome, there’s a really nice visitor center with a good cafe.
Posted by
913 posts
A lot of us on the forum suggest the Mary Gibbons Newgrange Tours. It's mainly your admission tickets, transportation and their is non live narration on the bus, but it really is convenient and an easy way to get around to see everything you want to see.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
2279 posts
Either - depends on your preference.... You can catch a bus but that is slow - need to allow 2-3 hours each way so if you don't have a car, then a tour is probably a lot easier.
Tours and especially Mary Gibbon's ones do book up quickly.
If doing it yourself, you have to prebook Newgrange. Tickets are released 30 days in advance and again can book up quickly. If time allows try and see both Newgrange and Knowth - they are very different. The ticket includes a guided tour.
Posted by
Mountains of S. Oregon
741 posts
If you have a car, the Battle of the Boyne Museum is pretty well done. Getting there on a tour might be possible.
No matter how you get there, you leave your transportation at the visitor center in a remote location and board a coach for the short trip to Newgrange (and Knowth if you pay a little extra). The regimentation is necessary due to the enormous crowds they deal with, and they do a pretty good job.
Posted by
Washington, DC USA
491 posts
I did the Mary Gibbons tour pre-Covid. It was excellent and highly informative.. The guide was a retired archeology professor who had done some of the research on Newgrange and related sites. My experience was totally different from what KD describes as "non live narration" on the bus.
Posted by
Lake District, England
7831 posts
You don't now need a car to get to the Battle of the Boyne Museum - the new TFI Local Link Bus #163 gets you there from Drogheda Railway Station every 2 hours- https://www.locallinklmf.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Locallink-LMF-Louth-A5-Booklet-June-2024.pdf
That is also the bus for Newgrange.
This is part of a very rapid expansion of local bus services in Ireland.