In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Newgrange and Knowth tickets are sold only by the OPW, online, in advance, and the OPW says no third party is authorised to sell them and resold tickets will not be valid. For tours dated 1 April to 1 November tickets are released 30 days ahead at midnight Irish time; in winter, 7 days ahead. The main tour, Brú na Bóinne with the Newgrange chamber, is €18 for an adult. Access is guided only, by shuttle bus from the visitor centre, so do not go to the monuments directly. From Dublin: train to Drogheda in 30 to 43 minutes, then TFI Local Link route 163 to the visitor centre. Or book a tour: the Newgrange, Trim Castle & Hill of Tara day tripad is a private van tour, listed from €699 for a group of up to 8, and its listing says Newgrange entry is bought separately, a month ahead; the Celtic Boyne Valley and Ancient Sites Tourad is from €70 for 10 hours and does not visit Newgrange (GetYourGuide).
Getting there
| Route | Journey | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Train from Dublin Connolly to Drogheda, then TFI Local Link 163 | Train 30 to 43 minutes | The 05:50 reaches Drogheda at 06:28 and the 08:50 at 09:28 on a weekday; route 163 runs between Drogheda and Brú na Bóinne |
| Car | Public car park at the visitor centre | |
| Private tour | About 8 hours | See below; Newgrange entry is bought separately |
Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre is at Donore, Drogheda, Co. Meath, A92 EH5C. Drogheda is the station on the Enterprise line from Dublin Connolly to Belfast. TFI Local Link Louth-Meath-Fingal runs route 163, Brú na Bóinne to Drogheda, and its timetables page has the times. The Irish Rail timetable changes on 13 December 2026.
Tickets
Book at the OPW’s Brú na Bóinne page, which has the Book Online button. All visitors, children and infants included, must have a ticket, and unaccompanied minors under 18 are not admitted. Availability is very limited, and without a booked ticket access is not guaranteed.
| Tour dated | Tickets released |
|---|---|
| 1 January to 1 March | 7 days ahead |
| 1 April to 1 November | 30 days ahead |
| 2 November to 31 December | 7 days ahead |
From 1 March to 1 November the tours are the Brú na Bóinne Tour + Newgrange Chamber (the main option), the Newgrange Tour + Exhibition, which includes the chamber, and the Knowth Tour + Exhibition, the last two limited to one tour a day. From 2 November to 28 February the tour is the Newgrange Tour + Exhibition, which includes the chamber.
Tickets are released online at midnight, Irish time. When a booking is cancelled, the ticket goes back online at any stage, and the OPW points to the mornings between 08:30 and 09:30 and the afternoons between 15:00 and 16:00. The OPW also warns of fraudulent websites that imitate heritageireland.ie: buy only from the OPW’s own page.
Prices are from the OPW’s price list.
| Ticket | Adult | Senior | Child or student | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brú na Bóinne Tour + Newgrange Chamber | €18 | €16 | €12 | €48 |
| Newgrange Tour + Exhibition (winter) | €10 | €8 | €5 | €25 |
| Knowth Tour + Exhibition | €10 | €8 | €5 | €25 |
| Visitor Centre exhibition only | €5 | €4 | €3 | €13 |
Children under 12 are free. The exhibition alone does not need a booked ticket.
Tours
No tour company can sell you a Newgrange ticket. The tours below carry you to the Boyne Valley and the entry is a separate OPW booking, so book the OPW slot first and the transport around it. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices.
| Tour | Length | From | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newgrange, Trim Castle & Hill of Tara Day Tripad (9 reviews) | 8 hours | €699 per group of up to 8 | A private van tour; the listing says Newgrange entry fees are bought by the customer separately, a month ahead |
| Celtic Boyne Valley and Ancient Sites Tourad (1,106 reviews) | 10 hours | €70 | Hill of Tara, Trim Castle, Loughcrew Cairns, Fore Distillery and Fore Abbey; does not visit Newgrange |
What to see
Brú na Bóinne is a bend in the River Boyne holding the passage tombs of Knowth, Newgrange and Dowth, built around 3200 BC. The OPW calls it Ireland’s richest archaeological landscape and says the tombs hold the largest collection of megalithic art in Western Europe. The visitor centre is the starting point for every visit.
The quartz wall and kerbstones of the Newgrange mound. Photo: Jimmy Harris, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
The visitor centre
Interactive exhibition · audio guide · café · no ticket needed for the exhibition alone
The exhibition covers the Neolithic culture, landscape and monuments of the valley. It is the one part of the site that does not need a booked tour slot, so it is the fallback if the tours are sold out. The centre has a café, a bookshop and a lift.
Newgrange
Guided tour only · the chamber is included on the main tour
The tour goes by shuttle bus from the visitor centre. Newgrange has an entrance stone engraved with a large triple spiral, and another triple spiral in the passage. The passage and chamber are low and narrow and may not suit visitors with claustrophobia or mobility issues. Photography is not permitted in the passage or chamber.
The entrance stone at Newgrange, with its carved spirals. Photo: Jal74, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Knowth
Guided tour only · one tour a day in the main season · no access to the chambers
Knowth is a mound with a reconstructed timber circle. The tour does not go into the chambers.
Passage tomb mounds at Knowth. Photo: AndieW, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Other OPW sites nearby
The Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre 3.8 km · Old Mellifont Abbey 5.6 km · the Hill of Tara 16.7 km
The OPW lists these three as its nearest sites to the visitor centre. Old Mellifont was Ireland’s first Cistercian foundation, and the Hill of Tara is on the Boyne Valley tours above.
Before you go
- Book the OPW slot first. Without a ticket, access to the monuments is not guaranteed.
- Hours. The visitor centre opens 9:00 to 16:15 in January, February and October to December, 9:30 to 16:45 in March and April, and 9:00 to 17:45 from May to September.
- Closed. 24 to 27 December and 1 January. From 19 to 23 December the centre opens earlier on winter-solstice mornings and the regular tour options are suspended.
- Weather. The monuments are outdoors with no shelter, and the opening of OPW sites can depend on the weather.
- Wheelchair users and special assistance. The OPW asks you to email brunaboinne@opw.ie before booking.
- Groups. Groups of 15 to 30 book by email to the same address.
Newgrange is one of the day trips from Dublin. Drogheda is also on the line to Belfast, and Glendalough is the other day that suits the OPW sites. What to book before you go to Dublin lists the city tickets and the sights that sell out, Kilmainham Gaol has the same OPW rule on third-party tickets, and 3 days in Dublin shows where a day in the Boyne Valley fits.
Common questions
How do I get tickets for Newgrange?
Only from the OPW, online, in advance. Tickets for tours dated from 1 April to 1 November are released 30 days ahead, and for tours from 2 November to 31 December and from 1 January to 1 March 7 days ahead, at midnight Irish time. Cancellations are released each morning between 08:30 and 09:30 and each afternoon between 15:00 and 16:00.
Can I buy Newgrange tickets from a tour company or a resale site?
No. The OPW says no third-party organisation is authorised to sell tickets to Brú na Bóinne, and that tickets bought from other sites, including resale platforms, will not be valid and the holders will be refused entry.
How much is Newgrange?
On the OPW's price list the Brú na Bóinne Tour with the Newgrange Chamber is €18 for an adult, €16 for a senior, €12 for a child or student and €48 for a family. In winter the Newgrange Tour with the exhibition is €10 for an adult. Children under 12 are free but need a ticket.
How do I get from Dublin to Newgrange without a car?
Take the train from Dublin Connolly to Drogheda, 30 to 43 minutes, then TFI Local Link Louth-Meath-Fingal route 163 from Drogheda to Brú na Bóinne. The OPW's public car park is at the visitor centre.
Can I go into the chamber at Newgrange?
Yes, on the Newgrange tour, which is guided only and goes by shuttle bus from the visitor centre. The passage and chamber are low and narrow and may not suit visitors with claustrophobia or mobility issues. There is no access to the chambers at Knowth, and photography is not allowed in the passage or chamber.
