Review

Review: Newgrange & Knowth. Inside Ireland's Ancient Tombs

Ireland by Locals

12 Apr 2025 — 8 min read

Newgrange Visitor Guide: Everything You Need to Know

Is Newgrange Worth Visiting?

Newgrange & Knowth are older than the pyramids and one of only three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ireland, so it's definitely worth visiting. Standing in a 5,000 year old tomb built by our ancestors who engineered sunlight to enter on just one day of the year is absolutely mind boggling.

This is exactly the kind of history you come to Ireland to see. The rural setting adds to the experience. A definite must do day trip from Dublin for anyone interested in history. Less so for kids though.

Score : 8/10

What is Newgrange and Knowth?

Newgrange & Knowth are prehistoric tombs built around 3200BC. That's 1,000 years older than Stonehenge and 500 years before the Egyptian pyramids.

They are two separate sites within a few minutes of each other and are among the most important Megalithic sites in the world.

Mega = Big. Lithic = Stone. So they're very old big stones!

What makes Newgrange so special is that as sunrise of the Winter solstice December 21st light enters the chamber through a small opening. And you can go down this chamber on your visit. It's chilling to think that so long ago people were standing in this exact spot watching the light enter. Makes you think a little about life. How many generations are we along since those 5,000 years?

How to Book Newgrange Tours

The site is in a rural location in County Meath, one hour drive from Dublin.

However you arrive at the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, you must take this bus tour that I just described. It's the only way to access the sites. You can't just drive up to each site on your own.

If you have a rental car, you can drive and park at the centre.

You can take a day trip bus tour from Dublin. that includes admission to Newgrange. I like these day tours, you've no navigating thought narrow country roads to deal with and the guides are always entertaining.

Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre

Parking

I drove there and there was enough parking but I got one of the last spots. It wasn't peak Summer yet so it might be harder to get parking then.

Entrance

I was greeted by a staff member who checked my name and my booking, then welcomed me into the bright and modern building. I arrived at 12:15 for a 12:30pm tour. They told me that I had 45 minutes to look around the exhibition in the visitors centre and that at 1pm I should start walking to the bus meeting point in time for a 1:15 departure to Knowth.

The Brú na Bóinne Exhibition

12:15-1pm This is an excellent exhibition. Bright, visual and interactive. Sometimes these things are dry and dull. That's definitely not the case here. You learn what these sites are, who made them, why they made them and why they are so important in the history of Ireland.

I studied all this in school but that was a long time ago!

Cafe

I finished the exhibition in 30 minutes, so with 15 minutes to kill, I got a coffee and pastry at the onsite cafe. It was very busy, a little hectic and the food options were all pre-made and reheated. Grand for a coffee, but I'd eat lunch elsewhere.

At 1:00, I started walking to the bus stop. But it was such a nice walk that I took my time, enjoyed watching the river flow beneath me, listened the birds and took in the scenery that it took me 10 minutes to walk the 300m and when I got there, everyone had already boarded the bus. This was an efficient group!

The Bus & Guides

The bus was an electric bus and they carry 30 people on each tour. Nigel was our driver and a very friendly guy. He drove us through those famous narrow Irish country lanes with barely room to squeeze through. It only took 5 minutes to get to the first stop, Knowth.

Knowth

Arrived: 1:20 Left: 2:20pm

Knowth is the larger but lesser known tomb here. Newgrange is the more famous because you can enter the tomb. You can't do that in Knowth, but you do go up on top of the tomb, which you don't do in Newgrange.

Mary was our guide and brought us on a 50 minute tour of the site. It was history filled, but never boring. Mary has that typical Irish sense of humour that kept smiles on our faces as we listened to her stories.

There's 130 curb stones at the base of this tomb. Engraved with art from thousands of years ago. It challenged your perception of time and I found myself wondering what those Stone Age artists would think if they saw us there today.

The tour ended by walking up on top on the tomb where we had views all over the surrounding countryside. That alone was worth admission.

Exhibition and Film

Then we crossed the road to the Knowth exhibition where you can see photos of the excavation and a well produced 10 minutes video about the site. The video had a lot of drone shots and they are really needed to get a full vision of what the site is like. When you're at ground level, it's hard to see it, so the overhead shots really help you understand what you just saw.

At 2:30, a different bus and driver picked us up and drove us ten minutes to Newgrange.

Newgrange: Inside Ireland's most famous tomb

There's a lottery every year in Ireland to be one of the people in the Newgrange tombs at dawn on Dec 21st when light enters the chamber compliments of our Stone Age electricians. The odds of winning are slim. And then you have to hope for sun in Ireland in December. I have a maths degree, I know statistics so I've never applied.

The passage is so small and tight that our group of 30 was divided into two. The first 15 were brought in and the other 15 were told to come back in ten minutes. There's no photography allowed in the chamber and to minimize risk, you have to take all backpacks and dangling objects off and hold them in front of you as you walked in.

It's tight, it's claustrophobic but this is a special place. You can literally feel the spirits in here. The guide told us more things but honestly, I was just in my own world thinking of what these stones have seen. The guide turned off the lights and it was pitch black. Darker than you can imagine. Then she turned on a light to replicate what it's like during the solstice. What a fabulous experience.

Local Tip: Don't miss the 'folly' behind the main tomb. It's only 200 years old but you can see inside it and it's stunning!

Newgrange Chamber. The light enters that small opening on the Winter Solstice

Crowds and timing your visit

Even though it's always booked out, this means the crowd is well managed. No need to book at a quiet time, there'll only be 30 max on your tour and it was very well managed. The tour ran right on time and never felt rushed.

Newgrange Opening Times

Newgrange is open year round. From 9am until close to sunset. They don't include Knowth in the Winter though. So It's a shorter tour.

Hotels Near Newgrange

If you want to experience real Ireland, stay in one of the local villages near Newgrange, it's a lovely rural part of Ireland with local pubs.

If you are heading west, it can make sense to stay in Newgrange and not backtrack to Dublin overnight. You're already an hour away from the city and its traffic!

Here are the best accommodation options near Newgrange.

Is Newgrange Worth Visiting?

Absolutely! Just being in the chamber was worth the drive and the price. Of all the famous sites in Ireland, this is one of 3 Unesco sites.

It's interesting rather than exciting. Teenagers might get bored. But if you're in anyway interested in history or just seeing a beautiful structure that you will not see anywhere else, then you should visit Newgrange & Knowth.

🎟️

Book Your Newgrange & Knowth Tickets Early!!