Newgrange and Knowth are part of the Brú na Bóinne area of County Meath, Ireland.
Brú na Bóinne means “palace of the Boyne” and it was so named because it’s this area of the Boyne River where the ancient people of Ireland built these incredible structures.
This is the place that was sacred to them.
Newgrange and Knowth are the 2 sites you can visit.
Dowth is a third site that is not open to the public due to its instability.
But all 3 are part of Brú na Bóinne where you can see incredible ancient sites and passage tombs.
It’s at this time of year — Winter Solstice — that Newgrange becomes even more magical.
So, as a traveler, what is the best way to see these sites?
Are there any tips or tricks?
The answer is yes.
But first…
The River Boyne.
Where is Brú na Bóinne? Can I get there from Dublin?
The Brú na Bóinne area is about 45km north of Dublin.
So it’s an easy day trip from the Irish capital.
And in fact, you can take tours to Newgrange and Knowth from Dublin so you don’t have to drive.
Or if you want to drive yourself, it makes a great overnight stop on your way to other parts of Ireland.
The Brú na Bóinne area is really beautiful with green rolling hills dotted with cows and sheep.
There are a few towns nearby that make a good base should you want to stay overnight.
Consider Drogheda for a larger town and smaller towns such as Slane or Trim.
Brú na Bóinne area with its green hills dotted with sheep. It’s really lovely!
6 tips for visiting Newgrange and Knowth
#1 — You must go with an organized tour
Please, do NOT show up at Newgrange or Knowth on your own.
You MUST go to the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Center to buy your ticket for an organized tour.
And it’s worth the €6-13, depending on if you see one or both of the sites as the guides are good and the tours very informative.
You can buy your ticket in advance, but only 36 hours.
Or you can go with an organized tour from Dublin.
Your choice.
But please follow the signs for the visitor center as this is where the tours begin.
You will board a bus that will take you to the actual site where a guide will meet you.
Then you board the bus back to the visitor center.
Easy peasy.
A view of Newgrange from the road leading to the visitor center. Whatever you do, do NOT show up at either Newgrange or Knowth directly.
#2 — Go early
If you don’t buy your ticket in advance — which I’ve never done — go early, especially at busier times (May through mid-September).
I’ve never had an issue getting a ticket for a tour, but 2 of the times I visited, it was just me.
The website does advise buying a ticket in advance so if you can, then do so.
And if you have a large group, then you must pre-book.
But I still recommend going early even if you book in advance as you beat the tour bus crowds that are going to come through.
Newgrange is open year round from either 9am or 9:30am to various evening hours depending on the month.
Knowth is open from 30 March to 7 November.
Mounds at Knowth. Do visit early in the day as it tends to be less busy.
#3 — Do visit both Newgrange and Knowth
On my first 2 visits to Brú na Bóinne, I only toured Newgrange — which I LOVE!
This year, I decided to just visit Knowth.
My advice is to see both.
They’re different, but equally impressive.
Newgrange is a passage tomb and you are allowed inside the chamber.
It’s inside the small chamber that you’ll be rewarded with the Winter Solstice sunrise experience.
It’s cool as hell!
Knowth also has a passage tomb the size of Newgrange.
Actually there are 2 entrances and passageways at Knowth.
But Knowth also has satellite mounds/passage tombs scattered about the site.
And the rock art here is incredible.
The downfall is you can’t go inside the chambers as Knowth is still being excavated.
So while you are allowed to enter a small chamber immediately inside Knowth, you don’t get to go way inside of it.
But you can take a look down a passage way and it looks amazing.
Newgrange and Knowth are completely different experiences.
But both worthy of time.
It takes about 3 hours to see both as well as spending some time in the visitor center.
Newgrange on my second visit in 2010 with my parents and Irish friend.
The window box of Newgrange that allows the winter solstice sunrise light into the chamber.
The stone that sits outside the entrance to Newgrange. I love this!!
The main mound/passage tomb at Knowth.
I love the artwork at Knowth. It’s really beautiful!
This is the one passageway in Knowth. While it is not open to walk through, you do get a good look at it from the inside chamber where your tour begins.
#4 — Take the time to wander around on your own a bit
I like that the tours to both Newgrange and Knowth allow a bit of time to wander around the site on your own.
The guide will tell you what time to be back at the bus stop.
Respect that.
But do take the time the guide gives you to really look at the site you are visiting.
There’s a lot to see if you get up close and look.
Use that time.
And…
A couple of the mounds at Knowth. The one on the right is the main passage tomb. And there are more as you wander around the site.
Walking around Newgrange allows you to really see the entire mound.
#5 — Use your imagination
Both Newgrange and Knowth do require you to use a bit of your imagination.
The guides are fabulous at painting a picture of what the experts think life was like back when these structures were built.
They speculate as to what each was used for by the ancient people.
But it’s up to you, the visitor, to picture it in your mind — to imagine what life would have been like and what these sites may have looked like at that time.
The Knowth site. It’s cool to walk around and imagine what life was like waaaayyyy back.
#6 — Spend some time in the visitor center
The Brú na Bóinne Visitor Center is definitely worthy of your time.
It’s included in your tour fee no matter if you choose to visit just one or both of the sites.
Do spend some time viewing the exhibits as it helps to get a clearer picture of what life was like in this piece of Ireland at the time these structures were built.
It’s an excellent visitor center with lots of insightful information.
And there’s a place to grab a bite to eat and to buy your Knowth or Newgrange souvenir.
Some of the artwork at Knowth which is really stunning!
The Boyne River.
Bonus tip — Do stop by Dowth
While you can’t really see Dowth as you do Newgrange and Knowth, you can actually drive to it and wander about it a bit.
It’s on the north side of the river, a couple of miles from the Slane to Drogheda road and East of Newgrange.
Dowth suffered from some very unprofessional excavation back in 1847 which is a shame.
2 passage tombs were discovered, but as a result of the poor excavation, it’s very unstable so you can’t go into it.
But you can see the mound which is about the same size as Newgrange and Knowth.
You can commune with the ancient spirits without a lot of people around.
I wish I had done this!
And lastly…
Happy Winter Solstice!!
