Brú na Bóinne

Built over 5,000 years ago—older than Stonehenge and the pyramids—Newgrange feels especially powerful in winter. The landscape is hushed, the grass often silvered with frost, and the low sun casts long shadows across the Boyne Valley. There is a sense of anticipation in the air, knowing that this monument was engineered with astonishing precision to mark this exact time of year. The solstice alignment itself is extraordinary. As the sun rises, a narrow beam of golden light enters through the roof box above the entrance and slowly travels down the passage, illuminating the inner chamber.

This place is truly amazing and full of history. I don’t think many people, even those living in Ireland, know about it. It feels like time travel—taking you back 5,300 years. It’s one of the oldest man-made structures on Earth and is very well protected. Make sure to book your tickets online before visiting. It’s absolutely worth more than what you pay. All the guides are wonderful and explained everything thoroughly throughout the tour. We loved it so much and learned a lot from the experience.

We were guided by an archaeologist, not a tourist guide, so they told us factual historical facts and explained how they work the excavations. The personal item deposit is there to prevent pickpocket incidents because it gets pitch black and rather crowded inside. They turn off the light to simulate the solstice. Pros: Tours guided by archaeologists Storage boxes for personal items (you can take them in but at your own risk) Ability to walk into places that other similar tourist attractions would set off-limit Cons: Have to book a ticket in advance to get a full sightseeing tour Lack of cellular coverage - can hardly pick up eir signal to get on the Internet.

Fantastic place to visit. Great system of shuttles and guides are lovely with great knowledge. You must book ahead on website you cannot just turn up and get in. We'll worth visiting

Best thing we did in Ireland. Highly recommend! The site and the whole experience was fantastic. Our tour guides were amazing, too. The opportunity to enter the ancient tunnel and go 20 meters in to the central room and burial chambers was unforgettable. It’s a mystery with many questions left unanswered. There’s also dozens of Neolithic/Megalithic art carvings in stone surrounding the tombs. Visitors centre was great. Loved it all!! A must see IMHO 👀 Enjoy!!

A great experience, interesting tour guides and even though it rained all the time we were there it didn't dampen the experience.

As a tour guide who has visited Amazing Historical site for over 20 years as a private guide Newgrange and knowth never fails to Amaze me. I think anyone that comes to Ireland and doesn't visit these sites and this Magical and mystical Boyne Valley region. The Visitor centre is one of the best in Europe also.

Incredible experience. Our guide Sinéad was brilliant, and her use of Irish throughout the tour made it particularly special. The moment where the tomb lights up was surprisingly emotional. A must-see.

This is a really amazing experience if you value history or archeology at all. The visitor center is quite beautiful and very modern looking. You must book tickets in advance and they were sold out on the day we arrived. I booked about 4 weeks prior to our visit. Make sure you arrive at least 30 -60 minutes ahead of your booking time to enjoy the walk through the visitor center which is extremely well done and will provide a lot of background and important information about the tour locations. They also have a wonderful cafe with great food, including vegan and gluten free options with all allergens listed.

This is a well laid out Visitors Centre. Brú Na Bóinne Is a 5,000 year old burial site, that is older than the Pyramids in Giza, or Stonehedge by over a thousand years. Your visit will need to start at Brú Na Bóinne Visitor Centre which is nearly 10km away. Please don't do as we did and drive here. You will be turned away. The OPW operates a shuttle bus system and they limit the number of visitors each hour. They employed a "time sticker"s which you wear and the bus driver checks. The Parking Lot is huge and clear much thought went into this arrangement. The cafeteria had some well priced, tasty offerings, so we would recommend planning a stop there.

Decent visitor's center. They have a small museum which depicts things like how the ancient people transported the giant stones for the passage tombs. They also have a recreation of the inside of Newgrange, but it doesn't do it justice. The cafe is pretty good if you need a snack in between visiting the tombs... I highly recommend the sticky toffee muffin. The tombs themselves require short bus rides from the visitor's center, and to get to the bus stop you have to take like a 5 minute walk. But all that is totally worth it, because the tombs are great. There's also a small shop here which sells postcards, souvenirs, and what-not.

As Michiganders, it is impossible to scare us off with horrible weather... So, when sideways rain and cold temps come knocking at our door, we embrace our inner Michigan and add more layers. The payoff is generally incredible and our visit to Bru Na Boinne proved it. We walked into the tourist center to find there was only 5 minutes before the bus was pulling away to Newgrange! Hubby and I quickly paid and hustled out to the bus. After waiting just a few minutes, the bus driver greeted us and the gentleman sitting in the back of the bus. Upon arrival, we were asked to wait for the tour guide and the other gentlemen grabbed some tools, it was apparent he worked there! We waited for our tour guide, looking around... no one was in sight! Our tour guide gave us a private tour lasting almost an hour and shared with us that normally 50 people were on the tours. It gave us a splendid opportunity to become very intimate with the place. It was just as good as I remembered it when I visited 18 years ago! I love this magical place and I know you will too!

This review is for the food. We got an entree item and two sides. The smoked chicken pancake was great, the coleslaw was ok and quinoa salad was great. All the other salads and food looked tasty too.

This is not a rating on the things to see here as the things to see are amazing. It is also not a rating of the food trailer that is sitting in the parking lot, because they are great. This is a rating of the sad people who are staffing the visitors center. They are bureaucrats through and through. They are uncaring, they are disrespectful of visitors and they are pathetic. Start over and hire people who want a job and respect customers. These folks need to have an attitude adjustment.

Brú na Bóinne (Palace of the Boyne) You are only able to visit the Newgrange and Knowth sites via the buses in the visitors centre, and are not able to visit the Dowth site at all. We were hoping to visit the Newgrange site, but unfortunately by the time we got there the trips were fully booked (those darn lazy teens!), so we visited the Knowth site instead. We weren't disappointed. The visitor centre is great to hang out in while you wait for your bus. Full of great info on the significance of the surrounding sites, models, maps etc. Café is nice but make sure you've remortgaged your house before you go there, you'll need the extra cash. Bus drivers were jolly and tour guide full of interesting info, and more than willing to depart with more if you press them. History is definitely their thing. Knowth was fab, think Neolithic Tellytubby with cold cellar and twirly decoration. Not to be missed. Would have given it 5 stars if only we'd have had chance to see it all, and had been left with more change from €20 for a few cakes and drinks.

Just back from my third visit here in the last few years, and I FINALLY had the chance to hang out in the Visitor Center itself as long as I wanted to, read all the displays in the static exhibits, and chat with the folks who work there. I even checked out the replica of the tomb passage. A great place to spend some time and a great gateway to the tombs at Newgrange and Knowth (not forgetting Dowth, but you can visit that site without stopping at the Center). I also found several books on the tombs that were nearly impossible to find elsewhere. Plus, the food wasn't half bad in the cafe. I opted for a coffee and a pastry while waiting from my crew to return from their visit to the tomb and it was better than many of the city cafes. Tip for those visiting on their own without a tour group-it takes about 60 minutes to get there from Dublin, and if you arrive at the Visitor Center 30 minutes before it opens you ought to be able to beat the crowd. Bottom Line: Sometimes, a fresh scone beats a 5,000 year old tomb.

The visitor centre is where it all begins! I love Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth for the mystery, beauty and history. The visitor centre has great displays explaining the excavation that was carried out, the proposed use of the tombs and the symbols etched on the rocks outside. On my latest visit during the summer there were local artists having a craft faire inside the centre selling handmade goods that ranged from wooden tables, chairs and other decor, as well as handmade greeting cards and silver Celtic jewelry. I love the fact that you can enter a drawing in the centre to win a trip back to Newgrange for the winter solstice. I haven't won yet, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Very nice visitor's center to check out Bru na Boinne - in particular Knowth and Newgrange. We did the tour of both sites - the latter letting us walk into the formation with a tour guide. It was pretty cool being able to imagine what the place would look like during the winter solstice with their flashlight re-enactment. I entered the contest to get a ticket for the 2008 solstice but apparently didn't win. ;) Great facts about the information and they let you poke around the area a bit. They also tell you about the surrounding areas that are not open to the public. I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for some cool Irish ancient history.

Ultra modern and well-kept visitors centre that serves to prepare guests an as a launching point for the trip the 5000 year old landmark on the nearby hillside. Notable for the really full-service and elegant but VERY expensive cafeteria. It may be the only place to find sustenance within miles, and we were pleased but they are going to make you pay for it through the nose. Great interpretive complex and a substantial gift shop for you to find souvenirs and literature relative to this historic site.

My friend and I recently went on a roadtrip around Ireland, and our first stop after Dublin was Newgrange. Our GPS led us to the Brú Na Bóinne Visitor Centre, and we figured we'd buy our admission ticket to Newgrange then be on our merry way in about an hour. When we walked in, we were greeted by a member of the staff who told us that the next available tour for Newgrange wouldn't leave for an hour or two, and advised us to consider seeing Knowth while waiting for Newgrange. We agreed to do that. We spent maybe 30 minutes exploring the exhibits in the visitor center before our bus departed for Knowth. The guide at Knowth was extremely knowledgeable and very, very enthusiastic! I'm really glad we decided to add Knowth to our itinerary. We set off for Newgrange right after we got back from Knowth. I really enjoyed going into the mound and seeing the simulated winter solstice. We decided to grab lunch at the cafe in the visitors center, which was unexpectedly good. I highly recommend the Brú Na Bóinne Visitor Centre, Newgrange, and Knowth; however, you should allot a whole afternoon rather than just an hour or so if you want to do it justice.

Fun Way to Spend Half of a Day Note: arrive early if you want to be sure to get into Knowth and Newgrange. We arrived 15 minutes before opening and there was a already a line of about 25 people ahead of us. The tours are a bit too quick, but still very much worth the price of admission. The visitor centre itself is quite nice. It's a great place to visit after doing the tours. There is a lot of information, a gift shop, and nice cafe with a lot of options for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.