Celtic Boyne Valley & Ancient Sites Day Tour From Dublin

Embark on a historic journey through Ireland’s Ancient East with a Celtic Boyne Valley Day Trip from Dublin. Explore the Neolithic tombs of Loughcrew, the Hill of Tara, Fore Abbey, and Trim Castle.

Duration: 10 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Molly Malone Statue - We will meet in front of the Molly Malone statue on Suffolk Street. Our exciting day tour will begin by travelling through Ireland’s terrain. Before leaving you’ll meet your fun-loving and knowledgeable tour guide and your fellow travel companions!

  • Hill of Tara - Next, pay a visit to the Hill of Tara, a holy location and the former home of the high monarchs of ancient Ireland. Discover centuries of history with breathtaking views of the landscape, including the well-known Coronation Stone and An Forradh monument. Experience this 5,000-year-old Boyne Valley gem firsthand.

  • Trim Castle - A drive across the Irish countryside wouldn’t be the same without passing through verdant, scenic areas. We go to the town of Trim, which is home to a striking and well-preserved Anglo-Norman castle, through stunning scenery. Ireland’s largest castle of its kind is Trim Castle. You will have opportunity to stroll about the expansive grounds and castle. This is a great chance to take a picture. You will learn about the background of this intriguing castle and the neighbourhood from your guide.

  • Loughcrew Cairns - After that, we go to Loughcrew, the location of Neolithic passage tombs with complete rock art covering the inside walls that date back more than 5,000 years. After our visit, we will have lunch at a nearby restaurant, where the tastes enhance the area’s rich history and add even more value to our experience.

  • Fore Abbey - Finally, visit Fore Abbey, the site of Saint Fechin’s founding of a Christian monastery in the seventh century, lastly. Before it was destroyed twelve times, the settlement was home to 300 monks at its height. Explore the ruins, which include Saint Fechin’s Church, which dates back to approximately 900 AD.

  • Molly Malone Statue - We will return to Dublin reminiscing about the day’s activities, the memorable scenery, and with stories to tell about our experiences!

What's Included
  • Wifi on board
  • Air-conditioned and USB ports on the vehicle
  • Driver/guide
  • Round-trip transportation from Dublin
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Entry to Trim Castle
Additional Information

Take off on a time-traveling journey through the Boyne Valley in Ireland, where mysterious vistas and a rich past await you.

First up is the Hill of Tara, home of Ireland’s High Kings, which has a rich historical background and stunning panoramas that include the fabled Coronation Stone.

Proceed to Trim Castle, Ireland’s largest Anglo-Norman castle, where its imposing walls and lush grounds bring mediaeval tales to life.

Following that, we go to Loughcrew, the location of Neolithic passage tombs with complete rock art covering the inside walls that date back more than 5,000 years.
After our visit, we will eat lunch at a restaurant.

The trip ends at Fore Abbey, the serene remains of a monastery Saint Fechin built in the seventh century that invite reflection amid the resiliency of history.

With stops at both holy hills and monastic ruins, this journey allows you to immerse yourself in the spirit of Celtic heritage and experience a piece of Ireland’s rich history at every turn.

  • Please arrive at the meeting point at least 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time.
  • Breaks will be taken at service stations in road, where you can buy food and use the toilet facilities.
Location
Molly Malone Statue
Suffolk Street
Please be there 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(697 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
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1 star
Alex_n
Aug 4, 2024
Loved the whole experience - The entire experience was great! Our guide was particularly informative during the tour. Each of the sites themselves were powerful experiences.
Review provided by Viator
Karen_c
Aug 4, 2024
Perfect Ancient Sites of Ireland Tour - This tour jam packed so much into one day. It was great. This day was perfectly planned to visit for different sites. Tour guide was a great driver and tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and professional.
Review provided by Viator
Evguenia_m
Aug 1, 2024
Best history, nature, and guide - The guide and driver, Alec, was incredible. Precise knowledge of both history and current affairs of Ireland, very clear and deep voice, and the gentlest driving over country roads. We learned an incredible amount, became very interested in specific time periods, and enjoyed the most peaceful and beautiful spots on the island. It was the best tour of the 4 we took all week!
Review provided by Viator
Z9166ljcharlottem
Jul 31, 2024
Fun and informative excursion! - We highly recommend this day trip. Alec was a fantastic and knowledgeable guide. We learned a lot and had fun along the way.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nicky_f
Jul 29, 2024
Fully recommend tour - Excellent tour, our guide Finn had a wealth of knowledge on everything we saw, he also made the journey between sites pass quickly with his storytelling. Thoroughly enjoyed our day.
Review provided by Viator
Charlie_b
Jul 26, 2024
Our guide Alec was great!... - Our guide Alec was great! The places we visited did require a lot of walking uphill so would not recommend to those with mobility difficulty.
Review provided by Viator
Laura_r
Jul 28, 2024
Short-changed - Loved the beautiful Ireland countryside. The tour was advertised to last until 6:00 but we debarked in Dublin too early. Thus felt rushed and did not have as much time to appreciate the scheduled sites, particularly at tall hill site with writings. Personable Finn had to drive AND narrate.
Review provided by Viator
Theterriblee
Aug 4, 2024
Go for the views, but the guide was lackluster - I'd rate this 5 for the views and sightseeing, and 2 for the tour guide. The views on this tour were beautiful! We loved seeing the countryside and the ancient sites and walking among the castle ruins. The environments were so peaceful and we got lucky with beautiful weather. The hike up Loughcrew Cairns is very steep though, so make sure to take it slow. Unfortunately, we were disappointed with our tour guide. He clearly knew a lot about the places we were going to visit, but he wasn't very good at imparting that information to us. We expected commentary on the drive to and from Dublin, but since he was both driver and tour guide, that didn't happen. We mostly relied on the tour guides working at each site to tell us the history of each place we visited. Those tour guides were awesome and really knew how to captivate an audience. The bus was small with less than a dozen people, so we could hear him (he didn't have a mic) but he mostly had conversations with the people sitting in the front row, so I felt like I was eavesdropping on the history he was mentioning, rather than being told outright. He was actually our same tour guide from the day before when we went on the Blarney Castle tour, but we never got his name. I'm not sure why we got the same guy for both tours. Maybe this company has other tour guides who are better. Ours was not very good at communication, and we were a little anxious at each stop that we might be left behind. He didn't instill confidence in us lol Twice members of our party could not find the bus meetup spot. We did end up waiting for them but that delayed us. He was also not very good at timekeeping. He wasn't strict about getting back to the bus at a certain time and we spent a good 30 minutes at one stop waiting for everyone to get ice cream. I think he also took us to extra places (we didn't mind seeing more sites!) but that also delayed us, so we ended up arriving back in Dublin about 90 minutes later than the booking said we were supposed to. He also drove very fast on the way back since we were running behind. Overall, if you just want a driver to take you to these sites to enjoy on your own, this tour was great for that. If you're expecting more of a discussion about history and hoping for tidbits of local knowledge, as we were, then you'll probably be disappointed. Lastly, even though the booking advertises wifi and USB ports for charging on the bus, there were neither on our bus. Luckily we took a powerbank to charge our phones after taking so many pictures of the beautiful landscapes. Oh and bring lunch and snacks and water.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elenal_p
Aug 4, 2024
Go for the views, but the tour guide was lackluster - I'd rate this 5 for the views and sightseeing, and 2 for the tour guide. The views on this tour were beautiful! We loved seeing the countryside and the ancient sites and walking among the castle ruins. The environments were so peaceful and we got lucky with beautiful weather. Unfortunately, we were disappointed with our tour guide. He clearly knew a lot about the places we were going to visit, but he wasn't very good at imparting that information to us. We expected commentary on the drive to and from Dublin, but since he was both driver and tour guide, that didn't happen. We mostly relied on the tour guides working at each site to tell us the history of each place we visited. Those tour guides were awesome and really knew how to captivate an audience. The bus was small with less than a dozen people, so we could hear him (he didn't have a mic) but he mostly had conversations with the people sitting in the front row, so I felt like I was eavesdropping on the history he was mentioning, rather than being told outright. He was actually our same tour guide from the day before when we went on the Blarney Castle tour, but we never got his name. I'm not sure why we got the same guy for both tours. Maybe this company has other tour guides who are better. Ours was not very good at communication, and we were a little anxious at each stop that we might be left behind. He didn't instill confidence in us lol Twice members of our party could not find the bus meetup spot. We did end up waiting for them but that delayed us. He was also not very good at timekeeping. He wasn't strict about getting back to the bus at a certain time and we spent a good 30 minutes at one stop waiting for everyone to get ice cream. I think he also took us to extra places (we didn't mind seeing more sites!) but that also delayed us, so we ended up arriving back in Dublin about 90 minutes later than the booking said we were supposed to. He also drove very fast on the way back since we were running behind. Overall, if you just want a driver to take you to these sites to enjoy on your own, this tour was great for that. If you're expecting more of a discussion about history and hoping for tidbits of local knowledge, as we were, then you'll probably be disappointed.
Review provided by Viator
Mca4828sa
Jul 28, 2024
Disappointed - Tour canceled because of bus broke down! Wish they warned us earlier so we didn’t have to wake up so early and wait 30 minutes for the bus that never showed up!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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September 2024
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