Boyne Valley: Tara, Trim and Newgrange
Five thousand years of Irish history within an hour of Dublin: the hill of the High Kings, a Norman castle, Newgrange and a carved high cross.
- Distance
- 114 km (71 mi)
- Driving
- 1 h 35 min
- Suggested days
- 2
- Stops
- 8
- Countries
- Ireland
- Updated
- June 23, 2026
At a glance: 2-day road trip of about 114 km (71 mi) with 8 stops, from Dublin to Monasterboice. About 1 h 35 min of driving in total.
Route description
Leave Dublin on the N3 to the Hill of Tara, where the High Kings of Ireland were crowned. Little stands above ground, but the earthworks and the view over the plains of Meath explain its importance.
Continue to Trim, where the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland stands beside the river Boyne. Follow the river downstream on the N51 through Navan to Slane; climb the Hill of Slane, where St Patrick is said to have lit his Easter fire.
Newgrange and Knowth are visited only on guided tours from the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre, reached by shuttle bus. Arrive early in summer as tours sell out; the tombs are older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza.
Drogheda has a medieval gate and a church with the relics of St Oliver Plunkett; the site of the Battle of the Boyne is at Oldbridge, just west of town. End at Monasterboice, where Muiredach’s High Cross stands among the graves beside a round tower.
Stop-by-stop itinerary
In driving order. Distances are estimates between consecutive stops.
- 1Start
Dublin
Ireland - 243 km
Hill of Tara
HistoryNavan, IrelandThe ancient seat of the High Kings of Ireland, a grassy hill of earthworks with the standing stone of the Lia Fáil and views over the plains of Meath.
- 315 km
Trim
Ireland - 40 km
Trim Castle
HistoryTrim, IrelandThe largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland, a massive keep inside curtain walls on the river Boyne.
- 529 km
Slane
Ireland - 66 km
Newgrange (Brú na Bóinne)
HistoryDonore, IrelandA passage tomb built around 3200 BC, older than Stonehenge, whose chamber is lit by the rising sun at the winter solstice. Visits start at the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre, by shuttle bus only.
- 710 km
Drogheda
Ireland - 810 km
Monasterboice
HistoryDunleer, IrelandA small monastic site with a round tower and Muiredach’s High Cross, one of the finest carved crosses in Ireland. Free to visit.
