A UNESCO World Heritage landscape in a bend of the River Boyne, Brú na Bóinne holds the great Neolithic passage tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, built around 3200 BC. All visits start at the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, the only gateway to the monuments.
The guided tour shuttle-buses you to Newgrange, a huge mound ringed by carved kerbstones with a white quartz facade. A guide leads you down the low, narrow passage into the chamber and briefly turns off the lights to recreate the winter-solstice sunrise. Photography is not allowed inside.
Knowth holds the largest collection of megalithic art in Western Europe, its main mound surrounded by satellite tombs and a reconstructed timber circle. There is no access to the chambers; you tour the exterior with a guide.
Before the bus departs, the fully interactive exhibition covers Neolithic culture, landscape and monuments, and includes a full-scale replica of the Newgrange chamber. Booking the exhibition alone is not required.
Dowth, the third great passage tomb of the Brú na Bóinne landscape, lies on the north bank of the Boyne within the World Heritage property.
The centre has a café and gift shop, with a picnic area outside. Daly's Brú na Bóinne Bar and Restaurant is a short drive away in Donore village.
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