Dublin

Celtic Boyne Valley & Ancient Sites Day Tour From Dublin

Badge of ExcellenceDublin, Ireland

Celtic Heritage Day Trip from Dublin Boyne Valley Hill of Tara and Loughcrew Celtic Tombs

10 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Dublin, Ireland

Cliffs of Moher Tour Including Wild Atlantic Way and Galway City from Dublin

13,293

from $85.59

Dublin, Ireland

Glendalough & Wicklow Mountains Half Day Morning Tour from Dublin

511

from $36.21

Likely to Sell Out

Dublin, Ireland

Cliffs of Moher, Galway and Ennis with Spanish Speaking Guide

104

from $108.64

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

Travel through mystical Celtic Ireland on this full-day bus tour from Dublin! With an expert guide, journey back in time to Boyne Valley, home of Trim Castle, the Hill of Tara, the megalithic passage tombs of Loughcrew, and Fore Abbey. Uncover the heritage of Celtic heritage and Ireland's storied past on this tour that is ideal for history buffs.

Full-day Celtic trip from Dublin to Boyne Valley
Visit some of the oldest sites in Ireland with a guide
See 6,000-year-old artwork carved in the passage tombs at Loughcrew
Travel to the Hill of Tara from where the High Kings ruled the country 1,000 years ago

What's Included

Air-conditioned and USB ports on the vehicle
Driver/guide
Round-trip transportation from Dublin
Wifi on board

Lunch
Entry to Trim Castle

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Molly Malone Statue
Suffolk St, Dublin 2, D02 KX03, Ireland
Please be there 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time.

Start time

08:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Your Celtic adventure begins bright and early the Molly Malone Statue in Dublin, where you will meet your coach for the full-day tour to Boyne Valley. Be sure to grab your own breakfast for the ride north to your first destination, the Hill of Tara. Your guide tells you about the importance of this site before you move on to Trim.

Head to the ancient town of Trim, just a short ride through Ireland’s picturesque countryside. See the famous Trim Castle set along the River Boyne. Constructed in the 1170s, this monument remains the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland.

Then, at the Loughcrew Cairns passage tombs, walk through the winding stone passageways with your knowledgeable guide and ponder the 6,000-year-old petroglyphs that adorn the walls.

Continue to the Fore Abbey, a 7th-century Christian monastery before boarding the bus back to Dublin. Your tour returns to the starting point in the evening.

Molly Malone Statue

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Hill of Tara

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Trim Castle

1 hour 10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Loughcrew Cairns

50 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Fore Abbey

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Molly Malone Statue

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps

Most travelers can participate
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.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 55 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Diane_W

This tour was just what I was hoping it would be and so much more. The country side was beautiful. Derick Nixon was the driver and tour guide that shared his knowledge very well of all the sites we stopped at. We even had some extra surprises we got to see that normally would not be available. Lunch was wonderful and not rushed. Derick had wondering Irish songs he sang beautifully along the drive. This tour is a great Irish experience.

Reviews

4.5

650 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 650 reviews

Very good experience

Jean_S, May 2024

Very interesting tout with a very professional guide. I discover a region of Irland that I didnt visit before and part of history

Excellent small group tour.

adam_h, May 2024

This tour was excellent. Tour guide was knowledgeable and provided many interesting stories. The walk up to the loughcrew cairnes was beautiful. The lambs running all over were a nice bonus. It was a smaller tour group which gave it a much more personal feeling compared to larger tours ive been on.

Best tour! Absolutely fantastic

Rebecca_G, May 2024

This was SUCH a great tour! The places we visited were extraordinary! And, David, our guide & driver was extremely knowledgeable about every place he took us. He was also very personable! I highly recommend this tour!!

Ancient sites, lots of history, beautiful countryside

Wendy_S, Apr 2024

Our tour went to boyne valley. Hill of Tara was fascinating and very picturesque. Our tour guide Natasha gave a lot of history and brought the ancient sites to life. We stopped at a great restaurant and had a very good meal. I loved trim castle too. Thanks natasha

Great experience

Jenny_C, Apr 2024

Excellent views and tour guide was very knowledgeable! Would recommend for anyone who wants to travel off the typical tourist beaten path.

Great historical trip through the Boyne Valley countryside. Highly recommended.

Carolyn_L, Apr 2024

This was an exceptional experience for my daughter and I. Our driver, Aiden, was very friendly and knowledgeable about the sites and gave us interesting commentary throughout the tour. Timing at stops was well-paced. Lunch stop was excellent. We enjoyed all the sites, but especially the Hill of Tara (arrived early enough to beat the crowds) and Loughcrew Cairns (be prepared to walk up a steep hill…view at the top is stunning).

Great tour but very late

Ashley_R, Apr 2024

The only reason this didn't get 5 stars is because the tour was an hour late!! Luckily someone was able to text me so I could let everyone else know otherwise everyone would have left. It took almost an hour before someone came there to tell us it was late... That being said, no one offered us anything for our long wait or inconvenience.. However, our guide Alex or Alec was fantastic! He was super knowledgeable and very entertaining. The sites are perfect for anyone who loves some folklore and Irish history. Definitely bring a ribbon and make a wish on a fairy tree or sit on the witch's chair. It was a great time, be prepared to climb a very steep hill.

Spend some time in the "green"!

Amanda_R, Apr 2024

A day to be grounded in the Celtic heritage. A must do experience with story telling, wonder and awe.

Great opportunity to see not so common places

Ron_J, Apr 2024

This was a very enjoyable tour. The driver/ guide was very knowledgeable with information. You get the opportunity to see places that most tourists do not see. Plenty of time at each stop. Only a minor complaint is that we didn’t stop for lunch until about 2PM so pack some snacks.

Nightmare of tour

Toni_V, Apr 2024

This was the most terrible tour I’ve ever been. The tour guide didn’t know anything about the sites and kept getting lost. He had no idea where he was going. It was supposed to take 15 minutes to go from one place to the other, it took 1.5 hours because he got lost at least 5 times. Then we end up giving him directions from google maps. Want my money back!

Enjoyable trip to celtic Boyne valley

Rasa_T, Apr 2024

Amazing views, history knowledge and stories from guide, also ge was very polite and welcoming, comfortable trip. Thank you, very enjoyable experience

Mostly a wonderful experience

Katherine_L, Mar 2024

We loved this tour and saw beautiful scenery and historic sites. Our only complaint is that the tour description had said admission to the castle was included, but it wasn't. Our tour guide walked us up to the castle grounds, said he was signing us in, and gave us an hour to "enjoy the castle". Then we went in, only to get sternly spoken to and asked to leave by the staff because we didn't have tickets. The grounds were open to the public and free, and the ticket to the castle was only 5 Euros, but getting in trouble soured our experience for a couple of hours. We did finally begin to enjoy the tour again and had a great end to it.

Didn’t inform us trio was canceled

Sharon_B, Mar 2024

Trip was canceled by operator at last minute. No text. So we got up extremely early and walked a mile to the meeting site. Waited til it was evident that the trio was cancelled. Walked back to hotel and found on Viator site that it had been cancelled, so scrambled to find other things to do in Dublin at the last minute.

Best trip, hands down! Book it!

Jessica_R, Mar 2024

Absolutely amazing time had by all today on our tour. Our guide was informative, fun, and full of energy for this full day adventure. The weather was dreary, but I personally loved that too. Lots of exercise was had on this one, so be prepared to walk, climb, scramble, and absolutely wear footwear that can handle the elements. Bring rain gear.

Great historical, archaeological and spiritual countryside tour

Jessica_D, Mar 2024

The tour was a great day by out for anyone interested in history, archeology, and spirituality. It was well balanced with stops at Hill of Tara, Trim, Longhcrew and Four. We loved traveling the emerald countryside. Our guide was thorough, friendly and very knowledgeable. We never felt rushed at any site (it’s a good long day!) The only issue we had was that Castle Trim was specifically listed as “admission included”. After our guide told us to “enjoy the castle”, we were promptly told to leave by other guides, as we did not have entry tickets. Apparently, Trim Castle grounds are free for everyone, but the castle costs 5 euro. (We would have gladly paid the extra, but we felt very misled by the tour description online.) Overall, the tour deserves 5 stars, as it was wonderful, but we were very frustrated by the Trim Castle experience.

Ok Tour but wouldn’t call it Celtic

Desiree_T, Mar 2024

It wasn’t the best day weatherwise to do this tour - so cold and windy on Tara hill that it was difficult to hear. But I was also disappointed that there was next to nothing actually Celtic about the tour. At the hill of Tara, our guide, Alec, talked more about Saint Patrick than anything else. He talked about local politics and farmers and the structure of the castle Trim. Some of what he said was interesting, but I wanted to hear much more history and folklore and background to what we were seeing.

Amazing day in Irelands historic places

Mary_H, Mar 2024

Amazing driver/tour guide. I got lost getting to the pickup area and he waited past the time . Throughly enjoyed the tour and the guide. Maybe add hiking boots are a must as many people did not have the best footwear

Celtic odyssey

Margaret_S, Mar 2024

Loved Flanns fascinating explanation of Irish history. Enjoyed our ride through time! My son particularly loved the abbey and castle ruins.

Excellent tour, highly recommend!

Tara_M, Mar 2024

Excellent tour! Very knowledgeable guide, comfortable bus, just the right amount of time at each site. Highly recommend!

Awesome escape from the city!

Julie_R, Mar 2024

Our tour guide was Alec. It was a great day trip with good food and an excellent tour guide. Also, wear shoes suitable for walking, hiking, and mud.

...