Boyne Valley Day Tour: Ancient Sites & Trim Castle

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.53 (961 reviews) 75% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/14

Duration10h

GroupUp to 55

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Stand inside a 13th-century castle and walk a 5,000-year-old passage tomb in one day

A guided day tour from Dublin to the Boyne Valley visits Trim Castle, Loughcrew Cairns, Fore Distillery and Fore Abbey, with driver guide and round-trip transport included. The tour runs 10 hours and departs from the Molly Malone Statue on Suffolk Street; arrive 10 minutes early. Lunch at Loughcrew is on your own, as is entry to Trim Castle's interior, though the grounds are open to walk and photograph.

10h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Boyne Valley ancient sites

Meet at Molly Malone statue
Visit Hill of Tara historic site
Tour Trim Castle grounds
Explore Loughcrew passage tombs
Tour Fore Distillery
Visit Fore Abbey ruins
Return to Dublin

The Experience

The day starts at the Molly Malone Statue on Suffolk Street in Dublin, where you'll meet your guide and fellow travelers before heading out through the Irish countryside. The route takes you first to the Hill of Tara, a 5,000-year-old royal site where you'll see the Coronation Stone and An Forradh monument, with views across the landscape. From there, the coach carries you to Trim, home to Ireland's largest Anglo-Norman castle — a three-story keep set in vast grounds where you can walk the perimeter and photograph the medieval structure (entry to the interior costs extra). Your guide explains the castle's 13th-century history as you explore the exterior.

After Trim, you head to Loughcrew, where Neolithic passage tombs sit atop Meath's highest hills. These cairns date back more than 5,000 years and are covered inside with ancient rock art. A guided tour of the site brings that prehistoric past into focus. Lunch follows at a nearby restaurant — you choose what to eat and pay separately. The coach then takes you to Fore Distillery for a behind-the-scenes look at how Fore Valley spirits are made, with an optional lunch available there as well (also separate). Your final stop is Fore Abbey, the ruins of a 7th-century Christian monastery founded by Saint Fechin. The settlement once housed 300 monks and was destroyed twelve times before its final abandonment; you'll walk among the ruins of Saint Fechin's Church, which dates to around 900 AD.

The coach is air-conditioned and equipped with USB ports and WiFi on some vehicles. Breaks happen at service stations along the road where you can buy food and use facilities. Wear sturdy walking shoes and bring weather-appropriate layers, as you'll be on your feet at several stops. The return to Dublin wraps the day as the sun moves lower, and you arrive back at the Molly Malone Statue with the day's stories in hand.

What’s included

Driver guide in English.
round-trip transport from Dublin in an air-conditioned coach.
access to Trim Castle grounds, Loughcrew Cairns, Fore Distillery and Fore Abbey.
USB ports and WiFi on select buses.
service station breaks with facilities.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Irish Day Tours

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you're traveling with a small group or family and want to see multiple ancient sites in one day without driving yourself — the 10-hour route covers 5,000 years of history across four stops, and the guide handles all the navigation and storytelling while you sit back and take in the countryside.