Good Morning (at least where I am) -

We want to take a day trip to Newgrange - what is the best way to do this? Did you go on your own and get a tour at the visitor centre? If so, how did you get there via public transportation?

The other option is signing up for a private tour - I have found a couple but would want to hear your recommendations if this is the way you decided to go.

Many thanks! Ireland in T-minus 20 days!!!

I should add that this day trip is from Dublin...sorry!

Will you have a car? If so, that's the best way to visit Newgrange and that's how we did it. It's an easy enough drive from Dublin and there's lots of other neat things in the area to see. Having a car will give you the freedom to see and do what YOU want to do.
At Newgrange, you can only visit the mound with a guide which is arranged at the Visitor's Center. So, you definitely will get a guided tour of the site.

I'm so delighted to have the opportunity to recommend Mary Gibbons for a tour of Newgrange from Dublin. Went about three years ago and had no expectations that Newgrange would be such a highlight of the ten day trip. Memorable visit. Mary is wonderful -- led the small van group herself. Everythig well co-ordinated, no waiting on long lines, wonderful commentary about all the aspects of the site. I asked her some questions about Ireland itself as we walked along and she was very knowledgeable. She has website and if we ever went back to Dublin, I'd do Newgrange with her again.

Be sure to see Newgrange if at all possible. We did have a car - but we made the mistake of going directly to Newgrange and not the visitors center - so we had to find the visitors center. They take you by bus to Newgrange.

Taking the day trip gladtotravel recommends sounds like a good way to do it.

No car - we are saving the car rental for when we leave Dublin - this is set in stone.

Thanks for the recomendation gladtotravel - I will definitely look into Mary's tour!

For those who took public transport to the visitor centre - how did you get there (route, bus stop, etc)

Kerry - "this is set in stone" I found the humor in this as when you are traveling you have to be prepared for changes and it seems that nothing is set in stone. Be more flexible and your trip will be more enjoyable.

We also took Mark Gibbons tour. It was excellent.

That should be Mary Gibbons, sorry.

Without a car, I would strongly suggest taking a tour to Newgrange. Not only will it be easier on you, but you'll find it more informative.

If it is still like it was when I went (March 2000), then be sure to find out when the tours are and get there at the appropriate time. We got there just after a tour left and it was a 2 hour wait until the next one, so we just looked around the visitor center and left.

bratsandbeer- we understand we need to be flexible as things may or may not change. However, we will be in Dublin for 3 days and will be renting a car and heading west thereafter. The fact that we will not have a car for this portion of the trip is "set in stone" - what we do and where we go during that time clearly is not. Sorry for any confusion.

There are group tours everyday that you can get from hte Dublin Tourist office - which is what we did. Otherwise you need to get yourselves there - not sure how - and wait for a mixed public tour.

We found the experiene wonderful - but you need to make sure no one in your group has claustrophobia or fear of the dark - or can maneuver in tight spaces. (A woman in our group became overwrought and had to be brought outside - I don;t think she understood what the expereince was about - and expected to be touring a building.)

Have a look at www.knowth.com to see what Newgrange is like before you go. It is a very special place. Go in the morning if possible as there may not be space for you later in the day. When they were building it about 4000 years ago they obviously knew nothing about tourism.The pyramids of Egypt were a later development.

If you book with a tour leaving from Dublin such as Mary Gibbons ( and, I believe there are others) you won't have to worry about space being available.

I used http://www.overthetoptours.com/ to get there and back. It's just a shuttle bus, basically, out of Dublin. It says "maximum 14-16 people" but I was the only person who wanted to go at the time I went, and they still took me. Worked great for me!