Getting to Newgrange via Public Transport

Newgrange is a prehistoric site located an hour north of Dublin.  It is Ireland’s Stonehenge and is a highly popular tourist spot. The site, collectively called “Brú na Bóinne“, features 3 Stone-Age passage tombs: Newgrange itself, Knowth, and Dowth, though only Newgrange and Knowth is accessible to the public.

Visitors can get to Newgrange either by driving, via tour buses, or via public transport. If you’re going via public transport, the closest starting point is the town of Drogheda. Access to the site is via the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre only.

Updated 13 April 2024.

Getting to Newgrange from Drogheda via Public Transport

The sole public transport link between Newgrange and Drogheda is the Local Link Bus Route 188 operated by Transport for Ireland under the Local Link service branding. This replaces the previous Bus Éireann route 163 that used to operate between Drogheda Bus Station and Newgrange with very low frequencies.

For visitors to Newgrange, Route 188 still serves Drogheda Bus Station and Newgrange as the old route 163 used to.

Local Link Route 188 Timetables and Frequencies

The new route 188 features more scheduled services per day than the old route 163. As of May 2023, the timings for the sector between Drogheda Bus Station and Newgrange are as follows:

All services run from Monday to Sunday, except for 25th and 26th December, and 1st January.

Local Link Route 188 Fares

Tickets can be paid for onboard in cash or using the TFI Leap Card. Tickets can also be bought on the TFI Go app. Holders of the Free Travel Pass can also use them on Local Link buses including Route 188.

Fares	Cash Fare (EUR)	TFI Leap & TFI Go (EUR)
Adult Single	2.50	1.70
Adult Return	4.00	–
Adult 1 Day	–	3.65
Adult 2 Journey (TFI Go app only)	–	3.40 (TFI Go app only)
Young Adult / Child Single	1.00	0.85
Young Adult / Child Return	2.00	–
Young Adult / Child 1 Day		1.95

External Links

For more information, please visit the following links:

• Transport for Ireland’s info page for Local Link bus services (Route 188’s timetable is under the “Regular Rural Bus Service Timetables” drop down menu > “Louth Meath Fingal”.
• The homepage of TFI Local Link Louth Meath Fingal, the service region for Route 188. Information for all Local Link services in the region can be found here.
• Transport for Ireland’s info page for Bus Fares.

What’s changed from Bus Éireann route 163?

The new Local Link Route 188 bus is an improvement over the old route 163. Bus Éireann used to operate route 163 with only two scheduled services per day with departures at 11:15 am and 2:45 pm from Drogheda Bus Station. Quite frankly, this wasn’t helpful, and when I used this bus route in 2017 I only had time for Newgrange instead of both Newgrange and Knowth. Route 188 also goes further than the old route 163, meaning it is also more useful to local residents as a regular bus line.

With the new timings, you now have more choices for your trip planning, and it should now be possible to visit both Newgrange and Knowth with the Local Link Route 188 bus.

Getting to Drogheda via train and bus

Drogheda is well connected to Dublin by both rail and road. To keep things simple – it is most convenient to take Bus Éireann Expressway 100x from Dublin to Drogheda as the buses call at the Drogheda Bus Station, where you can interchange easily with the Local Link Route 188 bus.

By train

Drogheda train station is a twenty minute walk from the Drogheda bus station. Connections to and from Dublin are via Irish Rail’s Commuter service running between Dublin Connolly station and Dundalk. There are a variety of timings out of Dublin available on weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays that allow a connection to Local Link Route 188 at your leisure. With the expanded schedules, you now have more flexibility to plan your day trip to Newgrange.

By bus

Alternatively, the Bus Éireann Expressway 100x service from Dublin provides a fast and convenient connection to Drogheda. The 100x service has daily hourly departures from Dublin’s Custom House Quay from 0550 am onwards, and takes between 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes to cover the distance to Drogheda Bus Station.  

Route 100x begins its journey at Merrion Square North in South Dublin at 0544 am. For connections in the city centre (or if you are connecting from Dublin Connolly station), catch the bus from Custom House Quay, right on the steps of the Custom House. The first departure of the day from Custom House Quay is at 0550 am, and puts you in Drogheda at 0648 am, giving you one full hour to catch the first Local Link Route 188 bus of the day at 0758 am.

Timetables

• Irish Rail timetables (Dublin – Dundalk Commuter) (Irish Rail site)
• Bus Éireann Expressway timetables page

Getting from Belfast to Newgrange via the Enterprise train

The Enterprise train service between Belfast Lanyon Place and Dublin Connolly calls at Drogheda train station. It is very much possible to connect from the Enterprise to the Local Link Route 188, and you simply have to walk from Drogheda train station to Drogheda Bus Station.

Here are some recommended itineraries for visitors:

The timings for the connection from the Enterprise to the Route 188 bus on Sunday aren’t very workable, so I’ve left them out of the tables. But as a whole, I won’t recommend making a day trip to Newgrange from Belfast with the Enterprise as the Enterprise scheduling isn’t very compatible with the Route 188 scheduling. I would recommend the Commuter trains from Dublin or the Expressway 100x bus instead.

For more information on Cross-Border travel options between Belfast and Dublin, please visit our info page for Cross-Border services.

What do I recommend?

The introduction of Local Link Route 188 and its increased timings have made public transit access to Newgrange from Dublin a very feasible option. You now have the time to visit both Knowth and Newgrange and should still be able to make one of the later bus timings.

To be frank, however, you will still have some timing constraints if you go by public transit. This is because in order to maximise your time at the site, you will be looking to start early in the day. By the time you’re done with Newgrange and caught the bus + train back to Dublin, it’s likely that you’ll be too tired and sleep deprived to enjoy the rest of the day. This is even more of a problem if you’re making a day-trip from Belfast, unless you don’t mind rushing the rest of your Dublin visit and returning to Belfast late at night.

So if flexibility is what you’re looking for, then a driving day trip to Newgrange is for you. If driving is also not for you, then feel free to sign up for one of the many paid bus tours to the Newgrange site.

Read my visit to Newgrange via Public Transport in 2017: