More about hotels in Meath
County Meath sits under an hour's drive from Dublin, and it holds one of the oldest man-made structures on the planet. Newgrange, at the heart of the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site, was built around 3200 BC, centuries before Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza. Once a year, on the winter solstice, the rising sun still lines up with the passage inside and lights up the inner chamber for about seventeen minutes, a piece of Stone Age engineering that still works exactly as intended more than five thousand years later.
Newgrange isn't the only ancient site in the county. The Hill of Tara, once the ceremonial seat of Ireland's High Kings, rises over open farmland a short drive away, its earthworks and the Mound of the Hostages passage tomb still clearly visible on the summit. West of Navan, the quieter Loughcrew cairns hold more than thirty passage tombs spread across a set of hilltops, with the carved keystone in Cairn T catching the sunrise on the spring and autumn equinoxes much like Newgrange does at the solstice. Add in the Norman keep at Trim Castle and the Cistercian ruins at Bective Abbey along the River Boyne, and Meath packs an unusual amount of history into a small area.
There's more to the county than ruins. The Boyne Valley has built a genuine reputation for food, and towns like Trim and Navan give you a comfortable, well-connected base for exploring it all. You'll find everything from castle hotels with their own golf course to simple guesthouses near the motorway.
Where to stay in Meath
- Trim: home to Ireland's largest Norman castle and a compact, walkable town on the River Boyne. The best pick if Trim Castle, Newgrange and Tara are all on your list. See stays in Trim
- Navan: the county town, sitting where the Boyne and Blackwater rivers meet, with the widest range of hotels and easy access to the M3. See stays in Navan
- Ashbourne: the closest base to Dublin, handy if you want motorway access to the airport without Dublin's hotel prices. See stays in Ashbourne
- Ratoath: a quieter option near Dunshaughlin and the Hill of Tara, with a couple of golf resort stays close by. See stays in Ratoath
- Kells: a smaller heritage town in the north of the county, with a round tower and carved high crosses in its old monastic enclosure, and the closest base for Loughcrew.
How much is Meath accommodation?
Meath accommodation averages around AU$154 a night, noticeably cheaper than staying in central Dublin while still close enough for an easy day trip in. Prices shift depending on the season and how close you are to Trim and Navan.
- Budget guesthouses: from AU$90 a night. Simple B&B rooms in Navan and Trim, no frills, usually with a home-cooked breakfast included.
- Budget hotels: from AU$120 a night. Small family-run hotels and inns, a step up in comfort, still an easy walk to the town centre.
- Mid-range hotels: from AU$170 a night. Three- and four-star hotels in Trim and Navan, most with on-site parking and a restaurant.
- Boutique stays: from AU$230 a night. Characterful options like an 18th-century coaching inn in Slane, usually with a strong kitchen attached.
- Luxury and resorts: from AU$320 a night. Castle hotels with spas and their own golf courses, the pick if you want the full country-estate experience.
Top-rated hotels in Meath
- Trim Castle Hotel: sits right across the road from Trim Castle itself, so you can see Ireland's largest Norman fortress from your window. Rated 9.2 out of 10 by guests.
- Knightsbrook Hotel Spa & Golf Resort: set on 186 acres of parkland just outside Trim, with its own championship golf course and a full spa.
- Newgrange Hotel: a Navan hotel named after the ancient tomb, a few minutes' walk from the Solstice Arts Centre and Navan town centre.
- Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa: an 18th-century house turned spa hotel, a good option if you want a country-estate stay closer to the M3 and Dublin.
- Ardboyne Hotel: a straightforward four-star hotel in the centre of Navan, a solid base if you're touring the Boyne Valley rather than settling in for a resort stay.
Tips for finding the perfect accommodation in Meath
- Base yourself in Trim or Navan if Newgrange, Tara and Trim Castle are all on your itinerary. They sit within about 20 minutes of each other by car, so you can cut down on driving.
- Access to Newgrange's inner chamber on the winter solstice itself is by lottery draw only, but the visitor centre and the mound can be booked year-round, so don't wait for a solstice date to plan a visit.
- Golf resorts like Knightsbrook fill up on weekends from spring through autumn. Book ahead if you want a package that includes green fees.
- Ashbourne is the better base if you're mainly using Meath as a stopover near Dublin Airport, rather than touring the county itself.
- Check whether breakfast is included. Towns in Meath are close together but connected by rural roads, so having breakfast sorted at the hotel saves time in the morning.
Plenty of visitors treat Meath as a day trip from Dublin, but between the ancient sites, the food and the castle hotels, it holds up well as a base in its own right.
