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Voykit pocket guide · Ireland
Navan
An Uaimh
Skip Navan as a sightseeing base: use it as a bus hub for one night, or stay in Trim or Slane and pass through.
Navan is the county town of County Meath and a commuter town 56 km northwest of Dublin, with a modern centre and few sights of its own. Its value to a traveller is practical: hourly buses from Dublin and Dublin Airport, and onward links to Kells, Trim, Slane and Drogheda. Most people do better sleeping in Trim or Slane and using Navan as a transport stop, unless they are here for family, work or the racecourse.
- Country
- Ireland
- Local name
- An Uaimh
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (race meetings aside, wet and dark early)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including pubs and taxis.
- Daily spend
- Budget €45–75 excl. bed · Mid €75–130 excl. bed · High €130+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Vodafone, Three and Eir run the networks; prepaid SIMs (also 48, Tesco Mobile, GoMo) sell in phone shops and newsagents, no registration fuss.
- Emergency
- Police, ambulance, fire 112 or 999
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Type G three-pin, like the UK; European and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–15% if service is not included.; Pub: Not expected when ordering at the bar.; Taxi: Round up.; Tour guide or driver: €5–10 per person for a day tour.; Hotel porter: €1–2 per bag.
- Water
- Tap water is safe; occasional local 'boil water' notices are posted by Uisce Éireann.
- Toilets
- Free in shopping centres, museums, pubs (as a customer) and many petrol stations; some public toilets charge 50c.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €3–4.50 |
| Pub bar meal (main course) | €14–20 |
| Pint of stout or lager | €5.50–6.50 |
| Taxi, 3 km in townTaxi, 1.9 mi in town | €9–13 |
| Town bus fare | €2–3 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
| Racecourse entry, ordinary meeting | €15–25 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DUB · Dublin Airport
- Bus Éireann 109A runs hourly, 24 hours, via Ashbourne and Ratoath; about 1 h 15 min to Navan (check)
Typical fares
- Dublin Airport → Navan, Bus Éireann 109A
- about €15, about 1 h 15 min (check)
- Dublin city → Navan, Bus Éireann 109
- about €12, about 1 h (check)
- Navan → Trim, Bus Éireann 190
- about €6, about 30 min (check)
Get around
The centre is walkable in 15 minutes. Three local buses (110A, 110B, 110C) loop out to housing estates and the hospital, but service has been suspended at times: check locally. For the Hill of Tara, Brú na Bóinne, Trim or Slane you need a car, a taxi or the intercity buses.
See and do
Known for
- County town of Meath
- Bus hub for Meath and Cavan
- Navan Racecourse
- Páirc Tailteann and Meath GAA
- Boyne riverside walk
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Trim and Trim Castle | Bus Éireann 190 from Navan, about 30 min | About 45 min |
| Slane | Bus Éireann 190 towards Drogheda, about 25 min | About 40 min |
| Kells | Bus Éireann 109 or 109X from Navan, about 30 min | About 45 min |
| Brú na Bóinne (Newgrange and Knowth) | Bus 190 to Slane or Drogheda, then a local link or taxi; car is easier | 1–1.5 h |
| Drogheda | Bus Éireann 190, about 1 h | About 1 h 15 min |
| Hill of Tara | No direct bus: taxi or car, about 20 min | About 30 min |
Sleep
- Town centre (Trimgate St, Market Square)
- Pubs, restaurants and the shopping centre on foot; buses from Dublin stop at Market Square.
- Dublin Rd (south edge)
- Hotels and guesthouses with parking, on the N3 side for Dublin; 15–20 min walk to the centre.
- Kentstown Rd (east)
- Quiet B&B strip about 1 km east of the centre; you need a car or a taxi.Quiet B&B strip about 0.6 mi east of the centre; you need a car or a taxi.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Dia duitjeea gwit |
| Thank you | Go raibh maith agatguh rev mah agut |
| Please | Le do thoilleh duh hull |
| Excuse me | Gabh mo leithscéalgov muh lesh-kayl |
| Cheers | Sláinteslawn-cha |
| Where is the bus stop? | Cá bhfuil an stad bus?kaw will an stad bus |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake, first names quickly; avoid: Over-formality; it reads as coldness
- Conversation: Banter, weather and sport; self-deprecating humour; avoid: Opening with Northern Ireland, religion or the Famine
- Pubs: Buy your round; chat at the bar; avoid: Leaving a round without buying one
- Identity: Say Ireland, or the Republic when you need to distinguish; avoid: 'Southern Ireland' and calling it British
- Driving: Lift a finger from the wheel to thank drivers who pull in for you; avoid: Stopping on narrow bends for photos
Scams and watch-outs
- No train station: the Dublin–Navan rail line closed in 1963 and the planned reopening has stalled. Do not plan around it.
- Buses from Dublin stop at Market Square, not a bus station: confirm your stop before you book.
- Local town buses have been suspended in the past: check before relying on them.
- Rural roads around Navan are narrow and unlit; drive with dipped headlights and watch for cyclists.
Navan is a normal Irish commuter town and is safe by day and in the centre at night. The real risks are rural roads after dark, unlit footpaths on the edges of town, and late-night noise around pub closing time.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Navan yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- County town of Meath
- Bus hub for Meath and Cavan
- Navan Racecourse
- Páirc Tailteann and Meath GAA
- Boyne riverside walk
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Discover Boyne Valley — Meath tourism: www.discoverboynevalley.ie/
- Bus Éireann timetables: buseireann.ie/
- Navan Racecourse: www.navanracecourse.ie/
- Meath County Council: www.meath.ie/
- Wikivoyage: Navan, revision 5324480 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5324480
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
NavanAn Uaimh
Chun an seoladh seo, le do thoil
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, ambulance, fire112 or 999
No embassies in Navan: most countries are represented in Dublin. US citizens: the US Embassy is in Dublin.
English is spoken everywhere; Irish is used on signage and in greetings.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/navan). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.