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Voykit pocket guide · Ireland
Slane
Baile Shláine
Give Slane one night, not a base: castle, distillery and Hill of Slane on foot, then Brú na Bóinne by car from the south bank.
Slane is a village of about 1,400 people on the River Boyne, 14 km west of Drogheda, with a castle, a whiskey distillery and a hill where St Patrick is said to have lit an Easter fire. The big Neolithic site at Brú na Bóinne is nearby but has no public access from the north side, so you need a car or a taxi to reach it from the south bank. Most travellers pass through in half a day; one night covers the village properly.
- Country
- Ireland
- Local name
- Baile Shláine
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short, wet days); concert days if you want a quiet village
- 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 €45–70 excl. bed · Mid €70–120 excl. bed · High €120+ 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, coast guard 112 · Alternative emergency number 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 or tea in a café | €3–4.50 |
| Pub bar food, main course | €14–20 |
| Restaurant main course | €18–28 |
| Pint of stout or lager | €5.50–6.50 |
| Slane Castle admission | Adult €14, concession €12, child €9 |
| Ledwidge Cottage Museum admission | Adult €4, concession €3, child €1 |
| Distillery tour | €20–30 |
| Taxi, Slane to Brú na Bóinne visitor centre | €15–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DUB · Dublin Airport
- About 50 min by car via the M1 and N51; no direct bus from the airport — Collins Coach N2 does not serve it (check)
Typical fares
- Bus Éireann 190, Slane → Drogheda
- about €5, 25 min (check)
- Collins Coach N2, Slane → Dublin
- about €12, 50 min (check)
- Taxi Slane → Brú na Bóinne visitor centre
- €15–20 (check)
Get around
The village is walkable in 10 minutes end to end. Everything else — Brú na Bóinne, the Battle of the Boyne centre, the riverbank path — needs wheels; a bike works but the roads are hilly. Bus Éireann 190 runs hourly to Drogheda (25 min), Navan and Trim. Collins Coach N2 runs every couple of hours to Dublin, about 50 min, but not from Busáras or the airport.
See and do
Known for
- Slane Castle and its summer concerts
- Slane Irish Whiskey distillery
- Hill of Slane
- Gateway to Brú na Bóinne and the Battle of the Boyne site
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Brú na Bóinne (Newgrange and Knowth) | Car or taxi south over the Boyne to the Donore lane, then the visitor centre shuttle | About 30 min |
| Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre, Oldbridge | Car south over the river, about 6 kmCar south over the river, about 3.7 mi | About 20 min |
| Drogheda | Bus Éireann 190 from the village, hourly | About 30 min |
| Trim | Bus Éireann 190 towards Navan and Trim | About 1 h |
| Kells | Bus to Navan, then onward bus or car | 1.5–2 h |
| Navan | Bus Éireann 190, hourly | About 30 min |
Sleep
- Village centre (Main St and Chapel St)
- Walk to pubs, distillery and castle gates; Conyngham Arms and The Failte are here.
- Harlinstown, 2 km north-west off the R163
- Slane Farm Hostel on a working dairy farm; dorm beds and self-catering cottages. Car or a 25-min walk.
- Drogheda
- Rail station, more beds and restaurants; 25 min by Bus Éireann 190 if Slane is full.
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 |
| Cheers | Sláinteslawn-cha |
| Where is the toilet? | Cá bhfuil an leithreas?kaw will an leh-rass |
| How much is it? | Cé mhéad é?kay vade ay |
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
- Brú na Bóinne has no public access from the north side of the Boyne: approach from the south, on the lane towards Donore.
- Slane Castle is a private family seat and closes for events: check opening days before you drive out.
- Concert days (Slane Festival, summer) fill every bed and close roads in the village.
- Village pubs serve food at set hours only; kitchens can stop early on quiet weeknights.
Slane is a small, low-crime village and safe on foot after dark. The real risks are narrow, unlit country lanes with no footpath, fast traffic on the N51 and N2, and wet, slippery steps at the castle and hill ruins.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Slane yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Slane Castle and its summer concerts
- Slane Irish Whiskey distillery
- Hill of Slane
- Gateway to Brú na Bóinne and the Battle of the Boyne site
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Slane — official village tourism site: www.visitslane.ie/
- Slane Castle — official site: www.slanecastle.ie/
- Slane Irish Whiskey — official site: www.slaneirishwhiskey.com/
- Bus Éireann — route 190: buseireann.ie/
- Collins Coaches — N2 timetable: collinscoaches.ie/
- Transport for Ireland — route mapper: www.transportforireland.ie/getting-around/by-bus/route-maps/
- Wikivoyage: Slane, revision 4882895 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4882895
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
SlaneBaile Shláine
Chuig an seoladh seo, le do thoil
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Slane; the US Embassy is in Dublin, and most other missions are in Dublin. UK citizens: the British Embassy is in Dublin.
Irish is not needed in Slane; everyone speaks English.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/slane). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.