Derry: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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GBP 39 - 55 Roslea B&B
 Just 10 minutes’ drive from the centre of Londonderry, Roslea B & B offers bright, modern rooms with LCD TVs and free Wi-Fi. Cooked breakfasts are a… MoreGBP 34 - 75 Rose Park House
 Refurbished in 2009, 19th-century Rose Park House provides comfortable, modern bed and breakfast accommodation. There is free secure parking and free … MoreGBP 42 - 120 Ramada Da Vinci´s Hotel
 Ramada Da Vinci´s Hotel is conveniently situated less than a mile from Derry city centre and close to all major routes in and out of the city.
… MoreGBP 36 - 65 Phoenix B&B
 A 3-minute walk from Derry’s city centre, Phoenix B&B offers tastefully decorated rooms with flat-screen TVs, hairdryers and tea/coffee facilities. … MoreGBP 30 - 120 Serendipity House
 Located in the heart of Derry, Serendipity House features panoramic views of the city and its historic walls. Derry Cathedral is only a minute´s… MoreGBP 42 - 84 Sunbeam House B & B
 In Derry city centre, just outside the historic walls, Sunbeam House offers charming guest house accommodation and a warm welcome.
This family-run be… MoreGBP 45 - 70 Waterfoot Hotel
 New and stylish, the Waterfoot Hotel in Londonderry offers many great facilities: modern accommodation, a contemporary wine bar and restaurant, an int… MoreGBP 38 - 100 Travelodge Derry
 The Derry Travelodge is in the centre of Derry, with good-value rooms and a bar-café.
Designed to meet the needs of today´s budget-conscious g… MoreGBP 66 - 120 Trafalgar Apartments
 Trafalgar Apartments offer modern, 3-bedroom apartments less than 1.5 miles from Derry city centre in a quiet, suburban location. They offer free Wi-F… MoreGBP 49 - 149 Tower Hotel
 The award-winning 4-star Tower Hotel is the only hotel located within Derry’s historic city walls, offering luxurious accommodation and easy access … MoreGBP 55 - 55 Laburnum Lodge
 Just 300m from the Foyle Bridge, Laburnum Lodge is a family-run bed and breakfast offering free private parking and Wi-Fi, 2 minutes’ drive from Der… MoreGBP 55 - 100 Iona Inn
 Situated in the Waterside area of Craigavon Bridge, the family-run Iona Inn is 900 metres from Derry city centre and 1 km from the championship course… MoreGBP 30 - 105 Best Western White Horse Hotel
 The closest hotel to the City of Derry Airport, this contemporary accommodation is situated in the townland of Campsie, just minutes away from the cen… MoreGBP 65 - 140 Beech Hill Hotel
 This 4-star 18th century country house hotel is situated in the countryside, just a short drive from Derry city centre and within reach of the City of… MoreGBP 30 - 80 Angel House
 This newly established bed and breakfast is close to Derry city centre. It has free Wi-Fi, some free on-street parking and en suite rooms with flat-sc… MoreGBP 45 - 60 Amore Bed & Breakfast
 In the heart of Derry, Amore offers modern bed and breakfast accommodation, free Wi-Fi and free parking. Derry City Walls are a 2-minute walk away.
A… MoreGBP 50 - 179 City Hotel
 This bright, contemporary hotel with spacious interiors is ideally situated on the banks of the River Foyle, offering wonderful views of the river and… MoreGBP 38 - 83 Derry Self Catering Apartments
 In the historical heart of Derry, Derry Self Catering Apartments offer modern accommodation with free internet. With continental breakfasts and free … MoreGBP 60 - 110 Hastings Everglades
 On the banks of the River Foyle, the modern 4-star Everglades Hotel has free on-site parking, a bar and an award-winning restaurant.
Hastings Evergla… MoreGBP 40 - 55 Groarty House/Manor
 A haven of peace and tranquillity, this newly-built house nestles amid the trees of its own private grounds, spanning over one acre, in Londonderry’… MoreGBP 59 - 120 Derry Self Catering Villa
 Derry Self Catering offers two modern, self-catering accommodation options in Londonderry.
Oak Villa is a 3-bedroom building near Beechwood Avenue. I… MoreGBP 39 - 85 Abbey Bed And Breakfast
 The Abbey Bed and Breakfast is situated in the centre of the maiden city. It is the ideal accommodation for travellers looking to visit & explore this… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Derry: Guide
Derry, also called Londonderry (Doire in Irish phrasebook|Irish), is a city in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland.
Understand
Situated on the banks of Loch Foyle, Derry is the second largest city in Northern Ireland and one of the oldest inhabited places in the whole Ireland of Ireland. As they say there, 'Derry was a city when Belfast was still a swamp'. Derry's history dates back over 1,450 years old, a lasting reminder of the early inhabitants of the area is the Iron Age fort, just over the border in County Donegal, known as the Burt (Republic of Ireland)|Grianan of Aileach.
In the 6th Century St Columba/Colmcille established a monastary in Derry. Shifting ten centuries later to the Plantation of Ulster, King James I of England had the wealthy guilds of London build up the city of Derry (hence the title Londonderry) and surround it by the defensive walls that still ring the city today.
These walls witnessed one of the most prominent events in the history of Derry. In 1688 the city was laid siege by the Earl of Antrim and the Catholic forces of James II, the English king who was deposed in favour of Protestant William of Orange. The settlers of the city who were protestant, barricaded themselves within the walls, when a group of apprentice boys from London on seeing the on coming forces, locked the city gates and so started the Great Siege of Derry.
The siege was to be the longest in British history, lasting some 105 days, during which an estimated third of the city’s 30.000 population died through disease and starvation. When James II himself rode up to the city walls and lay down terms for surrender he was greeted with shouts of ‘No Surrender’. The siege was finally broken when the relief ship Mountjoy broke the barricade which was laid across Lough Foyle beside the city.
However the legacy of the Great Siege of Derry lasted for centuries with the Catholic and Protestant communities in Derry still largely divided today. During the years of the Troubles, Derry witnessed some of the most prominent and terrible events of those times. It was on Derry's Bogside area that British soldiers shot dead 14 Catholics in what became known as Bloody Sunday.
Since the peace process in Northern Ireland, Derry is slowly emerging as an upbeat cosmopolitan city with great potential and huge tourist interest. A lot of Derry’s sights are meshed with its history, the 16th Century walls which surround the city are among the oldest and the best preserved citidal walls in Europe.
A huge percentage of Derry’s population fall into the 20 – 30 age group and there are plenty of places to cater for them with lots of clothes shops and boutiques, pubs, bars and clubs and Derry's traditional Irish and folk music scene are well established.
Get in
By plane
- The City of Derry Airport is located 7 miles north-east of Derry on the main A2 Derry to Coleraine road.
Northern Ireland Railways (a subsidiary of ) have trains travelling to and from Belfast regularly during the whole day. Trains arrive in Derry's Waterside, with a shuttle bus linking the train station to the (more central) bus station.
The journey between Belfast and Derry takes just over 2 hours and between Coleraine and Derry affords great views along the shores of Lough Foyle.
Goldline express no. 212 depart to and from Belfast regularly during the whole day.
Further services, aimed mainly at travellers arriving into the local airports are operated by .
Visitors can now travel the length of the final section of the Foyle, from Derry City to Culmore Point (daytime) and on to Greencastle in County Donegal (evenings), on board the Toucan One cruiser. The Toucan One sails seven days a week, and offers full bar facilities and other refreshments. Cruises leave from behind the Derry City Council offices.
For bookings: Harbour Museum, Harbour Square, L’Derry.
Derry is essential split into two main areas, by the River Foyle - The Waterside and The City Side/Derry Side. The two banks of the river are connected by two bridges. The eldest of these is the Craigavon Bridge, a double-decker bridge which once carried trains on its lower deck. More-recently constructed of the two was the Foyle Bridge. This is a four-lane concrete bridge, which is further from the city centre.
The East side of the river is known as The Waterside. This is traditionally the home of Derry's unionist population.
The West side of the Foyle is usually known as The City Side. This is predominantly nationalist and contains most of the tourist attractions, the city centre and The Guildhall. Here you will find the city walls and the Bogside. The city centre is small and suitable for walking.
As well as excellent tours around the city and its 17th Century walls, Derry also boasts a number of excellent visitor attractions. The Tower Museum is an award winning attraction, telling the history of the city and includes a range of exhibitions. While Derry's Guildhall, St Columb's Cathedral, St Eugene's Cathedral and St Augustine's Chapel are all historic buildings of stunning architecture.
Other sights include the fascinating Bogside Murals found on the walls of what is known as Free Derry Corner and depict various events in the history of the town, from the Nationalist perspective. While a more contemporary sculpture in the city, known as Hands Across the Divide, serves as a reminder of the two communities to come together.
The city walls are the best-preserved in all of Ireland and make about a one-mile circumference around the city center.
Walk around Derry on top of the city walls. If open, step into St Augustine's Church on the west side of the city walls, and have a friendly chat with the hosts. If you show a decent amount of respect, you may end up getting a more balanced view of how The Troubles was for people living in Derry.
Take a walk around the Free Derry corner between the Bogside and the western side of the old city walls. Stop and look at the political murals made by local artists during the 90's, depicting key events in the harsh conflict haunting Northern Ireland. In the same area, the Free Derry monument and memorial are also located.
Magee College
Most of Derry's retail stores are situated well within walking distance of the city centre. The main shopping malls are and the . Between them, these malls contain many of the stores which one would expect to find in any city in the British Isles, such as Marks & Spencer, Debenhams and Dunnes Stores.
Derry's last remaining home-grown department store is Austins, in The Diamond.
Where you should eat:
Danano's: A really nice Italian that is relatively cheap but great food
The Exchange: The best restaurant in Derry in my opinion... try the duck!
O Brians: Tuesday night for the biggest steaks you can eat -- try to eat them all (not cheap). they also do a great T Bone steak
Badgers: A great port of call for lunch while shopping.
The Mandarin Palace: Long established Chinese food restaurant with excellent service and value.
Derry is a small city with a recent turbulent past. Odds are, you shouldn't have any problems, but be aware of tensions.
Peadar O'Donnell's, 63 Waterloo St, phone +44 (0) 28 7137 2318. If you are looking for traditional irish folk music sessions, this is the best place in Derry. Such sessions are held nearly every day of the week, and both locals and visitors create a nice atmosphere. Located in the "Catholic" part of the city.
The Merchant's House, 16 Queen Street, phone +44(0)28 71269691/71264223. A wonderful old house with Bed and Breakfast. Nice and clean, good breakfast. No en suite bathroom because it would be a pity to change the house.
Derry City Independent Hostel, 44 Great James Street, phone +44 (0)28 71280542, email . A friendly, independent hostel, run by two backpackers who have been traveling around the world for quite some time themselves. The hostel actually consists of three separate houses, all spread out within walking distance of the old town and the Bogside murals. http://www.derryhostel.com
Derry has developed a reputation as a place with high levels of alcohol-fuelled violence, at weekends in particular. This reputation has some justification in fact, but is really no more than the drunken brawling which blights so many town centres throughout the UK and Ireland. Being drawn in to such confrontations is usually easily avoided by staying away from certain areas when the pubs and clubs are emptying out at the end of the night.
Use your common sense when out for the evening and you will be unlikely to run into any trouble. If you find yourself in an establishment with a high proportion of drunk, young men you might wish to consider moving on somewhere else.
Visitors would be well advised to avoid the area around Shipquay Street at closing time.
The city itself is quite small, making it easily to escape to the surrounding countryside. The county of Derry and nearby County Donegal have a wealth of green fields and sights to appeal to nature lovers. Ulsterbuses can be used for outings. These are operated by .
A trip to the Giant's Causeway on the north coast is highly recommended. If you have a choice, come early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid crowds of tourists treading all over the place. operate buses to and from the Giant's Causeway from both Derry and Belfast.
Not far outside Derry, across the border in Donegal is Burt (Republic of Ireland)|Grianan of Aileach. This ancient stone fort is on a hilltop between Derry and Letterkenny and affords superb views of loughs Foyle and Swilly, and of Derry itself.
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikitravel article "Derry". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 license.By train
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