How to Spend Two Days in Derry

Thirty years ago, I probably wouldn’t have gone to Derry.

Okay, yes, thirty years ago I was a child, but that’s beside the point, which is: Derry was a very different place then.

At that time, the city was finally, fitfully making its way to peace at the tail end of the Troubles — that long, brutal period of conflict (violent and otherwise) between the divided people of Northern Ireland, plus the government and military of the United Kingdom.

Today, it’s perfectly safe (and wonderful!) to visit Derry, despite its complicated history.

But Derry’s present is complicated too. Separate but nearby neighborhoods are populated by groups with distinct, opposing identities and mutually exclusive views on the future of Northern Ireland.

On one side, Irish nationalists (mostly Catholics) want Northern Ireland to leave the UK and reunite with the state of Ireland. There, tricolor Irish flags fly, prominent buildings are painted in huge murals memorializing victims of the Troubles, and statues commemorate tragic events like the infamous Bloody Sunday.

On the other side, British unionists (mostly Protestants) oppose Irish reunification and support the ongoing existence of Northern Ireland as part of the UK. There, light posts and street curbs are painted in the red, white, and blue of the Union Jack, murals celebrate the British empire, and signage firmly declares: “NO SURRENDER” to the nationalist movement.

Even the city’s very name is disputed, with nationalists calling it Derry and unionists calling it Londonderry. Signage in the city and beyond typically includes both names: “Derry/Londonderry,” or some similar combination. (In this post, I just use “Derry” for simplicity’s sake.)

All of this makes Derry a fascinating and deeply educational place to visit. But there’s also more to Derry than the Troubles: it’s a charming old city with historic walls you can still walk, a legacy of craftsmanship, and great pubs and cafes, to name a few things.

I recommend spending at least two days in Derry in order to give yourself enough time to immerse yourself in the history and also experience all these other facets of the city.

This is how to spend two days in Derry.

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How to Spend 2 Days in Derry

Breakfast at Shipquay Restaurant

Start your day with breakfast at Shipquay Restaurant — a nice hotel restaurant on one of Derry’s main streets.

The Guildhall

After breakfast, walk down the hill, through the large city gate, to Derry’s Guildhall — a beautiful 19th-century building where local elected officials meet. Be sure to look up at the clock tower — it was modeled after London’s Elizabeth Tower, which holds Big Ben.

Outside the Guildhall is a busy square, with fountains built into the ground, where people often gather or pass through.

If you’d like, you can also tour the inside of the Guildhall. Entry is free, but guided tours cost £3.00.

Bogside History Tour

Finish your visit to the Guildhall by 11 am, when you’ll begin a tour of Derry’s historic Bogside area.

The tour departs from the front of the Guildhall, where your guide will give you essential history about the partition of Ireland (which created Northern Ireland) and the resulting conditions (and disparity in civil rights) that led Irish nationalists to protest against British rule.

From there, you’ll walk to the Bogside, where your guide will take you to several historic spots, explain the meanings of many of the murals that fill the neighborhood, and provide further context for the events of the Troubles.

A main focus of the tour is Bloody Sunday — the tragic day in 1972 when British soldiers opened fire during a peaceful protest in the Bogside, killing 14 people (most of them teens and young adults). Residents of the Bogside are still working toward justice for the victims and survivors of Bloody Sunday, which you’ll hear about during the tour.

You’ll also learn about Free Derry — an area that Irish nationalists declared an autonomous zone at the beginning of the Troubles — and see the famous building facade that still declares “YOU ARE NOW ENTERING FREE DERRY.” (These days, it’s frequently repainted to include messages bringing attention to other global causes. During my short time in Derry, I saw it painted with a pro-Palestine message — and the next day, watched a man paint it yellow in support of sarcoma awareness.)

Personally, I found the Bogside history tour to be both very moving and very informative. I must admit that I knew very little about the Troubles before I arrived in Derry, and this tour was a perfect introduction to the complicated history of Northern Ireland.

Indeed, if I’m being honest, most of what I knew about the Troubles (and the politics of Northern Ireland generally) came from Derry Girls. Yes, it’s a great show, but it’s certainly no replacement for an actual education about what’s happened in this disputed corner of Ireland.

You can read more about the Bogside history tour here. Notably, if you’re looking for a “neutral” tour that provides perspectives on the history of Derry from both nationalists and unionists, you’ll need to look elsewhere. This tour is unapologetically from the perspective of Irish nationalists who advocate for Northern Ireland to become part of the country of Ireland again. (Indeed, my tour guide corrected me when I said that I had traveled to Derry from “Ireland,” meaning the rest of the island — to him, Northern Ireland is Ireland and there’s just an arbitrary political border in there somewhere.)

The Bogside history tour costs £13 per person — well worth it, in my view.

Lunch at The Scullery Cafe

After the tour, leave the Bogside and head back to the center of town (just a brief walk away) for lunch at The Scullery Cafe. It’s a nice little spot on a cute street, and I enjoyed eating at the window, where I could people watch.

Walk the City Walls

The 400-year-old city walls of Derry have withstood an incredible amount of history. Originally built to protect English settlers to the area, the walls were unbreached during the 1689 Siege of Derry (which lasted more than 100 days!) and damaged during a bombing in the Troubles — but still they stand today.

Indeed, you can walk the entire circumference of the walls (it’s about a mile), where you’ll find tons of history and wonderful views of the surrounding city. (Plus, the best look at the famous Derry Girls mural!)

I strongly recommend visiting the city walls with a tour so you don’t miss out on the critical context for the role of Derry’s walls in the city’s history.

One great option is the well-known Martin McCrossan walking tour, which leaves each day at 10 am, 12 noon, 2 pm, and 4 pm. It costs only £6 per person, and lasts about 90 minutes.

I opted instead for this self-guided audio tour, which allowed me to walk at my own pace while listening to information about the walls in my headphones.

If you go for the same audio tour, it will end at the Peace Bridge — a symbolic and practical connection between the nationalist and unionist communities on either side of the River Foyle. Just as peace itself rarely follows a straight line, the bridge zigzags across the river.

Craft Village

Tap into Derry’s history of craftmaking at the Craft Village — a charming little collection of shops and cafes tucked away in a pedestrian-only area inside the city walls.

My favorite spots included Foyle Books and The Cottage Craft Gallery and Coffee Shop, where I enjoyed a tasty scone and coffee in a Craft Village courtyard.

Dinner at Castle Street Social

Wrap up your day at Castle Street Social, a popular restaurant located just beside the Craft Village.

Breakfast at Claudes

Begin day two at Claudes Cafe, my favorite breakfast spot in Derry. Snag a spot in front of the window, if you can!

Museum of Free Derry

Return to the Bogside to visit the powerful Museum of Free Derry.

This museum walks visitors through the turbulent 20th century in Derry, explaining how political and economic conditions after the creation of Northern Ireland led to a civil rights movement in the 1960s and eventually to the decades-long Troubles.

The Museum of Free Derry is small, but packs quite a punch. Like the Bogside history tour, I found it to be both moving and informative, even bringing me to tears a few times. I was most affected by the personal possessions donated by the families of victims, including some clothing worn by those killed on Bloody Sunday — with visible bullet holes and all.

And while I’m usually disinclined to sit through video exhibits at museums, I was riveted by the final exhibit: a video documenting ongoing efforts to seek justice for those killed on Bloody Sunday. I left the museum inspired by the persistence of the victims’ families, who fought for nearly 40 years to have their loved ones declared innocent and their killings unjustified (a milestone they finally achieved in 2010), and who continue their work today.

Entrance to the museum costs £8.00 per adult. Plan to spend at least an hour there.

The Fountain

From the museum, walk the short distance from the nationalist Bogside neighborhood to the unionist Fountain neighborhood. It’s the last remaining Protestant area on the west bank of the Foyle, as other British unionists fled for the east bank during the Troubles.

The difference is easily apparent — though both areas have large murals decorating their streets, the murals in the Fountain largely celebrate Britain, its global empire, and the crown. Where signage in the Bogside declares that the Irish revolution is “unfinished,” signage in the Fountain declares that “Londonderry west bank loyalists [are] still under siege,” and urge “no surrender.” Street curbs and light posts are painted in the British red, white, and blue, and monuments memorialize several people killed by the Irish Republican Army during the Troubles.

And, notably, graffiti urges people to “Support Soldier F” — David James Cleary, the only British paratrooper facing legal charges for killing unarmed civilians on Bloody Sunday. (In the UK, Cleary is granted anonymity by law and is referred to only as “Soldier F.”)

Lunch at Hidden City Cafe

Reenter the walled city and stop for lunch at Hidden City Cafe, a popular spot that specializes in brunch and lunch foods.

Ferry Clever

If you want any unique souvenirs, here’s an excellent chance, as my favorite gift shop in Derry — Ferry Clever — is located just around the corner.

Ferry Clever isn’t necessarily the place to go if you want a super traditional souvenir. Rather, it’s a fun place for quirky mugs, socks, cards, and more with unique designs, pop culture references, and irreverent phrasing.

St. Columb’s Cathedral

Next, head to Derry’s best-known religious institution: St. Columb’s Cathedral.

St. Columb’s Gothic exterior dates all the way back to the 17th century, with a tower extended later. Today, it holds crucial documents and objects from the city’s history.

Be aware that the cathedral has limited hours — it’s open for visitors only from 10 am through 3 pm on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. (Unfortunately, as a result, I was unable to visit the inside of the cathedral during my own time in Derry.)

Peace Flame

From the cathedral, head down near the Guildhall, where you’ll find the Peace Flame — a glass-enclosed perpetual flame intended to symbolize the ongoing peace in Northern Ireland.

Or, well, it’s supposed to be perpetual. It sometimes does burn out due to mechanical problems, which was the case during my visit.

If you didn’t visit the Peace Bridge during your tour of the city walls, now is a good time to do that as well, as it’s located beside the Peace Flame.

Dinner at The Rocking Chair

End your day at The Rocking Chair, a great pub just outside the city walls.

If You Have More Time…

If you have more than two days in Derry, or find yourself with some extra time to kill, consider these options:

City Cemetery

Go for a walk around City Cemetery — a large, historic graveyard west of the walled city.

The cemetery is quite the mix of very old graves (both Protestant and Catholic) in a gorgeous, atmospheric area, memorials to lost members of the IRA, and brand new graves decorated with toys and flowers and any other number of items recently placed there by family members. There’s even a heartbreaking row of tiny headstones for infants and children.

City Cemetery is also well known as the final resting place for several notable figures in the Troubles, including Martin McGuinness (a former leader of the IRA, member of Sinn Féin, deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, and more) and John Hume (who received a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in the Northern Ireland peace process and Good Friday Agreement, which largely ended the violence of the Troubles).

While Martin McGuinness is buried in the main section of the cemetery, near a monument to Derry’s republican dead, John Hume’s grave is located in a new, southern section of the cemetery — just above the Brandywell Stadium, across Lone Moor Road. To reach it, you’ll need to walk to this road at the southeastern corner of the cemetery, and follow it down to the new graves in this area.

Brooke Park

For another lovely place to walk, check out Brooke Park.

In addition to walking trails and space for plenty of outdoor sports, the park is home to a nice cafe.

Plus, keep your eye out for the “A Stitch in Time” artwork — large LED lettering placed on top of a building beside the park. It’s a tribute to Derry’s former role as a shirt-manufacturing powerhouse.

Tower Museum

While the Museum of Free Derry is specifically focused on Derry’s experience during the Troubles, Tower Museum takes a broader look at the city, with exhibits on the story of Derry from its founding to the present day.

Tower Museum is also home to the Derry Girls Experience, with memorabilia and recreated sets from the hit tv show.

Find more information about opening hours and tickets here.

Where to Stay in Derry

I highly recommend Quay 8, where I stayed during my time in Derry. It’s exceptionally well located near the center of the walled city. My room was small but well-equipped, including a kitchenette — which allowed me to store leftovers and save some money on restaurant meals.

For other lodging options in Derry, consider the following:

Final Thoughts

I didn’t know what to expect from Derry, but I quickly fell in love with it. It’s little wonder, really, given that a small, extremely historic, walled city is a virtually guaranteed hit for me.

And the people of Derry, who are so generous with the stories of the most painful times in their lives and so determined to help visitors understand the living history of this place, charmed me.

Derry is special to me — I can’t wait to return someday, and I hope you love it as much as I do.

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