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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Derry
Doire
Give Derry 2 nights: walk the 1.3 km walls in the morning, the Bogside in the afternoon, then use it as a base for the Causeway Coast.
Derry is Northern Ireland's second city, built on the River Foyle where the walled centre sits on a crag above the Bogside. The walls, the Bogside murals and the two conflict museums are the core; the compact centre is walkable in a day, but two nights let you add the Causeway Coast or Donegal.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Local name
- Doire
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (wet and windy)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–120 excl. bed · High £120+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | £3–4.50 |
| Pub lunch or a bowl of soup | £8–14 |
| Pint of draught beer | £5–6.50 |
| Taxi, city centre to City of Derry Airport | About £11 |
| Museum entry (Tower, Siege, Free Derry) | £4–10 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | £8–15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LDY · City of Derry Airport
- 7 miles east at Eglinton; taxi to the centre about 20 min, bus stops on the main road 200 yards from the terminal
- BFS · Belfast International
- Airporter bus runs hourly from Derry bus station direct to the airport
- BHD · Belfast City (George Best)
- Same Airporter bus, after Belfast International
- DUB · Dublin
- Bus X3/X4 from Dublin Busáras and the airport, about 3 h 30 min, 3 per day
Typical fares
- Taxi LDY airport → city centre
- about £11, 20 min (check)
- Train Derry → Belfast
- about £15, 2 h (check)
- Goldline 212 bus Derry → Belfast
- about £12, 2 h (check)
Get around
The centre is compact and walkable: the walls are 1.325 km around and the Bogside is a short walk from the gates. Bus 2d links the Waterside railway station to the centre hourly, or walk across Craigavon Bridge or the Peace Bridge. You need your own wheels for Grianan of Aileach and the Donegal coast.The centre is compact and walkable: the walls are 0.8 mi around and the Bogside is a short walk from the gates. Bus 2d links the Waterside railway station to the centre hourly, or walk across Craigavon Bridge or the Peace Bridge. You need your own wheels for Grianan of Aileach and the Donegal coast.
See and do
Known for
- The intact city walls
- Bogside murals and Free Derry Corner
- Museum of Free Derry and Bloody Sunday history
- Derry Girls
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Giant's Causeway and Bushmills | Train to Coleraine, then bus along the Antrim coast | About 2–2.5 h each way |
| Grianan of Aileach | Car or taxi to Burt, Co Donegal, about 15 min from the border | About 30 min by car |
| Castlerock and the coast line | Train from Waterside station | About 40 min |
| Portstewart | Train to Coleraine, then bus | About 1 h |
| Limavady | Goldline 234 bus via Limavady | About 40 min |
Sleep
- Cityside (walled city)
- Inside or beside the walls; everything on foot, best for a short stay.
- Waterside
- East bank by the railway station; cross the Peace Bridge or Craigavon Bridge, about 15–20 min walk to the centre.
- Bogside / Creggan
- West of the walls; the murals and Museum of Free Derry are here, quieter at night.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | Excuse me |
| Thank you | Thanks / Cheers |
| How much is it? | How much is that? |
| Can I pay by card? | Do you take card? |
| Where is the toilet? | Where's the toilet? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- The city name is political: signs south of the border read Derry, north of it Londonderry, and some are defaced. Use Derry unless a local corrects you.
- The Bogside is safe in daylight; treat murals and memorials as living political space, not a backdrop.
- Walls are mostly over 12 ft high with a walkway and no railings in places: watch children and wind.
- Rain arrives fast off the Atlantic; a waterproof beats an umbrella on the wall walk.
One of the safer UK cities for visitors; the centre and Bogside are fine in daylight. The real risks are wet, windy weather on the walls, uneven pavements, and late-night drink in the city centre: keep to lit streets and pre-book your taxi.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Derry yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- The intact city walls
- Bogside murals and Free Derry Corner
- Museum of Free Derry and Bloody Sunday history
- Derry Girls
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Derry City and Strabane District Council — tourism: www.derrystrabane.com/
- City of Derry Airport: www.cityofderryairport.com/
- Translink (NI rail and bus): www.translink.co.uk/
- Wikivoyage: Derry, revision 5319542 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5319542
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
DerryDoire
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Derry; the US has a consulate-general in Belfast, and most countries' embassies are in London or Dublin.
UK plugs are type G, 230 V. Tipping: 10–12.5% in restaurants if no service charge, not in pubs.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/derry). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.