In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Strabane
An Srath Bán
Give Strabane half a day on the way to Derry: the Tinneys sculpture, Gray's Printing Press and a walk across the bridge to Lifford. Sleep in Derry.
Strabane is a border town of about 13,500 on the east bank of the River Foyle, in County Tyrone. The Foyle is the border with the Republic, and Lifford, the county town of Donegal, is a 15-minute walk across the bridge with no checks. The town has one National Trust site, a theatre with the tourist information desk, and a set of bars and eateries; its best use is as a short stop between Omagh and Derry, or as a cheaper bed for a Derry trip.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Local name
- An Srath Bán
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (wet, dark early)
- Stay
- 0–1 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 £70–110 excl. bed · High £110+ 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
- Police, fire, ambulance 999 · Police non-urgent 101 · NHS non-urgent 111
- 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 or tea in a café | £2.50–4 |
| Pub main course | £12–18 |
| Pint of beer | £4.50–6 |
| Taxi across town | £5–8 |
| Bus Strabane to Derry | £5–7 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | £6–12 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BFS · Belfast International
- About 1 h 30 min by road; bus connections via Belfast
- BHD · George Best Belfast City
- About 2 h by road; Ulsterbus 273 from Belfast Grand Central, 2 h 30 min
- LDY · City of Derry
- About 40 min by road; nearest airport
Typical fares
- Bus Strabane → Derry (Ulsterbus 98)
- about 40 min, £5–7
- Bus Strabane → Belfast (Ulsterbus 273)
- about 2 h 30 min, £15–20
- Taxi in town
- £5–8
Get around
The centre is walkable in 10 minutes; Lifford is a 15-minute walk over the bridge. Buses towards Omagh stop at Sion Mills. For anything else out of town you need a car or a taxi.
See and do
Known for
- The Tinneys sculpture ("Let the dance begin")
- Gray's Printing Press, National Trust
- The Foyle border and the walk to Lifford
- Sion Mills mill village
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Derry | Ulsterbus 98 from Strabane bus station, about 40 min | About 1 h |
| Omagh | Ulsterbus 273 towards Belfast, about 40 min | About 1 h |
| Lifford, County Donegal | Walk across the Foyle bridge, 15 min | 15 min |
| Sion Mills | Bus towards Omagh, or 10 min by car | 20–30 min |
| Cookstown | Car via the A5 and A505, or bus with a change | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Town centre (Main St, Railway St, Castle St)
- Walk to bars, the Alley Theatre and the bridge to Lifford; limited rooms, book ahead.
- Dublin Road / south end
- Fir Trees Hotel and easy A5 access; 10–15 min walk to the centre.
- Ballymagorry, north on the A5
- Guesthouses midway to Derry; only useful with a car.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Please | Please |
| Excuse me | Excuse me |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Where is the bus station? | Where is the bus station? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
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 Foyle is the international border: carry your passport or ID card, and check your car hire or insurance covers both the UK and Ireland.
- Mobile phones can latch onto Irish networks across the river and pick up roaming charges; check your network settings.
- Sion Mills mill buildings are derelict and fire-damaged: view from a distance, do not enter.
- Gray's Printing Press is closed at present: check the National Trust site before travelling for it.
- Some bars and eateries have closed or changed hands; check opening hours on the day.
Strabane is a small town with a low risk of street crime; the practical issues are rain, dark early evenings in winter, and the border rules if you cross to Lifford.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Strabane yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- The Tinneys sculpture ("Let the dance begin")
- Gray's Printing Press, National Trust
- The Foyle border and the walk to Lifford
- Sion Mills mill village
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- National Trust — Gray's Printing Press: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/grays-printing-press
- Alley Theatre: www.alley-theatre.com/
- Wikivoyage: Strabane, revision 5332684 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5332684
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
StrabaneAn Srath Bán
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Strabane; the US consulate-general is in Belfast, and Dublin handles many nationalities for the island.
English is spoken everywhere; no local phrase list is needed.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/strabane). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.