Londonderry: Derry Walls, museums and nature

Londonderry offers several different focuses for a trip: the Derry Walls and their historic street layout, museums and murals, and nature along the River Foyle. Planning your stay around your interests lets you choose between the city’s history, architecture, exhibitions and landscape.

Derry Walls: circular walk and street layout

Between 1613 and 1618, The Honourable the Irish Society built the Derry Walls as defensive fortifications for settlers from England and Scotland in the early 17th century. The walls form a footpath around the city centre and have a circumference of approximately 1.5 kilometres. From the promenade, you can view the layout of the original city, with its Renaissance-style street plan still intact today.

Museums, murals and architectural history

The Museum of Free Derry offers a self-guided tour that typically takes up to 90 minutes. The full museum narrative is available on the website in seven languages: Irish, Italian, Catalan, French, Spanish, German and Basque. For reliable time planning, check the current information before your visit.

In Derry’s Bogside, The People’s Gallery of Murals consists of twelve large-scale murals. They represent the turbulent history of the Bogside and its people. The Saint Columba Heritage Centre takes a different view across time, presenting 1,500 years of history and culture under one roof. An audio tour for St Columba’s Church Long Tower is available in Irish and Italian.

The Guildhall is a neo-Gothic building originally built in 1887. Its stained-glass windows depict subjects ranging from fishmongers to musicians. A dedicated exhibition explores how the Plantation shaped the city’s history. The architecture, window subjects and exhibition thus offer different perspectives on the same building.

At the Tower Museum, the Derry Girls Experience features original memorabilia from the television series. The DNA Preview Space offers a glimpse of collections that are due to be displayed at the new DNA (Derry on the North Atlantic) Museum. The museum is scheduled to open at Ebrington Square in late 2027. Important for planning your visit: the La Trinidad Valencera Spanish Armada and Story of Derry exhibitions are currently closed due to ongoing restoration work.

Peace Bridge and Ebrington Square

The 235-metre-long Peace Bridge is a cycle and pedestrian bridge connecting the two sides of the River Foyle. The bridge gives you access to Ebrington Square. The site was once a military barracks and has been transformed into a public space for open-air events, art exhibitions and music events. The bridge and square thus connect two different themes: crossing the river and repurposing a former military site.

Nature along the River Foyle

Bay Road Nature Reserve is a 20-hectare former landfill site on the banks of the River Foyle. Its habitats include woodland, grassland, salt marshes and mudflats. The area is home to waders and wintering birds, including six Northern Ireland priority species: redshank, herring gull, song thrush, mistle thrush, starling and bullfinch. Numbers may vary seasonally. Unlike the city walls and exhibitions, the focus here is on the range of habitats and birdlife.

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