Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Service to City of Derry Airport (tel. 028/7181-0784; www.cityofderryairport.com) is provided by British Airways (tel. 0345/222111; www.ba.com) from Glasgow and Manchester, and by Ryanair (tel. 0541/569569 in Britain; www.ryanair.com) from London Stansted. Aer Arann (tel. 011/353-6170-44280 in the U.S., 818/210210 in Ireland, or 0800/587-23-24 in the U.K.; www.aerarann.com) operates flights between Derry and other cities in Ireland. The no. 43 Limavady bus stops at the airport. A taxi for the 13km (8-mile) journey to the city center costs about £10 ($19). If you're landing in either of the Belfast airports, without a connection to Derry, the Airporter coach can take you straight to Derry. Call tel. 028/7126-9996 for information.

By Cruise Ship -- Derry City is a port of call for an increasing number of cruise ships, including six-star luxury liners, which call at the deepwater facilities at Lisahally or at the city center's Queen's Quay. For the latest information on cruises to Derry Port, contact the Cruise Development Officer, Derry City Council, 98 Strand Rd., Derry (tel. 028/7136-5151).

By Train -- Northern Ireland Railways (tel. 888/BRITRAIL or 028/9089-9411) operates frequent trains from Belfast and Portrush, which arrive at the Northern Ireland Railways Station (tel. 028/7134-2228), on the east side of the Foyle River. A free Linkline bus brings passengers from the train station to the city center.

It's possible to travel by train from Dublin, but you'd have to take the train to Belfast and transfer. The whole journey costs about £40 ($76)one-way, and takes about 4 hours, depending on the transfers. For more information, contact Irish Rail/Iarnrod Éireann (tel. 1850/366222 or 01/836-6222; www.irishrail.ie)

By Bus -- The fastest bus between Belfast and Derry, the no. 212 Maiden City Flyer, operated by Ulsterbus (tel. 028/7126-2261 in Derry; www.translink.co.uk) takes a little over 90 minutes. Ulsterbus also has service from Portrush and Portstewart. From the Republic, Bus Éireann offers three buses a day from Galway's Bus Éireann Travel Centre, Ceannt Station, Galway (tel. 091/562000; www.buseireann.ie), via Sligo and Donegal; and there's one bus daily to and from Cork. Lough Swilly Bus Service (tel. 028/7126-2017) serves Derry from a number of towns in County Donegal, including Dunfanaghy and Letterkenny.

Visitor Information

The Derry Visitor and Convention Bureau and Tourist Information Centre is at 44 Foyle St., Derry (tel. 028/7126-7284). It's open October to March, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm; April to June, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 5pm; July to September, Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm, Saturday 10am to 7pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm. For all you ever wanted to know about Derry, consult www.derryvisitor.com.

Getting Around

Ulsterbus, Foyle Street Depot, Derry (tel. 028/7126-2261; www.translink.co.uk), operates local bus service to the suburbs. There is no bus service within the walls of the small, easily walkable city. The black London-style taxis you'll see are known in Derry and Belfast as "people's taxis," and they pick up multiple passengers going in the same direction for very cheap fares (they first appeared during the Troubles when buses would not serve the violence-prone areas and are now local institutions). However, they primarily serve nationalist areas outside the walls and will not go to most areas of interest to tourists. Use any of the other taxis available throughout the city, which are plentiful and reasonably priced.

There are taxi stands at the Ulsterbus Depot, Foyle Street (tel. 028/7126-2262), and at the Northern Ireland Railways Station, Duke Street, Waterside (tel. 028/7134-2228). To call a cab, contact Co-Op Taxis (tel. 028/7137-1666), Derry Taxi Association (tel. 028/7126-0247), or Foyle Taxis (tel. 028/7126-3905).

Local car-rental offices include Europcar (tel. 028/9031-3500) and Argus Car Rentals (tel. 353-1/490-4444) at the City of Derry Airport.

The focal point of Derry is the Diamond, a large square holding a war memorial in the center of the city. Four streets radiate out from the Diamond: Bishop, Ferryquay, Shipquay, and Butcher. Each extends for several blocks and ends at a gateway (Bishop's Gate, Ferryquay Gate, Shipquay Gate, and Butcher's Gate) cut into the thick city walls.

Two bridges connect the east and west banks of the River Foyle. The Craigavon Bridge, built in 1933, is one of the few examples of a double-decker bridge in the British Isles. The Foyle Bridge, Ireland's longest bridge, opened in 1984 and provides a dual-lane highway about 3.2km (2 miles) north of the Craigavon Bridge. West of the river are two major areas: the walled inner city and, beyond that, the area known as the Bogside. The streets near the waterfront are known as Waterside, and it's where most of the better hotels and many restaurants are located. Also in Waterside is a small grassy viewing point called the "Top of the Hill," where you can enjoy spectacular eagle's-eye views of the city and its splendid environs. You'll never find your own way there, so take a taxi and bring your map. Short of a helicopter tour, this is the best way to get your initial bearings.

Fast Facts

In the city center, the Bank of Ireland (tel. 028/7126-4992) is on Shipquay Street, and the Ulster Bank (tel. 028/7126-1882) is at Waterloo Place. Both are open weekdays 9:30am (10am on Wed) to 4:30pm. The Northern Bank (tel. 028/7126-5333) at Shipquay Place is open Saturday 9:30am to 12:30pm, in addition to the typical weekday hours.

In an emergency, dial tel. 999 for fire, police, and ambulance. Altnagevin Hospital is on Glenshane Road (tel. 028/7134-5171). The main RUC or police station is on Strand Road (tel. 028/7136-7337).

Internet access is available at the Central Library, 35 Foyle St. in the city center (tel. 028/7127-2300), for £3 ($5.70) per hour. There are also several Internet cafes to be found around town, but their prices tend to be slightly higher.

The main post office, 3 Custom House St. (tel. 028/7136-2563), is open Monday 8:30am to 5:30pm, Tuesday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm, Saturday 9am to 12:30pm.

Coin of the Realm -- When I'm in the Derry area (on the border between Ulster and the Republic of Ireland), I carry two change purses -- one for euro and one for pence -- you never know which you'll need.