Derry Londonderry Private Tour: Bloody Sunday & City Walls

Walk the streets where Bloody Sunday unfolded, then climb Derry's intact 17th-century walls.

A private full-day tour from Belfast to Derry Londonderry with a local historian guide and dedicated minivan, covering the Bogside's civil rights history, Bloody Sunday, Operation Motorman and the ancient city walls. You visit Free Derry Corner, walk the sites of the 1972 shooting, explore the walled city's seven gates and restored cannon, and see the Derry Girls murals and Peace Bridge. The guide shapes the itinerary to your pace and interests.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Derry Londonderry history and landmarks

• Visit Free Derry Corner for photos
• Tour The Bogside area and murals
• Learn about Operation Motorman
• Discover Bloody Sunday history
• Walk the Ancient City Walls and see cannons
• Visit the Guildhall building
• Cross the Derry Peace Bridge
• See the Peace Flame memorial
• Explore the Tower Museum exhibits
• Visit the Museum of Free Derry
• Tour St Columb's Cathedral
• See the Derry Girls Murals
• Drive to Grianán of Aileach hillfort in Donegal

The experience

This tour runs 6 to 8 hours and leaves from your Belfast hotel in a private air-conditioned minivan, giving you the flexibility to linger at stops without waiting for a group. Your guide is a local historian and political activist who lived through the events of the Troubles, so the history comes from someone who was there. The route covers the Bogside neighbourhood: the majority Catholic area outside the city walls where the Battle of the Bogside erupted in August 1969 and where Bloody Sunday took place on 30 January 1972, when British paratroopers shot 28 unarmed civilians during an anti-internment march, killing 13 outright and one more months later from his injuries. You'll stand at Free Derry Corner and walk the exact streets where those events unfolded.

The ancient city walls themselves are the only completely intact walled city remaining in Ireland and one of Europe's finest examples. Built between 1613 and 1619, the walls run approximately 1.5 kilometres around the inner city and vary in height from 12 to 35 feet. You walk the full circuit with your guide, passing through the four original gates (Bishop's Gate, Ferryquay Gate, Butcher Gate and Shipquay Gate), and three later additions. The city displays Europe's largest collection of cannon whose origins are precisely known. 24 of them were restored by hand in 2005 and now stand throughout the walls, with the impressive Roaring Meg positioned on the double bastion. The walls themselves have never been breached, withstanding the famous 105-day Siege of Derry in 1689.

Beyond the walls, you'll see St Columb's Cathedral, completed in 1633 and the first cathedral built by the Anglican church after the Reformation in the British Isles; the Guildhall, rebuilt after a 1908 fire and damaged again during the Troubles; the Peace Bridge, a 235-metre curved footpath opened in 2011 that symbolically unites the Protestant Waterside and Nationalist Bogside across the River Foyle; and the Derry Girls murals for photographs. Your driver handles all navigation, leaving you free to absorb the city and ask questions. The tour is completely private: no other company in Northern Ireland offers this exact combination of Bloody Sunday walking tour, walled city access and historian-led narrative.

What’s included

• Private air-conditioned minivan for the full day.
• fully qualified local historian guide.
• round-trip hotel pickup from Belfast.
• private Bloody Sunday walking tour through the Bogside.
• guided tour of Derry's ancient city walls with access to all seven gates.
• stops at Free Derry Corner, St Columb's Cathedral, the Guildhall, the Peace Bridge and the Derry Girls murals.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day9 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 11:00

Book up to4h before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Paid on site£ 66

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Giants Causeway Tours

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want a private vehicle and a guide who lived through the history he's explaining. The minivan means you set the pace at each stop (linger at Free Derry Corner or the walls as long as you want), and the historian guide answers questions in depth rather than rushing through a scripted narrative. If you prefer a shared coach or a lighter overview of the city, look for a group tour instead.

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Top questions

What exactly happened on Bloody Sunday and where does the tour take me?

On 30 January 1972, British paratroopers from the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment fired on an anti-internment march in the Bogside, killing 13 civilians outright and wounding 18 others, one of whom died four months later. The tour walks you through the Bogside neighbourhood to Free Derry Corner and the streets where the shooting took place, including the housing block in Glenfada Park where three men were shot and two were killed. Your guide, a local historian, explains the context of the civil rights movement and the events that led to the march.

Can I walk the entire city walls, or do we just see them from outside?

You walk the full circuit of Derry's ancient walls, which run 1.5 kilometres around the inner city. The walls form a complete walkway, and you pass through the original gates and see the 24 restored cannon positioned throughout, including Roaring Meg on the double bastion. The walls are completely intact and have never been breached in their 400-year history.

How long is this tour and what's included in the price?

The tour runs 6 to 8 hours and includes private transportation in an air-conditioned minivan from your Belfast hotel, a fully qualified local historian guide, the Bloody Sunday walking tour, the guided tour of the ancient city walls, and stops at Free Derry Corner, the Derry Girls murals, St Columb's Cathedral, the Guildhall, and the Peace Bridge. Round-trip hotel pickup is included.

Is this tour only for people interested in the Troubles, or can I enjoy it if I'm not familiar with that history?

The tour works for anyone interested in Irish history, civil rights, medieval architecture or street art. While Bloody Sunday and the Troubles are central to the itinerary, the tour also covers Derry's 400-year-old walled city, its seven gates, the restored cannon, St Columb's Cathedral (the first Anglican cathedral built after the Reformation), and the Peace Bridge. Your guide shapes the pace and depth to your interests, and the private format means you can ask as many questions as you want.

What's the difference between this tour and other Derry tours from Belfast?

This is the only private tour of its kind offered in Northern Ireland. You get a dedicated minivan (not a shared coach), a local historian guide who lived through the events he describes, a walking tour of the actual Bloody Sunday killing zone, and the flexibility to stop when you want. The guide is also a political activist with intimate knowledge of the community and the history, so you're hearing the story from someone directly connected to it.