Derry Londonderry private tour: Bogside, walls, Peace Bridge

Six to eight hours tracing the Troubles through Derry's walls, murals and memorials

A private full-day tour from Belfast to Derry Londonderry in a luxury Mercedes with a local professional guide, covering the ancient city walls, the Bogside's People's Gallery murals, Free Derry Corner, and the Peace Bridge. Your guide explains the civil rights era and Bloody Sunday as you walk the historic sites and view the Peace Flame and Guildhall. Hotel pickup and drop-off from Belfast are included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Full day tour of Derry and surroundings

• Private walking tour of Free Derry Corner
• Visit The Bogside Artists murals
• Learn at Museum of Free Derry
• Private tour of Ancient City Walls
• Walk across the Peace Bridge
• View the Peace Flame
• Visit the Guildhall
• See the Derry Girls Murals
• Drive to County Donegal border
• Visit The Grianán of Aileach hillfort
• Drink at Ponderosa pub in Sperrin Mountains

The experience

The tour leaves your Belfast hotel in a private air-conditioned Mercedes and drives you to Derry, a walled city on the River Foyle in Northern Ireland. Your guide is a local professional who speaks English and knows the city's history firsthand. The route takes you through both sides of the river, connecting the largely unionist Waterside with the largely nationalist Cityside across the Peace Bridge, a 235-metre footbridge opened in 2011 to improve relations between the two communities.

On foot, you walk the ancient city walls (intact since the 17th century with seven original gates), and stop at the Guildhall, a neo-Gothic red sandstone building with huge stained-glass windows. Your guide takes you to Free Derry Corner, a free-standing gable wall in the Bogside neighbourhood that commemorates the self-declared autonomous area that existed between 1969 and 1972, with memorials to the 1981 hunger strikers and several murals nearby. The Bogside Artists' People's Gallery, a series of outdoor murals created by brothers Tom and William Kelly and Kevin Hasson, depicts the sectarian violence and civil rights protests of the Troubles. You learn about Bloody Sunday (the 1972 killing of 13 civil rights protesters by the British Army), and visit the Museum of Free Derry, which focuses on the 1960s civil rights era and the Free Derry movement.

The tour includes views of the Peace Flame and a walk across the Peace Bridge itself. On the return to Belfast, you stop at the Ponderosa, Ireland's highest pub, located in the Sperrin Mountains. The entire day is structured around what your guide knows and can show you. There is no fixed schedule of stops, so the pace and focus adapt to your interests within the six to eight hour window.

What’s included

• Private tour in a luxury air-conditioned Mercedes.
• local professional driver guide speaking English.
• hotel or Airbnb pickup and drop-off from Belfast.
• all walking activities and site visits.
• views of the Peace Flame and the Guildhall.
• entry to the Bogside murals and Free Derry Corner.
• a stop at the Ponderosa pub in the Sperrin Mountains on the return.
• Belfast Port cruise ship pickup and drop-off available for an additional £25 each way.

Before you book

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

Book up to1d 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£ 60

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Giants Causeway Tours

Is this one for you?The tour runs six to eight hours with substantial walking through the walled city and the Bogside, so it suits travellers comfortable on their feet for most of the day. A private Mercedes means you travel alone or with your group, not in a shared coach, and your guide adjusts the pace and focus to what interests you most about Derry's civil rights history and architecture.

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Top questions

What is Free Derry Corner and why does it matter?

Free Derry Corner is a free-standing gable wall in the Bogside neighbourhood marking the site of a self-declared autonomous nationalist area that existed between 1969 and 1972. It now carries memorials to the 1981 hunger strikers and several murals, and your guide explains its role in the civil rights movement and the Troubles.

What will I learn about Bloody Sunday on this tour?

Your guide explains the events of Bloody Sunday in 1972, when the British Army killed 13 civil rights protesters, and takes you to the Museum of Free Derry, which focuses on that era and the Free Derry movement of the early 1970s.

Can I walk the city walls, or is it just a drive-by?

You walk the ancient city walls yourself as part of the tour, including a stop at the 16th-century cannon. The walls have been intact since the 17th century and contain seven original gates. Your guide points out the key sites as you go.

What is the Peace Bridge and why is it on the tour?

The Peace Bridge is a 235-metre cycle and foot bridge opened in 2011 across the River Foyle, designed to connect the largely unionist Waterside with the largely nationalist Cityside and improve relations between the two communities. You walk across it and view the Peace Flame as part of the day.

Does the tour include lunch or drinks?

Lunch is not included in the tour price. On the return to Belfast, you stop at the Ponderosa, Ireland's highest pub in the Sperrin Mountains, where you can order a drink. This is your own expense.

Is there an option to visit Grianán of Aileach across the border in County Donegal?

Yes, your guide can take you across the border into County Donegal to visit Grianán of Aileach, a hillfort atop Greenan Mountain with a 19th-century reconstruction of a stone ringfort built in the sixth or seventh century. This adds to the tour cost and requires an extra £60 paid directly to your guide on the day.