You can cover a lot on foot, and nearly half the places here are free.
There are 48 places to explore within about 10 miles. Families will find soft play and walking tours; history fans can lose themselves at the Tower Museum or on a Bogside history tour; music lovers have Peadar O'Donnell's and Sandino's to look forward to.
The best days out near Derry
Rough Brothers Brewing
Spa at The Ebrington Hotel
Walled City Brewery
Waterside Theatre
Ebrington Square
Foyle Greenway (Derry-Strabane)
Peace Bridge
The Quiet Man Distillery (Niche Drinks)
Time Trap Escape Rooms (Derry)
Foyle Arena Soft Play
Foyle Arena Climbing Wall
Sandino's Café Bar
Foyle Arena
Foyleside Shopping Centre
Derry Girls Mural
Bogside History Tours
Peadar O'Donnell's
Martin McCrossan City Walking Tours
Tower Museum
Derry Walls (Derry Girls Walking Tour)
Bonkers Soft Play
Tactixs Adventure Centre
Richmond Shopping Centre
Millennium Forum
The Guildhall
The Gweedore Bar
Void Gallery
New Gate Arts & Culture Centre
Derry City Walls
Escape Rooms Derry
Cycle Derry
The Nerve Centre
Quayside Shopping Centre
Omniplex Cinema Derry
Kaboodle Mini Golf
St Columb's Cathedral & Chapter House Museum
Pearl Spa at City Hotel Derry
Foyle Valley Railway Museum
Siege Heroes Museum
City Baths
Museum of Free Derry
Free Derry Corner & Bogside Murals
Hands Across the Divide
Lisnagelvin Shopping Centre
The Workhouse Museum
Altnagelvin Garden & Pet Centre
Derry Bogside Murals Walking Tour
St Columba's Church Long Tower
What's on near Derry
- 31JulMaiden City FestivalThe Siege Museum
- 5AugDavid Byrne's American Utopia | Nerve CinemaNerve Centre
- 5AugFéile 2026The Gasyard Centre
- 5AugStorytime and Colour — Magherafelt LibraryMagherafelt Library
- 5AugRhythm and Rhyme — Creggan LibraryCreggan Library
- 6AugCeltic Grá Meal & ShowThe Gweedore Bar Derry
Days out in Derry — your questions
What are the best days out in Derry?
The city walls and the Peace Bridge are a great starting point — both free and easy to walk. The Tower Museum is worth a couple of hours, and Bogside History Tours bring the history of the area to life. For live music in the evening, Peadar O'Donnell's is the go-to spot in the city.
What free things are there to do in Derry?
Quite a lot. The Peace Bridge and Ebrington Square are free to explore on foot. The Derry Girls Mural is a free stop, and the Guildhall is open to the public at no charge. Walled City Brewery and Sandino's Café Bar are both free to enter, and Peadar O'Donnell's has free live music.
Where can you go on a rainy day near Derry?
Derry has good indoor options whatever the weather. The Tower Museum is an easy way to spend a couple of hours. Bonkers Soft Play is ideal if you have small children. The Museum of Free Derry and Foyle Valley Railway Museum are both worth a visit, and the Siege Heroes Museum is nearby too.
What's good for young children near Derry?
Bonkers Soft Play is a solid pick for little ones on any day. Foyle Arena Soft Play is another good indoor option. For outdoor play, Brooke Park Play Park and St Columb's Park Playground are both free. The Play Shed is also worth checking out for younger kids.
More about Derry
Derry is the only city in Ireland that still has its complete old walls. Built between 1613 and 1619, they run about a mile right around the old inner city and were never breached in any siege, which is why it is known as "the Maiden City." You can walk the full circuit along the top.
The city is far older than the walls, though. According to tradition, Saint Columba founded a monastery here in the 6th century, and the name comes from the Irish word for an oak grove. Down by the River Foyle you will find the red-brick Victorian Guildhall with its copper dome, and the graceful Peace Bridge, which opened in 2011 to link the city centre with Ebrington Square on the far bank.
There is an Amelia Earhart Centre here too, marking her connection with the area after her record-setting transatlantic flight. Around 85,000 people live in the city, making it the second largest in Northern Ireland.