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Derry-Londonderry is a walled city and the thick stone walls and battlements have doors, really big doors. And as you’ll discover from the moment you arrive, there’s a really big welcome too. Getting there is easy. Like everywhere in Northern Ireland, it’s very well connected to everywhere else, no matter where you’re coming from.
Flight Connections to City of Derry Airport
City of Derry Airport sits approximately ten kilometres north-east of Derry-Londonderry. It’s very well connected to the UK with direct flights in and out of London Stansted, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Ulsterbus operates various scheduled services to and from the airport to the main Bus Depot on Foyle Street in Derry-Londonderry city centre.
Just outside the airport terminal, you’ll find the City Cabs taxi rank. A journey by cab typically takes about twenty minutes and all told is a pretty decent value option, particularly if you’re eager to immerse yourself in the city as quickly as you can. Ask your cab driver about the city on the journey in and you might easily find yourself being chauffeured on a whistle-stop tour of the sights, with commentary delving into its colourful, sometimes confusing, history.
Getting to Derry-Londonderry from Belfast
Many visitors to Derry-Londonderry will arrive through either Belfast International Airport or George Best Belfast City Airport. From both airports you can catch the airporter.co.uk coach to Northern Ireland’s second city. The journey from Belfast International Airport takes an hour and a half. Expect to add an extra thirty minutes travel from George Best Belfast City Airport. Aiporter.co.uk does offer free on board wi-fi and there will be plenty to see on the journey, so bag a window seat if you can.
If you’re spending some time in Belfast and then moving on to Derry-Londonderry, there are several ways of making your way there. Take your time, going the scenic way travelling along the Causeway Coastal Route which brings you along one of the most spectacular drives in the world and finishes in Derry-Londonderry. For this, your best bet is to hire a car. But there’s also a Bus Rambler ticket offered by Translink that gives you great freedom to explore and travel at the same time and at your own pace.
If you need to get to Derry-Londonderry in a hurry, then you can take the more direct service from the Europa Bus Centre in Belfast city centre that drops you to Foyle Street Bus Centre in Derry-Londonderry in around two hours. There is also an hourly train service which leaves from Lanyon Place in Belfast and arrives at Derry-Londonderry in approximately two hours.
Getting to Derry-Londonderry from Dublin and the rest of the Republic of Ireland
This really couldn’t be easier. There is a whole range of transport options from most major cities in the Republic including:
By bus
If you’re not driving/hiring a car, then your best bet for travelling to Derry-Londonderry from Dublin city centre or Dublin Airport, is to take a coach. Translink operates a service once a day while John McGinley Coaches have two daily services. Travel times vary depending where you start your journey and which service you take. Expect to spend north of 3 hours and 45 minutes on board, so bring a good book, or watch a few episodes of the hilarious Derry Girls to prepare yourself. This is a fairly long trip, but it’s a good deal quicker than the train and will get you there more directly.
By car
Travelling by car from Dublin to Derry-Londonderry is a fairly straightforward drive up the M1 and then across Northern Ireland on the A28. It is without doubt the easiest way to get there, and time wise you can expect it to take around three and a half hours.
A city made for walking - getting around Derry-Londonderry
Though it is a little hilly in parts, there really is no need to even consider using anything other than your feet to get around this enchanting city. The general layout of the city hasn’t changed much in the last 400 years, so get yourself some decent pumps and don’t forget to stretch those achilles heels before you venture out to explore.
Hire a bike to see more of the city
Claudy Cycles hire bikes to visitors who are looking to venture a little further afield. In this part of Northern Ireland you are really spoilt for choice as there is an abundance of cycle routes nearby. The Foyle Valley Cycle Route, for example, takes you from Derry-Londonderry to the border towns of Lifford and Strabane. Along the way, you can stop off and see the ancestral home of James Knox Polk, the 11th President of the United States.
