Derry/Londonderry from Belfast: Is a Day Trip Worth It?
Updated October 22, 2026 · 5 min read
For most visitors the Giant’s Causeway and Derry guided day trip is the practical way to see Derry from Belfast: €38.40, 9 hours, rated 4.9 from 44 reviews. The catch is in the arithmetic. Derry is about two hours from Belfast each way, so a day that also stops at the Causeway leaves Derry the smaller share of the time.
Derry is also called Londonderry. Tour listings use both names, and we use Derry.
What you are going for
The city walls are the draw. They are about 1.5 km in circumference and stand up to eight metres high, and the Department for Communities describes Derry as the only remaining completely walled city in Ireland. They were built between 1613 and 1618, entry is free, and you can walk the full circuit in under an hour. The surviving 24 cannon are displayed along the walls, with the one called Roaring Meg on the double bastion. Access can be restricted when there are works on the walls, so check before you go.
Beyond the walls, the usual stops are the Guildhall, which has free entry according to local visitor guides, the Peace Bridge over the River Foyle (a curved pedestrian and cycle bridge opened in 2011), and the Bogside, where the murals and the Museum of Free Derry cover the civil rights movement and Bloody Sunday in 1972. The Bogside is a place to go with a guide or after reading up; it is not a backdrop. Our Black Taxi tour guide covers the same history as seen from Belfast.
Getting there without a tour
The Translink Goldliner bus from Belfast Europa bus station takes about 2 hours. The train from Great Victoria Street takes roughly 2 hours 15 minutes. Both are cheaper than a tour and give you the whole day in Derry if you leave early, but you walk the city on your own. For a drive, compare hire cars for Belfast and check the excess and deposit on the booking page.
The tours
| Tour | Length | Price | Rating | What the summary says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giant’s Causeway and Derry guided day trip | 9 hours | €38.40 | 4.9, 44 reviews | Causeway, then Derry’s City Walls and Guildhall |
| Derry day trip with City Walls walking tour | 8 hours | €89.43 | no reviews yet | Small group, guided walk on the walls, free time, short Bogside introduction, optional Grianan of Aileach in Donegal |
| Derry and Donegal tour with Famine Village option | 9 hours | €95.39 | no reviews yet | The 17th-century walls, then Mamore Gap and the Inishowen coast in Donegal, optional Doagh Famine Village |
Prices are per person. Neither Derry-only tour has a review on GetYourGuide yet, so their prices cannot be judged against anyone’s experience. They cost more than twice the Causeway combination, and what you pay for is more time in the city itself. If you pick one of the Donegal options, you leave Northern Ireland for the Republic of Ireland; the booking page says what the operator wants you to bring.
Is it worth a day?
Yes if Derry is your reason to travel and you want walls, history and the Bogside more than a second coastal day. A two-for-one tour makes sense if you have only one day for the north and want the Causeway too, but expect a lot of time on the coach. If you have two days, give Derry its own: the walls, the Guildhall and the Peace Bridge fit comfortably in a morning, and you can reach the city by bus or train.
Our pick
One day, both sights: the Giant’s Causeway and Derry day trip. Derry as the main aim: one of the Derry-only tours, or the bus. See the day trips from Belfast page for all departures and the Giant’s Causeway tours if you would rather do the coast on its own.
