Mid range: City Hotel (028 7136 5800; cityhotelderry.com) occupies a prime city-centre location. Quality rooms, with pool and gym on offer, too. Ask for a room with river views. Doubles from £64.
Budget: Merchant’s House is a good choice if hotels aren’t your thing. Doubles from £50.
Stroll along to the atmospheric old-school pub, Peadar O’Donnell’s (peadars-gweedorebar.com), for a pint of the black stuff and perhaps some live Irish music.
Slip around the corner to The Exchange (028 7127 3990; exchangerestaurant.com; mains from £12) for a relaxed, informal dinner. Try the Jamaican jerk chicken; there is a good wine list, too.
Sample the city’s burgeoning cultural life at The Playhouse (02871 268 027; derryplayhouse.co.uk), which offers a vibrant mix of theatre and dance.
Guildhall Square is the heart of the city: the sandstone walls of the Edwardian Guildhall, with its historical links to London, has beautiful historical stained glass windows.
St Columb’s Cathedral (028 7126 2746; stcolumbscathedral.org) is the city’s oldest and most significant building. The cathedral and city were founded by London merchants in 1613.
The Museum of Free Derry (028 7136 0880; museumoffreederry.org; £3) offers the best opportunity to take in the different narratives that make up this city’s compelling and difficult history.
The Stirling Prize-nominated Culturlann (028 7126 4132; culturlann-doire.ie; free) comes as something of a shock: its emphatically modern lines stand out amid these elegant, harmonious urban terraces.
Return to the river, crossing the Peace Bridge to Ebrington. The former arrmy parade ground has been turned into a new public square, complete with café and wide views across the city and river.
Ian Orr, the chef at Brown’s (028 7134 5180; brownsrestaurant.com), was named Irish Chef of the Year. The focus here is on local produce, from Donegal seafood to Fermanagh lamb. Mains from £15.
