The only intact walled city in Ireland now boasts a new upscale hotel overlooking the River Foyle and the iconic Peace Bridge. Ebrington Hotel features 93 guest rooms and four signature suites with sweeping views of Derry and the river.
© Tourism Ireland
The hotel combines newly constructed spaces with carefully restored listed buildings on the Ebrington Barracks site, including the historic Clock Tower. Guests at the luxury property enjoy complimentary access to spa and leisure facilities, which include a steam room, sauna, hydrotherapy pool and gym.
The on-site restaurant is led by one of Ireland’s most celebrated chefs and focuses on fresh, seasonal ingredients sourced locally. Chef Noel McMeel, often called the King of Irish Cuisine, crafts menus that highlight the best regional produce. The 142-seat restaurant offers a variety of gourmet dishes prepared with sustainability in mind.
© Tourism Ireland
Less than a five-minute walk from Guildhall Square, the hotel provides an ideal base for exploring Derry. One of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Ireland, Derry is best known for its thick, 17th-century stone walls that encircle the city.
The Troubles are closely associated with Derry, and visitors can explore neighborhoods such as the Bogside where pivotal events unfolded. The area’s murals, flags and statues mark important moments in local history and reflect solidarity with causes elsewhere.
© Tourism Ireland
Visitors can walk the full circuit of the city walls to enjoy unobstructed views across Derry and the surrounding landscape. The late-Victorian Guildhall offers exhibitions and striking period architecture. Fans of the television series Derry Girls can spot a prominent mural on Orchard Street just inside the walls, and the Tower Museum has featured series props as part of its programming into 2024.
Derry is also the site of Bloody Sunday, the 1972 attack in which British soldiers shot unarmed civilians. The Museum of Free Derry provides an immersive, informative exhibition that chronicles the events leading up to that day, the incident itself and its lasting effects on the community.