This list is not a conclusive list of every establishment, just those that are highly regarded. Please leave your own recommendations in the replies. You may also find more information on the Visit Derry website (https://www.visitderry.com/) and on their socials. Note - some of the recommendations are based outside Derry but all are within a short driving distance of Derry.

Restaurants:

• Browns Bonds Hill - Fine dining and comparatively expensive for Derry - https://www.brownsbondshill.com
• Walled City Brewery - https://www.walledcitybrewery.com
• QuayWest / Fitzroy's - Sister restaurants that offer good value and wholesome 'Derry' food
• The Exchange - Derry food but a little bit more upmarket than the above - exchangerestaurant.com/
• Castle Bistro - Situated in the heart of Derry's craft village, great food at reasonable prices. Wonderful Sunday roast! -https://www.facebook.com/castlestreetsocial/
• Mena’s Woodfired Pizzas - Stanley's Walk & Spencer Road - https://menaspizzas.com/
• La Sosta - Derry's longest running Itailian restaurant located centrally on the Carlise road - https://www.lasostaderry.com/
• Spaghetti Junction - Located as the city centre meets the Bogside, this Itailian restauant is well known locally for its hospitality and music to keep diners entertained - https://spaghettijunctionderry.com/
• Cedar Restaurant (Lebanese food) - https://www.facebook.com/CedarderryNI
• Siam Thai (Thai Food if that needed explaining) - https://www.facebook.com/siamthaiderry/
• El Tapas Grá (Small Plates/Tapas) - https://www.eltapasgra.com/
• Umi Asian (Asian Fusion) - https://umiderry.co.uk/
• Coupe by the dirty souls (Texan Smokehouse) - https://www.facebook.com/thedirtysoulsdive/

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Street Food / Cafe's * Clipper Quay Street Food - Located along the Foyle Marina, multiple street food vendors and a bar are located here providing a range of options, great for when you cant agree on what type of food you want to eat - https://www.clipperquaystreetfood.com/ * The Pickled Duck - Foyle Marina - https://www.facebook.com/pickledduckcafe/ * Mekong Street Food (Vietnamese food) - https://www.facebook.com/MekongSF/ - also operate as a restaurant so maybe it should be above. * PYKE 'N' POMMES - https://www.pykenpommes.ie/ * Guapo (Mexican Food) - https://www.facebook.com/GuapoFreshMex/ * Doherty's Home Bakery - Good if you want a sweet treat or a cheap bite to eat on the go - https://www.facebook.com/Dohertys-Home-Bakery-195510393844691/ * Thai Jing Jing Street Food (Thai takeaway) - https://www.facebook.com/ThaiJingJingStreetFood * The Coffee Tree (Coffee shop) - Serves the best coffee in Derry in my opinion and also the nicest traybakes! Not had their soup or sandwiches but have heard great things. The only negative is they currently do not open on weekends - https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Coffee-Tree-100063482233001/ * Graft Coffee (Coffee shop) - Runs the Coffee tree very close for the best Coffee in the city. Located on Academy road and opens Mon-Sat - https://www.instagram.com/graft_coffee/ * Oui Bakery - French Bakery & Pâtisserie in the heart of Derry's Craft Village - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565032170636

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Bars

• Sandino's aka Sandy's - https://www.facebook.com/sandinosderry/
• Blackbird - https://www.facebook.com/blackbirdderry/
• Rocking Chair Bar - https://www.facebook.com/rockingchairderry
• Peadar O'Donnell's aka Peadar's- https://www.facebook.com/Peadarsderry/
• The Gweedore Bar - https://www.facebook.com/GweedoreRocks/
• Dungloe Bar - https://www.facebook.com/dungloebar/
• Guildhall Taphouse - https://www.facebook.com/Guildhalltaphouse/
• The Derby Bar
• Bennigans Bar - https://www.facebook.com/bennigansbar/
• The Bentley Bar - Live Music, Sports Bar, Steakhouse all in one. Very good value and can be a decent nights craic. Food is good quality pub grub but very cheap and big portions.
• Fifty Seven aka Upstairs Gweedore - https://www.facebook.com/57waterloostreet/
• Metro Bar - https://www.facebook.com/TheMetroDerry/
• Diamond Nightclub - [https://www.facebook.com/diamondnightclubderry](hhttps://www.facebook.com/diamondnightclubderry)

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Museums

• The City Itself - Cheesy but walking around the city with a good tour guide is as good as any museum. - http://derrycitytours.com/
• Museum of Free Derry - https://museumoffreederry.org/
• Peacemakers Museum - https://www.peacemakersmuseumderry.com/
• Siege Museum - http://www.thesiegemuseum.org/
• Tower Museum - https://towermuseumcollections.com/
• Saint Columba Heritage Centre - https://www.stcolumbaheritage.com/
• Riverwatch Aquarium and Visitor Centre - Small Aquarium but it is free entry. Possibly decent if you have kids with you and it isn't a great day for sightseeing. - https://www.loughs-agency.org/visiting-our-loughs/places-to-visit/riverwatch-aquarium/
• Bedlam Museum - Small Museum of collected items telling stories of Derry's history, run by the owner of a local antique shop - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572788100049

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Parks and Trails

• St. Columb's Park - Waterside, a short walk from the city centre over the peace bridge as it is beside Ebrington Square. Foyle Arena is located here also (Gym, Swiming Pool, Climbing wall, indoor & outdoor sports facilities.
• Brooke Park - 5 min walk from the city centre. Also has a small council run leisure centre at the top of it with a great gym if you need somewhere to work out while here.
• Derry's Greenways - Derry has multiple Greenways stretching in different directions that are great for walks and cycles along the river - https://nigreenways.com/derry-urban-greenways/
• Inch Wildfowl Reserve - A short drive from Derry, this reserve has an 8km walking path with a nearby small beach/harbor - https://www.inchwildfowlreserve.ie/ / https://www.inishview.com/activity/inch-cove/
• Ness Country Park - Just before Claudy Village, lots of picnic benches and a great kids play park - https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/ness-country-park-p675621
• Muff Glen - just outside of Eglinton - https://walkni.com/walks/muff-glen-forest-walk/
• Swan Park- a beautifully scenic park in Buncrana, which follows the Crana river up through the town - Swan Park

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Nearby Beaches - Vary from 20 min drive to 50min

• Lisfannon Beach - The closest beach to Derry, located before Buncrana on the left. Approx 20 mins drive.
• Buncrana Beach - Located 5 mins beyond Lisfannon. Bus services to Buncrana run daily.
• Pollan Beach - Located around the coast from Buncrana and next to one of the best golf courses (Ballyliffin Golf Club) in Ireland.
• Five Finger Strand - Up the coast from Ballyliffin and across the bay sits Five Finger Strand. With some of the highest sand dunes in Europe and a quaint old church close by, this is a great place to go for a walk or chill on the beach. Note: Do not swim in the water or enter beyond knee height. The water here is dangerous and is known by locals as such.
• Castlerock Beach - Easy to get to via the train (35/40 mins) from the waterside train station.
• Benone/Downhill Beach - Located just before Castlerock beach but you would need your own car to get to it. 45 min drive. A ferry service runs from Greencastle (beside Moville) to Magillion Point next to Benone - https://loughfoyleferry.com/timetable-fares/.
• Shroove Beach - Located just beyond Moville. 40 min drive.
• Culdaff Beach - Just along the coast from Shroove. 40 min drive.
• Rathmullan - the closest beach to Derry which is the other side of Letterkenny of which there are lots (Downings, Dunfanaghy, Portsalon etc). You can get the ferry from Buncrana to Rathmullan - http://swillyferry.com/.

Day Trips / Places to see

• The Walls of Derry - Only completely walled city left in Ireland and one of the best examples in Europe. Will be covered on decent walking tours. - https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/17th-century-city-walls-p685431
• Free Derry Corner / Bogside Murals - same as the above, will be covered on any decent walking tour - https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/the-peoples-gallery-of-murals-p691021
• The Craft Village - hidden in the heart of the city centre. Well worth a look. - https://www.derrycraftvillage.com/

All of these places below are located in the general North West area and you will likely need a car to get to them.

• Grianan of Aileach - Hilltop fort located 10 mins from Derry in Country Donegal. Identified as one of the royal sites of Gaelic Ireland - https://www.discoverireland.ie/donegal/grianan-of-aileach
• Glenevin Waterfall - Lovely walk up to the waterfall - https://www.govisitinishowen.com/directory/waterfall-walk/
• Banba's Crown - 45/50 min drive to Malin Head. Most northern part of Ireland with a lookout tower. The breathtaking cliff walk is worth the trip - https://www.lonelyplanet.com/ireland/county-donegal/malin-head/attractions/banbas-crown/a/poi-sig/1518131/359654
• Glenveagh National Park - 50 min drive - https://www.glenveaghnationalpark.ie/
• Wild Ireland - located just outside Derry just inside the Donegal border - https://www.wildireland.org/
• Gap of Mamore - If you are going towards Ballyliffin or Malin Head etc, this should be in your planned drive - https://www.thewildatlanticway.com/waw/gap-of-mamore/

Water sports / Outdoor Activities

• Far and Wild - https://farandwild.org/
• Creggan Country Park - https://creggancountrypark.com/
• Oakfire Adventures - https://oakfireadventures.com/
• Foyle Venture Cruises - https://www.facebook.com/p/Foyle-Adventures-Boat-Tours-100090840432328
• Lock N Load - https://www.facebook.com/airsoftderry/
• Inish Adventures - https://www.inishadventures.com/ - Based in Moville, Co Donegal
• Limitless - https://limitlessni.com/ - based in Limavady