The Waterside and The Cityside

Derry is essentially split by the River Foyle into two main areas - The Waterside and The Cityside / Derry Side. The two banks of the river are connected by three bridges. The elder of these is the Craigavon Bridge, a double-decker bridge which once carried trains on its lower deck. A more recently constructed road bridge is the Foyle Bridge. This is a four-lane concrete bridge, which is further from the city centre.

The east side of the river is known as The Waterside. This is traditionally the home of Derry's unionist population.

The west side of the Foyle is usually known as The Cityside. This is predominantly nationalist and contains most of the tourist attractions, the city centre and The Guildhall. Here you will find the city walls and the Bogside. The city centre is small and suitable for walking.

In 2011, the Peace Bridge was opened, which is a pedestrian bridge connecting the Waterside to the heart of the city centre, and in turn bringing the two communities, Catholic and Protestant closer together as well.

Image: Derry walls and Tower Museum

The city is built on some quite steep hills and a lot of walking up and down these hills will be required to see all the sights. They can become quite slippery in cold weather.

For someone not familiar with English, the Derry accent can be quite challenging to understand at first (sometimes even to the native English speaker) and they tend to speak quite loudly and fast. However, if they know you are not from the area they will more than likely make an attempt to be more understandable. Offence will not be taken if you ask them to slow down while speaking.