Derry — or Londonderry, depending on who you ask — is Northern Ireland's second city and one of the most compelling places on the island. The city is defined by its 17th-century walls, the best-preserved fortifications in Ireland or Britain, which you can walk in their entirety in about an hour. From the top you look down into the Bogside on one side and the old city centre on the other, and the layered history of the place is impossible to miss.
The Bogside murals tell the story of the Troubles with raw directness, and the Museum of Free Derry documents the events of Bloody Sunday in 1972. But Derry is not stuck in the past. The Peace Bridge, an elegant footbridge across the Foyle opened in 2011, physically connects the two sides of the city and has become its symbol. The Guildhall, with its stained glass windows, and St Columb's Cathedral are both worth visiting.
The city was UK City of Culture in 2013, and the arts scene has stayed lively since — good restaurants, pubs with live music, and a genuine warmth from the locals that visitors consistently remark on. Derry is also the natural starting point for drives along the north coast to the Giant's Causeway.