2013 European City of Culture - Derry

Donegal & Derry Explorer Tour Depart Belfast 9.00am
Arrive L/Derry 11.00am
Derry's Historic Walls walking tour (1 Hour) 11.30am
Lunch (not included) and free time 12.30pm
Tour of the Waterside and Bogside by bus 1.30pm
Depart for Donegal 2.15pm
Arrive Doagh Irish Famine Village 3.00pm (entrance fee not included)
Depart for Buncrana Town centre 5.00pm
Dinner (not included) and free time 5.30pm
Depart for Belfast 7.00pm
Arrive in Belfast 9.00pm

Price includes: Coach travel, Derry's Walls walking tour, bus tour of the Waterside and Bogside, entrance to famine village and tour.

At 9am we depart Belfast on our way to County Donegal. En route we will be visiting the famous walled City of Derry. A tour around these walls is a must for any visitor to Northern Ireland. From the walls you can look over a scenic Foyle River stretching out to the Atlantic Ocean and from where the Mountjoy Ship broke the boom ending the Siege of Derry in 1689.

Derry was the main port where many of the people of the region joined ships to sail to America to escape the ravages of the famines and plagues in Ireland at that time.

Looking from a strategic point on the walls you can view a collection of republican murals on the cable walls in the infamous Bogside. The most prominent of these murals is "Free Derry Corner", starting point for the civil rights march on 5th October 1968 and the tragic events of Bloody Sunday in 1972 in which 13 people lost their lives which later lead to a 12 year public inquiry conducted by Lord Saville. Further along the walls the majestic St Columbs Cathedral and Tower Museum known locally as Paddy's Tower are worth seeing.

The city also boasts many bustling shopping malls and friendly inhabitants. On leaving County Derry (or as some would call it Londonderry), we make our way into County Donegal, the home of picture card scenery and golden beaches. We will be visiting the Famine Village in Doagh. This museum gives you a rare insight into the way people lived in the rural isolated regions in Donegal. Often self-sufficient and a hardy people, religion played a big part in their life and give them strength of character.

On a lighter side Donegal has an active "Pub Life" with its traditional folk music scene, excellent restaurants and not forgetting the famous Irish "craic" that fills the place with laughter and enjoyment.

So don't miss out in taking one of the most interesting and value for money tours in our great country. "The Donegal and Derry explorer"