Derry or Londonderry is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Daire or Doire meaning "oak grove". In 1613, the city was granted a Royal Charter by King James I and the "London" prefix was added, changing the name of the city to Londonderry. While the city is more usually known as Derry, Londonderry is also used and remains the legal name.Londonderry is the only remaining completely walled city in Ireland and one of the finest examples of Walled Cities in Europe. The Walls were built during the period 1613-1618 by the honourable, the Irish Society as defences for early seventeenth century settlers from England and Scotland.

The Walls, which are approximately 1.5km in circumference, form a walkway around the inner city and provide a unique promenade to view the layout of the original town which still preserves its Renaissance Style street plan to this day. The four original gates to the Walled City are Bishop’s Gate, Ferryquay Gate, Butcher Gate and Shipquay Gate. Three further gates were added - magazine Gate, Castle Gate and New Gate.

County Derry features a mild, temperate climate with warm summers and reasonably mild winters. Precipitation levels in the Country Derry area are fairly average and spread evenly throughout the year, although the winter months do tend to be wetter that the summers.Summers are pleasant and warm in the Londonderry area of Ireland, averaging 16°C / 63°F from May to September. Highs of more than 20°C / 68°F during the height of the summer months are by no means unusual. The average annual daytime temperatures in County Derry are around 12°C / 54°F.

The Tower Museum tells the story of Derry, chronicling the history of the city from its geological formation through to the present day. Harbour Museum, Locasted in Harbour Square is this traditional museum, and Picture Gallery principally dealing with the maritime history of the area. Temporary exhibitions are regularly displayed. Admission Free.

The Workhouse Museum and Library

The Workhouse opened in 1840, closed as a Workhouse in 1948 but continued to be used as a hospital until 1991. A group of local historians managed to save some of the original Workhouse building from demolition and this is where the museum and the Waterside branch library are now housed. The Museum occupies two floors of the old Workhouse building and opened in 1997. The building is of great historical interest. The Museum is also used by the Education Officer to run various school events and programmes and is the base for the Living History Programme.

The city centre has two main shopping centres; the Foyleside Shopping Centre which has 45 stores and 1430 parking spaces, and the Richmond Centre, which has 39 retail units. The Quayside Shopping Centre also serves the city-side and there is also Lisnagelvin Shopping Centre in the Waterside. These centres, as well as local-run businesses, feature numerous national and international stores. A recent addition was the Crescent Link Retail Park located in the Waterside with many international chain stores, including Homebase, Currys, Carpet Right, PC World, Argos Extra, Toys R Us, Halfords, DW Sports (formerly JJB Sports), Pets at Home, Tesco Express and M&S Simply Food .