Walking Bogside History Tour in Guildhall
Overview
Available languages
1 hour 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Our walking history tours look at the lasting political and social implications of Bloody Sunday and other local incidents of the Troubles. It begins at the Guildhall in city center and drops into the Bogside area from Derry’s intact city walls. Learn from survivors and family members as you trace the footsteps of the Bloody Sunday march. Our tours also pass the world-famous Bogside Murals, offering in-depth histories of each. We stop by the iconic Free Derry Corner and our tour ends at the Bloody Sunday monument on Rossville Street just across the way from the Museum of Free Derry.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Guildhall
This hour long walking tour in Derry will also retrace parts of the original march and visit places where the dead and wounded fell. The Bogside History Tour will examine the political and social repercussions of Bloody Sunday. The tour will pass ‘The Museum of Free Derry’ and conclude at the Bloody Sunday monument within sight of Free Derry corner and beneath the city walls of Derry. The Bogside (Irish: Taobh an Bhogaigh) is a neighbourhood outside the city walls.. The large gable-wall murals by the Bogside Artists, Free Derry Corner and the Gasyard Féile (an annual music and arts festival held in a former gasyard) are popular tourist attractions. The area has been a focus point for many of the events of the Troubles; in 1969, a fierce three-day battle known as the Battle of the Bogside became a starting point of the Troubles.
Free Derry Corner
The tour will pass ‘The Museum of Free Derry’ and conclude at the Bloody Sunday monument within sight of Free Derry corner and beneath the city walls of Derry
What‘s Included
Walking and Driving Tours available
Options
Walking Bogside History Tour in Guildhall
Reviews
289 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Grounded, exact, and quietly devastating
SigBods,Mar 29, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Review: We did this Bogside walking tour on Friday 27 March. It wasn’t led by Paul Doherty, but by a younger guide—local, deeply knowledgeable, and clearly rooted in the community. He was, if anything, over-prepared in the best sense: careful with detail, committed to accuracy, and able to shape a lot of material into a clear, compelling account without overwhelming us. The tour does exactly what it says: tracing the civil rights movement, the events of Bloody Sunday (30 January 1972), the key sites, and the aftermath, including the long struggle by families for truth and ultimate vindication in the Saville Report (15 June 2010). It holds together commemoration and analysis—naming the dead alongside a direct account of state violence and its consequences. One thing that stood out was the opening. In a short space of time, the guide set out a wider historical frame—enough to give a sense of how these events sit within a longer political and social history. That made everything that followed clearer. Retracing the route is quietly shocking. You stand in an ordinary street and are told that someone whose picture you've seen was shot at that exact spot. This is not a distant battlefield but a tight knit community. The presence of soldiers in that space is hard to take in and to forget. We had watched a film the night before, supported by the Museum of Free Derry, about Bloody Sunday and the decades-long fight by families to clear the names of those 14 killed—mostly very young men, unarmed, on a civil rights march. Seeing that, and then walking the ground the next day, was a powerful combination. We felt very indebted to those who devoted so much of their lives to correcting the historical record. The guide also made clear that this was a civil rights march, not a Republican event. What followed shows something that remains clear: political repression produces resistance. Armed aggression recruits for it—a lesson we have yet to learn. If you’re in Derry and at all interested in history, civil rights, or Irish culture, this tour is a real gift.
A Close Up Look at a Tragic Event
Z5568RZmarkf,Mar 29, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00If you’re staying in or near Derry, you have to do this tour. John, our guide has very personal memories of the goings on that day. I won’t spoil the tour by revealing his words, but he shared his feelings without bitterness or anger. Very well prepared and articulate, he painted a vivid picture of what led to such a confrontation, and how it unfolded. Definitely not disappointed.
Fascinating tour with Jimmy
adam309,Mar 29, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Fascinating couple of hours in the company of our guide Jimmy. His first-hand stories, some funny some very sobering, made the time fly by and added essential context to our visit to Derry.
"Great" discovery of such a terrible event
U330WCalexandref,Mar 22, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00About 2 hours walking with John in the footsteps of the Bloody Sunday marching rally with an emotional depiction of the events that occurred that day and the series of events that help understand how it came to be. Learning about such contemporary history is really moving and more so when it is told by someone who has lived them. I reccomend to follow the tour by a visit to the museum where the tour ends
The real history from someone who lived it.
Jeanjavert,Mar 18, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Just a great overview of the city’s history. Ours focused on the Troubles which is what we wanted as we walked along the walls of the city. Gerry was our guide and did a great job. Natural storyteller, born and raised in Derry. Very balanced account of what happened. About 90 minutes, but not a lot of actual walking as he stops and tells you about things. All very level or down hill. Honestly don’t know why you wouldn’t do the tour.
Honest and eye opening experience. Highly recommend.
katherinesL5882GS,Mar 13, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My father and I did the tour with John and it was such an eye opening experience. John was incredibly knowledgable and was able to really paint a picture about what it was like growing up during the Troubles, as well as what it means to belong to a place full of such rich, and complicated history. We felt very fortunate to hear his personal stories along the way, and hear about how Derry has changed. I was recommended this tour by a friend, and I would wholeheartedly pass the recommendation onto others.
Bogside / Bloody Sunday tour
Z5886PVpaulg,Mar 8, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Took a group of students to learn about Bloody Sunday and this history of Derry in The Troubles. This tour was an incredible experience. Very moving and very informative. Paul was an excellent tour guide whose own personal experience and humour comes through at all times. Wonderful to see the murals throughout the Bogside and then to go to the Free Derry museum afterwards. Excellent tour and a great way to see and learn about the city.
Important tour of a fascinating part of our history
AAPPBB,Feb 28, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Fascinating explanation of the history and people impacted by Bloody Sunday. John was a superb guide and dealt with the subject in a very balanced way and brought the events to life with direct knowledge of people involved.
A harrowing but vital tour for anyone in Derry
billhY3553YM,Feb 22, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A must for anyone who visits Derry. We were honoured and privileged to have Jimmy lead our tour and hear his first hand account of life in the Bogside at various points in history, his harrowing but balanced and important recollections on Bloody Sunday and his reflections on where life in Derry is now
Walking Bogside History tour from the Guildhall.
I3617UCderekb,Feb 12, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was a excellent tour. Peadar our guide was so knowledgeable of the area and the history of Derry. A great experience from start to finish. I was also accompanied on the trip with two lovely gents from Belfast who were great company along the walk.
From £20.00
Want a private experience? Upgrade to a private tour
Related Experiences
Operated by Bogside History Tours