attraction · Derry/Londonderry
The Peace Bridge crosses the River Foyle between Derry’s city-centre side and Ebrington, combining a practical pedestrian link with a striking curved design. Opened in 2011, it has become a recognisable part of the city. A walk across offers a river-level perspective distinct from the historic walls and their gates.
From research
Choose the bridge for a short city walk that connects two sides of the river and leaves time to pause over the water. It can fit between other visits without needing a guided tour. Keep the crossing clear for everyday users, and treat photographs, stops and any continuation into Ebrington as parts of a shared public route.
Know before you book: A working public crossing; wind, events or maintenance can affect the experience.
Place highlights
The bridge’s changing alignment is easiest to appreciate while walking across it rather than from one bank alone. Notice how the view shifts between the city and Ebrington. Pause where there is room, leaving a clear route for people who are simply crossing the river.
The Foyle gives the walk a broad open setting, with the city’s buildings and riverside changing with your position. Stay within the bridge’s public route and do not lean beyond barriers for a photograph. Weather can make the exposed crossing feel very different from sheltered streets.
The bridge links the city-centre side near the Guildhall with Ebrington Square. Those are useful starting and finishing points, but each area has its own attractions and access arrangements. Crossing the bridge does not include admission to museums, events or private venues on either side.
The story behind the visit
The bridge opened on 25 June 2011, adding a new connection across the Foyle. Its design involved AECOM and WilkinsonEyre, and its form quickly became part of the city’s visual identity. The official tourism account emphasises both its practical role and its symbolic story, a combination worth remembering when the bridge appears in photographs as a landmark alone. Source ↗
Walking the crossing makes that practical role visible. Residents, commuters and visitors use the same space, so a sightseeing pause needs to fit around ordinary movement. The view also differs from the city walls: instead of looking out from a historic defensive circuit, you are moving between riverbanks on a modern connection. Keep those experiences distinct rather than assuming one replaces the other. A short return walk can be enough, or you can continue into Ebrington as a separate part of the day. Allow weather and available time to decide, without turning a simple crossing into an overfilled itinerary. Source ↗
Visitor information
Approach from the city-centre riverfront near the Guildhall or from Ebrington on the Waterside. Official visitor information ↗
Confirm current access and visitor arrangements with the operator.
No. It is a modern river crossing opened in 2011. Source ↗
Yes. It is a public link between the two riverbanks. Source ↗
Nearby options
Explore other places in the area, then use live directions to plan your journey.
heritage
The Guildhall is an easy building to admire from the square and a more rewarding one to enter. Its stained glass, organ and civic rooms add texture to a Derry day dominated by the walls and river.
Open place page →
heritage
The Tower Museum remains a visitor stop inside Derry’s walls, but its offer is changing. The Derry Girls Experience continues while the long-running Story of Derry exhibition has closed ahead of the planned…
Open place page →
heritage
The walls make the historic shape of Derry legible from above street level. Built in the early seventeenth century, the circuit links gates and bastions around the old city, with changing views into streets…
Open place page →
heritage
The Siege Museum provides an indoor introduction to the 1689 siege and the traditions of the Apprentice Boys in Derry’s walled centre. Artefacts, film and interpretation bring together military events and…
Open place page →
city
Derry offers a compact city visit organised around its walls, river and layered history. A considered walk and one chosen museum or guided tour make a coherent first day.
Open place page →
nature
St Columb’s Park is a large public park on Derry’s Waterside, combining wooded paths, a walled garden and historic remains with everyday recreation. The grounds include a manor house setting and a statue of…
Open place page →Location & access
A working public crossing; wind, events or maintenance can affect the experience.
54.99790, -7.31595 · Reference point; confirm the correct entrance and access. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Orientation only: a verified public entrance is not established by this pin. Use the operator arrival information before travel.