Londonderry

Derry sits right on the border where the River Foyle meets Lough Foyle, making it a proper crossroads for both sides of Ireland. The A5 brings you up from Dublin in about two and a half hours, while Belfast is just over an hour on the A6. It's handy for day trips to Letterkenny or Strabane, and you're sorted for exploring Donegal's coast or the Causeway route via the M22. City of Derry Airport is small, so most folk fly into Belfast and drive the hour and a half. The 17th-century walls are still completely intact, so you can walk the full circuit around the old city.