Derry

No city in Ireland connects the kaleidoscope of historical dots more colorfully than Derry (as it's known to Nationalists), a.k.a. Londonderry (to Unionists). From a leafy monastic hamlet to a Viking-pillaged port, from a cannonball-battered siege survivor to an Industrial Revolution sweatshop, from an essential WWII naval base to a wrenching flashpoint of sectarian Troubles…Derry has seen it all. Though it has only about a third of Belfast's population, this pivotal city has a more diverse history, and a prettier setting. As a predominantly Catholic-Nationalist city it was much contested throughout the Troubles, but the past 15 years have brought some refreshing changes. Today, you can feel comfortable wandering the streets and enjoying this underrated city.