Derby

Derby (pronounced DAR-bee) is a city in Derbyshire, England. Purportedly the UK's most 'central' city and promoted as a base for exploring the Peak District, this city of 260,000 people (2021) also boasts modern shopping facilities and a number of visitor attractions in and around the surrounding area.

Understand
Derby was the site of Lombe's Mill, the first fully mechanised factory in the world, built in 1721. Railway engineering starting in 1840 in Derby, and continued with the Derby Carriage and Wagon Works. The city is now the site of the UK's only remaining locomotive manufacturer. Rolls-Royce opened a car and aircraft factory in the town in 1907; today the aero-engine manufacturer is the largest engineering employer in the area. Car maker Toyota has a manufacturing and assembly plant in Burnaston, just south of Derby. On 8 October 2021 it was announced that Derby was included in the long list of bids to host UK City of Culture 2025.
 * Visit Derby tourist information

By plane
The nearest airport is. The Skylink Derby bus runs from the airport to Derby and is operated by Kinchbus. The Skylink service runs every 20 minutes during the daytime and half-hourly at other times (with a 24-hour service), and also serves Leicester.

By train
has good rail links. East Midlands Railways operates express trains from London St Pancras, Leicester and Sheffield. It also runs local services to destinations including Nottingham, Matlock, Stoke-on-Trent and to parts of Lincolnshire. Crosscountry operates services to the North East, Scotland, the South West, the South Coast and the West Midlands. Train times are available from National Rail Enquiries (+44 8457 484950).

By bus
is served by coaches operated by National Express from around the country. The 'Comet' bus service by Trent Barton connects the city to Chesterfield while the 'Red Arrow' runs to Nottingham at very regular intervals on weekdays and weekends. The 'Transpeak' bus service by High Peak connects Derby with the Peak District and Manchester.

By bus
Most local bus services are operated by Arriva and Trent Barton. See the Derbyshire County Council public transport website for timetables and information for all buses. Public transport in the city is not particularly good value, especially compared to similar cities.

There are two park and ride services running from Meteor Centre in the north and Pride Park in the east.

On foot
Derby is a compact city making it very approachable for pedestrians.

Do

 * Go on a ghost walk in the UK's second 'most haunted' town. For example: Derby ghost walks and Cathedral Quarter
 * Football:
 * Football:

Eat
Derby is an excellent place to get an Indian curry. Obviously plenty of great fish & chips shops, but don't miss the steak-and-kidney pie and mushy peas. Another local staple is a cob -; no, not the horse but a filled bread roll.

English Indian

Chinese

Italian Spanish Japanese

Thai

Greek

Mexican

French

As with most major cities the usual chains such as Nando's, Pizza Express, Frankie & Benny's, Zizzi, La Tasca and Old Orleans are all to be found in the city.

Drink
Derby's nightlife is among the safest in the country, having won multiple Purple Flags. Pub crawls are often organized by the real ale campaign, or if all night raves are your thing, Derby boasts some exciting clubs open until 4AM.

The majority of bars in Derby are found on Friar Gate, Sadler Gate and Iron Gate. One of the best is Bar Lisi on Sadler Gate, which is nice and intimate.

Derby is noted for pubs serving a range of real ales and is home to about a dozen microbreweries (small breweries). A few pubs worthy of a visit within the city centre area are:

Connect
As of March 2024, Derby and its approach roads have 5G from all UK carriers.

Go next
Map of places with Wikivoyage articles nearby


 * Ashbourne — market town in attractive location near Dovedale and the Tissington Trail
 * Buxton and The Peak District — one of the major national parks in the UK, a beautiful area for hillwalking, mountain biking, camping, climbing etc.
 * Carsington Water for a number of water-based leisure activities, between Wirksworth and Ashbourne
 * Cromford, part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
 * Matlock Bath — around 45 minutes north up the A6 or Derwent Valley rail line, this spa town resembles a seaside town without the sea, due to the number of fish & chip shops and amusement arcades. Nightly illuminations each autumn. Very popular with motorcyclists.
 * Nottingham — home of the legend of Robin Hood, nowadays a popular destination for 'city breaks' thanks to its shopping and entertainment attractions.
 * Sheffield — large city world-renowned for its steel industry and to another extent its cultural achievements, particularly in the area of popular music.
 * Wirksworth — historic market town
 * Discover some of the small villages south of the city such as Melbourne and Shardlow. Maybe try a pint in a country pub.