City centre and Grainger Town
First-timersThe Victorian grid around Grey Street: transport, the market, shops and most beds.
Newcastle city guide
Things To Do In Newcastle
Seven bridges over the Tyne, a night out with a national reputation, and Hadrian's Wall running west from the edge of the city.
4
Hostels in the city
7.5
Average, from 2,040 reviews
7
Bridges over the Tyne in the city centre
AD 122
Hadrian's Wall begun, and it starts here
£4
A pint away from the centre
The north-east, at full volume
Newcastle sits on the north bank of the Tyne with Gateshead facing it across the water, and the seven bridges between them are the city's signature — including the tilting Millennium Bridge, which rotates to let ships through.
It was a coal port and a shipbuilding city, and the Victorian centre Richard Grainger built is one of the best pieces of nineteenth-century town planning in Britain, centred on Grey Street.
Hadrian's Wall started here — Segedunum fort at Wallsend is the eastern end — and the best-preserved stretches are an hour west.
The night out is genuinely famous, genuinely cheap and genuinely underdressed for the weather.
Geordie is a strong accent and a distinct dialect, and people are among the friendliest in England. Two days.
Where to stay
A compact centre above the river, with Gateshead facing it across the bridges.
Quayside
Bridges and barsDown at the river: the Millennium Bridge, the Sunday market and a strip of riverside bars.
Ouseburn
Independent and creativeEast along a valley: converted industrial buildings, music venues, breweries and city farms.
Jesmond
Students and valueNorth: a student district with cheap food, busy bars and a Metro ride into the centre.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 4 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Newcastle
Walk the Quayside and cross the Millennium Bridge. It tilts as a whole to let ships through — locals call it the Blinking Eye — and the walk gives you the Tyne Bridge, the High Level Bridge and the Swing Bridge in one stretch.
BALTIC on the Gateshead side is a converted flour mill turned contemporary art gallery, free, with a top-floor viewing box over the river.
Grey Street is often called the finest street in England, a Georgian and Victorian curve running down from Grey's Monument, and it is free to walk.
The Great North Museum is free and holds a large Hadrian's Wall collection along with a Roman altar or two.
Newcastle Castle, the Norman keep the city is named after, is about £10 and sits wedged beside the railway viaduct.
Free things
Free things to do in Newcastle
The museums and galleries are free: the Great North Museum, the Laing Art Gallery, the Discovery Museum and BALTIC across the river.
The Quayside, the bridges and the riverside walk in both directions are free, and the Quayside Sunday market runs along the water.
Grainger Town and Grey Street are an open-air architectural tour, and the Grainger Market inside is a Victorian covered market still in daily use.
Ouseburn has free city farms and constantly changing street art.
Segedunum at Wallsend, the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall, is a short Metro ride and the site is visible from the viewing tower — and Jesmond Dene, a wooded valley park given to the city by Lord Armstrong, is free and a genuine surprise.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Newcastle
Cheap and generous. A pub main is £12 to £17 and plates in the student areas less.
The Grainger Market is the best lunch in the city — including a tiny original Marks and Spencer Penny Bazaar stall still trading — with plates at £6 to £10.
A stottie is the local bread, a heavy flat round loaf usually filled with ham and pease pudding, and it is worth trying once.
Ouseburn has the breweries and the good gastropubs, and Chinatown by St James' Park is compact and reliable.
A pint is £4 to £5.50, among the cheapest in England, and the local Newcastle ales are widely available though the famous brown one is no longer brewed in the city.
Nightlife
Going out in Newcastle
One of the best and cheapest nights out in the country, and a national reputation to go with it.
The Bigg Market is the traditional strip and the rowdiest, the Quayside is the riverside version, and Ouseburn has the live music and the better bars.
Drinks are cheap — a pint £4 to £5.50, cocktails £7 to £11 — and student nights push it lower.
Newcastle's dressing-up culture is real and the refusal to wear a coat in December is a local point of pride that visitors should not feel obliged to copy.
Things run to three, and a large stag and hen trade concentrates on the Bigg Market at weekends.
Getting around
Getting around Newcastle
The centre is walkable, though the drop from Grainger Town to the Quayside is steep and the climb back is worse.
The Tyne and Wear Metro is quick and cheap, with fares around £3 and day tickets, covering the airport, Jesmond, the coast at Tynemouth and Wallsend for Hadrian's Wall.
The airport is 25 minutes on the Metro for about £4, which is unusually good for a British city.
Trains reach Edinburgh in an hour and a half, York in an hour and London in three.
Newcastle is on the East Coast Main Line, making it an easy stop between London and Scotland.
Costs
What Newcastle costs
One of the cheapest cities in England. Dorms are £15 to £28, a pub main £12 to £17, and a pint £4 to £5.50.
A day is £38 to £70.
Museums are free, the bridges are free and the Metro is cheap, so the daytime costs almost nothing. Match tickets at St James' Park are the main variable and Newcastle sells out routinely.
Hadrian's Wall is the one trip worth budgeting for — the AD122 bus along the wall in summer is about £15 for a day ticket.
Safety
Staying safe in Newcastle
Newcastle is friendly and broadly safe, with the usual weekend drinking to handle.
The Bigg Market at closing time is where any trouble is, and it is mostly alcohol rather than anything targeted.
The Tyne is fast, cold and tidal, and the Quayside has open riverside edges directly beside the bars. Do not go near the water drunk.
Matchdays at St James' Park fill the centre from lunchtime, and the ground is in the middle of the city rather than out of it.
Use licensed taxis or an app. Emergency number is 999, or 112.
Day trips from Newcastle
A Roman wall, a castle coast and the Northumberland dark skies.
Hadrian's Wall
The best-preserved stretches, with Housesteads fort and Sycamore Gap. The wall was begun in AD 122 and ran coast to coast.
Tynemouth
A priory and castle on a headland, a long beach and a Sunday market in the Metro station.
Durham
A Norman cathedral and castle on a loop of river, UNESCO-listed and one of the great English views.
Alnwick
A castle used as Hogwarts in the films, with a walled garden and a famous secondhand bookshop.
Northumberland coast
Bamburgh Castle above the dunes, Lindisfarne across a tidal causeway, and empty beaches.
What's on
What is on while you are there
The world's largest half marathon runs through the city each September.
Staff pick
3–4 October
Westlife
Westlife is an internationally acclaimed Irish pop group renowned for their powerful harmonies and chart-topping ballads. Since their debut in 1999, Westlife has sold…
Staff pick
4 October
Kane Brown
Kane Allen Brown is a singer and songwriter from the United States. Brown was originally brought to the public's attention through social media. In…
Staff pick
30 October
Korn
Korn is a nu metal band from California known for their Billboard 200 #1 albums like Follow the Leader and Issues. They have sold…
Staff pick
26 October
Alan Davies
Alan Davies is a renowned British comedian, actor, and writer best known for his role as Jonathan Creek in the long-running BBC mystery series…
Staff pick
31 October
Newcastle Vegan Festival
Newcastle Vegan Festival at Walker Activity Dome brings together over 60 stalls featuring global plant-based cuisine, artisan foods, and sustainable lifestyle brands. Enjoy live…
Staff pick
7 November
Alice Roberts
Alice Roberts is a British presenter and scientist known for her engaging documentaries on archaeology and human biology. Her talks blend expert knowledge with…
Staff pick
16–22 November
North East International Film Festival
The North East International Film Festival is a prestigious event that showcases the best in independent cinema from around the world. With anticipated attendance…
Staff pick
3 December
Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra
Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra deliver lively shows filled with boogie-woogie piano, classic covers, and swinging brass. Led by the acclaimed…
Hostels
Where to stay in Newcastle
A modest scene at low prices, mostly in the centre and near the Quayside. Live from Hostelworld.
When to go
May to September. It is the coldest big city in England and December on the Bigg Market proves it.
Jan
Cold, dark and cheap. Bright, hard frosts
Feb
Still cold. Students back and the bars full
Mar
Improving slowly
Apr
Bracing. The coast starts to work
May
Excellent. Long evenings and the Wall at its best
Jun
The best month. Light until very late this far north
Jul
Warm by local standards. Coast and Quayside in use
Aug
Warm and busy. Good for the Northumberland coast
Sep
Superb. Great North Run and the football season
Oct
Autumn, good value, dark skies season starts
Nov
Cold and dark. Christmas market opens
Dec
Cold. The Christmas market and a famously underdressed night out
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs, and among the lowest in England. Midsummer light this far north lasts past ten, which makes June and July disproportionately good for the coast and the Wall.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in pounds.
Among the cheapest cities in England for beds and drinks. Hadrian's Wall as a day trip sits outside these figures at about £20.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Newcastle travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Is the night out as good as people say?
Yes, and it is cheap — a pint is £4 to £5.50 and cocktails £7 to £11. The Bigg Market is the traditional and rowdiest strip, the Quayside is the riverside version, and Ouseburn has the live music and the better bars.
How do I get to Hadrian's Wall?
Train to Hexham, about an hour, then the AD122 bus along the wall in summer — roughly £20 all in. Housesteads fort and Sycamore Gap are the highlights. Segedunum at Wallsend, the eastern end, is a short Metro ride from the centre.
Is Newcastle cheap?
One of the cheapest cities in England. Dorms £15 to £28, every museum free, the Metro about £3, and a day around £38 to £70.
Do I really not need a coat?
You need a coat. Locals famously go out in December without one and it is a point of pride rather than sound advice — Newcastle is the coldest big city in England.
What is the best day trip?
Durham, fifteen minutes away, for a Norman cathedral and castle on a loop of river. The Northumberland coast — Bamburgh, Lindisfarne, empty beaches — is the other one, an hour and a half north.
Can I get a football ticket?
Difficult. St James' Park sells out routinely and sits in the middle of the city, so matchdays fill the centre from lunchtime whether you have a ticket or not.
What is a stottie?
A heavy flat round loaf, local to the north-east, usually split and filled with ham and pease pudding. The Grainger Market is the place to try one, and lunch there runs £6 to £10.
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