City Life
Living in Newcastle
Newcastle is one of the most exciting, friendly and dynamic cities in the UK and was awarded the title of 'Top English City' in the 2004 Guardian Travel awards.
It is a place of stylish shops, great entertainment, nightlife, sport and culture. It’s also a very green city, with numerous parks and green spaces (Jesmond Dene, Exhibition Park, Leazes Park and the Town Moor), which offer a more laid-back feel.
Shopping Shopping is huge business in Newcastle. With an astonishing range of shops available, from bric-a-brac to designer labels, Newcastle is the place to shop. Shopping areas in the city centre have just kept on growing, with endless places to choose from such as Monument Mall, Eldon Square and Northumberland Street, as well as the maze of side streets which are home to some of the more unique and independent boutiques. The Gateshead MetroCentre is a mecca of shops conveniently located under one roof. Entertainment Aside from the abundance of top restaurants, bars and clubs, (see our Eating and Drinking Guide), Newcastle offers a wealth of other types of entertainment. Cinema – There are numerous Cinema complexes showing the latest blockbuster films, the newest of which is a 12-screen Odeon located at the top floor of the Gate complex. There is also an 11-screen UCI cinema, which can be found at the Metro Centre. For those who are looking for something a bit different, the Tyneside Cinema and Side Cinema, both in Newcastle city centre, feature a varied program of classic, foreign language and experimental films.
Comedy – Newcastle’s comedy scene is well established, with the Newcastle Comedy Festival running each autumn and attracting big names such as Julian Clary, Ed Byrne and Dylan Moran. Venues such as the Newcastle City Hall and local theatres often also feature established comedy stars. In the Hyena Comedy Club you will find up and coming talent, with acts almost every night of the week.
Music – The new Carling Academy Newcastle is one of the up and coming music venues located in the west end of the city.
Sport As any ardent football fan knows, Newcastle is home to St. James Park and Newcastle United Football Club. If football isn’t your thing, Gateshead International Stadium has become a focal point for British and international athletic events, whilst the Newcastle Falcons’ Stadium, home to World Cup winning hero Jonny Wilkinson, is just down the road in Kingston Park. Culture Arts – the arts and culture scene is flourishing here with the recent opening of the Sage Gateshead and the Baltic – the Centre for Contemporary Art. The city also boasts a number of other museums and art galleries such as the Laing Art Gallery, the Hancock Museum of Natural History and the International Centre for Life. Theatre – Newcastle’s theatre scene is thriving, with venues like the Theatre Royal playing host to the Royal Shakespeare Company along with other touring productions.
The city centre is renowned for providing a nightlife scene to rival anywhere in the UK. The diverse and numerous drinking establishments offer a superb variety of choice to revellers looking to enjoy themselves. The rich and unique atmosphere is unmistakable as visitors and locals mingle in the districts famed for good times! The Quayside is a buzzing waterfront looking out across the Tyne to the vast Baltic Mills art gallery and Sage Music Centre on the opposite side in Gateshead. Roughly framed at each end by the enormous landmark of the Tyne Bridge and its modern day rival, the “blinking eye” Millennium Bridge, it makes a picturesque and impressive place to spend a night and is usually the focal point of New Year’s Eve celebrations in the city. The spirit of revelry extends up the roads leading from the riverfront too and it is here that you will find some of the more individual bars on offer. The quartet of Dean St, Grey St, Mosley St and City Road in particular house a plethora of exciting bars and restaurants that will open your eyes to the chic appeal of life on the Tyne. The so-called 'Pink Triangle' (by the Centre for Life) is also extremely popular with students and the gay community and features a number of pubs and clubs But it isn’t simply Newcastle’s Centre that provides you with a venue to enjoy eating or drinking in the City. The Suburbs are increasingly growing their own scene and foremost is Jesmond, just North of the city and served by its own Metro station. Osborne Road bisects the neighbourhood and is essentially a strip of civilised and upmarket bars, pubs and restaurants that are well worth a visit if you want something different to the lights of the city centre. For more in depth details of what’s on offer in Newcastle, there are a wide range of websites that will be of use. The ever reliable “Itchy” series serves Newcastle well and Nightlife Newcastle is also a useful forum aimed more specifically at after dark fun in the city.
Eating
Newcastle has something to suit every taste - Indian, Italian, Japanese, Thai, Mexican, Spanish, Mongolian, Greek and Chinese (in Newcastle's very own Chinatown on Stowell Street). New stylish restaurants are opening up every month but, rest assured, there are also many budget pizza and pasta places offering happy hours and student discounts alongside a wide range of cafes ideal for whiling away the hours over a cup of coffee. Useful links for eating out in Newcastle can be found here:
Drinking
Here are just a few of the best bars that can be found in Newcastle:
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Apartment Luxebar– is a bar designed around a Manhattan Style apartment, very chic!
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Tokyo is a unique and intimate bar featuring an unusual rooftop garden.
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The Living Room is a stylish and smart cocktail bar.
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Popolo is another cool, intimate bar which serves a huge range of cocktails and continental beers along with fantastic food.
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The Hancock is a great pub for those summer days featuring a fine beer garden
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Revolution is Newcastle's primary vodka bar
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Local Transport
A benefit that is quickly recognisable on arrival in Newcastle is the accessibility of the city and the ease with which you can make your way around it and explore. Metro Newcastle has an enviable public transport network for a city of its size, including a light rail Metro service with trains running roughly every few minutes during peak hours into and out of Monument, the most centrally located station. This service provides a quick and reliable way to move into the city from the surrounding areas. The Metro system spans the city and provides access to places further afield such as Newcastle International Airport and coastal towns, Whitley Bay and Tynemouth all for a very reasonable price (£4.50 provides a day of unlimited travel around the Tyne and Wear area which is likely to exceed what most visitors will need). Information including maps, ticket prices and timetables for the Metro service is available here. Buses There is an extensive network of buses providing travel around the city, though the compactness of the city centre makes getting around on foot the most viable option for visitors or anyone with their home in the city centre. The main bus depots are located at Haymarket (near the Metro station) and underneath Eldon Square (off Percy Street). For details of routes and timetables around Newcastle see the Arriva website or the Traveline Journey Planner. Coaches National Express operates extensive routes in and out of Newcastle from Gallowgate Coach Station. Trains Many train operators run in and out of Newcastle’s Central Station, which lies on Britain’s east coast main line linking England and Scotland:
A metro station is also situated at Central Station and taxis are available immediately outside.
Taxis There are numerous taxis ranks situated around the city centre, at the Central Station, Haymarket, Eldon Square etc. For a list of local taxis numbers see here Other useful transport links can be found on the BBC Travel website
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