The capital of the North East, one of the finest classical cities in Europe and bidding to become European City of Culture in 2008.
Population: 570,000
Education: Newcastle University (18,200 students), University of Northumbria at Newcastle (21,000 students), Newcastle College (30,000 students).
Transport Links: Several mainline stations (the largest is Newcastle Central) and an international airport.
Main entertainment area: An international survey ranked Newcastle as eighth in the world for nightlife - the city centre is packed with choice.
Shopping: Eldon Square Shopping Centre (shopping mall), Market Street and Grainger Street (specialist nd designer shops). Fast rail connections to Gateshead MetroCentre, Europes biggest shopping and leisure complex.
Top tourist attraction: The seven bridges over the Tyne including the Gateshead Millenium Bridge - the worlds first rotating bridge.
The City...
Newcastle's most famous symbol is probably the Tyne Bridge and now the new Gateshead Millennium Bridge also crosses the River Tyne. The new bridge is just one of a number of recent developments in the city reflecting the vibrancy of NEwcastle. Another area which has seen much investment is the lively and popular Quayside, with it's many pubs, clubs and hotels.
Newcastle, named after the Norman castle built in the city, has a rich history and impressive architecture. The city's medieval cathedral exists alongside traces oh Hadrian's Wall and fine examples of Victorian buildings Newcastle also has numerous parks and open areas including the Town Moor, Jesmond Dene, Exhibition Park and Leazes Park. The Town Moor is the largest of these, just north of the city centre and is location of the 'Hoppings' Europes largest travelling fair) which comes to the city each June.
Nightlife...
Whichever night of the week you choose, the many and varied pubs and clubs centered around Bigg Market and Quayside ares of the city are always busy. Another popular night out with students is along Osborne Road in Jesmond, where there is a growing number of bars and restaurants. In factNewcastle has been voted number eight in the top 10 cities in the world for a good night out! Discount rates for students can help make the most of what the city has to offer.
Music...
Newcastle Telewest Arena is the biggest music venue in the city, with a capacity of 10,000 and hosts a mix of bands and artists. Newcastle Cith Hall is an international concert venue seating over 2,000 people. The Northern Sinfonia and Royal Philharmonic have played there in recent years. The futuristic Music Centre Gateshead provides another music venue together with practice and workshop rooms. A variety of other venues in and around Newcastle also play host to some well known bands and popular artists. In addition, there are rock, jazz, hip hop, salsa and cabaret nights as well as annual jazz and Irish festivals.
Eating Out...
There are a huge number of restaurants in and around the city centre, ranging from Italian, Chinese and Indianto Greek, Mexican and Japanese. Numerous happy hours and student discounts mean that you can often eat out at a greatly reduced price.
Cinema...
Recent film releases are shown at the Odeon and at the nine-screen Warner Brothers cinema in the city centre, as well as the 10-screen cinema at the MetroCentre. The popular independent Tyneside Cinema shows a mix of old and new films including a wide selection of art-house and foreign language films.
Theatre...
Newcastle has several major theatres providing a range of productions to suit everyone. The Theatre Roayl is one of England's most elegant theatres and every years plays host to world-famous companies such as the Royal Shakespeare Company and Scottish Opera. On the University side, the Playhouse and Gulbenkian Studio host a range of productions by companies such as Northern Stage, the Hull Truck Theatre Company and the Rambert Dance Company. Other venues, such as the Newcastle Arts Centre and the Live Theatre host smaller, independent productions and are becoming an increasingly popular stop-off for artists on their way to the Edinburgh Festival. The city's venues also welcome a range of top comedians throughout the year.
Art Galleries and Museums...
Newcastle has many fine art galleries and museums such as the Laing Art Gallery, the Hancock Museum of Natural History, the Discovery Museum and the International Centre for Life. A permanent exhibition on the science of genetics is housed there. There are also several smaller specialist museums in and around the city. Newcastle also benefits from the creation of the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art which is in the former Baltic Flour Mill building on the Quayside.
Art galleries and museums on the University campus include the Hatton Gallery (which mounts a series of temporary exhibitions alongside its permanent exhibits), the Musuem of Antiquities (which is the main museum of archaeolgy in the North East) and the Shefton Museum of Greek Art and Archaeolgy (which supports the study of classics).
Shopping...
Shopping facilities in the city centre and the local region are excellent. Mnay of the major high-street names are represented on Northumberland Street or in the Eldon Square shopping centre. In addition to large department stores, there are designer outlets and smaller specialist shops, no to mention markets and street stalls. The nearby Gateshead MetroCentre is one of Europes' biggest shopping and leisure complexes and attracts shoppers from all over the country.
Sport and Leisure...
Newcastle United, Sunderland and Middlesborough compete at the highest levels in football while Newcastle also has first-class rugby union, basketball and ice hockey teams. In addition, regular international athletics competitions are held at the Gateshead International Stadium. The city's Eldon Square and the Gateshead MetroCentre both have sports and leisure complexes and the region has a dry ski slope at Silksworth, Sunderland. The annual Great North Run half marathon provides the high point of the year for serious and not-so-serious runners alike and the surrounding \northumbrian countryside provides lots of oppurtunites for other sporting and recreational activities. Further afield the Lake District, the Scottish Borders and the Yorkshire Dales and the Moors are only an hour and a half away by car.
The Region...
Newcastle is the capital of one of the most naturally beautiful and historicallt rich parts of the country. The city's suroounding countryside has many designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, spectacular coastlines and unspoilt ares to discover. In addition to the relics of the Roman occupation some 2,000 years ago, including Hadrian's Wall, there are many castles in the region. The most famous of these are Dunstanburgh, Bamburgh and Warkworth, which overlook the rugged cliff faces and golden beaches of the North East coast. Further north are Holy Island and the Farne Islands, famous for their history and wildlife. The sparsely populated Northumberland National Park also offers the chance to get away from it all, and at the head of the North Tyne Valley lie Kielder Water which offer a range of sporting and leisure opportunites. The region has many other interesting places to visit, including National Trust and English Heritage properties, such as Wallington Hall, Gragside and Tynemouth Priory.
Travel and Transport...
Newcastle has one of the best integrated transport systems in the country, centered upon its rapid transit system, the Metro, and extensive bus networks.
Travel links with the rest of the country are also very good. There are rail and coach links with most major towns and cities in Britain, including regular, fast rail services to London and Edinburgh. Reduced rates are avilable on both coach and rail services.
Newcastle International Airport is the eighth busiest airport in the UK and is connected to the city centre by a Metro line. Daily scheduled services include European as well as British destinations. In addition, Teeside Airport is only a 40-minute drive away, extending the range of flights on offer.
There are also ferry services to Scandinavia, Holland and Germany.
