Durham for a weekend break

[theresbeautyinwindysun]

Thinking of Durham as a weekend break for my birthday with DH and 3 kids aged 15, 18, 26. Would this be a good place?

It's small so it only takes a couple of hours to look round the main sights like the cathedral and the castle. I don't know what you'd do there for a whole weekend.

It's small but nice for a wander and some food, maybe take a rowing boat out. Couldn't fill a full weekend with just Durham but you could visit Beamish that would take most of a day especially If you have lunch there

Depends on what you want for your day.
Walk by the river is nice, as is the cathedral.
If I remember correctly, there is a Chinese buffet restaurant next to the river, near the bridge.
Angel of the North is not far for a quick visit (drinks in a van if you're lucky, statue and not much else, other than a cluster of trees of bereavement). You can get out to South Shields, Metro centre, Newcastle or Beamish as you'll do Durham in an afternoon.
I prefer York but it comes down to what all your interests are.

Thank you, this is helpful, will look for somewhere bigger with more going on.

Newcastle would be better for a weekend endless things to do

What are you looking for? Where abouts in the country, is it just the North East? Maybe we can help with suggestions.

not big enough for a weekend IMO unless you go further afield outside the city. Newcastle with a day trip
to durham might be better with kids that age.

Cathedral, Botanic Gardens, a wander around, do that day one. Then take a trip to Beamish Museum (most kids love it) day two.

Many thanks! I’m coming from Scotland, happy to travel for about 5 hours so anywhere down to about Manchester?

It's good maybe for a base, some lovely places nearby. I second newcastle, plenty for the older ones, the metro you can get to the coast, Durham (park and ride) for the day. Travel down by the Northumbrian coast.

Newcastle would be better.

discovery museum is great for kids and is free

https://www.northeastmuseums.org.uk/discoverymuseum

the Hancock also great, also free

https://www.northeastmuseums.org.uk/greatnorthmuseum

exhibition park just around the corner (great park, good cafe)

lots to see along the quayside. Metro out to the beach if you want to.

Completely missed the age of the kids 😂

in which case, it’s still great but more shopping and nightlife based!

Ha, yes, they are big! More looking for somewhere to wander about, look into some nice individual shops, have coffees in cool quirky places and go for nice dinner and drinks. And go a big walk one of the days maybe.

It’s my fault for using the word kids. I just always think of them as the kids!

Durham is more like a small town really, though obviously officially a city, as others have said, cathedral is one of the best in the country, nice walks by the river, decent little theatre, cinemas plenty of places to eat and easy access to places like Beamish, Newcastle, Sunderland the coast , definitely a good base but not enough to do in Durham itself for the length of stay

I love Durham but in your case think Newcastle or York fits the bill better. Have fun wherever you end up.

Watching - I was planning a weekend there to. Can you get to Beamish by public transport?

Have you considered Leeds? Lots of cool cafes, shops and eating places there. And if you have a car, Yorkshire Sculpture Park is nearby and lovely to walk around.

Durham is nice for pottering lots of coffee shops bars and restaurants. Not really masses of shops. But the cathedral is nice, some nice river walks and you can use it as a good base to visit Newcastle, Northumberland, Angel of the North etc etc. It has a different vibe when the Uni students are around compared to outside of Uni terms.

Other bigger alternatives could possibly be, York, Harrogate, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford or Cambridge.

Manchester is more like Glasgow, York is more like Edinburgh (but flatter!) if I were to compare them to Scottish cities!

Thank you, that is helpful! I’ve been to York and loved it, maybe Manchester is the place to go this time.

Have a look at Liverpool as well if you are thinking North West England.

If you stay in Newcastle, you can get the train to Durham for a day-trip.

Also, if you stay in Newcastle, for your walk, you can get the metro to Whitley Bay, walk the coast path to Tynemouth (which is lovely and has lots of places to eat), and then get the metro back into Newcastle.

These are all great tips, much appreciated. Now to whittle down between Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester!