A weekend in Newcastle

[Mrsuniquename]

Please give me your hints and tips for a long weekend for four active pensioners (two couples). Happy to travel outside Newcastle as well,..wondering about Holy Island and Hadrian’s Wall? We don’t want any activities that are too expensive and don’t want to be inundated with castles! We are very happy to do walks. Any reasonably priced restaurants to recommend? This is for October. Thank you!

For an absolute food bargain, depending on what day you are there, check out Enfields. It is part of Gateshead College and run by the students. 3 course meal for £18!

We also loved Dood to eat.

Gosh this is sooo exciting! I can't wait. So much to cram into a few days. Thank you everyone. You have sold your city so well. No one has mentioned Durham? We were thinking of stopping there for a "quick look" on the way up. Is it worth it for a couple of hours or are we wasting our time?

OP: I'm going to Newcastle, what can you recommend
Most posters: Drive out of Newcastle and visit elsewhere

There are a lot of things to do in Newcastle itself and in the immediate surrounds, although I do recommend getting a metro out to Tynemouth if you can. I would park the car and just use the metro. Some have already been mentioned but I will write down the things I have done and enjoyed over the years

The castle - this very rarely gets mentioned as worth a visit but it really is. When the railway was built they knocked down part of the castle to run the line through the middle of it. Fortunately public outrage stopped any further demolition.

Grey Street has lots of fine buildings and Grey's monument

Museums - Discovery museum, Great North Museum: Hancock, Life Science Centre

Shopping - Eldon Square the M & S in Newcastle has the best food department in any M & S I have visited

Tynemouth Market - Saturday and Sunday mornings. Don't drive. Get the metro. There isn't enough parking and they are quick to give out parking tickets (bitter experience). There is also Tynemouth Priory. Further up the coast is St Mary's island in Whitley Bay with a lighthouse that you can climb up.

Wander along the quayside

Underground tour in Victoria tunnel

Grainger market

Jesmond Dene - although it is at its best in late May/early June. William Armstrong (Cragside) landscaped it and it is an absolute jewel of an oasis in the middle of Jesmond

Visit the Angel of the North on the way up

Loads of places to eat. We particularly liked Saray Turkish Grill in Jesmond and Chaophraya in Eldon Square. We also have eaten at loads of other places and never had a bad meal

DD was a student in Newcastle then stayed on after graduating so we have visited a lot.

Durham is also lovely -but you could make that a separate weekend ?

I agree, and tie that in with a visit to Beamish.

I would definitely do a day in Durham, beautiful city with a really rich history. Beamish is fantastic if you enjoy local history, but it might be too much to fit into a weekend. Definitely get fish and chips in Whitley Bay. You’ll have a wonderful time! Newcastle is a great city.

Definitely a must!!! This weekend 17th October… there’s live music on due the the mercury prize being in Newcastle later that week….maybe the poster is secretly a nominee!!!

Please not beamish!!!!! Us novocastrians no longer work down coal mines, make our own boiled sweets or wash our clothes in pods tubs! Newcastle is a thriving forward-looking city & not everyone looks back at the past with rose coloured specs!

That's why I suggested not to do this on the same visit as Newcastle, a city I love.

A trip to lindisfarne is a whole day…just stay closer to the city.

The Metro is a lot cheaper if you have "Pop Cards", you have to order them online with £5 loaded, then you can top up on-line or at the station, though it would appear that a lot of people don't bother paying at all. I'd avoid the weekend that Newcastle are playing Sunderland.

I agree. There is so much to see and do in Newcastle itself.

I would have a separate holiday in Northumberland as there is a lot to see and do in this beautiful county.

Taking all the recommendations into account we've now decided not to take a trip to Holy Island this time and make that another visit. Thank you for all the inspiration. It is this weekend so we are looking forward to some live music as well. I see Newcastle is playing at home on Saturday so I suspect the city will be especially busy! Do we need to avoid the stadium area on Saturday?

The city centre will be busy if there’s a home match, but it’s generally a great atmosphere. Watching the sea of black and white stripes walk up to St James’ is quite the image