Things to Do in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom: Walking Guide

Looking for things to do in Newcastle upon Tyne? The city combines medieval fortifications, historic cathedrals, major museums, football heritage and a lively cultural scene. Its landmarks tell the story of Newcastle’s development from a defensive settlement into one of the most distinctive cities in England. Neywo has a free audio guide for Newcastle upon Tyne, with 97 narrated places.

What to See in Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne Castle and the Black Gate

Newcastle upon Tyne Castle gave the city its name. The site has been defensive since Roman times, when the fort and settlement of Pons Aelius guarded a bridge over the River Tyne.

Robert Curthose, the eldest son of William the Conqueror, built a wooden motte-and-bailey castle here in 1080. The stone Castle Keep was constructed under Henry the Second between 1172 and 1177, while Henry the Third added the Black Gate between 1247 and 1250. The surviving buildings were completed before construction began on the town wall around 1265 and stood outside it.

Today, the Castle Keep and the fortified Black Gate are the two principal surviving parts of the medieval complex. The Black Gate is a Grade I listed building, while the Castle Keep is both Grade I listed and a scheduled monument. They are separated by a gap of about 75 feet, or 23 metres, now almost entirely occupied by the railway.

Newcastle Cathedral

Newcastle Cathedral, also known as St Nicholas Cathedral, is the Cathedral Church of St Nicholas and one of the city’s important landmarks. Its distinctive tower is topped by a fifteenth-century lantern spire.

The church was founded in 1091, during the same period as the nearby castle. The original Norman building was destroyed by fire in 1216, and the present church was completed in 1350. Much of its appearance reflects the Perpendicular style of the fourteenth century. It became a cathedral in 1882 and was heavily restored in 1777.

St Mary’s Cathedral

On Clayton Street, St Mary’s Cathedral offers a striking example of Gothic Revival architecture. Augustus Welby Pugin designed the building, which was completed between 1842 and 1844.

The Grade I listed cathedral has a single tower and is the sixth tallest structure in the city. Outside, Monument Garden contains a monument to Cardinal Basil Hume, opened by Queen Elizabeth the Second in 2002.

Grey’s Monument and Grainger Town

Grey’s Monument stands at the junction of Grey Street, Grainger Street and Blackett Street. The Grade I-listed monument rises 133 feet, or 41 metres, above the city and commemorates Charles Grey, the Second Earl Grey, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1834.

It was built in 1838, particularly to honour the Great Reform Act of 1832. A statue of Earl Grey stands on a pedestal at the top of a Roman Doric column designed by local architect Benjamin Green. Edward Hodges Baily created the statue, and the project was funded through public subscription.

The monument’s position became controversial because it stood among the city’s tram infrastructure. In the 1920s, there were even proposals to move it to improve traffic flow. Today, it forms a central landmark in the pedestrianised area around Grainger Town.

St James’ Park

St James’ Park is the home of Newcastle United and a defining part of the city’s sporting life. Football has been played on the site since 1880, and Newcastle United has used it as its home ground since 1892.

With seating for more than 52,000 people, it is one of England’s largest football stadiums and has also hosted international sport. Its most distinctive architectural feature is its lop-sided appearance. Repeated proposals to expand the stadium brought the club into conflict with local residents and the city council, while suggestions to move elsewhere were made at least twice in the late 1960s and again in 1995. Those tensions helped create the asymmetrical stadium visible today.

Discovery Museum and Blandford House

The Discovery Museum is in Blandford Square, in Blandford House. Its exhibitions bring together science and the local history of Newcastle upon Tyne.

One of its most distinctive displays is the ship Turbinia. The museum provides a useful introduction to the area’s history and to the city’s relationship with science and industry.

Centre for Life

The Centre for Life is a science village dedicated to the life sciences. It is also one of the stops on Neywo’s walk through the castle and old town area, alongside Newcastle’s historic buildings and museums.

Great North Museum: Hancock and Hatton Gallery

The Great North Museum: Hancock is a natural history museum with collections to explore in the city’s university quarter.

Nearby, the Hatton Gallery is Newcastle University’s art gallery and forms part of North East Museums. It occupies the university’s Fine Art Building. The gallery closed in February 2016 for a £3.8 million redevelopment and reopened in 2017, renewing its role in Newcastle’s cultural life.

Laing Art Gallery

The Laing Art Gallery opened in 1904 and combines art with local heritage. Its collections include paintings, watercolours and decorative objects, alongside regularly changing exhibitions.

Cackett and Burns Dick designed the building in the Baroque style with Art Nouveau elements. It is now Grade II listed, and the Blue Carpet creates a distinctive setting in front of it on New Bridge Street West.

The gallery exists thanks to a gift from Alexander Laing, a local wine merchant. Its collection includes watercolours and drawings by J. M. W. Turner and John Sell Cotman, as well as works connected with Newcastle and the wider North East.

Seven Stories and the Ouseburn Valley

Seven Stories is a museum and visitor centre devoted to children’s literature. It occupies a renovated Victorian mill in the Ouseburn Valley, close to Newcastle’s regenerated Quayside.

The museum focuses on discovering and celebrating children’s books. Its archive is held in a separate building in Felling, while the former mill is the visitor-facing centre.

Other museums and historic churches

Newcastle’s attractions also include Charge!, a museum in the city, and Newburn Hall Motor Museum. The city’s religious landmarks include the Church of St Nicholas, a historic place of worship, as well as the cathedral buildings and churches encountered in the central neighbourhoods.

Explore Newcastle with a Self-Guided Audio Tour

Neywo’s free Newcastle upon Tyne audio guide includes four walking tours, one bus route and one bike route, covering 97 narrated places in total. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages.

The walks include:

• Castle, Cathedral and the Old Town Walls: 2.05 km, 99 minutes and 10 narrated stops.
• Grainger Town: Grey Street, Earl Grey and the Theatres: 2.25 km, 85 minutes and 10 stops.
• Ouseburn Valley: Mills, Music and Children’s Books: 2.57 km, 72 minutes and 7 stops.
• Haymarket and the University Quarter: 2.41 km, 82 minutes and 9 stops.

There is also:

• Q2: Haymarket, Grey Street and the Quayside: a 5.3 km bus route lasting 23 minutes, with 9 stops.
• Quayside to the Ouseburn: a 1.3 km bike route lasting 6 minutes, with 3 stops.

Download Neywo and explore Newcastle upon Tyne as the city unfolds around you: medieval castles, cathedrals, galleries, museums, football landmarks and the Ouseburn Valley, all with their stories available when you arrive.