Newcastle-upon-Tyne, or simply Newcastle, is a port city in the north-east of England and, without exaggeration, the center of night life in the whole of Great Britain.Vibrant and diverse, attractive and friendly, Newcastle has become a hub of culture, architecture and business.This is evidenced not only by its wonderful art galleries and magnificent concert hall, but also by the growing number of restaurants, bars and hotels.
Newcastle is the starting point for excursions along the Northumberland coast and to Hadrian's Wall, a fortification built by the ancient Romans to defend against raids by neighboring tribes.The inhabitants of this region are called "Jordi", as well as their special dialect.
A LITTLE HISTORY
Newcastle, founded at the beginning of our era as the Roman fortress Pons Aelius, was located along Hadrian's Wall, the ruins of which have been preserved to this day.The city got its name, close to the modern one, in the Middle Ages, when it was renamed Novum Castellum - "new castle" (Newcastle - English tracing from Latin).The Tyne is the name of the river on which Newcastle stands.
Over time, the city turned into an important port, became the center of the industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries.and a leader in coal mining.Later, in connection with the decline of heavy industry, the economy of the city went into decline.Recently, Newcastle has been reborn as a cultural and scientific center and is one of the most fashionable places in the UK.
HOW TO GET
Newcastle International Airport, which has regular flights from major cities in Great Britain and Europe, as well as from Dubai, is located 10 km northwest of the city.You can get from the airport to the city center by metro (travel time about 20 minutes, cost - 5 GBP), buses, taxis (about 20 GBP).The prices on the page are indicated for April 2019.
The airport has offices of several international companies that provide car rental services.There is an Alamo Rent A Car office in the arrivals area (weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., weekends from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.).The airport also has offices of other rental companies - Avis (working hours 7:30 - 22:30) and National.Travel time by car to the city center will take about 30 minutes.
By car
Newcastle is connected by a network of roads to the north, south and west of the country.The town is connected to the A1 motorway, the main east coast route connecting London with Edinburgh, and the A69, the main east-west route towards Carlisle.
In Newcastle, there are many parking lots located in the immediate vicinity of metro stations or bus stops, from which it will not be difficult to get to the city center.10,000 parking spaces are equipped in the city center, but it is worth keeping in mind that leaving a car there for more than a couple of hours will cost you a penny.Generally, parking in the city center costs between 1 and 3 GBP per hour, but you can save a lot if you park a little further away, literally a 10-minute walk from the center: it will cost as little as 1 GBP per hour.
On the train
Newcastle is served by three railway companies:
Newcastle Central railway station is connected to the underground.
On the bus
You can get to Newcastle from the big cities of Great Britain by Northern Express buses.Newcastle has two bus stations: Haymarket, serving the north of the city and Northumberland, and Eldon Square, serving Gateshead, County Durham and Teesside.There is a large network of bus routes from Newcastle to nearby cities and suburbs, operated by many companies.
On the ferry
There are regular ferries from Amsterdam to North Shields Terminal, a town on the north bank of the River Tyne, 13 km east of Newcastle.There are regular buses from the terminal, the ticket costs 5 GBP.There are BlueLine Taxis and EastCoast Taxis taxi ranks at the exit of the terminal (a trip to the center of Newcastle costs from 20 GBP for 4 passengers).
TRANSPORT
Popular modes of transport in English cities are buses, taxis (including Uber), bicycles.There are subways only in three cities in Britain: in London, Glasgow and Newcastle.But renting a car to drive around the city center makes almost no sense: here, as in other countries of Western Europe, walking is encouraged and cars are kept to a minimum in the historic center, so many streets are simply inaccessible to motorists, and parking lots are very expensive.
To save money, tourists in England buy a prepaid Visitor Oyster Card (something like a single travel card) or a Travel Card - it is convenient if you are in the city for a short time.Local fares can be obtained from the Newcastle Tourist Office, for example at the King's Gate Visitors' Center (Address: Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, Tel: +44 (191) 208-60-98).
Newcastle Metro
The Tube is a fast, safe and relatively cheap way of getting around the city as well as into the suburbs and surrounding towns, including Whitley Bay, Tynemouth, North and South Shields, Sunderland and Newcastle International Airport. There are two subway lines:
Metro trains run every 6-10 minutes, the subway is open from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.A single journey ticket costs between GBP 1.70 and GBP 3.30 depending on the distance.
Bicycles
Newcastle is easy to get around by bike.The city center has plenty of parking and bike lanes, although these are often shared with buses or taxis.A few metro stations also provide safe storage for bicycles, but only complex ones can be transported.The best places for cycling are the Quayside, Usburn and Jesmond areas, the suburbs of Newcastle or the more remote Whitley Bay and Seaton Sluice on the coast.
ENTERTAINMENT AND SIGHTS
Architecture
One of the most visible objects in the city is the Millennium Bridge, or the Millennium Bridge (Gateshead Millennium Bridge), which connects Newcastle and Gateshead. Although the river Tyne is not wide, the bridge over it was especially necessary, since local vessels pass through this place very often. As a result, a unique project won: the base of the bridge consists of two steel arches, one of which is intended for the movement of pedestrians and bicycles. When approaching the bridge of large ships, both arches turn 40 degrees around their axis, which takes about 4.5 minutes. It is the world's first tilting bridge, nicknamed the "winking eye" because of its shape. The bridge returns 200 times a year and every time it is an exciting show that gathers many spectators.
Other attractions in the city include the ruins of Garth Castle, which gave Newcastle its name, and the ruins of Hadrian's Wall. Hadrian's Wall is a defensive fortification with a length of 120 km, built by the Romans in 122-126. from stone and peat. It is considered one of the most outstanding monuments of antiquity in the whole of Great Britain, and is located just a few minutes' walk from Wallsend tube station.
There are three cathedrals in Newcastle: Nicholas Anglican Cathedral (1474) with its elegant lantern tower;the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Virgin Mary, designed by the English architect - the luminary of Neo-Gothic Augustus Welby Pugin, and the Coptic Cathedral.In addition, Newcastle is home to North East England's only teaching center for the Baha'i, a relatively young religion (but more often called a sect) which preaches the commonality between all religions.
Museums and galleries
BALTIC is a large international center of contemporary art, located in the building of a former grain processing plant on the south bank of the Tyne River. There is no permanent exhibition here, but the calendar of exhibitions and events is constantly updated, during which visitors can not only appreciate the work of modern artists, but also relax and have fun. The center is open to visitors every day from 10:00 to 18:00, on Tuesdays from 10:30, there is no entrance fee. Address: S Shore Rd, Gateshead NE8 3BA. You can find out about current exhibitions and plan a visit on the museum's website (in English).
In the Stevenson Railway Museum, located in North Shields, old locomotives have found a second life. Museum guests visit interactive exhibitions that tell about the operation of steam locomotives and the impact of coal and electricity on the lives of ordinary people. The museum is open from March to November from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and only on weekends, on school holidays the museum is open every day; there is no entrance fee. Address: North Shields, NE29 8DX, website (in English).
It is interesting to take a look at the International Center for Science and Life (Life Science Centre), which houses the largest planetarium in Northern England, an equipped science theater, as well as regular educational exhibitions and other events for children and adults.The center is open to visitors every day: Mon.-Sat.from 10:00 to 18:00, Sun.from 11:00 to 18:00.Tickets cost £13 for adults and £7.50 for children.Address: Times Square, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4EP, museum website (in English).
Eldon Square in Newcastle is home to one of the largest shopping centers in Europe.
And Newcastle is famous for its theaters, especially the world-famous Royal Theater.The theater, located a few minutes' walk from the city center and the railway station, was opened in 1837. and puts on more than 380 plays a year."Royal" is the third theater of the Royal Shakespeare Company (after theaters in London and Stratford-upon-Avon), which holds several concerts here in the fall.
NIGHT LIFE
The biggest concentration of clubs is concentrated in the area of Bigham Market, where thousands of teenagers and young people flock on weekends.Most of the establishments here are bars, although there are also numerous Indian and Italian restaurants, which tend to fill up quickly at night.The best nightclub in the area is Blu Bam Bu, which received a gold award from the Best Bar None program, which aims to reduce alcohol-related crime.
Newcastle has restaurants for almost every cuisine in the world, including Persian, Malaysian, Mongolian, Moroccan and Lebanese, and Stowell Street has a whole 'village' of Chinese restaurants.
Other popular nightlife hubs in Newcastle are Collingwood Street and Neville Street.Not so long ago, The Gate opened in the city center - an indoor complex consisting of bars, prestigious clubs, restaurants and 12 cinema halls.
The gay center of Newcastle, the so-called "pink triangle", is located between the central railway station and the metro station "Arena".
