Newcastle City Guide - Sightseeing

Located on England's northeast coast, NewcastleGateshead is the most northerly conurbation of any size before the short hop over the border into Scotland. Whilst the modern day city beats with a young-spirited verve, the region has a rich history stretching back 2,000 years.

It first came into being as a strategic defence point of the Roman Empire and it was through Newcastle that the Romans built Hadrian's Wall which marked the northernmost boundary of Roman Britain; a large section of the original wall can be viewed at Segedunum Museum (tel: (0191) 236 9347; website: www.twmuseums.org.uk/segedunum) at Wallsend.

But it was with the arrival of the Normans and the building of the New Castle in 1080 that the region really began to grow. Buoyed by a booming coal industry, it developed into a thriving metropolis and visitors can't fail to be impressed by the stunning 19th- and 20th-century architecture that characterises much of the city centre.

NewcastleGateshead Tourist Information Centre
Central Arcade, Market Street

Guildhall Visitor Information Centre
Near the Tyne bridge, Quayside
Tel: (0191) 277 8000.
Website: www.newcastlegateshead.com

Gateshead Visitor Centre, St Mary's Church, Oakwellgate
Tel: (0191) 478 4222.
Website: www.gateshead.gov.uk/tourism/furtinfo.htm

Gateshead Central Library, Prince Consort Road
Tel: (0191) 433 8420;
Website: as above.

As part of a citywide initiative, many of the museums and galleries have free admission so there are no tourist discount passes currently available.