Well not quite home as I don't live exactly in Newcastle but I go there very often sometimes on my own, sometimes with friends or family.
Newcastle gets stereotyped as being friendly and a place to go drinking etc, but while it's true to an extent, and there are lots of reasonable or cheap ... Read review
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: Plenty of cheap bars and some free attractions Disadvantages: Can be very busy
...I don't live exactly in Newcastle but I go there very often sometimes on my own, sometimes with friends or family.
Newcastle gets stereotyped as being friendly and a place to go drinking etc, but while it's true to an extent, and there are lots of reasonable or cheap pubs, clubs and bars, there is also a lot more to the City and the places around it. The people are certainly just like everywhere else, some will be friendly, some won't! ...of Newcastle.
Newcastle is good for shopping. There is Eldon Square and Northumberland Street, which both consist mainly of chain stores but you get that in just about every city now. There are a couple of NUFC stores which add a local flavour.
We also have Monument Mall, Eldon Gardens, the Grainger Market and the Green Market as well as Clayton Street, all full of shops. The Green Market has fruit shops, a fresh fish ... more
Well not quite home as I don't live exactly in Newcastle but I go there very often sometimes on my own, sometimes with friends or family.
Newcastle gets stereotyped as being friendly and a place to go drinking etc, but while it's true to an extent, and there are lots of reasonable or cheap pubs, clubs and bars, there is also a lot more to the City and the places around it. The people are certainly just like everywhere else, some will be friendly, some won't!
Newcastle dates back to the Romans - in fact there's a Roman museum in Wallsend just about 20 mins away by car, if the traffic isn't too bad.
Here are my experiences of Newcastle.
Newcastle is good for shopping. There is Eldon Square and Northumberland Street, which both consist mainly of chain stores but you get that in just about every city now. There are a couple of NUFC stores which add a local flavour.
We also have Monument Mall, Eldon Gardens, the Grainger Market and the Green Market as well as Clayton Street, all full of shops. The Green Market has fruit shops, a fresh fish shop, and a pork sandwich shop, amongst other things. There are also 2 fruit stalls outside of the Green Market but there is a particular one just outside of Safeway that I won't go to due to being short-changed and then verbally abused by a member of staff when I complained about it. The woman who did this seems to be no longer there but I still won't go back. She was also impolite to an old man who was trying to count out his money.
The Grainger Market mainly has fruit stalls as well as clothes and curtain shops. There are also plenty of butchers and grocery shops. A word of advice though regarding the Grainger Market. Some of the butcher stalls don't sell very nice cuts of meat and a lot of the grocery shops actually sell out of date stock. There's no point in doing a review if you are going to leave out the bad bits, so buyer beware!
Towards Grey Street, there are some designer shops such as Envy; they're always good for a bargain. Even further down is the Bigg Market. During the day, there are stalls sometimes though not as many as there used to be and at night of course, it's packed with revellers.
On Sunday, the Quayside used to have a market though it's been a long time since I have been to it. You may want to check that it is still actually on, should you wish to go.
On Fridays, once a fortnight (or so it used to be, this time may have changed), there is the Farmers' Market which is quite expensive but worth a look. The downside to this is that it's not easy to make a complaint if something is wrong with a product. The same people may not be there next time.
Newcastle also has Fenwicks, a shop which is now open in many other places in the UK but Newcastle is their Headquarters. It's rather dear, often busy and easy to get lost in but there are bargains to be had on a quiet day. It's worth visiting in the run up to Christmas as well so that the children (if you have any) can see the puppets in Fenwick's window.
You can also go to Windows Arcade which has the Windows music store, a wine shop and an internet cafe, amongst other things.
There are lots of attractions in Newcastle including the free Laing Art Gallery, which has an expensive and ridiculous so-called "blue carpet" outside of it, which doesn't work. Nice one, Newcastle Council...
There's also the Discovery Museum, Hancock Museum, Centre For Life, The Baltic Arts Centre (just over the Millennium Bridge), Theatre Royal, Newcastle Playhouse and the Tyne Theatre & Opera House, though its future seems to be in doubt yet again. We also have the Metro Radio Arena and the City Hall. The Central Library is also open but that is due to be refurbished soon.
The Baltic Arts Centre is free and some of the exhibitions are good while others are odd. However, even if nothing interests you, I can highly recommend going on top of the roof to see the view of the Tyne.
A recent addtion to Newcastle is The Gate, a collection of bars, restaurants, clubs and a cinema. The Gate has replaced The Mayfair which used to be a rock venue. This was a highly controversial decision. Now "Rock nights" are sometimes held in the Metro Radio Arena but it can hardly have the same atmosphere. Newcastle University and University of Northumbria are also used as music venues and sometimes they have record fairs.
Warner Bros cinema recently closed down as did the original Odeon. The Odeon is now in The Gate. Nandos is in my opinion the best restaurant in The Gate as I'm quite a fussy eater and this place is really relaxed.
The Tyneside Cinema shows smaller, independent films. It's quite a decent cinema though the cafe is very expensive.
Times, prices and events vary at all venues so it may be best to check on the internet or phone these venues.
I mentioned the Millennium Bridge earlier. Well that's the latest addition to the set of bridges linking the City of Newcastle to the town of Gateshead. I've listed them below with their unofficial names.
There's the Redheugh Bridge which is basically a road. There's the Metro Bridge which is for the Metro of course. The Train Bridge, is also just for trains. There's the High Level Bridge which is for trains, vehicles and pedestrians - the bridge has a two-deck structure upper for Rail and the lower a roadway. There is the Swing Bridge which opens up to let ships through and is for pedestrians and vehicles. The Tyne Bridge is for vehicles and pedestrians and there's the Millennium Bridge for pedestrians and cyclists.
I've mentioned the bridges because they link to Gatshead, which has the Baltic, various shops and the Metro Centre, which is a bit further away.
In Newcastle City Centre, near St Mary's Place and church, there is a large grassy area and a small pond with ducks. The pond sometimes isn't very clean to be honest, thanks to mindless folk dropping litter, but it's usually a nice place to sit and have a sandwich on a hot day.
About 3 bus stops away in Jesmond, is Jesmond Dene, which has a Pets' Corner. It's free to visit the animals eg goats, ducks, chickens, pot bellied pigs, but the staff do say you should only buy animal food from them. This rule isn't very well enforced, I have to say. Also try telling a goat that it shouldn't eat your hat! The goats can be quite rough and so, of course, young children should be watched.
I have mentioned transport, including the Metro quite a lot. The Metro is quite expensive depending where you are going but an all-day ticket after 9am costs £3.20 or £2 on Wednesdays. The Metro is best if you have a pram or wheelchair. The only problem is the lifts are small and are often out of order.
You can travel all day on the Metro, Bus, North Shields Ferry or the BR Newcastle-Sunderland or Newcastle-Blaydon line using a Day Rover which can be purchased on a bus or from the Metro ticket machine. They cost £4.20.
The Metro is good for visiting the coast eg Tynemouth. Much has been made of the Metro being extended to Sunderland but I personally find getting the bus, Metro then train more quick and convenient than using a bus then Metro.
I have to mention some bad things about Newcastle. There are many kebab shops and other takeaways in Newcastle City Centre but there is only one "traditional" fish and chip shop. Also, the City can be very busy. I also dislike the way that Northumberland Street is getting more full of beggars, buskers, idiots selling "lucky heather" and people trying to sell catalogues. It's very annoying, especially if you are in a hurry.
I think I've mentioned everything I can think of, except for the bars! There are many places to drink in Newcastle though some of the pubs right in the city centre eg near the Greenmarket are not very nice. I much prefer the Quayside or Bigg Market or The Gate. The Goose is quite a nice pub but it's often very busy. I went to that pub once and not only was I short-changed, I waited half an hour to be served with my meal. I ordered chips, mushrooms, BBQ sauce and a glass of wine, which cost £2.75 altogether. The meal was given to me late and it was quite cold and as I said, I was short-changed by £2 and the bar tender wanted ME to work out how much the bill should be! They do have lots of offers on in the Goose but it's not worth going in sometimes.
Advantages: I live here, what more do you want Disadvantages: There is now a Metro to Sunderland, to handy for my liking.
...I have lived in Newcastle all my life, so who better to tell you of it’s attractions than me. There was a time in my life when I was going to move to Peterbrough to start a new life, but no, I couldn’t leave my beloved home city, Newcastle has everything that I could ever need, and I love it here so I couldn’t bring myself to go. I’m going to get straight into now, this opinion is long enough as it is without me waffling on about things that you ... ...the North East of England. Newcastle has a colourful past that dates back to the Romans. Once upon a time it was known around the world for it’s ship building industry that was centered along the banks of the river Tyne.
A few decades later however ,Newcastle was in a state of decline and had gained a reputation for poverty and unemployment.
Fortunately recent years have seen a surge in development and restoration, bringing Newcastle to what it ...
justme 15.12.2002 (22.01.2003)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Newcastle in general
Advantages: Vibrant Disadvantages: Easy to spend money
...then look no further than Newcastle upon Tyne the party capital of the North East of England. Join with me on a tour of my adopted home Newcastle upon Tyne and lets see what this fine city has to offer you.
Newcastle is easily accessed via road, rail, sea and air. Travel on the A1 from both north and south, the A69 from the west and via the sea from the east. Beware though parking spaces are difficult to find in Newcastle, as the local council seems ... ...of Hadrian’s Wall.
Newcastle is also well served by rail from all over the United Kingdom with the central station being within five minutes walk of the city centre.
If you travel by air then you are within fifteen minutes of the city via the local rail service known as the Metro. Services being both fast and frequent. The Metro gives you access to all of Tyneside via its own trains and interchanges with the local bus services.
Party Time.
...
Bigbaz 14.10.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Newcastle in general
Advantages: Couldnot oganise a p*ss up on the town moor Disadvantages: Showed that Newcastle could behave
...Monday morning.
We in Newcastle do not normally get to see an event on this size without travelling out on the North - East. This was going to be an event to shown Newcastle off and show what we could do, but at the same time bring a huge amount of visitors along with valuable revenue for the likes of our hotel industry.
This event had been planned well ahead by the BBC. So was do you think its eaten me so much that the main stage on the Town Moor ... ...to be cancelled as NEWCASTLE CITY COUNCIL forgot to ask to permission from the Police to stage the event and because Newcastle United qualified for the Inter Toto cup by chance less than 4 weeks ago and where playing at home, the Police couldnot handle two major events.
So imagine when you and your three mates from say Somerset slash out 70 quid each for rail tickets and book hotels for another £50 each. You managed to organise your selves, but ...
bazza1603 22.07.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Newcastle in general
Advantages: See opinion Disadvantages: See opinion
...about the Thistle Hotel in Newcastle – Ciao’s reluctance to add new products means that I am unable to submit this within it’s own category.
After my last visit to a Thistle Hotel, you’d think that I’d have learnt my lesson by now, and stayed well clear. Alas, no – this week’s visit to Newcastle was hosted by none other than the Geordie outlet of the prickly themed hotel chain. Oh well – at least they ... ...standard room rate at the Newcastle Thistle is from £108 – I got a corporate discount and paid £87 – which is about £86 more than it was worth. Whilst the room service and receptionists were all very polite and courteous it simply wasn’t enough to make up for the appalling standards of the hotel. My experience in London and Newcastle have now rendered Thistle a definite no-no for future overnight stays – I’d have been ...
LostWitness 15.08.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Newcastle in general
Advantages: Compact city with plenty to see and do Disadvantages: Binge drinking culture
I currently live in Newcastle and can assure anyone wishing to visit that it's a great place with plenty to see and do - all within walking distance!
Having moved up here from Liverpool many years ago to study I found myself forever comparing these two great cities - and there are a lot of comparisons. Yes the Tyne isn't quite the Mersey but both are a source of pride and passion for the locals. On the Quayside you will find plenty of bars and restaurants, ... ...is great Architecture everywhere in Newcastle form the ancient Castle Keep to the imposing Victorian central train station, providing a stark offset to the very modern refurbishment of St James Park (55,000 seats). If your driving in by car over one of the many bridges this is a real landmark perched atop of a hill it's an imposing site indeed.
Other things to do in the centre of town include a visit to Laing art gallery, Discovery museum, Sage ...
pedro_gavino 24.09.2008
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Newcastle in general
Value for Money
Sightseeing
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
Similar reviews »
Reviews which might be of interest for "Newcastle in general"
Advantages: Excellent location Disadvantages: Pretty average otherwise
large, open air barbeques in the beer garden and they have regular ticket-only parties. I have never been to one personally, but they always sound quite good.
The drinks prices are fairly expensive, but unfortunately indicative of the rising prices inNewcastleingeneral. A pint of Fosters is about £2.70, but they also serve Stella and various bottles and draft beers.
The bar also serves food, but I have personally never tried it ? preferring instead to stick to crisps and nuts.
Clientele
=
Pretty much every time I have been here the bar has been next to empty. I think a lot of it is due to the location and the no entry sign you have to pass through. The bar does seem to a good trade in private parties and events, so I imagine these compensate for the quieter times.
The bar is not surprisingly popular with children ...
Advantages: Quick and reliable...usually Disadvantages: Pain when the metros are off
to put things in the trays with arenot pleasant...trust me...so check before putting money in.
The Metro system is a popular and quick way for people to travel around Tyneside.I would recommend to stay clear of rush hours on a weekday, when overcrowding is a big problem.Vandalism is also a problem for the Metrosystem, and if the metro aint running they run a replacement bus service whcih even I have problems understanding.I find the replacement bus service unrealiable, confusing and a right pain in the rear generally.
The system opeates a service every 10 minutes from Newcasle upto the end of the route inNewcastle Airport.Journey time is under 40 minutes and the station at the airport is no more than 2 minutes away from the termainl building.If your running late go to the front of the train and this will give you the shortest walk ...
Advantages: Great place to live and enjoy yourself Disadvantages: Nowt
I've lived inNewcastle about 15 years and absolutely love it. In some poll or other it was voted eighth best party city in the world. It has a lot of history , culture, things to do , and the natives are extremely friendly. There is something for everyone here, or hereabouts, but it's still amazing that the cloth cap, whippets and pigeons image of Newcastle and the Nort East ingeneral still persists in some quarters. There are many web sites that provide information about the area , particularly the "On Tyne Index".
OK , here we go, in no particular order of importance:
~~How To Get There:
It's in North East England and has a train station , Central Station, with direct links to London, Edinbugh, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and Carlisle and other major cities. The major approach roads are the A1 and A69. There is a North ...
mikeydred 20.02.2001 (16.05.2001)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Newcastle (England)
