NewcastleGateshead Initiative

General information

United by seven bridges across a spectacular riverscape, Newcastle (a city on the north bank of the River Tyne) and Gateshead (a town on the south bank) form a single, diverse and extremely vibrant visitor destination.

With so many different areas each offering new sights, sounds and experiences, you’ll be amazed at how much is on offer whatever your tastes. World-class culture, vibrant nightlife, award-winning dining, inspiring heritage, fantastic shopping and acclaimed architecture are linked here, as nowhere else, by the famous Geordie spirit which flows throughout NewcastleGateshead and is symbolised by Antony Gormley’s iconic Angel of the North as it welcomes travellers to the area.

With fantastic shopping provided by Eldon Square, one of the UK’s largest city centre shopping complex, and Gateshead’s Metrocentre offering visitors heaps of choice as Europe’s largest indoor shopping and leisure complex, you might have trouble deciding where to start! Even the most individual shopper will find something to suit them in boutique-lined High Bridge Street or the fashion-conscious suburb of Jesmond which, only a short walk from the city centre or an even shorter Metro ride, is awash with bars, restaurants and hotels to re-fuel when you shop ‘till you drop!

The Quayside is a spectacular area day and night with the iconic Gateshead Millennium Bridge, the world’s first and only tilting bridge, linking Newcastle and Gateshead for pedestrians and cyclists. BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art is an art-lover’s dream, whilst Newcastle’s array of riverside bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants, paired with The Sage Gateshead’s diverse programme of musical events, ensure you’ll be well catered for through daylight to nightlife.

Newcastle’s Castle Keep is one of the finest examples of a Northern Keep in the country with 2,000 years of history to delight the budding historian, whilst Grainger Town’s stunning neo-classical architecture is nowhere better visible than on the beautiful Grey Street, Academy of Urbanism’s 2010 Great Street Award winner.

With over half of Gateshead comprised of mature woodland, riverbanks, ponds and wildflower meadows, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to escape the bustle of the city for a more relaxed experience. Derwent Walk Country Park and Watergate Forest Park offer acres of woodland walks and waterside wildflower meadows where mining and industry once thrived and are now home to majestic Red Kites, whilst National Trust site Gibside includes a Palladian chapel and ruined 18th century house surrounded by acres of parkland just 15 minutes from the city centre.

Created in 2000 by Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council as a publicly and privately funded business, NewcastleGateshead Initiative has developed a strong brand for the area - promoting it nationally and internationally as a place at the forefront of innovative culture-led regeneration.