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ith an ever-present dialogue between the ultra-modern and ancient, urban and rural, traditional and innovative, NewcastleGateshead is a must for those looking for an exciting break. Beyond the hustle and bustle of the cities, you’ll find traditional coastal towns, rolling countryside and award-winning sandy beaches to complete your holiday.

History and Heritage
Newcastle is home to the Norman Castle Keep, which serves as a gateway into the region’s thousands of years of heritage. There’s also the 2000 year old Tynemouth Priory, and Hadrian’s Wall which runs right through the city, and offers an eye-popping contrast with the neo-classical architecture of Grainger Town. The best place to unravel all that history? The Great North Museum.

Arts and Culture
With everything from cult classics to the best in world cinema showing, film-buffs will be delighted with the art deco Tyneside Cinema. Fans of cutting edge and conceptual art should check out one of the rolling exhibitions at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. And to see the great Bard’s work brought to life, catch the Royal Shakespeare Company at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal.

Must See Attractions
Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North sculpture provides an iconic welcome to Tyneside – that wingspan is worth the trip alone. The Great North Museum has an interactive model of Hadrian’s Wall as well as a T-Rex skeleton. Or see if you can find Nemo, or at least a thousand fish that look like him, at Tynemouth’s Blue Reef Aquarium.

Food and Drink
Housed in a historic monastery, Newcastle’s Blackfriars restaurant is the country’s oldest restaurant with some of its freshest ingredients. For some lip-smackingly good fish and chips, visit the award-winning Colman’s of South Shields. When it comes to drinking, NewcastleGateshead’s bustling bars make it one of Europe’s best nights out – kick things off Quayside. Short skirts optional.

Sports
St. James' Park dominates the city skyline, giving you some idea how much the locals love Newcastle United Football Club. The Newcastle Falcons rugby club spawned the legendary Jonny Wilkinson, while Gateshead International Stadium regularly hosts the best in international athletics talent and has climbing walls, the UK’s largest water park, a dry ski slope and a surfing school to get stuck into.

Shopping
With Eldon Square and the Metrocentre providing the retail big guns and High-Bridge Street and the fashionable suburb of Jesmond delivering quality boutiques, NewcastleGateshead is a shopaholic’s dream. And for something completely different, visit the quirky markets of Tynemouth and South Shield where bargains and banter abound.

Key Events
Foodies should prepare their taste buds for June’s double-header of deliciousness at EAT! NewcastleGateshead and Northumberland Plate festivals. In September, the Great North Run serves up 13 miles of grit, determination and silly costumes. And for the kids, Juice Festival maximises the fun with events across the city’s open spaces and venues.