Newcastle help

flutterbyuk25

Hello,

Myself and two friends are going to Newcastle next week for 2 days. We are staying in the Central Travelodge. Does anyone know the best way to get from the airport to the Travelodge?

I know there is a Metro system but there does not appear to be a stop near the hotel. We are arriving around 7.30pm. Should we just get a taxi?

Also if anyone has any must see thing in Newcastle please let me know! We have plans on one night but the rest of the time is free.

Thanks in advance.

bambinaUK

The nearest Metro stop is Manors.
You have to swop Metro lines at The Monument station and it is the very first stop.
My daughter was in Uni Halls near there and it is about a 10 minute walk from Manors Metro station to the Central Travelodge. Turn right when you come out of Manors and use Google Maps to find the Travelodge.

Personally I would get the Metro to The Monument and then hop in a taxi.

For future reference, if you go again I would recommend booking the Central Premier Inn. It is bang in the city centre and a ten minute walk from The Monument Metro.

Plenty of shopping in Eldon Square, for entertainment everything is in The Gate.

flutterbyuk25

Thank you bambinaUK I think we may well do the taxi from The Monument option.

The Travelodge was a bargain £25 a night, the Premier Inn was more than double that, which is why we booked it. Looking forward to the shopping!

Mrs_Ryan

Which days are you going as my advice would depend. If it's a weekend, I suggest you get the Metro to Central Station and then a taxi from there. During the week Central Station Metro shuts at 8pm so you would need to get off at Monument. Nearest taxi rank to Monument is outside the theatre Royal- look for the exit to the station labelled Grey Street- come up into the ticket hall, there's a Sainsburys to your left with an exit straight on, don't use that one. Instead look to your right and head straight on, go up the steps and when you're at the top walk straight on. Keep an eye out- i can't remember if the taxi rank is opposite Lloyds Bank (to the left) or round by the Theatre Royal which is just a little further down. If alighting at Central, it's the mainline train station and a taxi is easy to find.
Newcastle is superb for shopping and there's also the MetroCentre. Quayside is good for nightlife. It depends what your interests are really- Eldon Square is mainly where the shops are but Northumberland Street is excellent as well and houses the usual chains- Marks and Spencer, Primark, BHS, H&M etc and I would have to say Fenwicks is a source of constant amazement to me- check out the new food hall. It's quite something
If you fancy something other than shopping being on City Road you aren't far from the Quayside- walk right along and there are some wonderfully historic buildings and also of course the bridges- and at the other end near the station you have the Castle Keep and the cathedral. If you were here in summer I would suggest Whitley Bay or Tynemouth but in February probably not such a good move!
Newcastle is a wonderful city with much to see and do. I'm a born and bred Geordie who now lives away from the city but I still have all my family and a lot of friends there and I visit often- so naturally I'm more than a little biased! Have fun

NotRichAtAll

don't forget gateshead metro centre, i was born and bred in newcastle and loved it, now live in kent, i miss the sandy beaches. One of the biggest events in newcastle is the town moor (hoppings) last week in june well worth going at that time just for that. as others have said nortumberland street is brilliant place to shop, i used to frequent a pub there it was kind of underground hippy place "the man in the moon" probably no longer there.
spend many a friday night at the city hall seeing the rock bands and saturdays at the uni seeing punk bands and cheap beer

hope you enjoy it

terryw

Find time to visit one museum. The Great North ( the Hancock) and the Life are both recommended.

flutterbyuk25

Thanks all, especially MrsRyan for the comprehensive post!

We are going Weds to Fri, arrive evening Weds and have plans Thursday night so no nightlife for us! I fancy a wander round Quayside, we did Liverpool last year and loved wandering round Albert Dock. Fenwicks is on the list now and so is a museum (thanks terryw).

prosaver

The funny this is newcastle airport isnt even in newcastle. its miles away
FTM...
ho ho ho, 6 in a row

FOREVER21

When you are walking along quayside near to your Travel Lodge. you can cross the latest bridge to get to the Gateshead side of the river. If you time it right you will be able to see the bridge open.

The Baltic art gallery is worth a visit if you like contemporary art, good gift shop with some quirky items you won't find in the main shops.this is accessed by walking over the bridge.

The Laing art gallery right in the city centre with traditional paintings is also worth a visit the cafe in there is good and not as busy as those in the main shopping area.

Just a tip on transport the walk from your hotel to the city centre is up a fairly steep hill, but if you walk down to the quayside there is a good regular bus service going up to the city centre. The bus is tourist friendly as a recorded message tells you what attractions are near each bus stop.

Finally on you arrival a taxi from Monument is probably the best, but if your budget is very tight you could get out at the Haymarket metro and this is right next to the Haymarket bus station where the bus I mentioned above will take you very near to your accommodation. The only downside to this as at the time you are arriving it only runs every 30 minutes.


Welcome to Geordie land where the natives are friendly,I hope you enjoy your visit.

flutterbyuk25

Thanks for all the tips, we had a lovely time in Newcastle, and had good weather! The locals were all so friendly . In the end we prebooked a taxi from airport to hotel, but this worked out more expensive than the taxi we got back to the airport! The Travelodge was nice to stay in.

We spent Thursday walking miles and miles around the city centre, popping into shops etc. We walked back along the river to see all the bridges, and over the Millennium Bridge. Went to the BALTIC art gallery, the viewing platform is great there! Quayside is lovely to wander around. On Friday we went to Gateshead Metrocentre and shopped! We went there by taxi and came back by train so we could go over the bridge on the train .

Mrs_Ryan

I am glad you had a lovely time Flutterby