Newcastle

United Kingdom

Things to do in Newcastle:

View the Gallery The Baltic Flour Mill at Sunset

Newcastle Restaurants

Cheap (37)

Caffe Teatro

Housed in the city's Theatre Royal, this caf� serves speciality coffee and cake, alongside lunch and dinner. Expect an arty, theatre-loving crowd. read more
Affordable (39)

Firenze

New Italian restaurant Firenze is loud and lively - and is already proving a�hit. All the expected pizza and pasta dishes are on the menu, but the prosciutto with balsamic roast fig and potato... read more
Good quality (39)

Hotel Du Vin Newcastle

This cool, quayside hotel is where the upmarket crowd go for fine wines and dining. Local dishes feature prominently on the menu, with the�Craster smoked haddock beurre blanc stealing the show. read more

Newcastle Nightlife

Chilled (34)

Hoko-10

This place is dark, decadent and a magnet for the city's in-crowd, thanks mainly to its wide selection of bottled beers from around the world. read more
Live Music (30)

Secco Bar

Cocktail connoisseurs need look no further than this popular bar. Regulars knock back the Lazy Grand Fizz with relish, while the Violet Martini is a perfect way to start the evening. read more
Clubbing (35)

World Headquarters

This club prides itself on being inclusive, promoting racial and social harmony, and mixes music to appeal to most modern tastes till late. read more

This Month in Newcastle (March):

By Michelle Ord

Shopping: Take a step back in time at the Period Clothing Warehouse, which stocks the coolest retro fashions around (29 High Bridge, tel: 0191 232 5514‎).

Sightseeing: A giggle of top local and national comedians will be playing various spots in the city on 1-7 March as part of the Newcastle Gateshead Comedy Festival (newcastlegatesheadcomedyfestival.com).

Key areas: Westgate Road is one of the oldest streets in Newcastle, and is famous for its abundance of motorcycle shops. This steep stretch also boasts the historic Journal Tyne Theatre, the Newcastle Arts Centre and a fair selection of bars and restaurants.

Day trips: Kielder Forest and reservoir is an impressive landscape for those who love the great outdoors. Less than an hour out of the city, the Leaplish Waterside Park provides a host of watersport activities on Europe's largest man-made reservoir. There's also a beautiful Lantern Parade, held on 20 March (visitkielder.com).

Newcastle News & Gossip

Lighting the Wall, Newcastle

BOOK AHEAD: 13 MAR
NEWCASTLE

On Saturday 13 March, a blaze of light will travel from east to west across the north of England along Hadrian's Wall. At dusk 500 braziers will be lit in sequence from the North Sea to the Solway Firth, recreating an ancient method of sending messages across the country, when the wall marked the northern frontier of Roman Britain in the second century AD.

This once-ina-lifetime event will follow the 118km-route of the wall, with the lighting staged by John Farquhar-Smith, who was the technical director for the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Known for creating impressive large-scale events, John has also organised a football match inside the Arctic Circle and the royal opening of St Pancras station.

Visitors will be able to watch the first brazier being lit in Wallsend, then at a number of fixed points along the way. Plus a giant screen will transmit live images from a helicopter following the line of the wall from coast to coast.

The braziers will be lit on top of the Roman mini forts and turrets and an hour after the first one is lit, the line of light will arrive in Bowness-on-Solway, Cumbria.

Newcastle Trivia

March: A little gem for Crufts lovers: the world's first dog show was held in Newcastle in 1859.
February: Classy Earl Grey tea is said to have originated at Ringtons in Newcastle.
January: Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has incurred the wrath of fans by renaming the historic St James' Park football ground. It's now called sportsdirect.com@St James' Park Stadium. Ouch!