Life in Newcastle and the North East
Newcastle is a compact and vibrant city which is easily accessible by road, rail and air with excellent connections to national and international destinations.
Both the city and the region as a whole have undergone a remarkable renaissance in recent years and are brimming with vibrancy and vitality.
The Lonely Planet guide called the North-East "the most exciting, beautiful and friendly region in the whole of England".
To find out more about the new North-East, click on any of the links below.
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Newcastle has undergone one of the largest theatre investment programmes of any major UK city in recent years.
Multi-million pound developments have transformed three of its main theatres - the imposing Theatre Royal in the heart of the city, cutting edge venue Northern Stage near Newcastle University and the experimental Live Theatre on the bustling Quayside - to offer first class facilities and a wide range of productions.
The Theatre Royal (above) is acknowledged as one of the finest theatres in the country. The Grade I listed theatre acts as the main venue for the Royal Shakespeare Company's annual season in Newcastle - the only location outside Stratford and London to regularly play host to the RSC.
The Theatre Royal presents over 380 performances to over 300,000 people each year and is the regional home of the National Theatre, Opera North and Rambert Dance Company.
Northern Stage, formerly the Newcastle Playhouse, is home to the largest producing theatre company in the North East. It has three different performing spaces and has built a reputation for visually driven productions that attract new, young audiences.
Live Theatre is home to an exciting new writing theatre company based at an intimate and vibrant venue on Newcastle's Quayside. It has played host to world premieres from the likes of Billy Elliott creator Lee Hall and also boasts a bustling restaurant and cafe.
Elsewhere in Newcastle, The Journal Tyne Theatre is a Grade I listed venue which hosts on a range of touring and home-grown productions from opera to theatre, gigs to comedy while the People's Theatre in the suburb of Heaton offers a chance to get involved in one of Tyneside's longest established arts and theatre groups.
The Sunderland Empire has one of the largest stages outside the West End, making it a regular fixture for lavish touring musicals, opera companies and the Birmingham Royal Ballet.
The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art (pictured left) has become one of Europe's leading showcases for exciting contemporary works.
Spread over six floors, the former grain warehouse - located just across the River Tyne from Ward Hadaway's offices - was converted to provide one of the largest and most innovative contemporary art spaces in Europe.
It also boasts a bookshop, bars and cafes and a roof-top restaurant providing panoramic views of the world-famous Tyneside riverscape.
Newcastle's Laing Art Gallery hosts touring exhibitions from London's National Gallery as well as housing a permanent collection featuring works by artists including Gauguin, Holman Hunt and Henry Moore.
The Shipley Art Gallery in Gateshead has become established as a national centre for contemporary craft and has built up one of the best collections outside London, including ceramics, wood, metal, glass, textiles and furniture.
To the south of the region, the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art is a bold new gallery of modern and contemporary art.
It features some of the most influential sculptures of the 20th century, including works by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, and hosts temporary exhibitions of fine art and craft from 1900 to now.
And for those who like to buy their art as well as look at it, Newcastle's Biscuit Factory is Britain’s biggest original art store, covering 35,000 square feet with two floors of exhibition spaces and two floors of artists’ studios.
Music-lovers of all types are extremely well catered for in the region thanks to a vast range of venues and the famous warmth and passion of North-East audiences.
Newcastle boasts more than a dozen other venues, ranging from intimate gig spaces like The Cluny that host up and coming local bands to the Metro Radio Arena, home to international touring rock stars.
Thanks to these - and other venues including the Carling Academy, Newcastle and Northumbria Universities and Newcastle City Hall - Newcastle is on most bands' touring itinerary.
The region has also spawned a series of bands, including Newcastle's Maximo Park (pictured above) and Sunderland's Futureheads.
The Sage Gateshead on the banks of the Tyne has won international acclaim for the quality of its innovative programming and its stunning Sir Norman Foster-designed building.
As well as being home to North-East orchestral ensemble Northern Sinfonia and folk music organisation Folkworks the venue also plays host to internationally acclaimed musicians from jazz and rock to latin and has a thriving education and participation programme.
From fine dining to pizzerias, Asian food to traditional dishes, eating out in Newcastle and the North-East offers a wide range of gastronomic experiences.
Newcastle's Quayside is one of the main hot spots for dining out in the city - within a stone's throw of Ward Hadaway's offices, you will find French cuisine at Malmaison (pictured above), Italian dishes at Est Est Est, Spanish tapas at La Tasca and traditional excellence with a contemporary twist at Cafe 21, one of Newcastle's best loved restaurants.
Elsewhere on the Quayside you can find upmarket Indian cuisine, speciality seafood restaurants and an array of pizza and pasta eateries.
Nearer to the city centre is Newcastle's Chinatown - on Stowell Street - which is home to a rich variety of Chinese and South Asian restaurants while cafe bars such as Paradiso on Pilgrim Street offer a blend of contemporary chic and good food.
Just outside the city centre, the Fisherman's Lodge and Jesmond Dene House offer sumptuous fine dining for that very special occasion.
Newcastle is deservedly world-famous for its nightlife and boasts an eclectic mix of bars, pubs and clubs.
People in the North-East know how to enjoy themselves and celebrate life with a passion.
The Quayside is one of the major bar areas in the city, home to upmarket bars such as the Pitcher & Piano (pictured) opposite Ward Hadaway's offices as well as traditional pubs like the Crown Posada and a mix of other venues.
Elsewhere in Newcastle city centre are themed bars, late night venues and music-led places such as the Jazz Cafe - as well as the world-famous Bigg Market.
Just outside the city centre, Osbourne Road in Jesmond offers a series of chic contemporary bars particularly popular in the summer months.
The North-East's clubbing scene is legendary for its energy with one of the UK's longest running club nights - Shindig - now into its 16th year in Newcastle.
Without doubt, the North-East is the UK's hotbed for sport.
While its major football clubs - Newcastle United, Sunderland and Middlesbrough - may not have brought home the silverware in recent years, they more than make up for lack of trophies with a passionate support that none can equal.
The respective fortunes of the teams form the basis of much discussion in the region with results followed and performances dissected with forensic focus.
And while the likes of Hartlepool and Darlington may not be Premiership class, their fans' loyalty certainly is.
Football may be the mainstay of the North-East's sporting passion, but it is far from being its only component.
The Newcastle Falcons Rugby Union team boasts England heroes Jonny Wilkinson, Mathew Tait, Jamie Noon and Toby Flood in its ranks - as well as having Ward Hadaway as a sponsor of its academy side.
Durham County Cricket Club is home to players including England one-day captain Paul Collingwood and its picturesque ground the Riverside is now a Test Match venue.
And people in the North-East don't just like to watch sport - they relish taking part.
The Great North Run (pictured above) is the world's biggest half-marathon, attracting more than 50,000 runners every year and raising millions for charities.
Few places in Europe, let alone the UK, can match the beauty and variety of the North-East countryside.
What makes it even better is how close it all is.
A short drive from Newcastle can take you to the dramatic coastline of Northumberland, home to castles such as Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh (pictured above), voted one of the best views in Britain.
Inland you have the windswept beauty of the Cheviot Hills and the Northumberland National Park, the peace and tranquility of Kielder Forest and vibrant market towns such as Wooler and Morpeth.
Allendale in Northumberland has also been voted the best village in England with Northumberland as a whole voted as the most tranquil place in the country by the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
Alnwick Castle - famous for its use in the Harry Potter films - and the neighbouring Alnwick Garden attract thousands of tourists each year while the picturesque North York Moors are on Middlesbrough's doorstep.
Steeped in history, the region is home to two World Heritage Sites: Durham Cathedral and Hadrian's Wall and has some of the finest museums in England.
Little wonder then that some nine million visitors are attracted to the North-East every year.
What others say about Newcastle and the North-East
"The most exciting, beautiful and friendly region in the whole of England." - Lonely Planet Bluelist 2008
"Welcome to one of the hippest, most cultured, most gastronomically diverse party towns in Europe. Yes, it’s NewcastleGateshead." – The Daily Telegraph
"The view across the Tyne is startling, the restaurants as diverse as those in Notting Hill, the contemporary art gallery as imposing as Tate Modern and the nightlife some of the best in Europe." - The Evening Standard
"The new capital of Britain." – The Times
“Welcome to Newcastle, the UK’s capital of the arts. A study of 14 UK cities found that, per capita, people in Newcastle are more likely to visit art galleries, museums and concerts; have better libraries and bookshops, and have more arts students and the second highest number of theatres.” – The Guardian
"NewcastleGateshead is a joy to explore, an exciting and a fantastic destination for any traveler; it has everything." – US Arts and Leisure News Service