At Taylored Lets we know the ins and outs of the beautiful city of Newcastle Upon Tyne! With a perfect mix of culture, entertainment and diversity, Newcastle is the perfect place to live and study. So whether you are a current student living in Newcastle, or you’re considering your university options, make sure to check out our student guide to living in Newcastle.
Newcastle is usually known for being the “smallest biggest city in the world”, the reason for this is that you can walk from one side to the other in 15 minutes. A 15-minute city? Yes, please.
Food
Newcastle is big on food! Wherever you are you will always stumble across a unique food venue, as well as chain restaurants. We have some beautiful establishments throughout the city, take a look at our favourite places to find delicious food.
Quayside:
The Quayside is perfect for a summers day, where you can roam around various restaurants, bars and pubs with your housemates. Whether you’re in the mood for some local food or foreign food delights, there is a bit of everything at the Quayside. You can check for some venues in advance, or take a stroll down… the view is beautiful!
Eldon Square food court:
Eldon Square has recently been refurbished to include a new Food Hall. The food hall is filled with chained restaurants and independent eateries. Whether you’re in the mood for breakfast, lunch or dessert, there is a venue for you. You can even spend the whole day here and as a student, you can benefit from all of the student discounts they have to offer, make sure to check in advance before you go, just in case.
Grainger Market:
Newcastle’s Grainger Market is the true definition of local eats. It is filled with fresh, delicious food, that everyone loves! Whether you’re looking for locally sourced fruit and vegetables or meat for your evening meal, or even a snack for your journey, make sure to check out all they have to offer. One of our favourites is ‘Pizza by the Slice’ a small pizzeria that allows you to purchase large slices and even small calzones for a very small charge - perfect for a peckish student! Look at their other eateries here.
Culture
When you think of Newcastle, or even mention it to anyone else, people will respond with terms about it being the ‘best city for nightlife’, but the arts and culture is beautiful and usually overpowered by the reputation Newcastle has. Make sure to check out some of our cultural hotspots listed below.
Newcastle’s very own, city centre, art gallery. Free to visitors, so you can have an educational afternoon in between lectures, or you can pay to enter one of their limited time exhibitions. The art doesn’t start as soon as you walk into the gallery, but they even have an infamous ‘Blue Carpet’ on the outside which was placed to draw people into the gallery. Even though the blue carpet has faded, it stands out as a piece of art amongst the city normalities.
Originally a flour mill, The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art has been converted into a showroom for contemporary art. Spanning 8 floors, 4 of which are dedicated to being Art Galleries, you can explore the future of Art. A great part about the Baltic is that it requires a small walk over the Millenium Bridge to get there, meaning you can truly enjoy the atmosphere of Newcastle.
Although not directly in Newcastle, The Sage is a breathtaking part of the Newcastle skyline. On the Gateshead side of the River Tyne, The Sage is the heart of the Newcastle music scene. It features various halls that host music of all genres, from events to classes, the Sage was created to showcase the musical life within Newcastle.
Shopping
Newcastle features a wide range of high street stores, as well as vast shopping centres, in and around the centre. Check out our favourite shopping spots.
Eldon Square
Eldon Square is an indoor shopping centre in the heart of Newcastle. It features various shops, bars and restaurants from chains to independent stores. It’s so convenient and easy to access. If you’re looking for a part-time job, while studying, make sure to check their jobs page. They are always hiring for people to work in the inside spaces.
One of the largest indoor shopping centres in the UK, spanning over 2 floors, with over 370 stores and restaurants it’s the perfect place to truly shop until you drop! And once you are all shopped out they have a dedicated food hall filled with restaurants of all cuisines, check out all of the restaurants they have to offer.
Royal Quays:
Royal Quays is an outlet centre on the outskirts of Newcastle, in North Shields. It’s a must do for students with over 50 stores and hundreds of brands, it makes it easier to save for essentials when you’re spending less on clothes, shoes and accessories. It’s an outdoor shopping centre, so best to go on a nice day so you’re not missing out on the lovely spring and summer weather.
Dalton Park is the biggest outdoor shopping centre in the North East, dedicated to outlet and discount stores. It has over 60 stores and 200 brands ranging from sport to homeware. It also has entertainment perks such as a Cineworld Cinema and various eateries throughout. It stays open later than usual, meaning you can venture out after your university lectures from the daytime.
Northeast getaways
If Newcastle doesn’t have everything you would like, why not venture out to the neighbouring towns and cities? Perfect excuse to break up your studying, with a lovely day out.
South Shields:
South Shields is a small coastal town at the mouth of the River Tyne. This town is full of life on a summer's day, with their long stretches of coastline and beaches, as well as their busy funfair, local parks and their ‘famous’ Ocean Road where you will find an array of quality restaurants. If you’re visiting for the first time make sure to check into Arbeia, a historical Roman Fort, as well as the Marsden Grotto, a gastropub built into the face of the Marsden cliffs. The Marsden Grotto is very popular with tourists as it overlooks the natural Marsden Rock and is one of the ‘most haunted pubs in Britain’
Tynemouth:
The easiest place to get to with public transport, as it’s only a 15-minute metro ride away from Monument metro station.
Tynemouth has various activities for people of all ages, especially students! You can check out their local history at the Priory, play a game of prehistoric crazy golf and even wander around the local Tynemouth market, which is on Saturday and Sundays.
Alnwick:
Alnwick is one of the most traditional, Northumberland county towns. It is further out, so will require a car to get there, but it is worth the drive! It features a load of daytime activities from Alnwick Gardens, Alnwick Castle and it even hosts its fair share of car shows. Alnwick Castle is notorious for being used in the first 2 Harry Potter films, so they have a lot of themed events such as Harry Potter themed nights where they display the film on a big screen and you can watch it cuddled up on the lawn with your housemates or family - it’s definitely a different way to spend your night.
Contact Us
Being a student doesn’t restrict you to the ‘student’ lifestyle. You are only a student once, make sure to enjoy your free time and travel throughout your student city. If you would like any more help make sure to contact us, at Taylored Lets we know a lot about student activities and lifestyles. If you’re still looking for a new student letting, we would love to help you out, or check out our website today and see what we have to offer.