Welcome to the North East Of England

The beauty of North East England is that it has excellent access to city, coast and countryside. Here, you can pursue a dynamic career but know that opportunities to unwind are only moments away. Wide, golden beaches give way to expanses of National Park, forest trails, lakes, moors and mountains where you have the space for your kids to grow and for you to be yourself, and the freedom to be as active or laid-back as you like.

The regions beautiful coast and countryside includes: the Northumberland National Park; two World Heritage Sites (Durham Cathedral and Castle, and Hadrians Wall); two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (The North Pennines and Northumberland Coast) two areas of coastline designated as Heritage Coast,and Western Europes largest reservoir,all within easy reach of the regions urban centres.

A playground for sports enthusiasts, there are three leading football clubs, Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club, Durham County Cricket Club, over 90 golf courses, excellent sea, river and lake watersports, extensive walking and cycling routes, and a growing reputation for extreme sports.

Bars and Restaurants North East England's thriving restaurant and bar scene has something to offer everyone. The region boasts a number of fantastic restaurants from bustling city centre brasseries, lively cafe-bars and fashionable family friendly bistros. Everything from world cuisine to the freshest local produce is within easy reach. Fine dining is on the menu at the award winning Jesmond Dene House in Newcastle, the Michelin-starred White Room at Seaham Hall in County Durham. And if you prefer to entertain at home, you can shop for delicious local cheeses, naturally-reared meats and seasonal, organic vegetables aplenty at the regions farm shops and farmers markets.

Theatre and Entertainment Come the evening, the curtain goes up on entertainment possibilities from rock to opera and comedy to classic drama. The Royal Shakespeare Company chooses Newcastles Theatre Royal and Northern Stage as its major regional venues, and both theatres regularly stage opera, ballet and drama. Comedy, bold new writing and contemporary dance sparkle in the historic settings of Alnwick, Durham and Stockton-on-Tees while the Sunderland Empire Theatre plays host to a variety of West End productions. The Sage Gateshead has two of Europes finest auditoria, attracting world-class musicians, and the Metro Radio Arena attracts stars from Coldplay to Elton John.

In the south of the region, mima, the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, displays work by Hockney, Emin, Frink and Epstein. Further north, on the vibrant Tyne waterfront, the monolithic facade of BALTIC, Centre for Contemporary Art, houses internationally acclaimed exhibitions to challenge and stimulate.

Shopping The region is a real mecca for shopping. Gatesheads MetroCentre in one of Europes largest shopping centre with over 300 stores and together with Newcastles Eldon Square and The Bridges in Sunderland, houses all your favourite high street names.

Added to this the boutiques of Jesmond and Gosforth, Corbridge and Yarm vie with the designer emporiums of Middlesbrough, Darlington and NewcastleGateshead to offer the cream of international fashion .

You can find out more about more about what North East England has to offer at http://www.visitnortheastengland.com























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