Newcastle-upon-Tyne

I have not been to Newcastle for many years but my understanding is that it is worth a visit - especially Quayside & Grey Street.

However, you may also like to consider going to Newcastle station and taking the short train ride to the City of Durham. (I would do this first so that you can return to Newcastle early and be on the spot for boarding the ship). Pay on the day at Newcastle station for the train tickets. www.nationalrail.co.uk
http://www.thisisdurham.com/explore-durham/durham-city

http://www.beamish.org.uk/

Things to do in Newcastle upon Tyne? (note never hyphenated).

Ok, so you've got the magnificent Georgian and early Victorian architecture of the city, at its most visually appealing in Grey Street - England's finest street. Maybe climb (Earl) Grey's Monument (he of the eponymous tea). Check out the Theatre Royal.

There's the indoor Victorian Grainger Market with its many market stalls, including an original "penny bazaar" branch of Marks & Spencer; get yourself weighed at the old Weigh House. Another highlight is the Edwardian Central Arcade - an early indoor shopping mall.

Down by the quayside you can see the seven bridges that cross the Tyne to Gateshead. Walk across the Millennium Bridge to the Baltic (art gallery) and the Sage (concert hall). There's Bessie Surtees House dating from the 16th and 17th centuries.

The Norman Castle Keep is worth exploring for views across the city. You could visit the Lit & Phil., one of the oldest libraries in the country; the Laing Art Gallery; the Discovery Museum for science and local history; the Great North Museum for natural history.

What about a tour of St James' Park one of the largest football grounds in England?

If you want further afield no doubt your cruise will offer tours to Durham Cathedral, Hadrian's Wall and Alnwick Castle.

Alternatively, if it's a sunny day, spend time at Tynemouth with its beaches, an ancient priory and castle). http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/tynemouth/tynemouth/index.html

http://www.newcastlegateshead.com/
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/nov/22/newcastle-travel-best-uk-city-galleries-restaurants
http://www.thecrackmagazine.com/days_out
http://metro.co.uk/2014/04/03/11-reasons-newcastle-is-the-best-city-in-the-uk-4686520/

That should keep you busy….

Bear in mind the ship will berth at North Shields so you will have to make your own way (either by taxi or metro) into Newcastle.

ramblin' on has you pretty much covered, but as a local my recommendations are Grainger Town, Grey Street and the Quayside. There's a walking route I like to take that covers all three within an hour or so. Another walk I like to take is to take the Metro to Cullercoats and walk down Longsands Beach to Tynemouth, which is a nice little town to have lunch in and maybe visit the ruined priory, before getting the Metro back to town.

In the more remote parts of the region there are attractions like Durham, Beamish, Alnwick Castle and Lindisfarne, but only Durham is easily accessible via public transport. Durham is a small city with regular, cheap trains to Newcastle, however, so it's entirely possible to begin your day with a trip there before returning to have a look around Newcastle.

Any other questions just ask!

It has been many years since I was a student at Alnwick and been to Newcastle, but I would 3rd the recommendation to hop on a train to Durham before wandering around Newcastle.

Thank everyone for the terrific responses. We hope the weather is good so we can visit and enjoy a number of the places you’ve noted in the limited time we have. The web links noted are most helpful. Thanks also for the grammatical correction viz. hyphens.