Car Hire Newcastle Upon Tyne

Newcastle-upon-Tyne is a buzzing, exciting city which boasts many interesting attractions including the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, the Newcastle Castle and Laing Art Gallery. Exploring it is a joy.

Whether you’re travelling on business and just passing through or planning to enjoy the atmosphere of the city, driving in Newcastle is relatively straightforward. Signage within the city is clear, roads are well looked after and, if you travel outside of commuter hours, then you’ll find that it moves quite freely.

When moving through the city and the wider area, you’ll drive on the left and overtake on the right. Seatbelts must be worn by all passengers and use of mobile phones when behind the wheel is prohibited.

There are a number of bus lanes in the city that you do need to be aware of when travelling, such as on the Tyne Bridge, so it’s important to take extra care when choosing your lane. Speed limits vary in the UK depending on the type of road, however when travelling on the motorway the speed limit is 112 km/h and in built-up areas it’s 48 km/h. Speed limits are show in miles per hour in the UK.

Leave Newcastle and you can enjoy amazing views travelling on the A1, a wide stretch of road reaching north to south across the country. Head north and you’ll hug the Northumberland coast before entering Scotland.

Travel for just 30 minutes south-west of Newcastle on the A1 and you’ll arrive at the Beamish Museum, a popular tourist attraction in the area. An open air exhibit that gives you a flavour of life in north-east England during the 1820s, 1900s and 1940s. It’s a fascinating experience that attracts visitors of all ages.

Newcastle is a glorious city that has so much to offer from art to industry, food to lively nights out, museums to classical Victorian and Georgian architecture. It’s a place with an infectious love of life.

A city of two sides

Newcastle-upon-Tyne has a rich history, and the best way to learn about it is to go beneath the city. The Victoria Tunnel runs from Town Moor to the Tyne and was once used to transport coal across the city. Today, it’s one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions and offers plenty to keep you occupied. If you want to experience something a little different, there are a number of ghost tours that take place in the atmospheric tunnel.

The other side of the city is the contemporary, vibrant scene bursting with great shopping and amazing places to eat. Cutting-edge modern art is right at home in the city and you can enjoy it at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art.

The BALTIC captures the vibrancy of the city and features only rotating exhibitions so no two visits are ever the same. There is also a panoramic viewing platform offering amazing views of the city, wonderful at night when the streets come alive.

From Newcastle to Northumberland

Newcastle is perfectly positioned for a trip to the bracing and beautiful Northumberland coast. Spend time just wandering along the glorious stretches of beach that offer more rugged and interesting landscapes than you often find in picturesque seaside towns. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, you can enjoy fresh fish and chips on the seafront, an absolute must when visiting England.

Alnwick is a town worth a detour when you take a trip to the Northumberland coast. It has a charming town centre and is also home to the imposing Alnwick Castle. A filming location for the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone movie, the medieval castle really draws the crowds thanks to all the fantastic family events that are held throughout the year. Concerts, outdoor Shakespeare performances, recreations of medieval life, jousting and even broomstick training are all fun and fire the imagination.

The beauty of Durham

The pretty city of Durham is only a quick drive away, where you can unlock the sights of an elegant university city. It boasts a number of headline attractions, from the winding River Wear to its cobbled streets and vast, gorgeous cathedral, a Romanesque work of wonder. It’s also a university town, with impressive buildings housing one of the finest colleges in the country.

With car rental in Newcastle, you can explore the city, the Tyne, the nearby coast and find out what makes the north-east really tick.