20 Things to Do in Newcastle in Your Twenties

Newcastle is home to some of the best small, independent music venues like The Cluny through to the bigger spaces like the O2 Academy and Metro Radio Arena – how many shows can you get to at the smaller venues? They need your support now more than ever.

BBC Radio 4 listeners voted Grey Street in Newcastle as the UK’s ‘most beautiful and best designed street’, with around 40% of buildings here being listed. Stroll down it for yourself and marvel in its brilliance.

These are all the rage at the moment and great for team building exercises – thankfully, Newcastle has a few escape rooms for you to get stuck in to.

Used as an air raid shelter to protect Newcastle locals during World War Two, the Victoria Tunnel is packed with history. Originally a coal transport tunnel in the 19th century, visitors can book tours of this iconic tunnel and delve deep in to the heritage of the city.

No trip to Newcastle would be complete without a trip to St. James Park, the home of Newcastle United Football Club. Geordies are passionate about one thing in these parts and it’s NUFC.

If you don’t like football, you can get a great view of the city from the roof of St. James Park instead. No, really! Newcastle United’s rooftop tours take you 150ft above ground level and give you unrivalled, panoramic views across Tyneside.

This iconic run is the world’s biggest half-marathon and takes in some of Newcastle’s most picturesque settings along the way. Whether you’re looking for something to train towards, want to give something back to charities and communities or simply have a passion for running, the Great North Run should be near the top of your list.

This 12th-century visitor attraction in Newcastle is known as the gateway to the old city and regularly hosts special events – let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a castle?

With one of the largest selections of gins and tonics in Newcastle, you’d be mad not to to visit Decantus’ Gin Lab. Gin lovers can book gin tasting sessions where gins are paired with tonics and botanics, selected by mixologist to perfectly compliment the spirit. Mine’s a double…

If you’re in a hurry or don’t know your way around the city, the hop-on, hop-off City Sightseeing Bus should make things a lot easier for you. This bus tour allows visitors to the city to see stunning panoramic views of Newcastle & Gateshead, while being able to use the bus to visit some of Newcastle’s most popular attractions.

Cosmic Ballroom regularly hosts an array of eclectic electronic DJs and guests over their two intimate spaces – perfect for a rave we reckon. Check out what’s coming up here.

There’s nothing better than losing yourself in a good book, and Newcastle Library is perfect for this. Situated near the Laing Art Gallery and home to thousands of books, why not have a day of culture?

Have you ever wondered how Newcastle’s local TV and radio shows are programmed? Join an official tour of BBC Newcastle for rare insights in to the processes behind making the TV shows or the news, and learn why different things are done in certain ways. Ideal for somebody looking to get into a career in the media or somebody fascinated by TV and radio!

There’s nothing better than giving something back to the community, so ditch boring Wetherspoons and head off on an indie crawl of Newcastle’s pubs and bars! Whether you’re after a traditional pub like The Strawberry or something rather different like The Tyne, this city has it all.

You’re never too old for a bit of monkeying around and at Beamish Wild you can do exactly that. Pretend you’re George of the Jungle and swing across trees in this two-hour treetop adventure course.

Sometimes it’s great to just get out on foot and see sides of the city you’ve never seen before. Join one of Newcastle’s walking tours, some of which are free, and see what you can discover!

Kommunity is a bar and social space in the heart of Newcastle that invites and inspires people to get stuck in with things that might take them out of their comfort zones, but are great fun. Whether it’s a Cuban salsa dance, swing class or daytime family rave, Kommunity is something that everyone in Newcastle needs to experience at least once.

We all love pizza, and Cal’s Own is up there with the best in the North East of England. Situated in the Jesmond area of the city, Cal’s Own serve up authentic Neapolitan pizzas in their wood-fired oven and their long list of repeated customers speak wonders about them.

One of the leading arts centres in the North East, the Baltic Centre regularly showcases some of the best artists from the region and beyond with an array of wonderful, quirky exhibitions. It’s situated right on the River Tyne, which perfectly leads on to our final recommendation…

We think there’s nothing better than a summer stroll along the water and Newcastle’s Quayside is perfect for this. Bustling at all times, this area of the city is home to a number of restaurants, bars and the occasional market too.