Getting around NewcastleGateshead

NewcastleGateshead is ready to be discovered! Public transport - whether by bus, metro or train - is a great way to get around our compact city. 

Top tips for getting around NewcastleGateshead:

• Download the Go North East app to get around more efficiently by bus.
• Check How Busy is the Toon before you visit and find out which car parks are least busy in the city centre.
• Pick up a Pop Pay As You Go travel card to use on the Tyne and Wear Metro.
• Discover more on an escooter with Neuron.

Newcastle is a small compact city and is only a short distance away from Gateshead, making both locations easy to navigate. Once you've arrived in NewcastleGateshead, all you need is a good pair of shoes and one of our handy maps and guides! Why not hop on an e-scooter to help you get around even more efficiently?

Make the most of your visit and explore the region by using any of the easily accessible public transport options on offer. From discovering the bustling city centre of Newcastle by foot to hopping on the bus to Gateshead Quayside or taking the Metro to get away from it all in the countryside, travelling around the North East has never been easier. Why not rent a bike to explore the urban art scene in Ouseburn, hail a taxi to sup a cool drink in Jesmond or venture by car to the stunning North East coastline?

There are countless ways to get around NewcastleGateshead to ensure that you have a great time and see what the North East has to offer. Are you a wheelchair user or travelling with children? Visit our page on Accessibility for further information on how you can travel in the North East with ease.

• Take the Kids for FREE on the metro and ferry thanks to Nexus. Families can get ready to explore further whether that is a trip to the coast or a meal out in the city. Find out more about here: Kids travel for free on the Metro.

All Metro stations are equipped with stairs and escalators as well as lifts for wheelchair users, buggies and commuters with bikes. Buy your ticket at any Metro station before you travel and save money with a Metro DaySaver ticket or Pop Pay As You Go card if you’re making a few journeys.

An all zone single Metro ticket costs £4.30 or an all zone Metro Daysaver with unlimited travel costs £6.20. You can check out full timetable information or a map of the Metro stations by visiting the Nexus website.

*Depending on destination and route.

Full and up-to-date Metro timetables can be found on the Nexus website. 

Bus travel is quick and efficient in NewcastleGateshead. Go North East bus services are back stronger with a greener, cleaner and smarter service which means there's never been a better time to get on board. 

Download the Go North East app to help you get around NewcastleGateshead by bus. Visitors can buy their bus tickets, track buses in real time and make use of discounted rates using the Go North East bus app. 

Bus services in NewcastleGateshead are plentiful and frequent with a wide variety of special travel tickets available to make this a cost-effective way to get around. Three of the main bus services in NewcastleGateshead include Arriva, StageCoach and the Quaylink. Hop on and travel around Newcastle and Gateshead with ease.

You can catch a bus from a number of locations throughout the city including Eldon Square Bus Station, Haymarket Bus Station, Old Eldon Square or Newcastle Central Station. Gateshead is just a 10 minute trip away from Newcastle on the bus while you can also visit nearby areas such as the Ouseburn, Jesmond and Heaton in under half an hour.

From Haymarket, you'll be able to travel to popular attractions and hotspots further afield like Beamish Museum or Alnwick Garden and Castle, or hitch a ride to Metrocentre and the Angel of the North from Eldon Square.

Our Quaylink bus service which introduced NewcastleGateshead's first electric buses, picks up at several points including St Peter's Basin, Osborne Road and Gosforth High Street to take visitors to the Quayside, Ouseburn area and Gateshead side of the Tyne via the Q3. The full timetable can be seen here.

Appreciate the sights and be taken directly to Newcastle and Gateshead's attractions with the Go North East Toon Tour city sightseeing bus. Hop on and Hop off to explore more of the city with tickets bought in advance or when you catch the bus.

Many buses are now fitted with contactless payment facilities so you can pay for travel by card; it is still advisable to be prepared and carry change to pay for bus tickets.

There are some great value bus tickets to help you get around NewcastleGateshead fuss-free such as the Newcastle SmartZone, Stagecoach Megarider, Arriva Megarider and Network One Pass. A Tyne and Wear Day Rover ticket also offers unlimited travel (including on Metro and Shields Ferry). You can find out ticket prices or book your tickets in advance on the Stagecoach, Arriva and Nexus websites directly.

If you live or stay outside NewcastleGateshead, don’t cut short your big night out in the Toon! Go North East's Night Bus services (N21 and N56) also run to Sunderland via Washington and Durham via Low Fell and Chester Le Street.

For more information, you can also visit Go North East Times and Fares for schedules and ticket prices.

Getting around Newcastle has just become even easier with the help of Neuron e-scooters. The electric scooters are a convenient and sustainable way to travel around the city and now reach into some of the neighbouring suburbs like Heaton, Jesmond and Gosforth. With over 100 stations across the city, collect an e-scooter and whiz off to explore Newcastle. Neuron's distinctive orange e-scooters are specifically designed with safety and sustainability in mind. The e-scooters are charged from 100% renewable energy and can be used on roads with speeds of up to 30mph and can go where bicycles can go. Riders can electronically release the helmet that can be found attached to each scooter. 

Please note that it is illegal to ride an e-scooter on pavements in the UK so please stick to cycle paths and the roads and please park responsibly once you have finished with you e-scooter. Neuron’s in-app parking checklist will show you how to park correctly. Please leave pavements and other access points clear for others.

• The e-scooters cost: from £1.00 + £0.18/min Pay Per Ride Rates.
• Download the Neuron app on your smartphone
• Pre-buy credit to use on the e-scooters from 1-day pass to one month pass

NewcastleGateshead is extremely easy to explore on foot due to its compact size, however if you need a taxi to get you to where you want to be, there are plenty of companies to choose from, where you can quickly pre-book your trip. Taxi firms in NewcastleGateshead include EastCoast Taxis, Blueline Taxis, LA Taxis and Uber and each have handy apps that you can download to your smartphone to pre-book your taxi, get a quote for your fare, track your vehicle and contact your driver if necessary. 

There are 24 hour taxi ranks available across the city with a fleet of taxis waiting for you. Hop in a taxi at Central Station, Grey Street, Osbourne Road in Jesmond and Gateshead Bus Interchange for ease of onward travel. The black cab taxis at Central Station is a well-managed service with efficient system by waiting taxi drivers to ensure you are not waiting too long. 

You are more likely to get a cheaper fare if you pre-book a private taxi rather than hop in a waiting black taxi. 

Consider cycling or walking to your destination. Measures are in place by Newcastle City Council to widen pathways and increase cycle paths in the city centre to ensure a safer and more pleasant experience, with longer-term benefits to the environment. 

Cycling around Newcastle and Gateshead is a pleasant experience for seasoned cyclists and those who simply fancy seeing the city while on two wheels. In NewcastleGateshead and its surrounding areas you will find traffic-free trails, forest routes and long-distance rides which take you through a variety of terrains – what better way to see the region?

There are a number of well-marked cycle paths in Newcastle city centre and Gateshead town centre with safe places to lock up your bike. The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is also cycle friendly and there are paths that will take you to the nearby areas of Gosforth, Jesmond, Heaton and Ouseburn. The Coast is also a great place for budding cyclists to explore or you can head to the Northumberland countryside for country trails and winding roads that will allow you to take in the scenery.

Visitors can hire a bike from The Cycle Hub on Newcastle’s Quayside before pedalling off along the Hadrian Cycleway and C2C routes. Bike hire from The Cycle Hub starts from £10 for 2 hours or £20 for a half day. A full day bike hire at the Cycle Hub will cost £25 and a cycle helmet is inclusive with any hire.

There are a number of city centre car parks in Newcastle with varying rates across the city. Use the Pay By Phone app to park with easy and ensure contactless payment.

There are multi-storey car parks near The Gate, Eldon Square, Eldon Garden and Life Science Centre as well as on-street parking near both Newcastle University and Northumbria University. While many meters will take change-only, increasing numbers of car parks including Dean Street, Manors and Claremont Road car parks accept payment by mobile phone.

You can also find further details about rates, times and restrictions on the Parking in Newcastle or by visiting NCP car parks in Newcastle.

Long stay parking in the city centre is available at Times Square Car Park a short walk from Newcastle Central Station. This car park is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and visitors can park from up to 1 hour to 7 days. For more information, visit the Life Science Centre website. Alternative long-stay parking can be booked with Q Park.

If you are travelling to Newcastle in an electric car, don't worry, there are over 300 electric charging points on the city and surrounding area. It is important to plan your journey when travelling by electric car and the charging points allow you to travel to and from many sights in the area. You can find a full interactive map highlighting the nearest charging points via Autotrader here.

A Clean Air Zone covering part of Newcastle and Gateshead launched in January 2023. 

From January 2023 older, more polluting taxis, buses, coaches and HGVs will be charged to enter the zone. Privately-owned cars will not be affected by the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) and will not have to pay charges. Older, more polluting vans will face charges, but not until July 2023.

You can check whether a vehicle will be charged by using the government’s online vehicle checker at www.gov.uk/clean-air-zones

Travel by train from Newcastle Central Station to reach some of the region's best sights and attractions outside the city centre. A short seven minute train ride from Central Station will take you directly to shopping heaven at Metrocentre, Gateshead. Trains to Metrocentre run every 15 minutes daily from Monday to Saturday.

You'll also find regular trains from Newcastle Central Station which take you to the heart of Hadrian’s Wall Country, the nearby town of Durham and to some of the quaint Northumberland villages such as Corbridge, Morpeth and Alnmouth. For more information on tickets and times visit the National Rail website or browse through full details on routes and timetables for London North Eastern Railway.

Whether this is your first time in NewcastleGateshead or your 300th time, discover more on foot with the help of expert Guided Tours and Walking Guides. Choose from a host of regular walking tours with recommended companies including Newcastle City Guides, Iles Tours and Blue Badge Guides who will lead you through the bustling streets of NewcastleGateshead, point out the award-winning architecture and reveal more of the region's fascinating history and heritage. Join the Newcastle City Guides for a City Highlights Walking Tour which take place daily from 1 June – 30 September, then every Saturday in October. Alternatively, enjoy a self-led tour of the city and download a selection of walking guides and maps to help you get around. 

There are a number of corporate and executive travel options in and around NewcastleGateshead which include Parkers Executive Chauffeurs and La Taxis - Corporate and VIP Taxis - both firms offer luxury for corporate travel or special occasions. 

Car hire is a fantastic and flexible way to explore Newcastle, Gateshead and the wider North East region, with a wide range of reliable and well-priced car hire companies available. Visitors arriving into NewcastleGateshead by train will find Enterprise situated at Newcastle Central Station (turn left out of the portico entrance).

Europcar car hire is open seven days a week and located a 5-minute walk away behind Newcastle Central Station (search Newcastle Railway Station on their website). Other companies including Indigo Car Hire are available with collection from Newcastle Central Station, airport and other locations across the North East.

Newcastle International Airport have four national car hire companies based in the terminal which can be contacted 24 hours a day, every day. These are Hertz, Avis, Europcar and Budget - visitors will find additional information and contact details on their website.  

Parking in Gateshead town centre is easy and hassle-free. You will find a 24 hour multi-storey car park right next to the shopping complex. This is free after 6pm but can be paid for via cash or card. There is also on-street parking available in Gateshead for a small charge per hour, depending on your location. Most meters will take cash payments and will not charge on Sundays or Bank Holidays however some will also take payments via mobile. You can find further information on parking in Gateshead on the Gateshead Council website.

Voyage across the mouth of River Tyne with a swift seven-minute ferry crossing between North Shields and South Shields. Services run every 30 minutes in each direction.