next to it.
Travelling Around
You can travel by car around with ease on our well designed road network. In fact, outside peak travel times, you can cover the length of the region in under three hours - from main motorway routes to quieter coastal and country roads. Alternatively you can travel via rail throughout the region, or by Metro within Newcastle and Gateshead - our electric network that connects the coasts with the city centres.
Exploring North East England is a pleasure - however you choose to travel.
By car
We have excellent motorway access via the A1/A1M and the A69 and A66 connect to the M6. It is closer than you think - see the table below for driving times between major UK cities.
| From / To Newcastle | Miles | Kilometres | Approximate Driving Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 208 | 338 | 3h 9m |
| Cardiff | 314 | 505 | 4h 43m |
| Carlisle | 55 | 88 | 1h 1m |
| Edinburgh | 102 | 164 | 2h 6m |
| Glasgow | 149 | 244 | 2h 26m |
| Leeds | 96 | 154 | 1h 33m |
| Liverpool | 166 | 267 | 2h 39m |
| London | 455 | 455 | 4h 20m |
| Manchester | 139 | 224 | 2h 16m |
Visit our Tourist Information Centre at the airport for maps and a copy of our pocket guides to help get around and make the most of your stay.
Car Hire
Hiring a car to explore our region could not be easier. We have a choice of good-value car hire companies with the option to pre-book online.
1car1.com Avis.co.uk Europcar.co.uk Hertz.co.uk Nationalcar.co.uk
Public transport
You can also explore the region with our frequent and comfortable public transport system including rail, metro and bus services. NewcastleGateshead to Durham, for example, is only 10 minutes by train.
| Cross Country Trains | www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk | +44 (0) 870 010 0084 |
| The Metro | www.tyneandwearmetro.co.uk | |
| National Rail Enquiries | www.nationalrail.co.uk | +44 (0) 845 748 4950 |
| BritRail Pass | www.britrail.com |
BritRail passes allow unlimited travel in England, Scotland and Wales on any British rail scheduled train.
Travelling around Britain from North East England
With our central location in the UK, on England's east coast, North East England is ideally positioned for visitors who would like to combine a visit with a tour around Britain.
We're only three hours from London by train and a mere 40 minutes by air, and less than 2 hours train ride from Edinburgh and York.
