Newcastle United is one of the best-known names in English football and any fan of the game will find a lot of interest at their home ground, St James Park. Booking hotels near St James Park gives visitors the opportunity to attend a match and discover the other attractions which the city has to offer.
Whether you are heading to St James Park for a match, some other event or for the stadium tour, a little advance knowledge should make your visit go much more smoothly.
Newcastle is a compact city and St James Park is just ten minutes' walk from the city centre. There is no parking on match days, so leave the car in the city centre and walk or take the metro to Monument station and walk to the stadium from there.
St James Park offers a range of tours every day of the week but check in advance if you want to take a tour on a match day as times may change. Both the Classic Tour, taking you behind the scenes to the dressing rooms and pitch, and the Rooftop Tour, offering great views over the city, last for about 90 minutes.
The NINE bar and lounge at the club is open throughout the week, serving lunch, drinks and snacks. There is also an outside terrace for eating in the fresh air on warmer days. The club shop is open daily, with extended hours on match days to allow fans to purchase all those iconic black and white souvenirs.
Unlike many other football stadiums, St James Park's city centre locations means that you can easily combine a visit for a match or a tour with many of the other attractions which Newcastle has to offer.
The banks of the river Tyne have undergone substantial regeneration in recent years and visitors can follow the Hadrian's Wall path along the quayside. On the Gateshead side of the river, visit the huge Baltic centre for the Arts, which has regularly changing exhibitions, a shop and a cafe.
Discovery is part museum and part hands-on play centre, with exhibits and related to science, engineering and technology. The centre is open seven days a week and entry to the main halls are free.
The enormous Beamish museum will take a whole day to explore. The museum brings together typical buildings from all over the north of England. Visitors can browse through the Victorian shops, visit a 19th century pit village complete with school and find out about life on a farm during the Second World War.