Free and Cheap Things to Do in Newcastle

One of the better arguments for Newcastle is how much of it costs nothing.

The city has a strong stock of free museums and galleries, substantial green space, and a river frontage that is entirely free to walk. A fair amount of it is overlooked by residents who assume they have seen it.

Here is what is available.

The museums are free.

The Great North Museum: Hancock combines natural history, Hadrian's Wall archaeology and a planetarium, and entry is free, with charges for some planetarium shows and special exhibitions.

The Laing Art Gallery holds the city's art collection and is free to enter. The Discovery Museum covers Tyneside's science, technology and social history, including the Turbinia, and is also free.

Across the river, the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art is free, and its top-floor viewing box gives one of the best views of the Tyne bridges available anywhere.

The Shipley Art Gallery in Gateshead and Segedunum Roman fort at Wallsend complete a strong regional offer, and admission arrangements vary so it is worth checking before travelling.

The parks cost nothing.

Jesmond Dene, given to the city by Lord Armstrong, runs along a wooded valley with waterfalls, a ruined mill and free access throughout, and connects to Armstrong Park and Heaton Park.

Leazes Park, the city's first public park, sits beside St James' Park. Exhibition Park holds the Palace of Arts from the 1929 exhibition. The Town Moor offers open grazing land larger than several London parks combined.

Across the river, Saltwell Park in Gateshead is among the finest Victorian parks in the country and is free to enter.

Pets Corner at Jesmond Dene, home to a small collection of animals, is a long-standing free family attraction, though it is worth checking current opening arrangements.

Libraries do far more than books.

Newcastle City Library on New Bridge Street offers free membership giving access to books, audiobooks, ebooks and magazines through library apps, along with free computer and internet access.

Branch libraries operate across the city, and membership provides access to online resources including newspaper archives and learning platforms that would otherwise be paid subscriptions.

Libraries run free activities for children including story sessions and holiday programmes, and many host warm spaces, coffee mornings and community groups.

The Lit and Phil on Westgate Road is an independent subscription library, but non-members are welcome to look round the building free of charge, and it is among the finest interiors in the city.

The river is the best free walk.

The Quayside walk between the bridges is free, level and takes in seven crossings of the Tyne, and the Sunday market on the Quayside costs nothing to browse.

Following the Ouseburn from the Tyne up through the valley and on to Jesmond Dene makes a genuinely good urban walk of a few miles entirely within the city.

The Hadrian's Wall Path begins at Wallsend, and the first stretch through the city is walkable and free, as is Newcastle's own surviving stretch of medieval town wall.

The coast is a Metro ride away.

Tynemouth, Whitley Bay, Cullercoats and South Shields are all reachable on the Metro, and the beaches, piers and coastal paths cost nothing once you are there.

Tynemouth Station's weekend market is free to browse and is a substantial covered market in a Victorian station building.

St Mary's Lighthouse at Whitley Bay is accessible on foot at low tide, and the causeway crossing is free, with a charge only to climb the lighthouse.

Events run through the year.

Free or low-cost events happen across the city, including the Hoppings on the Town Moor, one of Europe's largest travelling fairs, which is free to enter.

The Great North Run is free to watch, as are the Quayside fireworks and various seasonal events. Mela, Pride and other festivals include substantial free programming.

Newcastle's universities run public lectures, exhibitions and open events that are free and open to anyone, and are considerably under-used by people outside the institutions.

Cheap rather than free.

Cinema chains offer discounted mornings and reduced-price days, and independent venues including the Tyneside Cinema run cheaper screenings at off-peak times.

Theatre venues including the Theatre Royal and Northern Stage offer reduced-price previews, standby tickets and schemes for under-30s and low-income households, which are worth asking about directly.

Museums and galleries frequently charge for special exhibitions while the permanent collections remain free, so it is worth checking what actually requires a ticket.

Finding what is on.

The council, NE1 and the individual venues all publish listings, and library noticeboards remain a good source of neighbourhood-level activity.

Community centres, churches and residents' associations run a substantial amount of low-cost activity that never appears on any listings site, and asking locally is frequently the best route.

Share your thoughts.

What is the best free thing to do in Newcastle that people overlook?