Home to the world famous Newcastle United Football Club, Newcastle upon Tyne is a city that holds sport close to its heart. One of Britain's top visitor destinations, it is famous for culture, architecture, sport and of course, nightlife! Jam-packed with award winning restaurants, fantastic attractions and some of the friendliest people you're ever likely to meet, Newcastle upon Tyne is ready and waiting to welcome you to the Sainsbury's UK School Games.

Sport
Newcastle United Football Club is the city's most famous sporting export. Based at St James' Park, Newcastle United Football Club has some of the most passionate fans in the country and the team is currently riding high in the Coca-Cola Championships. St James' Park has also been named as a venue in England's bid to host the FIFA 2018/2022 World Cup.

Newcastle upon Tyne's other sporting achievements include rugby union team, Newcastle Falcons, Newcastle Eagles Basketball Club and ice hockey team the Newcastle Vipers.

The city also marks the starting point of the world's largest half marathon, the BUPA Great North Run. The 13.1 mile race was devised by former Olympic medallist Brenden Foster and 2010 marks its 30th year.

Newcastle Racecourse is home to the Northumberland Plate Festival. First ran in 1833 and known locally as the Pitmen's Derby, the Northumberland Plate is the richest two mile handicap in Europe with a first prize of £200,000.

The making of a cultural capital
In partnership with Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne (or NewcastleGateshead as it is more commonly known) has transformed itself into one of Europe's most exciting places. For four consecutive years (2002-2005), NewcastleGateshead was voted the nation's favourite English city-break destination in The Guardian/Observer Travel Awards.

The city is home to some of the most exciting cultural venues in Britain including; Great North Museum, which features a large-scale, interactive model of Hadrian's Wall, major new displays showing the wonder and diversity of the animal and plant kingdoms, spectacular objects from the Ancient Greeks and mummies from Ancient Egypt, a planetarium and a life-size T-Rex dinosaur skeleton.

The Laing Art Gallery is famous for its impressive collection of art and sculpture and its exhibition programme is renowned for bringing the biggest names in historic, modern and contemporary art to the North East. The impressive permanent collection includes dynamic landscapes by John Martin and sculpture by Henry Moore.

Theatre is a particularly strong offering in Newcastle upon Tyne. With three major theatres in the city centre, Theatre Royal Newcastle, Northern Stage and Live Theatre, Newcastle plays host to some of the world's finest performing arts companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre as well as nurturing talent from within the region including Lee Hall (Billy Elliott, The Pitman Painters) and Liv Lorent (balletLORENT).

Newcastle upon Tyne has always been known for its stunning architecture and Grey Street in the heart of the city was named 'Best Street in Britain' by BBC Radio 4 listeners. A huge 40% of the buildings in Grainger Town are listed as being of historical and architectural importance - the highest concentration of listed buildings anywhere in the country outside of Bath and the capital.

New developments in the city to keep an eye out for include the brand new £170million St Andrew's Mall at Eldon Square Shopping Centre. Featuring a flagship Debenhams store and a brand new Apple Store, the new Eldon Square is now Europe's largest city-based shopping centre.

How to get here
Newcastle upon Tyne is easy to get to whether you're travelling by air, road, sea or rail. And, once you're here the central district is so compact it's great to walk or cycle around, or simply jump on the quick and efficient Metro system or one of the many buses.

By rail: Newcastle Central Station is right in the heart of Newcastle city centre.
By air: Newcastle International Airport is served by many airlines providing direct links from top international and UK destinations, and is only 8 miles from the city centre.
By sea: The North Shields International Ferry Terminal is the North of England's main sea link with Scandinavia and Northern Europe.
By road: The A1(M) passes through NewcastleGateshead linking the area to London, the South, Scotland and major routes across the country

Where to stay?
Newcastle upon Tyne offers a huge range of hotels from the comfortable and reasonably priced Jurys Inn Newcastle to the luxurious Malmaison, which boasts views of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge and River Tyne.

If you're looking for somewhere the whole family can stay, then look no further than Staybridge Suites Newcastle, an extended-stay hotel with apartment style accommodation that includes a fully fitted kitchen. Staybridge Suites was recently named one of the Top 25 UK Hotels in the Travellers Choice Awards, organised by Trip Advisor.

For more information on accommodation in Newcastle upon Tyne, please visit: www.newcastlegateshead.com/Accommodation

Join us in celebrating the Sainsbury's UK School Games North East England 2010