Linked by no fewer than seven bridges around a bustling quayside, Newcastle and Gateshead form one vibrant place to visit.
Northern England
Intro
The backdrop to renowned films and TV shows, northern England is always ready for its close-up. Get your city fix in Manchester, Newcastle or Liverpool, packed with world-famous art and buckets of culture. Want to get active at England’s deepest lake, or scale its highest peak? The Lake District has got your back. A belly-rumbling food scene? Outdoor adventures, whatever the season? We’ve got those covered, too. Northern England is calling.
Alnwick Castle
The camera loves Alnwick Castle. Having starred as the wizarding school in two Harry Potter films as well as featuring in Downton Abbey, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Elizabeth, this Northumberland-based screen star doesn’t just stop there. Its lively events include outdoor theatre, wand-making workshops and sorcery performances as well as cannon shooting, falconry flights and roaming jesters.
Beamish Museum
From food to shopping, this ‘living history’ museum recreates English life in the 1820s, 1900s, 1940s and 1950s. Maybe you’ll try old-style fish and chips, meet a pit pony, or take a spin at the funfair? Beamish was also used as a filming location for Downton Abbey, and is set in 300 acres of countryside in County Durham.
Northern Quarter
Bursting with personality is Manchester’s Northern Quarter. With independent stores, bars and eateries, it’s also home to the world-famous Afflecks, an emporium of unusual and unique shops. Walk its colourfully illustrated streets – look out for a Banksy – and trawl the rails at Retro Rehab. Pick up rare vinyl at the Vinyl Exchange or spot the area’s famous filming locations – recognise it from Captain America, Morbius, SherlockHolmes, The Crown and many more productions?
Royal Liver Building
Reminiscent in style of New York’s historic towers, this mighty landmark was Europe’s first ‘skyscraper’. It opened in 1911, and is a true Liverpool icon: its guided tours reveal the city’s history, while the 15th-floor viewing platform boasts superb 360º views. Fans of The Batman will recognise it as the spot where the masked hero stood, watching over ‘Gotham City’ – before taking a leap off the building!
The Shambles
Walk around York’s famous Shambles, the medieval shopping street that looks like it’s straight out of a scene in Harry Potter. Enjoy one of Britain’s most historic shopping experiences while exploring its tiny cobbled streets, kept narrow to keep the cuts of meat once served here out of the sun. Today you’ll find cute cafes, boutique and gift shops.
Getting to northern England
Exploring northern England is easy thanks to a variety of travel options, regardless of which airport you fly into.
You can get from Manchester to Liverpool and the Peak District in under an hour by car or train, while the Lake District and York can be reached in under two hours.
Both Newcastle and the Lake District can be reached in under three hours by car from Edinburgh, with train services taking two hours or less.
Trains from central London will have you in Manchester and Liverpool in two hours 30 minutes or less, with the drive taking around four hours. Trains to Newcastle take around three hours or it is a five-hour drive.
Top destinations in northern England
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Newcastle upon Tyne
Northumberland
Lake District
Manchester
Liverpool
Leeds
Durham
York
Yorkshire Dales
North York Moors
Peak District
Newcastle upon Tyne
Northumberland
Lake District
Manchester
Liverpool
Leeds
Durham
York
Yorkshire Dales
North York Moors
Peak District
Discover northern England with our itineraries
Already planning your trip? Our curated guides give you the inside scoop on the best things to see and do in the region. Whether you’re bonkers about Bridgerton or potty for Peaky Blinders, you’re in the right place.
Get to know northern England
Manchester
United or City? Oasis or Blur? They’re not the only tough decisions to make in Manchester; with so many things to see, do and eat, you’re spoiled for choice here. Learn more about the beautiful game at the National Football Museum, take a walking tour of the city’s music history or soak up its industrial heritage in Castlefield. Marvel fans – you won’t want to miss the Northern Quarter for a glimpse into the worlds of Captain America and Morbius.
Getting there: Manchester is a 50-minute drive or 40-minute train ride from Liverpool. Direct trains available to the Lake District, York and Newcastle too.
Liverpool
Think of Liverpool, and a Beatles song might get stuck in your head. The city’s most famous sons take centre stage at the Beatles Story and by night, the Cavern Club hums with those iconic tunes just like it did in the 1960s. But it’s anything but stuck in the past. Hear the next big thing at Camp and Furnace, sample a top-notch street food scene at Baltic Market or see Liverpool Football Club in a whole new way on the Anfield Abseil. And you might bump into a Peaky Blinder – the hit BBC series was filmed here.
Getting there: Liverpool is a 50-minute drive or 40-minute train ride from Manchester. Newcastle and York are also a direct train ride away.
Lake District
By paddleboard, steam train or zipwire – how will you explore the Lake District? England’s largest National Park is a real-life adventure playground, studded with fells and tarns (that’s mountains and lakes in the local lingo). No wonder literary legends Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth were inspired by these parts, seen on screen in the Bridget Jones and Mission: Impossible films. After your own action-packed day, slow things down with a soak in a lakeside spa or a snifter – or two – of the local whisky.
Getting there: The Lake District is less than two hours away from Manchester, Liverpool and the Yorkshire Dales by car. There are regular train services from Windermere and Oxenholme.
Northumberland
Listen to centuries of stories at Northumberland’s medieval fortresses, or travel even further back in time to Hadrian’s Wall, an inspiration for Game of Thrones. Its beaches are some of England’s most stunning – and its quietest. But hear that? It’s the sound of thousands of puffins who flock to the islands here in spring, a treat for birdwatchers. Head inland to discover England’s largest forest at Kielder, or be enchanted by Alnwick Castle, which you might recognise as Hogwarts from the Harry Potter films. You can even learn to fly a broomstick, just like everyone’s favourite boy wizard.
Getting there: Northumberland is within an hour’s drive of Newcastle and within three hours’ drive of York or the Lake District.
Newcastle
Watched over by the Angel of the North, Newcastle is a great base for discovering the north-east of England – if you can tear yourself away. Soak up the city’s industrial history at the Victoria Tunnel, or take a cycling tour to see the ‘Toon’ (as we call it) and its famous seven bridges from the saddle. The fun doesn’t stop when the sun goes down thanks to the city’s epic nightlife scene, or check out the calendar at The Glasshouse for world-class concerts.
Getting there: Newcastle is an hour by train or two hours by car from York, plus there are regular direct train services from Manchester. Northumberland is within an hour’s drive.
Yorkshire Dales
Bring your appetite to the Yorkshire Dales, where you’ll find some of our finest regional specialities – Yorkshire puddings, Wensleydale cheese or parkin cake, anyone? Get starry-eyed at one of the National Park’s four Dark Sky Discovery Centres, head below ground at England’s longest show cave and do go chasing waterfalls like Janet’s Foss and Aysgarth Falls. Oh – and watch out for some interesting characters at UNESCO-listed Fountains Abbey, star of 28 Years Later, The Witcher and more.
Getting there: The Yorkshire Dales take around one hour 30 minutes by car from Manchester and York, or around one hour and 10 minutes by direct train from York.
North York Moors
Welcome to England’s largest heather moorland – a landscape made for hiking, wildlife-watching and stargazing. Its coastline makes a real splash too: there’s gothic Whitby with its world-famous abbey, and the traditional fishing village of Robin Hood’s Bay to wander. Travel across the North York Moors National Park in style aboard the North York Moors Railway and you might share your carriage with screen royalty: it’s been featured in the Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and Mission: Impossible films. More of an All Creatures Great and Small fan? Make a pilgrimage The World of James Herriot in Thirsk.
Getting there: The North York Moors are around an hour from York and Newcastle by car, and a two-hour drive from Manchester.
York
From Roman walls to Viking museums, medieval abbeys and Georgian townhouses – everywhere you look, you can peek into Britain’s past in York. That’s partly what’s made it such a box-office hit: did you know Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was filmed at the city’s station? And you might do a double-take when you wander along the cobbled Shambles, rumoured to have inspired Diagon Alley. Join a lively guided tour, like The Wizard Walk of York or Deathly Dark Tours, for a spellbinding local’s guide to these parts.
Getting there: York is around an hour by train or one hour and 40 minutes by car from Newcastle. Manchester and Liverpool are both a direct train journey away.
Peak District
It may be Britain’s oldest National Park, but the Peak District is anything but stuck in the past. Whether you’re scaling its hills or going deep underground in its caves, this is a landscape that’s made for exploring. You won’t go hungry, either, with plenty of cosy country pubs and Bakewell’s mouth-watering tarts and puddings. Period drama lovers, you’ll feel right at home here – Pride and Prejudice and The Duchess both used its scene-stealing scenery, as did Mission: Impossible 7 and The Princess Bride.
Getting there: The Peak District is accessible by direct train from Manchester along the Hope Valley Line, taking around one hour. By car, it’s less than an hour from Manchester and Leeds.
Top experiences in northern England
How about stargazing in the Yorkshire Dales, whisky-tasting in Northumberland or a sky-high stadium tour in Newcastle? It’s all here in northern England.
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Beamish Museum
Scranchester
British Music Experience
Harewood House
Honister Slate Mine
Studley Royal Park and Fountains Abbey
Alnwick Castle
Grainger Market
Baltic Market
Castle Howard
Royal Armouries Museum
Manchester United stadium tour
Wordsworth Grasmere
Endless Adventure North East
The World of Beatrix Potter
Northern Quarter
Stargazing at Kielder Observatory
Ad Gefrin
Peaky Blinders Tour of Liverpool
Opera North
Royal Liver Building
Lakes Distillery
Hadrian’s Wall
Raby Castle
Durham Cathedral
York Minster
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
The Shambles
Turkish Baths, Harrogate
Malham
Bolton Abbey
Rock Climbing with Lost Earth Adventures
Yorkshire Three Peaks
Football in Manchester
Dark Skies Festival, Yorkshire Dales
Locomotion
Amble Puffin Festival
Leeds Festival
Beamish Museum
Scranchester
British Music Experience
Harewood House
Honister Slate Mine
Studley Royal Park and Fountains Abbey
Alnwick Castle
Grainger Market
Baltic Market
Castle Howard
Royal Armouries Museum
Manchester United stadium tour
Wordsworth Grasmere
Endless Adventure North East
The World of Beatrix Potter
Northern Quarter
Stargazing at Kielder Observatory
Ad Gefrin
Peaky Blinders Tour of Liverpool
Opera North
Royal Liver Building
Lakes Distillery
Hadrian’s Wall
Raby Castle
Durham Cathedral
York Minster
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
The Shambles
Turkish Baths, Harrogate
Malham
Bolton Abbey
Rock Climbing with Lost Earth Adventures
Yorkshire Three Peaks
Football in Manchester
Dark Skies Festival, Yorkshire Dales
Locomotion
Amble Puffin Festival
Leeds Festival
See why Britain is the real star of the show
See why Britain is the real star of the show
You’ve seen northern England on screen – now see the star of the show for yourself. Britain is rolling out the red carpet, and you’re top of the guest list.
You’ve seen northern England on screen – now see the star of the show for yourself. Britain is rolling out the red carpet, and you’re top of the guest list.
