Tyneside's rich history is explored at this unmissable museum. Exhibitions spread across three floors of the former Co-operative Wholesale Society building around the mightily impressive 30m-long Turbinia, the fastest ship in the world in 1897 and the first to be powered by steam turbine. Other highlights are a section on shipbuilding on the Tyne, with a scale model of the river in 1929, and the 'Story of Newcastle', spanning the city's history from Pons Aelius (Roman Newcastle) to Cheryl Cole.
Discovery Museum
Top choice in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
13.65 MILES
Monumental Durham Cathedral is the definitive structure of the Anglo-Norman Romanesque style, a resplendent monument to the country’s ecclesiastical…
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0.18 MILES
Part of a sober-minded institute devoted to the study of genetic science, this centre lets you discover the secrets of life through a fascinating series…
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Housesteads Roman Fort & Museum
28.27 MILES
The most dramatic site of Hadrian's Wall – and the best-preserved Roman fort in the whole country – is at Housesteads, 4 miles north of Bardon Mill on the…
Vindolanda Roman Fort & Museum
29.24 MILES
The extensive site of Vindolanda offers a fascinating glimpse into the daily life of a Roman garrison town. The time-capsule museum is just one part of…
13.55 MILES
Built as a standard motte-and-bailey fort in 1072, Durham Castle was the prince bishops' home until 1837, when it became the University of Durham's first…
BALTIC – Centre for Contemporary Art
1.01 MILES
Once a huge mustard-coloured grain store, BALTIC is now a huge mustard-coloured art gallery rivalling London's Tate Modern. There are no permanent…
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1.35 MILES
Walking Newcastle's streets, you'd never know this extraordinary tunnel runs for 2.5 miles beneath your feet. Built between 1839 and 1842 as a coal-wagon…
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0.9 MILES
The contents of Newcastle University's museums and the prestigious Hancock Museum's natural-history exhibits come together in the latter's neoclassical…
Nearby Newcastle-upon-Tyne attractions
0.18 MILES
Part of a sober-minded institute devoted to the study of genetic science, this centre lets you discover the secrets of life through a fascinating series…
0.54 MILES
Newcastle's cathedral was founded in 1091 but the Norman structure was destroyed by fire in 1216; its replacement was completed in 1350. The lantern spire…
0.57 MILES
The stronghold that put both the 'new' and 'castle' into Newcastle has been largely swallowed up by the train station, leaving only a few remaining…
0.64 MILES
The Tyne's northern bank was the hub of commercial Newcastle in the 16th century and on Sandhill a row of leaning merchant houses has survived from that…
0.73 MILES
The exceptional collection at the Laing includes works by Gainsborough, Gauguin and Henry Moore, and an important collection of paintings by…
0.9 MILES
The contents of Newcastle University's museums and the prestigious Hancock Museum's natural-history exhibits come together in the latter's neoclassical…
7. BALTIC – Centre for Contemporary Art
1.01 MILES
Once a huge mustard-coloured grain store, BALTIC is now a huge mustard-coloured art gallery rivalling London's Tate Modern. There are no permanent…
1.18 MILES
No prizes for guessing what this commercial art gallery used to be. These days, it's the UK's biggest contemporary art, craft and design gallery/shop,…