Newcastle upon Tyne City Centre

Newcastle upon Tyne City Centre, or more commonly Newcastle City Centre or colloquially as The Toon, is the central business district of Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England.

It can be basically divided clockwise from north into the areas of Haymarket, Manors, Quayside, Central Station, Grainger Town, Monument, Chinatown and St James'

Areas

Haymarket

Haymarket is the northern edge of the city centre bordered by Spital Tongues and Jesmond. It is the location of Newcastle Civic Centre, Newcastle University, Northumbria University, Haymarket Bus Station and the City Pool, and is mainly a business area. The Church of St Thomas the Martyr is a prominent landmark in the area opposite the Metro station where the northern end of Northumberland Street, the city's main shopping street, is.

As of 2008, the area around Haymarket Metro station is currently undergoing renovation works to modernise the station.

Manors

The area surrounding Manors Metro station, in the east of is the location of buildings and student accommodation of Northumbria University. It is bordered by Byker and mainly a residential and educational area. The Laing Art Gallery is located here.

Quayside

Quayside is the most southern point of the city centre, at the bottom of a hill on the north bank of the River Tyne. The Gateshead Millennium Bridge and Tyne Bridge, leading to neighbouring Gateshead, are the most prominent landmarks on Quayside. It is mainly a residential and commercial area with hotels, restaurants, bars, clubs and pubs towards the Tyne Bridge end. The Newcastle Law Courts are located near the Millennium Bridge.

The QuayLink bus route links the area with Monument and Haymarket and there is no Metro station nearby. The nearest station is Central Station.

The path along the river forms part of a cycle route toward North Shields and Tynemouth.

Central Station

The Central Station surrounding the city's railway stations is known for its bars and clubs. Towards the western end is the city's gay district. The Centre for Life, Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle Cathedral, The Discovery Museum and The Journal Tyne Theatre are all located in the vicinity, as is the city's coach station.

Grainger Town

Grainger Town forms the area between Central Station, Chinatown and Monument. It was built in the mid 1800s and today is an area of shopping, nightlife and most notably dominant architecture. The Theatre Royal is situated on Grey Street. Towards the south eastern end is the Grainger Market and The Gate, an retail and entertainment centre. Bigg Market is in the western end of the area and is an area of restaurants, bars, clubs and shops.

Monument

The area centred around Grey's Monument is located in the heart of the city centre surrounded by retail and commercial units. It is the location of Eldon Square and Eldon Square Shopping Centre, the city's largest shopping centre, with the adjacent Eldon Square Bus Station.

Chinatown

Chinatown is a small district on the western edge of the city centre between Central Station and St James'. It is centred around Stowell Street with a number of Chinese restaurants and the rear entrance to The Gate.The distinctive red arch marks the entrance to the district from St James'.

t James'

St James' is a small area surrounding St James' Park, the stadium of Newcastle United F.C, and St James Metro station. The are a small number of pubs in the area but it is not a major area of residence, business or retail. Behind it is Leazes Park.

Transport

Metro

The Tyne and Wear Metro has five stations in Newcastle City Centre which are all underground. Running north to south, Haymarket, Monument and Central Station are on both the Green and Yellow lines which run northbound to the Airport or towards the coast via Whitley Bay and southbound to South Hylton or South Shields.

St James is the western terminus of the Yellow Line and precedes Monument and Manors. Trains run towards the coast via North Shields.

Bus and coach

Newcastle has two bus stations for local and regional bus services. Services heading north generally use Haymarket Bus Station, whilst those to the south and west use Eldon Square Bus Station. Both bus stations are operated by Nexus. Many roads in the city centre are for buses only or have bus lanes. The QuayLink service, with its bright yellow electric buses, has two routes - Q1 from Haymarket to Quayside and Q2 from Central Station to Gateshead.

Long-distance coach services use a separate coach station on St James Boulevard.

Rail

Newcastle, known locally as Central Station, is the city's mainline railway station and a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line - with local, regional and national destinations served directly. Manors is the only other station in the city, but has a very limited service.