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Bridges and river
The Sage Gateshead and the River Tyne Bridges at night. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo
The Sage Gateshead and the River Tyne Bridges at night. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

Why study in ... Newcastle?

This article is more than 7 years old

Buzzing student areas and more cultural venues per head than any other city make Newcastle one to consider for your short list

For the nights out

With two universities and hundreds of bars and restaurants, Newcastle is famously a place where you can let your hair down. A string of classy bars line the Quayside, while the city centre has an abundance of options, such as the Botanist, which welcomes cocktail drinkers beneath a twinkling dome. While the city can host tens of thousands of students, it’s small enough to wander around, and the metro makes life easy. Beyond the centre, the popular student area, Jesmond, buzzes. The alternative scene is centred around the Ouseburn area, east of the city centre.

... the accommodation

Newcastle has a surplus of rented accommodation and most student property is within a mile or two of both university campuses. At the pricey end, the city centre hosts new student blocks. The ever-popular Jesmond, about a mile from the centre, has a metro, bars, cafes and attractive housing, but tends to be more expensive than Heaton, also favoured by students. Fenham and Sandyford are affordable and close to the centre.

... and the other stuff

Newcastle hosts more cultural venues per head than any other UK city. You can see bands, watch football, and eat, drink and shop well. The impressive Baltic art gallery on the south of the Tyne is linked to the north bank by the sleek Millennium Bridge. At the monthly Boiler Shop Steamer event, there’s food and drink, live music and art, while the Sage Gateshead is a classy music venue. There’s a thriving craft beer movement too, and deli fare on sale at the traditional covered Grainger Market. Film lovers are served by the art-deco Tyneside Cinema, while the Victorian-era Quilliam Brothers’ Teahouse shows films in the basement. Students who’ve had enough of the city can travel 20 minutes or so to beaches on the coast, such as Whitley Bay.

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