Toon Tour: an Itinerary for Visiting Friends, Family or Partners

Whether your parents are coming to visit you, your friends are looking for a fun weekend away or your partner is coming to stay for the weekend, then Newcastle is the perfect place. Here, I give you the perfect way to spend a few days in the best uni city to really make the most of the time of those visiting and, perhaps earning yourself some free delicious meals!

You roll out of bed in the morning, excited to see those visiting you. You get ready and walk down to the station to meet them upon their arrival. As you walk back to your house, you decide to stop for coffee or an early lunch, at Claremont Teahouse. They serve superb bagels and incredible coffee all at a reasonable price.

After you have completed the tour of your house and introduced all of your housemates, you catch the metro to the beach. You walk through the town of Tynemouth, stopping in all the small local shops along the way, right up to the beach front, where you take a stroll along Long Sands beach. After building up an appetite, you decide to stop for a meal at Riley’s Fish Shack. With views of the ocean, it is the perfect place to enjoy a meal, in good company and conversation.

Feeling full from your meal, you take the metro back into town and get off at Monument and walk to Tyneside Cinema on Grey’s Street. As the only independent cinema in Newcastle, it has a variety of themed screening rooms and is always showing the latest films. It is the perfect way to relax after a long, busy day.

The following morning, you realise you forgot to buy breakfast for your guests, so you decide to head into Jesmond for brunch at 1901. Serving an amazing menu of breakfast foods as well as excellent coffees, juices and smoothies, it is the perfect way to catch up with loved ones in a brilliant atmosphere.

Feeling full, you walk into town to browse the shops on offer. Then, head down to the quayside to walk along the river. Or, if it’s a Sunday, peruse the quayside markets - which is home to local crafts and food shops.

Before your beloved guests take the train home, you decide to get a final meal at ‘Café Andaluz’, a Spanish tapas restaurant. With a menu full of small plates, it is the perfect place to debrief on the last two days and enjoying the final moments of those who are visiting.