Start at the cathedral: St Cuthbert's shrine, Bede's tomb and, if you are eight or over, the 325 steps of the central tower. Cross Palace Green for a guided castle tour and the free exhibitions at Palace Green Library, then walk the riverbanks to Prebends Bridge and hire a rowing boat below Elvet Bridge. Keep a second day for Crook Hall's gardens, Finchale Priory or Beamish.
Durham is a cathedral and university city in the north-east of England, built on a wooded peninsula in a tight loop of the River Wear. The castle and cathedral face each other across Palace Green, the centre is crossed on foot in twenty minutes, and Newcastle is a quarter of an hour away by train.
The Norman cathedral built from 1093 to hold the shrine of St Cuthbert, with the remains of the Venerable Bede at its west end. Entry is free, with a suggested £5 donation; stay for Evensong to hear the choir in the nave.
The Norman castle of the prince-bishops is now University College, so the only way in is a guided tour of about 45 minutes. Tour times shift with college life and sell out; book a week ahead or ask at Palace Green Library.
325 steps up the central tower to a roof view over the peninsula, the castle and the loop of the Wear. Buy the ticket at the visitor desk or online; children under eight cannot climb.
The wooded path below the peninsula gives the classic view of the cathedral above the Wear, best from Prebends Bridge, finished in 1778. Walk the full loop from Framwellgate Bridge to Elvet Bridge in about an hour.
The university library between castle and cathedral, home to the Museum of Archaeology and a programme of temporary exhibitions drawn from its special collections. The archaeology galleries are free.
Small rowing boats are hired by the hour from the boathouse at the foot of Elvet Bridge, sharing the river with college crews. The Prince Bishop river cruiser runs one-hour trips from the same landing.
A medieval hall and walled gardens a short walk north of the centre, now run by the National Trust, with a view back to the cathedral. Only the medieval hall is open inside; the gardens are the reason to come.
Glasshouses and woodland gardens on the hill south of the city, with a cactus house and a tropical house. The adult day ticket is £5 and payment is by card only.
The ruins of a priory founded in 1196 on the site of St Godric's hermitage, three miles north-east of the city on a bend of the Wear. Entry is free; the car park belongs to the neighbouring caravan park and charges.
An open-air museum of rebuilt North East streets, a colliery village and working trams, about ten miles north-west of Durham. The ticket is an unlimited pass valid for a year, so a second visit costs nothing.
The Norman crossing from the station side, built for Bishop Flambard in the early 12th century and rebuilt in the 15th.
A medieval bridge of the 1160s, still lined with buildings at its town end. The rowing boats leave from its foot.
A concrete footbridge of 1963 from the Bailey to Dunelm House, the last structure Ove Arup designed.
The county archive at Mount Oswald, opened in 2024, with free exhibitions and the Durham Light Infantry collection.
Seasonal British small plates as a set menu in a courtyard off North Road. Michelin-listed; book.
British and European cooking down narrow stairs off Saddler Street; known for the Sunday roast.
An 1899 pub on CAMRA's National Inventory of historic interiors, and the best beer in town.
A tiny Saddler Street pub with medieval roots and a reputation as one of England's most haunted.
A Samuel Smith's pub on Elvet Bridge with a beer garden over the river.
Brunch in a 1600s building on Saddler Street, below a Grade II listed staircase.
The hillside park by the station, where the first Miners' Gala met in 1871, with a view of the cathedral.
Woodland a few hundred metres east of the centre, crossed by the 1938 Silver Link Bridge.
The riverside meadow where the Regatta finishes and the Miners' Gala banners gather.
Two days of rowing races on the Wear, finishing by the Racecourse.
Colliery banners and brass bands march to the Racecourse; a miners' service follows in the cathedral.
A week of brass across the county, with free street bands in the city.
Five days of theatre, comedy and music in small venues around the centre.
Free entry to buildings and gardens that are usually closed or ticketed.
Readings and talks over a long weekend, mostly at Gala Durham.
Light installations across the peninsula; the 2025 edition was the last in its old format.
Three days of craft and food stalls in a marquee on Palace Green.
On the East Coast Main Line above the viaduct. LNER reaches Newcastle in about 12 minutes, Edinburgh in under two hours and London King's Cross in about three.
Park and Ride sites at Belmont, Sniperley and Howlands run to the centre every 15 minutes, Monday to Saturday. The peninsula is best walked.
The nearest airport. Take the Metro to Newcastle Central and the train on to Durham, about 45 minutes in all, or a taxi.
South of the county. A bus to Darlington and a train to Durham takes about 70 minutes; a taxi about 45.
A slow-baked dish of meat and root vegetables.
A griddle scone named for its sizzle on the pan.
A flat, dense North East loaf, split and filled.
Split yellow peas boiled with ham, eaten on a stottie.
A saveloy in a bun with pease pudding, dipped in gravy.
Sliced potatoes layered with onions and cheese, fried and baked.
A suet pudding filled with leeks, served with meat.
Durham first sold English mustard as a fine powder, in 1720.
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