This medieval city sits on top of a hill with fantastical soaring towers and winding streets.
What to do in Durham - A three days itinerary
This medieval city sits on top of a hill with fantastical soaring towers and winding streets.
Interested in visiting Durham for a few days but not sure what to see or what to do?
Go with my Durham itinerary! The itinerary provides you with a day by day structure, recommendations for places to visit, tips on what to book in advance and where to stay.
Durham is one of the best cities to visit in England and offers you many different kinds of experience. The history of Durham starts in 995 AD. The historical legacy results in a city that is largely dominated by the cathedral and castle but which also has many other interesting buildings.
Use my guide to discover the culture, heritage, historical landmarks and architecture that welcome you to the city of Durham and beyond.
Friday | Morning
Explore: Durham Cathedral is a must-visit place when you are in Durham city. To enter the cathedral is free but voluntary donations are highly recommended. Climbing the tower is recommended if you feel fit and costs £5. The views from the top of the tower are very impressive and also give you an idea of how large the cathedral is.
Learn history at: Durham Museum and Heritage Centre and Museum of Archeology of Durham University are located a short walk from the cathedral. Durham Museum exhibits the history of the City of Durham from medieval times to the present day and the Museum of Archaeology sits in within Palace Green Library and its exhibits range from the prehistoric to post-medieval items.
Lunch at: Cafedral cafe is one of popular cafes amongst students and locals in the city centre. It has some great lunch menus and cakes to choose from. Most importantly the food is homemade.
Friday | Afternoon Visit: Durham Castle is a Norman Castle and has been occupied by Durham University since 1837. Before you go, do book a castle tour in advance because there are time slots to visit this beautiful castle. You can book online or book it at the Museum of Archeology. Wander around: Durham Market Place has some interesting buildings surrounding it, the most prominent features being the Town Hall and Guildhall, Church of St Nicholas and statues of Neptune and the third Marquess of Londonderry. You can visit the beautiful Town Hall and Guildhall and the Church of St Nicholas. There are some food stalls in Durham Indoor Market where you can buy snacks. Check the opening times before you visit. Rowing a boat: Go down to Durham River Walk and find Browns Rowing Boats beneath Elvet Bridge. Here you can row a boat with friends or family and enjoy the city views from the river. It gives a different view of the city from the river. Dinner at: There are plenty of places to eat in the city from Bell's Fish and Chips. Highly recommend its fish and chips, absolutely delicious. Take a stroll: If weather permits, at the end of Spring till late Autumn, walking along the river walk would be a great idea. While you're walking you'll be rewarded with stunning views of the cathedral and the castle, besides being in the nature, and your walk will also be accompanied by ducks or birds.
More reading // Things to do in Durham
Saturday | Morning
Visit: Crook Hall is located a 15 minutes walk from the city centre. The gardens are spectacular especially in the Spring and Summer months, the colours and smells blended well. The hall itself is compact in size but still interesting to see.
See plants at: The journey is approximately 10 to 15 minutes by taxi/Uber from the city centre and 20 minutes by bus from the main bus station. The Botanic Gardens has many different collections of plants, flowers and trees. It is a great just wandering from one garden area to another to see the best of these collections and to learn about the plants. There is a cafe if you want food or a drink after your walk.
Lunch at: Grab a lunch at at Botanic Gardens cafe before going to your next destination. Sandwiches and pot of tea would be nice to sit outside to enjoy the views of the gardens.
Saturday | Afternoon
Visit to: Spend all your afternoon by visiting Ushaw House, Chapels and Gardens. It is located four miles or approximately 10 minutes from the Botanic Gardens. The buildings were originally designed by Augustus Pugin and his followers. They are located in a beautiful area surrounded by parks and woodland. Go to the house to see the exhibitions and the stunning interior of the chapel.
Dine out at: Return to the city centre to find somewhere to eat. Akarsu Turkish Restaurant & Grill is a great place for dinner. It offers delicious authentic Turkish food. The restaurant is located on Silver St.
More reading // 24 Hours in Durham
Sunday
Go to and explore: Spend your third day travelling to Barnard Castle. The town is located approximately 40 minutes drive from the city of Durham. This beautiful market town has something to offer most people, including the castle, Bowes Museum, Eggleston Abbey and Bowes Castle. Simply walking around the town is a great thing to do. The town can be very busy especially in Summer months.
Travel Practical Information
Well prepared pre-planning and research will help make your travel plans easy. It also helps you to understand what you are looking for and what to do in each location. Here is the information I've prepared and that you might want to consider and use when planning your own trip to Durham.
Location of Durham
Durham is a city in northeast England, 29 kilometres south of Newcastle upon Tyne and 21 kilometres south west of Sunderland. Durham is just over three hours from Birmingham, two hours and half from Manchester, two hours from Edinburgh and 45 minutes from York.
Getting to Durham
You can get to Durham by plane, train, bus or car. The choice of transport depends on your last location before travelling to Durham.
By flight. Durham has a small airport, Teesside International Airport, which is a 40 minutes drive to the city. The number of airlines that fly direct to the airport is limited. Currently there are KLM, BH Air and Albastar that are operating regularly at the airport. The other nearest airport to Durham is Newcastle International Airport, which has plenty of international flights. From here, you can easily take the metro to Newcastle Central Train Station and then continue your train journey to Durham. The total journey should be less than 1 hour door to door.
By train. Durham is well connected by trains from most major cities in the country. If you are already in the UK, there are regular train connections to Durham on both high-speed and standard routes from Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds. The train journey from London King's Cross is about 2.45 hours and from Edinburgh is about 2 hours.
Tips | I suggest to book your train tickets as far in advance to save your money. Check the train tickets online time by time is the best way to find the best deal.
By coach. If you are a budget traveller you might want to consider taking a coach. There are several coach services to Durham from major cities in England on a daily basis.
Places to stay
There is a range of accommodation choices in Durham city centre, from hostels to luxury hotels. Hotel Indigo Durham, Durham Marriott Hotel Royal County, Premier Inn Durham City Centre are amongst the hotels located in the city centre. For a list of hotels you should check booking.com.
Getting around Durham
The city itself is compact and you can easily discover it on foot. If you plan to head to the Botanic Gardens for example which are just outside the city centre, there are regular buses.
The local buses offer a day pass which will save you money if heading to a few attractions in one day. Check the Nexus website for timetables and tickets.
By Bus. The buses run from 6am to midnight, Mondays through Saturdays and Sundays and holidays from 7am to 9pm. Different bus providers have different start and finish times. Do check their timetable online to ensure that your travel is not disturbed.
By Taxi and UBER. They are available in the city for 24 hours; if you decide to use a taxi make sure to go for an authorised taxi e.g. Blueline, for safety reasons. For UBER make sure to download the app to your mobile phone if you want to use the service.
Places to eat Durham has plenty of places to eat from street kiosks and cafes to restaurants. Bell's Fish and Chips, the Undercroft Restaurant, Cafedral Durham, Akarsu Turkish Restaurant & Grill and Golden Pearl are the places that we have been to and all of them are highly recommended.
Best time to visit Durham
No specific time is the best time to visit Durham. Different months and seasons may offer you different experiences. You can visit Durham all the year round. Durham has a temperate climate like the rest of the UK.
A common time to visit Durham is in summer, from June to August, when the weather is warmest and the days are longer. It's in these months when the city is most crowded with local and international tourists.
The city hosts several international events e.g. Durham Regatta in June, BRASS festival in July, Durham Book Festival in October and Traditional Christmas Festival in December. Winters are chilly, with occasional snow through December to February.
How long do you need in Durham
I suggest the minimum stay in Durham is two full days. You can do some interesting things in the city to enjoy its history. You can visit the churches and one of most beautiful cathedrals in the United Kingdom, Durham Cathedral, and walk around the picturesque Durham Riverwalk. The number of days you stay depends on your travel plans, travel budget and things you want to see.
What to wear
Depends on which season or month that you are travelling to the city. T-shirts and jeans can be worn during the summer time. In summer the temperature can be up to 24°C.
Don't forget to bring along an umbrella with you in case of rain. A light jacket to wear in spring and autumn should be considered. In winter bring along your warm jacket/coat, gloves and hats and also boots to get ready for snow.
Structured three days trip to Durham Three full days in Durham is a perfect amount of time to explore the city and beyond and see many of the stunning sights which it has to offer. The real joy of travelling in this city is simply wandering around and stopping at one of the cafes for morning coffee or afternoon tea. The first day of this itinerary focuses on the city centre areas; the second day focuses on short trip from the city centre e.g. Durham Botanical Gardens; and day three takes in visits to Barnard Castle. If you visit the sights on foot you will pass lots of amazing places. The itinerary is only my suggestion and of course you might like to stop off at other places before going to the recommended destination. The aim of this Durham itinerary is to give an overview of the tourist highlights and how to visit them leisurely. You can squeeze as many as activities you want to do in a day but I think this itinerary gives just the right number of activities you can do in a day.
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