Newcastle upon Tyne in the north east of England has a lovely art scene worth checking out.
Art lovers have plenty to see in Newcastle and in its neighbouring town, Gateshead.
If you’re into contemporary art, you’ll be in for more than a few special treats when you visit Newcastle.
A selection of top art galleries in newcastle
The biscuit factory
This is one of the most popular places to see in Newcastle.
Housed inside a converted warehouse, this Newcastle gallery has two floors dedicated to art, crafts and design with a vivid, colourful display.
The Biscuit Factory represents over 200 artists, including local talents and emerging artists.
This means the range and variety are very impressive and you’re likely to come across some surprising handmade items and original contemporary art.
The gallery runs 4 exhibitions a year and keeps the collection fresh.
Tip: Don’t miss the fancy toilets 😉
Entry is free.
Laing art gallery
The oldest art gallery in Newcastle is located on New Bridge Street right in the centre of Newcastle.
There’s plenty to see in this gallery and you can easily spend a couple of hours there.
The Laing Art Gallery has a beautifully curated collection of paintings, sculpture and decorative arts.
There’s a great variety of artworks in this gallery, so expect to see pieces from completely different styles and periods one next to each other.
They have a permanent exhibition of fine art from the UK and Europe and changing temporary exhibitions, plus various events and exhibition talks.
Baltic centre for contemporary art
One of the first things you want to do when you arrive in Newcastle-Gateshead is go to Baltic, take the elevator to level 5 and enter the viewing box.
You’ll see the city from above with its bridges and landmarks all laid in front of you.
It’s right next to the Millennium Bridge that looks great from above.
There is a viewing terrace on the 4th floor as well, where you can see more of the river.
Then you can go see all the exhibitions.
The building used to be a flour mill and has many different spaces that are used in creative ways.
There is no permanent exhibition, only changing ones, so every time you visit there’ll be something new to see.
Entry is free.
Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
Side gallery
This lovely photography gallery is in the centre of Newcastle in a small alley, so it’s a bit of a hidden gem.
It’s run by a local film and photography collective called Amber and focuses on documentary photography.
This may sound very specific, but it opens up a whole range of topics to explore and stories to tell.
There’s a nice bookshop on the ground floor where you can browse and buy photography books and magazines.
Go up to the second and third floors to see more photos. Thanks to the careful curation, the works are engaging and leave an impact.
Free entry.
Baltic 39
For more experimental contemporary art, head to Baltic 39 on High Bridge in the centre of Newcastle.
This Newcastle art gallery is a collaboration between Newcastle City Council, Arts Council England, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and Northumbria University.
It has exhibition spaces open to the public, alongside art studios and events.
Free entry.
Castle fine arts
Around the corner from Baltic 39 you’ll find Castle Fine Art. It is a commercial art gallery with a wonderfully creative showcase of contemporary art.
Expect to see some colourful pop art, intriguing installations and original prints.
Free entry.
Planning your trip to Newcastle upon Tyne
- Getting to Newcastle: You can reach the city by plane, train or bus. Find all the options on Omio.
Popular tours and activities in Newcastle upon Tyne
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7 Comments
One of my favorite things to do when visiting a new place is to check out the museums and art galleries! The Biscuit Factory and Laing Art Art Gallery are two I’d love to explore in Newcastle!
Beautiful insight to the gallery
I love 1) art galleries, 2) converted warehouses, and 3) the name The Biscuit Factory. I absolutely love art galleries – this would be such a fun trip to just hang out in all of these! If you had to pick one…which one is your favorite??
Really curious about the fancy toilets at The Biscuit Factory! haha I visited the UK for the first time last year and would really like to visit Newcastle next!
Wow, so many galleries to visit! I love visiting galleries to slow down or when the weather isn’t so great.
Great post! I love finding out about unique attractions in new places. Definetly going to visit if I ever go to Newcastle. Love the layout of this post and how organized you made it 🙂
I love visiting art galleries in different cities! Will keep these in mind to visit if I’m ever in Newcastle 🙂