Getting Around Durham Without a Car

Durham is a small city built for walking, with a compact centre wrapped in a loop of the River Wear. Between your own two feet, the Cathedral Bus and a bit of planning, you rarely need a car once you have arrived.

On foot

The historic heart of Durham sits on a peninsula, with the Market Place, Saddler Street, Palace Green and the Cathedral and Castle all within a few minutes' walk of each other. It is genuinely hilly: the medieval streets up to Palace Green, such as cobbled Owengate and Dun Cow Lane, are steep and uneven, so comfortable footwear helps.

The riverbanks below make one of the finest short walks in any English city, a loop around the peninsula past the three old stone bridges, Framwellgate, Elvet and Prebends, with the classic view of the Cathedral from Prebends Bridge. Allow an hour or two to take it in; some of the far-bank paths are narrower, with steps and slopes.

The Cathedral Bus

For anyone who would rather not tackle the climb, the Cathedral Bus runs up onto the peninsula to the Cathedral and Castle, linking the railway station, North Road and the Market Place. Services 40 and 40A run Monday to Saturday, with a summer-season Sunday service (40C). The fare was £1.20, or 60p for children, for an all-day ticket at the time of writing, and Park & Ride ticket holders travel free. The buses take wheelchairs and pushchairs, so it is a genuine step-free way up to the World Heritage Site.

By bike

Durham County Council has been steadily improving its cycle routes, including a traffic-free path linking the railway station to Framwellgate Moor and Newton Hall, and there is cycle parking around the Market Place and covered racks at the station. Further afield, the C2C (Sea to Sea) coast-to-coast route crosses County Durham through Consett and the Durham Dales, though not the city centre itself.

Getting around with limited mobility

Durham's hills and cobbles make parts of the centre hard going, but there is good provision. Durham Cathedral is largely accessible, with ramps and lifts to most of the site, wheelchairs to borrow, accessible toilets, an induction loop and a welcome for assistance dogs, though a few areas such as the tower are reached by stairs only.

There is limited blue-badge parking on Palace Green, right in front of the Cathedral, arranged through the security office (0191 334 2222). Durham City Shopmobility, based on Level 1 of the car park at Prince Bishops Place, hires out scooters and wheelchairs Monday to Friday (0191 386 8556). And, as above, the wheelchair-accessible Cathedral Bus avoids the steepest climbs.

Before you set off

For more on arriving in the city, see getting to Durham and our guide to where to park. Once you are here, browse things to do in Durham.