Guides to Durham
In-depth guides to the best places to eat, drink, explore, and enjoy in Durham. Written by locals, backed by research.
Latest Guides
Learning to Drive in Durham
Business Support in Durham: Start-up Help, Funding and Advice
Rainbows, Brownies, Cubs and Scouts in Durham: A Parents' Guide
Durham Folk Festival: A Guide to the City's New Folk Celebration
Diggerland Durham: A Family Guide to the Digger Adventure Park
Kynren: A Visitor's Guide to England's Epic Live Show
Food & Drink
The Best Restaurants in Durham
From Michelin-listed tasting menus to riverside dining and long-standing local favourites, our guide to the best restaurants in Durham city.
The Best Pubs in Durham
Durham is a city of historic inns and well-kept cask ale. Our guide to the best traditional pubs in Durham, from a fifteenth-century inn to a preserved Victorian gem.
The Best Cafes & Coffee Shops in Durham
Durham does coffee properly, from cathedral-view cafes to independent roasters and all-day kitchens. Our guide to the best places for a flat white in the city.
The Best Brunch in Durham
From riverside kitchens to Claypath delis and French brasseries, our guide to the best places for brunch in Durham, whether you want eggs, pancakes or a proper fry-up.
The Best Sunday Roast in Durham
A proper Sunday lunch is a Durham institution. Our guide to the best roasts in the city, from historic inns to riverside steakhouses and country pubs on the edge of town.
The Best Afternoon Tea in Durham
Scones, sandwiches and a proper pot of tea. Our guide to the best afternoon tea in Durham, from a riverside tea room to grand country-house hotels on the edge of the city.
The Best Bakeries in Durham
Fresh bread, pastries and proper cake. Our guide to the best bakeries and patisseries in Durham, from a French patisserie to a market-hall bakery and a Claypath deli.
Family & Children
Rainbows, Brownies, Cubs and Scouts in Durham: A Parents' Guide
A parents' guide to Girlguiding and Scouting in Durham: the sections by age, the local Scout groups, how to sign your child up, what it costs, and how to volunteer.
Diggerland Durham: A Family Guide to the Digger Adventure Park
Where children ride, drive and operate real diggers. Our guide to Diggerland Durham at Langley Park: the rides, height-based pricing, opening season, food and how to get there.
Adventure Valley: A Family Day Out Near Durham
The North East's biggest family adventure park sits just north of Durham. Our guide to Adventure Valley's outdoor rides, indoor play zones, animals, tickets and how to get there.
Sports & Fitness
Sport and Fitness in Durham
From a riverside leisure centre and a free weekly parkrun to a rowing tradition that runs deep on the Wear, our guide to keeping active in and around Durham.
Durham Regatta: A Guide to the North's Oldest Rowing Event
On the second weekend of June, hundreds of rowing crews race beneath the cathedral on the River Wear. Our guide to Durham Regatta, the second-oldest regatta in England, its history, its course and how to enjoy the weekend.
Parks & Nature
The Best Walks In and Around Durham
With the River Wear looping through its heart and the Durham Dales and coast within reach, Durham is a fine place to walk. Our guide, from the riverside peninsula to the countryside beyond.
The Best Days Out from Durham
Durham sits within easy reach of some of the North East's finest days out. Our guide to the castles, museums, waterfalls, forests and coastline within a short drive of the city, from Beamish and Raby to High Force and the Heritage Coast.
Parks and Gardens in Durham
For a small city, Durham is unusually green. Our guide to the best parks and gardens in and around the city, from the University Botanic Garden and National Trust Crook Hall to the cathedral views at Wharton Park and the Georgian landscape of Hardwick Park.
Schools & Education
A Student's Guide to Durham
New to Durham University? An introduction to life in one of England's oldest university cities, from the collegiate system to getting around a compact, hilly city.
Durham University Colleges Explained
Durham's collegiate system explained, from the historic Bailey colleges on the peninsula to the Hill colleges on Elvet Hill, and what college life actually involves.
Where Durham Students Live: Colleges and Student Areas
From first year in college to shared houses in the Viaduct, Gilesgate and beyond, a guide to where Durham students live and what each area is like.
The University Year in Durham: Terms, Freshers and Graduation
How Durham University's three terms shape the city, from Freshers' Week in October to graduation in the cathedral, and how Durham changes with the academic year.
Moving to Durham for University: What to Know
A practical guide for new Durham students, from arriving for Freshers and college accommodation to registering with a GP and getting around the city.
Durham on a Budget: A Student's Guide
Some of the best things about Durham are free or cheap, from the cathedral and riverside walks to the museums and the market. A student guide to the city on a budget.
Shopping
Heritage & History
Kynren: A Visitor's Guide to England's Epic Live Show
A short drive from Durham, Kynren tells 2,000 years of English history in a 90-minute open-air spectacle. Our guide to the show, the new daytime park, tickets, timings and how to get there.
Beamish Museum: A Visitor's Guide
Just north of Durham, Beamish is one of the North East's great days out. Our guide to the living museum's period streets, vintage trams, the year-long ticket, and how to get there.
The Durham Miners' Gala: A Guide to the Big Meeting
On the second Saturday of every July, Durham gives itself over to the Big Meeting. Our guide to the Durham Miners' Gala, its banners and brass bands, the cathedral service and its history.
Things to Do in Durham
From the World Heritage cathedral and castle to riverside walks, museums and the Victorian market hall, here is our guide to the best things to do in Durham.
Durham Cathedral: A Visitor's Guide
How to visit one of the finest Norman cathedrals in Europe, from the shrine of St Cuthbert and the tomb of Bede to the tower climb and the Sanctuary Knocker.
Durham Castle: A Visitor's Guide
How to visit the Norman castle on Palace Green, once home to the Prince Bishops and now a Durham University college, open to the public by guided tour.
The Prince Bishops of Durham
For centuries the Bishops of Durham ruled the County Palatine with near-royal powers, raising armies, holding courts and minting their own coins. Here is their story.
The Story of St Cuthbert and How Durham Began
Durham owes its existence to a saint. The story of St Cuthbert, the monks who carried his body, and the legend of the Dun Cow that founded the city.
Walking the Durham World Heritage Site: A Self-Guided Route
A short circular walk around Durham's peninsula, taking in the cathedral and castle, Palace Green, Prebends Bridge and the wooded riverbanks of the Wear.
Durham on Screen: Film and TV Locations
From Hogwarts to Asgard, Durham Cathedral has doubled for some of cinema's grandest settings. A guide to the film and TV made in the World Heritage city.
Palace Green and Durham's University Museums
The historic green between the cathedral and castle, and the Durham University museums around it, from Palace Green Library to the Oriental Museum.
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