Durham City

Bill Bryson called it ‘a perfect little city’, Condé Nast’s Traveller magazine readers voted it the ‘Best city in the UK’, and Which? members named it one of the UK's best city breaks for 2024 – now Durham City warmly awaits your visit to receive another seal of approval.

A captivating city with winding cobbled streets and a prominent peninsula crowned with the dramatic Durham Cathedral and Castle UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Explore the timeless quality of this quintessential old English University City, take some time out with a relaxing riverside walk or river cruise, or soak up the atmosphere with superb cafés, artisan workshops, boutiques, galleries and museums.

Watch the world go by in one of the city centre cafés, shop for gourmet treats, locally produced food or original crafts in an array of shops and markets, or find city-centre calm at one of the city's many green spaces. 

Days in Durham City are a hard act to follow, but we like to think our evenings are also up to the mark. From spellbinding theatre to side-splitting comedy, intimate restaurants to chic café-bars, and action films to art house cinema, Durham City has entertainment galore - don't miss the city's prime entertainment venue, the Gala Theatre.