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- 19th Jun 2026
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Save up to 25% on entry to these top North East Attractions by travelling via bus
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Ditching the car doesn’t just save you the parking headache; it can save you some pennies on your days out, too. Across the North East, attractions are offering up to 25% off to visitors arriving by bus (just show your ticket).
BEAUTIFUL HALLS, GARDENS OR WATERFALLS
10% off admission at High Force Waterfall, Teesdale, County Durham
Bus: 873
Seasonal weekend bus 873, The Durham Dales Explorer, takes you right to the footpath entrances. A circular woodland walk – with sculptures or seasonal children’s trails – leads to the base of the 21-metre falls, one of the biggest in the UK. Refuel at High Force Restaurant, from breakfast through to afternoon tea with lashings of jam or cream.
25% off entry at Cragside, Rothbury, Northumberland
Bus: X14 and 471
The scenic X14 runs to the entrance, climbing from Georgian Morpeth through dramatic heathland. Britain’s original smart home – built by Victorian power couple William and Margaret Armstrong – sits in a vast landscape of rhododendrons, waterfalls or lakes, with a labyrinth, den building or play areas for the kids.
25% off day entry at Ushaw Historic House, Chapels & Gardens, near Durham
Buses: 874, 52 or 48
Bus 874 stops at the entrance, with buses 52 or 48 nearby – around 20 minutes from Durham city centre. One of Britain’s best spots for Gothic Revival, Georgian or Victorian architecture, much of it by Augustus Pugin, with guided tours, a world-renowned library or year-round events.
Annual discounted seasonal access at The Auckland Project, Bishop Auckland, County Durham
Buses: 56, 873, 104, X21.
Show a valid bus or rail ticket dated for the day of your visit (on-site only) for a year of discounted access to Auckland Palace, the Faith Museum, the Spanish Gallery – the UK’s first dedicated to Spain’s Golden Age, with El Greco or Velázquez – plus the moving Mining Art Gallery.
25% off entry at Crook Hall Gardens, Durham
Buses: 6 or 40A
Cathedral Bus 40A stops at Freeman’s Place, a six-minute walk away. Wander acres of interlinked gardens or a living cotoneaster maze, set against a Grade I listed medieval hall with views to Durham Cathedral – plus a café or second-hand bookshop.
20% off admission at Wallington, Northumberland
Buses: X75 or 419
Bus X75 runs direct from Newcastle on summer Saturdays (2 May to 5 September 2026); bus 419 runs Saturdays from Morpeth or Jedburgh. The Trevelyans’ 13,500-acre estate offers Pre-Raphaelite paintings, a hidden walled garden, the Dragon cycle trail or wild play in the West Wood – look out for red squirrels.
CASTLES TO EXPLORE
10% off admission at Raby Castle, Park and Gardens, Staindrop, County Durham
Bus: 85, 873, 6, 84A
Soak up rolling hills on route 85 from Barnard Castle. Built by the Nevilles in the 14th century, Raby is one of England’s most impressive intact castles, with superb collections, remodelled gardens, woodland play or food sourced from the estate itself.
20% off entry at Warkworth Castle, Northumberland
Buses: X20 or X18
Bus X20 runs from Alnwick or Alnmouth (hop off at Beal Bank Top); the X18 runs daily. Explore the Percy family’s fortress-palace via five sculpture trails, the Great Tower audio tour or a riverside walk to the rock-cut Hermitage.
10% off entry at Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland
Bus: X18
Bus X18 from Berwick-upon-Tweed stops at the Lord Crewe Hotel, a 10-minute stroll from the castle. Perched on a 150-foot basalt crag above the North Sea, it’s the real-life inspiration for Bebbanburg in Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom.
20% off entry at Dunstanburgh Castle, Craster, Northumberland
Bus: X18
Hop off the X18 at Craster Harbour, then enjoy a gorgeous 25-minute seafront walk to this 14th-century fortress – the county’s largest castle, on a remote headland accessible only on foot.
20% off entry at Tynemouth Priory and Castle, North Tyneside
Bus: 301, 306
Get 20% off your walk-up ticket when you travel by bus. Enter via the 14th-century gatehouse, seek out the tiny Percy Chantry chapel or head down into the wartime underground gun batteries.
25% off admission at Hexham Old Gaol, Northumberland
Bus: Tyne Valley 10, 74, 680, 682, 685, AD122
OK, not a castle – but England’s earliest purpose-built prison, dating to 1333. Try the stocks (if you dare) or step into the footsteps of medieval criminals.
TOURS AROUND THE TOON
2-for-1 entry at Newcastle True Crime Tour, Newcastle
Buses: 30, 31, 10 or 11
Shiver at sites of true-life gory stories – expect witchcraft, body-snatching or former prisons or hanging spots.
20% off the Newcastle United Stadium Tour, Newcastle
Buses: 685, 684 Tynedale Links or X82
Buses stop right outside St James’ Park, home of the Toon since 1892. Go behind the scenes through the tunnel, dressing room or Media Suite.
20% off entry at Life Science Centre, Newcastle
Buses: 30, 31 or 1
Use code TRAVEL20 online or get the discount on arrival. Visit the Space Zone, the domed Planetarium, the Play Zone or the hands-on Making Studios – all included in your ticket.
£2 discount at Tynemouth Aquarium, North Tyneside
Bus: 306, 301, 333
Adventure through tropical jungles or the world-class Seal Cove or River Giants exhibits, with daily talks or feeds.
MUSEUMS FOR HISTORY LOVERS
10% off in the shop at Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort, South Tyneside
Buses: 18 or X20
Free entry, with buses a 10-15 minute walk away. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has the finest Roman reconstructions in Britain. Open end of March to September.
2-for-1 entry at The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham
Buses: 873, X75 or X76
Present your bus ticket at the welcome desk for 2-for-1 admission to this spectacular French château-style gallery, founded in 1892 and famed for world-class European art.
25% off entry at Beamish, The Living Museum of the North, County Durham
Bus: 28, 8, 29, 874
Just show your bus ticket on arrival. Experience the sights, sounds or smells of the North East in the 1820s, 1900s, 1940s or 1950s across 400 acres – and your Unlimited Pass means free return visits for a year.
10% off in the museum café at Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle
Buses: 49, 45, 357, X47 or X88
Museum entry is free anyway. Journey through 350 million years of evolution, from the pretty to the poisonous or the terrifying to the tiny.
10% off heritage train rides at Stephenson Steam Railway, North Shields
Buses: 19, 22, 307, 306 or 308
Ride the two-mile industrial railway in 1950s British Railways carriages and discover George and Robert Stephenson’s locomotive legacy.
25% off entry at Segedunum Roman Fort, Wallsend
Buses: 12, 22, 317, 341 or 653
A five-minute walk from the bus stops, Segedunum marks the start of the Hadrian’s Wall Path, with a 100-foot viewing tower or reconstructed Wall section. Free for under-22s.
10% off in the shop at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, South Tyneside
Buses: X20 or 18
A five-minute walk from the stops, telling South Tyneside’s social, industrial or maritime story from 4,000 years ago to today.
10% off the museum café at Discovery Museum, Newcastle
Buses: 1, 30 or 31
Free entry anyway. Come face to face with Turbinia – once the fastest ship in the world – or journey through Newcastle Story, from Roman times onwards.
£1 off entry at North East Land, Sea and Air Museum, Sunderland
Buses: 599, Cityrider 56 or 50
£1 off with a valid bus ticket. Explore historic aircraft including a Cold War Avro Vulcan B2 Bomber, or stroll the WW2 home front street.
25% off entry tickets at Woodhorn Museum, Ashington, Northumberland
Buses: 1, X20, X21 or X22
Set in historic colliery buildings, Woodhorn celebrates Northumberland’s mining heritage through powerful machinery, miners’ banners or the iconic Ashington Group Collection.
ART OR CULTURAL DAYS OUT
10% off the Baltic Shop at Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead
Buses: 53 Voltra, 21 Angel, 29, 22, 56 Cityrider or 57
Free entry, 20 minutes from Newcastle Central, with buses stopping outside. No permanent collection means art you’ve never seen before – plus viewing decks, a café or rooftop restaurant on the Quayside.
25% off exhibition tickets at the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle
Buses: 35, 10, 11, 30, 31, 62, 12, 39, 40 or 63
25% off temporary exhibition tickets in venue. Don’t miss works by Gauguin, Burne-Jones or Holman Hunt’s Pre-Raphaelite masterpiece Isabella and the Pot of Basil.
10% off the gallery shop at Hatton Gallery, Newcastle
Buses: 1, 31, 30, 10 or 11
A cultural cornerstone since the early 20th century, home to Kurt Schwitters’ Merz Barn Wall – built into the fabric of the building since 1965.
10% off in the gallery shop at Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead
Buses: 22, 28B, 29, 51, X1, X21, 21 or 52
Bus 21 stops two minutes’ walk away; bus 52 stops directly outside. Five gallery spaces host changing exhibitions, talks, concerts or craft fairs.
DISCOUNTED DINING DESTINATION
15% off at Trenchers Restaurant, Spanish City, Whitley Bay
Buses: 308 or 309
A local landmark beneath the famous Spanish City Dome, serving multi-award-winning fish and chips, with live music on Wednesday, Friday or Saturday evenings.
SAVE ON WELLNESS
Get 25% off Turkish Baths and Hammam and 15% off Treatments* at The City Baths, Newcastle
Buses: 38, 307, 308 or 309
Newcastle City Baths is a beautifully restored Edwardian swimming complex in the heart of the city, originally opened in 1928 and recently brought back to life as a stunning leisure and wellness destination. With its grand Victorian architecture, gleaming pool, and spa facilities, it’s one of Newcastle’s most atmospheric places to swim and relax.
Turkish Baths Sessions (Mon-Fri): 12:00, 15:00, 17:30 | (Sat-Sun): 08:00, 10:30, 13:00
Treatments and Hammams are available anytime during core spa opening hours, but are subject to availability. Please check availability prior to visiting, especially on weekends by phoning 0191 261 7207.
*Get 25% off Turkish Baths and Hammam and 15% off Treatments on Mon-Fri, or 15% off Turkish Baths and 10% off Treatments on Sat-Sun. Must be 16+.
Rachael Ellis
Head of Content
After gaining a first in her BA Media and Journalism degree at Northumbria University, Rachael worked at Newcastle’s leading regional newspaper with her stories being picked up in national and global newspapers. She spent two very successful years giving a voice to those communities across the North East who otherwise…
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