It´s not all lads and lasses 'oot on the toon', since Newcastle's recent makeover. All the charm, humour and hospitality are still there in spades and, in addition, a load of great culture too. The sun might not always be shining and that east wind can be fierce but the people and places of Newcastle will soon warm you up.

How to get there
British Airways operate a number of scheduled services from London, meanwhile Easyjet offer a number of cheap flights to Newcastle from London Stansted, as well as from regional airports Bristol and Belfast. A cheap flight to Newcastle may also be available, however, through Flybe who fly to and from Cardiff, Exeter and Belfast City.

When to go
Though the north isn't as grim as proverb would have it, it is undoubtedly chillier than southern Britain (in itself not renowned for its heat!), so temperature is unlikely to be the deciding factor in when to fly to Newcastle.

The city is extremely popular for stag and hen weekends, which can push up the price of a flight to Newcastle considerably on Friday (especially afternoon flights), and, for the same reason, return flights on a Sunday can also be less economical. If a pre-wedding send-off is the reason for your visit, book early for the best deals, before the other stags and hens get all the cheap flights to Newcastle, and if it's not, try and go mid-week. Of course when the flights are busy you'll also have to look harder to get a cheap hotel deal. Students flock to Newcastle's excellent university from all over the country, too, so beware the ends of their terms (usually a week before Easter, a week before Christmas and at the end of June), when demand may be higher for Newcastle flights.

What to do
There are few better ways to begin your visit than by walking across the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, to witness the city's recent improvements and cultural additions. The Quayside is the slickest, trendiest part of town with some good places to eat. Jesmond is also a new hip hang-out and home to chef Terence Laybourne´s latest venture, Jesmond Dene House: a cool country house with a friendly vibe. Secco Ristorante Salentino (serving the delights of Puglia) and Malmaison Brasserie (French cuisine amongst the slick and slinky leather and brick) are other eateries to look out for.

The Sage Gateshead - designed by Norman Foster and known locally as 'the slug' because of its shape - is worth visiting not only for the performances it shows but also the for the space itself. And if its beaches you're after (yes, beaches - perhaps not what you'd expect from a flight to Newcastle), head for Tynemouth Long sands, a half-mile stretch of golden sands. And if you need to get around perhaps some cheap car hire in Newcastle?