Compare Newcastle car hire

If you're arriving in Newcastle by air, you'll land at Newcastle International Airport (NCL), 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometres) northwest of the city centre. You can pick up a rental vehicle here to take you into the city and beyond.

Once you have collected your hire car, it's a straightforward 10-minute drive into Newcastle. Join the A696 southbound at the roundabout outside the airport terminal and head south west, continuing straight on the A167 after crossing the A1. You'll pass the golf club and Town Moor on your left as you approach the city centre.

Rental offices for the various hire car companies can be found on the ground floor of the main terminal, opposite domestic arrivals. You can collect your vehicle from outside the airport building. Compare Newcastle car hire rates online before you travel to find the cheapest deals.

Companies with a car hire desk at Newcastle International Airport include:

• Europcar (Tel: +44871 384 3411)
• Hertz (Tel: +44843 309 3051)
• Avis (Tel: +44344 544 6022)
• Budget (Tel: +44844 544 4663)
• InterRent (Tel: +44371 384 3411)
• Enterprise (Tel: +44191 271 1045)
• Alamo (Tel: +44191 271 1045)
• National (Tel: +44191 271 1045)

There's plenty to admire about central Newcastle, with its grand neo-classical architecture, castle ruins and imposing public monuments. And you may get to enjoy it for a little longer than expected – that is if you get stuck in one of the city’s traffic jams.

Although the busy M1 skirts around Newcastle, and the A167 Central Motorway funnels traffic away from the commercial hub, this is one of the UK's more congested cities. Bottlenecks at the Tyne Bridge and Tyne Tunnel in Wallsend are best avoided, particularly as you need to hand over a toll fare at the latter.

Large swathes of the city centre have been pedestrianised – the area around Grey's Monument and Central Arcade included – and plans are afoot to further restrict vehicle access. It's best to save your petrol for trips out to rural Northumberland, the north-east coast and historic Durham.

Still, if you're brave – and patient – you can find your way around Newcastle; the roads are well-signposted and there are more than 50 car parks where you can leave your car. Pay-and-display rates apply during the day, as you'd expect, but the council-operated car parks are free to use after 5pm.

Park and Ride services are available at 11 Metro stations surrounding the city centre, and by bus from Newcastle Great Park.

Durham

Driving time: 30 minutes

You can't fail to be impressed by the sight of Durham Cathedral, soaring into the sky from its rocky ledge high above the city rooftops. This hilly university city is the north's answer to Oxford and Cambridge, and more than a match in terms of its grandiose architecture.

Wandering the steep, cobbled streets of the old town you'll come across 600 listed structures, including Durham Castle, the Town Hall and Elvet Bridge. There are natural attractions too, including a 25-acre, wooded botanical garden and a 3-mile (4.8-kilometre) circular walk along the banks of the River Wear.

Lindisfarne

Driving time: One hour 20 minutes

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne, an important centre of early Christianity, has been a place of pilgrimage for almost 1,500 years. Tens of thousands of people follow in the pilgrims' footsteps each year, crossing the famous causeway to discover a peaceful lost world.

Situated just off the Northumberland coast, Holy Island is home to the priory ruins, a castle with gardens, and plenty of wildlife too. Wading birds, wildfowl, geese and grey seals are frequent visitors to the mudflats and saltmarshes, which disappear into the North Sea with each high tide.

Hadrian's Wall and Northumberland National Park

Driving time: One hour

As you make your way north east towards Northumberland National Park, call in at Housesteads Roman Fort on the way. This is one of the best-preserved sections of Hadrian's Wall, a (73-mile) 117-kilometre fortification that marked the northernmost point of the province of Britannia.

After lunch, stop in historic Hexham, or head north into the hilly, forested reserve, where Kielder Water, the castles of Etal and Thirlwall, and The Cheviot mountains lie in wait. If you're eager to stretch your legs, you can brave a northern section of the windswept Pennine Way.

Fair fuel policy

A fair fuel policy (also known as full-to-full or same-to-same) means you’ll only pay for the fuel you use. All car rental deals compared on TravelSupermarket come with a fair fuel policy, so you can book your hire car safe in the knowledge there will be no nasty surprises at drop-off. More information on TravelSupermarket’s commitment to fair fuel policies can be found here.

No hidden fees

All rental deals compared on TravelSupermarket include mandatory fees (for example, one-way and young driver surcharges) in your rental quote at the time of booking, meaning you’ll know the full price of your car hire upfront.