Travel

The Centre for Life is a five-minute walk from Central Station in Newcastle upon Tyne: Life Conference and Banqueting, International Centre for Life, Times Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4EP.

Telephone: (0191) 243 8216 or (0191) 243 8284.

http://www.lifeconferencing.org.uk/

 

Travel

Car

Parking at the Centre for Life is free for conference participants in the Times Square car park. Please collect a ticket on your way in which must be validated by staff at the Centre for Life (see Reception) before returning to the car park. The attendant will be able to exchange your validated ticket for an exit token. It takes about 7 minutes to walk to and from the Times Square car park.  

Bus

All hotels (except the Sandman Signature) are served by the Q1 and Q2 yellow Quaylink busses which run every ten minutes during the day and every 20 minutes off-peak. Q1 starts outside Central Station, travels down Dean Street, and goes south of the river Tyne, serving the Hilton Hotel, Jury’s Inn Quayside and Ramada Hotel. Q2 starts at Haymarket, travels down Grey Street/Dean Street, and stays north of the river going down to St Peter’s Basin (serving Malmaison, bars and restaurants on the Quayside). An all-day fare covering both services is currently £2.10. Routes and times are available in pdf format. 

Other bus services are covered by Arriva, Go Northeast, Nexus and Stagecoach.  

National Express busses arrive into the city at the North end of Stowell Street (near the Sandman Signature hotel a 10-15 minute walk from the venue).    

Taxis

Taxis are available from outside Central Station and other major venues such as the airport. Please approach the first taxi in the queue as they operate a strict pattern for picking up passengers, and do not like to be flagged down! Noda black cabs can be ordered by calling +44 (0) 191 2225111. Cheaper minicabs such as Blueline (+44 (0) 262 6666) or LA Taxis (+44 (0) 287 777 7777) are available to book by telephone but may take longer to arrive – always ask for an estimate of how far away they are. Airport taxis (+44 (0) 191 214 6969) are expensive but conveniently located directly outside the airport. All companies will text your mobile when your pre-booked car is arriving.  

Metro

Newcastle is served by a small metro service operated by Nexus which links the airport with Central Station, the coast and Whitley Bay, South Shields and Sunderland. Ticket prices vary a zone map (with a list of stations) is available. Press ‘A+B+C’ on the ticket machine for a £3.20 single ticket between the airport and any of the stations in town. The journey takes approximately 20 minutes and is a very reliable way of travelling in the city. All day tickets (£4.30) and off-peak tickets (cheaper after 9:30) are also available, the ticket machine will automatically calculate the most cost-effective rate depending on the type of ticket you want. You do not need to ‘swipe’ single/day tickets (the swipe machines are for month/year passes).  

Train

Newcastle is served by Cross Country, EastCoast and Transpennine trains. Services run regularly from Birmingham, Edinburgh, London, Manchester and York (to name a few). Ticket prices vary enormously depending on how early you book, what time you need to travel (peak vs off peak) and whether your ticket is flexible or inflexible. Standard class tickets from London cost from £301 for a flexible fare down to ~£55.00 for an inflexible, early bird off peak fare. EastCoast or TheTrainLine provide booking services covering multiple train companies.

Flights/airport

Newcastle airport is located to the North West of the city, 15-20 minutes by car from the conference venue (see also metro above), costing about £18.00 in an airport taxi. It is served by major airlines such as: 

One of the easiest ways to check flights in and out of the airport is to consult the arrivals or departure boards (noting that some flights do not take place daily).  

Ferry

DFDS Seaways connects Newcastle with Denmark, France and the Netherlands.