Arriving in Newcastle by train must rank as one of the most dramatic introductions to a British city. As you cross high above the Tyne there is the famous run of bridges spanning the river – among them the iconic Tyne Bridge, historic Swing and High Level Bridges and the newer kid on the block, Gateshead Millennium Bridge.

On the Gateshead side of the river sits the attention-grabbing Norman Foster-designed Sage Gateshead and the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, housed in a converted flour mill.

On the Newcastle side, the city is steeply stacked up behind the Quayside leading up to the home of Newcastle United, St James’ Park, at its summit. It's a view capable of provoking a swell of pride in returning Geordies and gasps of admiration from visitors.

Paul Jones, director of Northumbria University’s architecture programme, agrees it is a unique landscape. He recalls how a visiting lecturer once described it as having a Gormenghast quality, referring to the fantasy world created by novelist Mervyn Peake.

“Newcastle is a place which is a surprise to a lot of people who come here,” he says. As a consequence of Tyneside’s distance from other big conurbations, he believes it has developed its own identity.

More than 2,000 years of history are represented in Newcastle city centre, a timescale reflected in the wide range of architectural styles. And while it's the big-hitters of the Newcastle and its neighbouring town Gateshead’s Quaysides that steal much of the attention, they are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of architectural gems to be enjoyed.

Jones added: “You have got all these big overt statements like the BALTIC and Sage but then you stumble across things that can be far more interesting. The proof of a city is in its hidden landscape rather than the visual. There are buildings you need to hunt out and are not necessarily places you are directed to. It's the hidden gems that even people who live here might not engage with.”

Among his highlights are the timber-framed houses on Sandhill, just behind the Newcastle Quayside, including Bessie Surtees’ House and The Cooperage. The quality of the architecture, he says, is outstanding. Trinity House, on Broad Chare, lies slightly off the beaten track of the Quayside but the home of a historic maritime organisation is worth a look. Up into Newcastle city centre, there is plenty to enjoy around the Grainger Town area.

Jones points out the difference in the approaches of Newcastle and neighbouring Gateshead to architecture in the 1990s. Gateshead’s was all about creating icons like the Millennium Bridge and the Sage while in Newcastle there was a lot of investment in the historic fabric.

Much of that was around Grainger Town, where among the highlights is Grey Street, which was named Britain’s finest street in a poll for Radio 4’s Today programme in 2002.

The Grainger Market is still packed with operating stalls, and tucked away off the top of Grey Street is the beautifully tiled Edwardian Central Arcade. Similar Burmantoft tiles can be found in The Centurion bar, attached to Newcastle Central Station, which, unforgivably, were hidden under paint for many years.

Opposite Central Arcade, down a narrow passageway, the Tyneside Cinema can be found. The art deco cinema reopened in 2008 following an extensive makeover, which involved the restoration of many of the building’s original features such as mosaics and ceiling decorations.

Other hidden gems which need to be hunted out are the former Joicey Museum, now signposted as the Holy Jesus Hospital, which is a piece of Jacobean architecture, and Blackfriars, a restored 13th century Dominican friary. What remains of Newcastle’s Medieval City Walls, the Castle Keep, St Nicholas Cathedral, and the Ouseburn Valley are worth adding to the list too.

For real architecture connoisseurs, it might be worth a trip slightly out of the centre to see the Byker Wall. The housing estate was designed by Ralph Erskine and in 2007 was granted Grade II listed status.

The so-called Get Carter car park at Trinity Square and Dunston Rocket flats, both in Gateshead, are examples of Brutalist architecture. The buildings were designed by Owen Luder and strongly polarise opinion. One thing they do hold in common is that both are due to be demolished.

The centre of Tyneside is relatively compact and one of the best ways of discovering it is on foot. With that in mind the NewcastleGateshead Initiative, the marketing agency for the area, has put together a series of walks designed to help visitors find their way around and discover many of the sights.

There are a series of guided walks offered throughout the year, while on its website are downloadable maps and audio guides, which take visitors around many of the architectural highlights.

www.visitnewcastlegateshead.com