Where can you find ancient city walls and an historic castle, lively waterfront bars and quayside galleries, superb restaurants and cafes, world famous venues and public art? NewcastleGateshead has all this and then some, thanks to an eclectic programme of festivals and events for 2009 promising entertainment for everyone, and at fantastic family-friendly prices.

Just under three hours by train from London’s Kings Cross, boasting its own international airport linked by the fast Metro service, and easily accessed from the Midlands, the North West and Scotland, this North East gem is simply too good to miss. Newcastle on the north bank of the River Tyne and Gateshead on the south bank have together become a single, spectacular visitor destination that fuses contemporary living with deeply historic roots. This fascinating mix could see you soaking up the River Tyne’s history on a Quay to Sea cruise by day, and catching the Arctic Monkeys at the Metro Radio Arena by night.

The area is renowned for its excellent shopping, vibrant nightlife and iconic attractions from Antony Gormley‘s welcoming steel giant The Angel of the North, to the dazzling Gateshead Millennium Bridge - the world’s first and only tilting bridge.

Landscape and Heritage is the over-riding theme for the 2009 cultural programme of festivals and events, inspired by the region’s landmark galleries and arts venues such as BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art on Gateshead Quays, the Grade I listed Theatre Royal in Newcastle, and Tyneside Cinema which dates from 1937 and is considered the finest surviving news reel cinema in Britain.

Throughout May - and in line with the Landscape and Heritage theme - celebrations of nearby Hadrian’s Wall will be taking place under the banner of “The Living Frontier”. Re-enactments, marches and art installations along the wall will bring the dramatic frontier story to life. Then during November, the Northumberland Lights event in collaboration with Cumbrian artists and historians will see the entire 73 mile route of Hadrian’s Wall illuminated for the first time.

Back in Newcastle itself, the May opening of the Great North Museum following a £26 million redevelopment promises great celebrations and fascinating new installations such as an interactive model of Hadrian’s Wall and a life-size T Rex skeleton model - perfect for family entertainment, and again, reflecting the rich local heritage.

Hosting music festivals has become a British specialism, and the North East will be upping the ante this year. For fans of emerging bands and dance music, the Evolution Weekender on Sunday 24 and Bank Holiday Monday 25 May is a gift. It will feature Dizzee Rascal, The Wombats and The Human League among others at stages on Spillers Quay on Newcastle Quayside and Baltic Square on Gateshead Quays.

And if you’re interested in food - from provenance to preparation to palate-pleasing - the EAT! NewcastleGateshead festival of food and drink, running from Saturday 2 to Sunday 17 May, will appeal. Learn about local produce, see culinary talent at work and visit the Food Heroes Tasting Market. Would you have room for “Dinner in the Sky” suspended from a crane 50m in the air? The idea is to take in the view that diners at the built, but never opened, restaurant on the roof of a 1960s multi-storey car park would have had. The location was made famous instead by the cult Tyneside-set movie Get Carter.

Other exciting events in NewcastleGateshead include a programme of informative walking tours to celebrate the city. The annual British Wheelchair Racing Championships will be held at the Gateshead International Stadium on Sunday 3 May , and the South Tyneside Summer Festival is an extravaganza of family fun running throughout June, July and August and featuring many free events from children’s entertainment and brass bands to big name stars from the world of rock and pop.

Culture vultures will be amazed at the choice of plays, comedy, classical music and art exhibitions on offer here in the coming months. From Swedish jazz trio Plunge playing Tyneside as part of their first ever UK tour in May, to the Northern Sinfonia playing Bach at The Sage Gateshead in June, all musical persuasions are catered for. A special late opening initiative - The Late Shows - on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 May will give visitors the chance to enjoy venues, galleries, NUFC and museums late into the night. It could be the perfect way to catch some cabaret, poetry or a film screening after a day of exploring the city.

Many visitors to NewcastleGateshead fall in love with the beautiful Georgian quarter known as Grainger Town, with its listed buildings and classical streets designed by Richard Grainger in the 1830s and 1840s. Here you’ll find historic Grainger Market - housing greengrocers, butchers and fishmongers - that will give you a real sense of a bygone era. And once you’ve stepped back in time, why not enjoy some modern-day shopping? Try the chic boutiques of Jesmond - a leafy suburb of Newcastle - or the enormous MetroCentre Gateshead, famed for being Europe’s largest indoor shopping and leisure centre.

So if you’re cutting back on expensive flights abroad and don’t want to be affected by gut-wrenching exchange rates, NewcastleGateshead could be just the alternative destination you’re looking for. Book your city break today, and prepare to feast on the many delights of the North East.