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Durham Castle
Attractions in Durham

In Durham, Durham Castle is the name to know

Durham and its surroundings hold 3 castles, 3 museums and 3 theme parks. 6 places to visit are mapped inside Durham’s built-up area, with 8 more within 5 km of its edge. Oriental Museum sees about 19K visitors a year. On the list, 2 places are looked after: 1 by the National Trust and 1 by English Heritage. Beyond the town, Beamish Museum sits 13 km away.

Photo: Durham Castle, Carla Brain (CC BY-SA 2.0)
In Durham
6
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
8
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
3
in or near town
Castles & historic places
5
in or near town
Cared for
2
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

What Durham is known for

The rest of the best known are 2 museums, a cathedral and a garden.

CastleDurham Castlein townCathedralDurham Cathedralin townMuseumOriental Museumin town · 19K visitors a yearGardenDurham University Botanic Gardenin townMuseumDurham Museumin townAttractionAttraction · National TrustCrook Hall Gardensin town

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

The lie of the land

Holmside Park, 8.4 km away, is the farthest on the map.

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The dashed line is Durham’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022

By kind

How the list breaks down

Castles or historic places are the biggest group (5), then museums or galleries (3).

Museums & galleries 3 museums2 in town · 1 nearby
Castles & historic places 3 castles · 1 cathedral · 1 abbey or priory2 in town · 3 nearby
Gardens & estates 1 garden1 in town
Zoos, theme parks & days out 3 theme parks0 in town · 3 nearby
Other attractions 2 attractions1 in town · 1 nearby

Green: inside Durham. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

2 places are cared for: 1 by the National Trust and 1 by English Heritage (Crook Hall Gardens and Finchale Priory).

Every place

Everything on the list

First the 6 in town, then the 8 within 5 km of its edge.

The 6 inside Durham come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

447 listed buildings and 6 scheduled monuments are on Durham’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Durham →

Big names nearby

Bigger names, a drive away

The standout of the 12 is Beamish Museum, 13 km from town.

MuseumBeamish Museum13 km northwest · 350K visitors a yearAbbey or priory · English HeritageMonkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey19 km northeastMuseumTurbinia21 km northCathedralNewcastle Cathedral21 km northMuseumLocomotion - The National Railway Museum at Shildon18 km south · 94K visitors a yearHistoric house · English HeritageAuckland Castle14 km southwestCastleNewcastle upon Tyne Castle21 km northBig drawMuseumGreat North Museum: Hancock22 km north · 638K visitors a yearCathedralSt Mary's Cathedral21 km northCastleLambton Castle9.9 km northCastleRaby Castle26 km southwestMuseumArbeia Roman Fort Museum26 km north

Places well known beyond Durham (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Common questions about Durham

What are the main attractions in Durham?

The best known inside Durham’s built-up area are Durham Castle, Durham Cathedral, Oriental Museum and Durham University Botanic Garden. In all, 6 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 8 more within 5 km.

Does Durham have a museum?

3 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Durham: Oriental Museum, Durham Museum and The Story.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Durham?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Durham, 2 places are cared for: 1 by the National Trust and 1 by English Heritage (Crook Hall Gardens and Finchale Priory).

What are the best-known days out near Durham?

Within 40 km: Beamish Museum (13 km), Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey (19 km), Turbinia (21 km), Newcastle Cathedral (21 km).

Where are Durham’s historic buildings listed?

Durham has 447 listed buildings, 40 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Durham when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (21)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.