Visitor information

Darlington is a town full of history and culture. If you are visiting us, this page contains lots of useful information to help you make the most out of your trip!

Weather in Darlington [external link]

Events

Darlington has a full programme of events, to find out more please visit our events pages.

History

Piercebridge Roman Fort was built in around 270AD and is free to view. Parking is kindly provided by The George Hotel, which is based nearby.

St. Cuthbert's Church [external link] dates from 1180 and is based in the Town Centre opposite the Town Hall.

Tees Cottage Pumping Station [external link] A Victorian waterworks which began supplying water to Darlington in 1849.

Pictures taken by Peter Giroux

Heritage Open Days take place nationally in September - visit our events section to find out who is taking part and how to book.

Hopetown Darlington

Hopetown Darlington [external link] is is located on the 1825 route of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, the world's first steam-worked public railway.

The attraction includes;

• North Road Station Museum
• exhibitions
• festivals and events all year round in the Carriage Works (a railway themed café and shop)
• the Wagon Woods railway-themed outdoor adventure play park
• 'Experiment' the railway-themed time travel immersive experience ride
• you can also view live engineering in action at Darlington Locomotive Works.

Admission is free. Some exhibitions, events and activities carry a separate charge. Booking is recommended.

Locomotion no.1 at the Head of Steam

Picture taken by Peter Giroux

Town Centre

Darlington Town Centre is a blend of the old and the new, with many independent shops complementing well-know high street retailers.

Darlington has an excellent reputation as a market town. An open market is held twice a week. The Summer Spectacular and Christingle Markets are huge events, with entertainment, arts and craft stalls and a wide range of food stalls. The covered market is open Monday to Saturday, all year.

There is plenty of off and on road car parking in the Town Centre, with parking only costing £1 for the whole day on Sundays.

A town centre tourist guide has been produced, showing visitors exactly what Darlington has to offer.

Arts and entertainment

Darlington Hippodrome [external link] has something for everyone - from musicals to drama - not forgetting the popular Pantomime season! It opened its doors in 1907 and has attracted such names as Anna Pavlova, Tommy Cooper and Dame Vera Lynn. A major refurbishment and rebrand started in 2016 and is expected to be completed later this year.

The Forum [external link] is home to a number of gigs as well as a weekly film club and cafe bar.

Darlington for Culture [external link] provides more information about the programme of activities available in Darlington.

There are many examples of public art [external link] in Darlington - the most iconic being David Mach's brick Train which is based at Morton Park (near Morrisons). The Resurgence sculpture at the front of the Town Hall celebrates Darlington's engineering history.

Crown Street Gallery is based at Crown Street Library and champions innovative and exciting new artwork by local and regional artists, community groups and young people.

Darlington has two libraries - Crown Street and Cockerton. Membership is open to everyone and is free of charge, and both libraries provide events for both children and adults.

Croft Circuit [external link] hosts prestigious motorsports event such as British Touring Cars and club level racing.

Sports and Leisure

The Dolphin Centre contains a swimming pool, gym and hosts several fitness classes - including the ever-popular Zumba! There is also a bistro with a pavement cafe where you can relax with a drink and some food and watch the world go by.

Picture by Scott Akoz

Picture by Scott Akoz

Eastbourne Sports Complex has a gym, climbing wall and eight lane athletic track

Our Health Darlington pages contain a comprehensive list of all the sport classes happening in Darlington - where there is something for everyone regardless of age or fitness levels. Just search for what interests you.

Parks and rights of way

Darlington has several green spaces and parks. Come visit the Victorian splendour of South Park or the recently developed West Park.

Darlington's Rights of way network covers 216 miles. The popular Teesdale Way passes through Darlington.