Durham is an historic and elegant choice for a mini-break but it’s also a goldmine for sightseeing, and a great base for walkers and hikers. With this variety of appeal, we needed a good blend of accommodation to recommend on our list of the best places to stay in Durham. Our Gurus have discovered a couple of romantic townhouse conversions, a family-friendly country house hotel on the outskirts of town, and a lively hotel conversion that started life as the redbrick County Offices.

Some of our Gurus’ recommendations for the best places to stay in Durham are close enough to walking routes as to be ideal for walkers and hikers — the town is just a short drive from the North York Moors National Park, the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

If you’re here to sightsee, Durham's UNESCO Heritage Listed Old Town is the place to start with its 600+ listed buildings. The Anglo-Norman cathedral will probably top your list, built in the Romanesque style with England's first stone-rib vaulted roof. The alternate list topper might be Durham Castle, built in the 11th century, and now updated to accommodate Durham University. Crook Hall, Kingsgate and Elven Bridge are further highlights.

Contemporary Durham is probably best known was a university town which means there’s a great atmosphere in the cafes, bars and restaurants, and an excellent choice for all tastes and budgets, ranging from simple to Michelin-starred.

Don't forget that if you're planning to visit the town during graduation season, or peak University dates, the best places to stay in Durham fill up very fast. So do your research and book well ahead!

The Best Places to Stay in Durham

For a City Break

• Converted from the magnificent redbrick building designed in the Victorian era to be the County Offices, the Hotel Indigo is an impressive sight, inside and out. The spacious interiors hold 83 rooms and suites, plus the vast Marco Pierre White Steakhouse restaurant — which occupies the former council chambers — and a cafe, bar and spa. The decor is striking, but very contemporary with clean lines and bold colours, but not too many frills or flourishes. Ten minutes stroll from Durham cathedral.

For Romantics

• The Town House has been converted from an elegant, Grade II Listed, Georgian townhouse in the heart of Durham. It now has 11 rooms and suites, all individually designed with luxury and cosseting in mind — expect velvet drapes, damask, chandeliers, gilt and oil paintings. Some rooms border on opulent, and anyone looking for romance will like the French boudoir style, intimate dining room and cocktail bar, and the outdoor hot tubs. Romantic, and close to everything.
• Forty Winks is another romantic offering in Durham, a flamboyantly and eccentrically furnished guest house on South Street, with enviable views of the city’s cathedral and castle. The eight rooms and suites range in style, from opulent at one end, through grand, to classically luxurious at the other. An impressive breakfast is cooked to order. Not for minimalists!

For Families

• Ramside Hall Hotel is a large, family-friendly, resort-hotel, converted from a country house in beautiful grounds. It’s got 130 rooms and suites, which means the range rooms is excellent, and the list of facilities long — with two championship golf courses in the grounds, plus a swish Espa spa and impressive leisure centre with indoor and outdoor pools, and a choice of three restaurants. The rooms are in a patchwork of styles as well as sizes, with the largest featuring things like cinema-sized TV screens and free-standing baths. And it’s just minutes from the A1.

Prefer a Private Apartment or Cottage?

• If you'd prefer the privacy of a self-catering option then browse through the wide variety available online with our partner, Booking.com.

Travel Information

• The closest airport to Durham is Teesside International Airport, which is just outside Darlington, about half an hour away from Durham by car or taxi. Newcastle International Airport is next closest, also around half an hour away by car or taxi. If you’re travelling by train via London you’ll need to leave from Kings Cross, from where you can catch a direct train to Durham with a journey time of just under three hours.
• If you want to hire a car we recommend you visit our online partner, Rentalcars.
• Durham isn’t known for extreme temperatures, it’s warm, rather than hot in the summer, and cold rather than freezing during the winter. There’s a smattering of rain all year round. If you’re planning to do a lot outside, then spring and summer are the obvious times to visit, with lighter days, milder temperatures and wildflowers. If you’re planning to do a lot indoors there’s good reasons to visit during autumn and winter too, with a calendar of festivities that packs plenty into the cooler months — including Durham’s Christmas Market.

Still not sure where to stay?

• Expand your search to include all the best places to stay in County Durham
• Refine your search by the kind of accommodation you’re looking for like the best pubs-with-rooms in Country Durham or the best pubs-with-rooms in Northumberland
• Consider some of Durham’s neighbours Chester-le-Street, Darlington or Bishop Auckland
• Or you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.