The town with its cobbled market place and main street is a warren of narrow alleyways and streets dating back to medieval times. The town centre has some lovely old, well preserved buildings containing a fine selection of shops and eating places.

It is an excellent centre in which to base your holiday in the area, offering a good range of quality accommodation, and its proximity to the heritage coast and the Cheviot Hills is advantageous. It has a multitude of eating places, pubs, hotels, restaurants and bistros, and if you fancy some light entertainment it even has a cinema and theatre. Sports facilities are also well catered for with its brand new leisure centre, or if you prefer outdoor pursuits such as angling, river and sea fishing.

On the edge of the town is Alnwick castle, which is well worth a visit. It is one of Europes finest majestic and it has a packed daily events programme, fine art treasures, wonderful architecture and childrens activities. It is one of the most stunning castles in Europe. It is the second largest inhabited castle in England and has been home of the Percys, Earls and Dukes of Northumberland since 1309. It was used as hog warts school in the Harry Potter films.

The Alnwick Garden is one of the most exciting contemporary gardens to be developed in the last century, a magical landscape created from a unique idea.

It was officially opened in October 2002 by its patron The Prince of Wales, as the first phase of development was complete. The Garden is now halfway to completion and features spectacular water displays, wonderful gardens and one of the largest tree houses in the world. In winter the structure is evident and visitors are able to see the bones of the Garden, while in summer it provides the backdrop for exuberant flower displays. The vision is being taken forward by The Alnwick Garden Trust who continue to fundraise to complete the Garden by 2008.

The Garden is contributing to the regeneration of a rural community as tourism takes on a new level of importance, and as well as being a meeting place for local people provides an opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to experience the arts, enjoy learning new skills and get outdoors for activity or relaxation.