Baltic

I’m not much of a modern art aficionado, so Baltic went over my head for the most part. I’m a big Bill Murray fan, so I happily took a look at a photo exhibition about him. Even that was too unusual for me to understand though.
What’s good about Baltic is the price (free) and the excellent views over Newcastle and Gateshead from the viewing galleries on the upper floors. The photo ops over the river make this a place worth visiting. I also love the idea of keeping old industrial buildings such as this one and using them for new activities. It’s a great way to connect the region’s history with its present and future.

While I’m a great lover of the arts, 21^st century pretentiousness turns me off in a big way. And if you want your prejudices against contemporary art see confirmed, there’s certainly no better place to visit than Newcastle’s Baltic Centre. The reason it does earn three stars is the fact that you are allowed to take photos of the atrocities that are being presented there. And the interesting area it’s located in, with three magnificent bridges nearby.
The place itself is, basically, a whole lot of building that incorporates a whole lot of nothing. It’s five floors, but don’t let that fool you. These are all temporary exhibitions, on for a few months each, and they routinely offer just a few pieces of «art» stretched thin across the walls, or in the room. Just as routinely, only 2 or 3 of those floors will be available at the time of your visit (when I visited it was 3, yay!) because they’re in the process of replacing the last lot of negligible items with a new lot. Yes, it’s free. But a waste of time for free is still a waste of time. Expect to spend around 30 minutes there. Oh, the shop is pretty large and offers an extensive selection of books about modern art, all of which is probably more interesting than the one you gonna see here.
You can enjoy yourself walking along the banks of the Tyne, although the promenade, such as it is, really isn’t anything to write home about either.
I would recommend a visit to the more gratifying Laing Gallery (15 minute walk), which itself is surprisingly small. But instead of looking at the pretentiousness of the crap at Baltic Centre, you can go to Laing and just stare at the real art for twice as long as you normally would. Better experience, trust me!

Can’t complain with a few viewing of contemporary arts!
This a stunning building located on the Gateshead side millennium bridge. This is a free art gallery. The features changes so it’s always worth checking back frequently.
A very nice viewing deck overlooks the time on I believe floor 5
Connected is a very fun gift shop. It’s more than your standard giftshop. They sell locally inspired items, items from local artists and a wide selection of generally cool stuff.
There are donation boxes that recommend a donation of £5
Which I think is completely fair.
Helpful staff and signage can help explain what you are looking at

The staff are unpleasant, the atmosphere is stuffy and uptight and the café is over priced.
I find most of the work in this building pretensions and uninteresting.
The only interesting thing about this place for me is the beautiful view from the top floor.

On an impromptu trip to Newcastle I asked some Geordie friends what I should do, and every one of them told me that the Baltic was a must. So off I went and found that out of six floors only three were open; one was the restaurant, one was an observation deck looking down onto the floor below which was closed and looked like a building site, and the third was a handful of photos of glaciers and a children’s play area. I think I spent longer in the gift shop than wandering around the gallery itself. The main highlight was a smashed panel on the lift as this was far more arty than the glacier photos.

Have visited the Baltic on several occasions and have always been disappointed. Too much wasted space. It would be nice to see one floor used to display the work of local artists. Fabulous views and transformation but could be put to better use.

Six at the Baltic…
Had Sunday lunch yesterday. I wouldn’t say it was exceptional. The starter of pork belly, black pudding and twice cooked egg was nicely presented though the egg was a little dry. The main of traditional sirloin beef was, to be honest, average. The beef was cooked nicely though over seasoned and the vegetables where a touch too al dente. Given the price of the meal, I guess I’m paying for the location rather than the quality of the cook…
I would stress the waiter was extremely annoying, refering constantly to our party of 2 men, 2 women and a child as «guys»… I like to think I’m «with it» but in an environment like that I didn’t find his over familiarity as particlulary professional. Also, when we asked for 2 glasses of wine, it took nearly ten minutes for them to appear. A real shame, as it was enough to put us off ordering sweets or coffee.
You can eat a lot better in the city, and at a reasonable rate too, though you won’t get the location anywhere near as interesting. 2 stars for the location, 1 star for the food and no stars for the staff.

I came across it by accident. It was a very foggy Saturday morning in Newcastle and my head was begging for a cup of coffee. First I spotted the café, then the bookstore, which was a treasure trove of sorts, then I noticed the label Free Entry and I was already walking towards the reception desk. The receptionist met me with a very warm smile eager to welcome me and tell me about the exhibitions — from all five floors, only two were open.
The ground floor contained an installation by Jordan Baseman and the second floor had a pharmacy exhibit by Damien Hirst. Baseman’s work consisted of three audio/​video clips with disturbing stories of people being sexually harressed or somehow psychologically damaged or scarred.
The second exhibition was a bit disappointing: in a very small room the whole arrangement was that of a pharmacy store with the counter installed in too. Only after reading the brochure I realized the artist’s idea behind it, which I found a bit fa-​fetched and untruthful.
I spent almost an hour inside because of the shop and the café which treated me with a great service: I bought a melting chocolate flapjack and a hot cup of espresso.
For such a lovely architectural design, I though it was a bit of a shame that they do not to use the whole space for art, I am sure there is a lot of interesting art that could be and should be made available to the public.

Although the Baltic as a building is impressive. It is an adapted old flour mill. The actual use of it as an art gallery is well thought out but I was totally disappointed at the volume of art on offer to view. The exhibitions did’nt seem well placed and it was off putting as nothing seemed to flow as a good gallery should.
Free to get in,(I think it would be a cheek to charge to be honest) it’s a good way to spend an hour I suppose.
You can get a cup of coffee or a meal. There is also a shop and a decent childrens play area.
Look out over the Tyne from the top of the building and the view is amazing. Better than anything the gallery has to offer. Worth going for a visit just to see that.

This is a great free community resource. The exhibitions change regularly and there is disabled access.
There is a leraning and discovery area for children which is well equipped with all sorts of things — including a wooden rowing boat. Children’s activities at weekends too.

This is a converted old flour mill. A great place to go if you are in Newcastle Upon Tyne. It offers good selection of work on display. The most recent interesting one is by Yotoshimo Nara. My girlfriend pestered me for months and we finally went to Newcastle for the exhibition. It was money well spent. I actually loved it although I am not an arty person. It has a good external space by the river overlooking the Millenium Bridge which is really pleasant on a sunny day. Almost reminded me of Tate Modern in a different scale and more exquisite.

Read the other reviews carefully!!! They are all about the GALLERY yet this is the listing for the restaurant. Gallery is good but variable and can seem half empty; why no Banksy exhibits?
Food at gallery is okay but other places nearby better (5 – 10 minuts walk to Queen street)

A stunning building, converted from an old mill, sitting just over the bridge from Newcastle.
On a clear day you get some fantastic views over the Tyne. There are some restaurants, the one on the top floor is a bit on the expensive side, but I would expect top quality.
We had a look at some of the exhibits — it’s very much modern art as you’d expect it. We unexpectedly got a rather amusing photo of my niece standing in front of a display full profanities — none of us noticed at the time.
Entry is free and there is a good shop. It’s a little bit out of the way from Newcastle city centre but worth the walk.

The restaurant at the Baltic is part of the McCoys family, and therefore is extremely high quality. The restaurant is by booking only, and can be very hard to get into. The restaurant is at the top of the Baltic and enjoys amazing views along the Tyne and across the city skyline. However the amazing location and renowned chefs do not come cheap, and a meal for 4 can easily cost as much as a month’s rent on a 3 bed flat down the road. Food served here is vibrant and original, but too costly for me to consider realistic.

The Baltic Gallery has always been one of the best attractions of Newcastle, and the fact that it’s free (there is a recommended donation of £2 or so) makes it even more of an essential place to visit during any trip to Newcastle. The exhibits change completely every few months or so, and although some modern art can be very hit and miss, I’ve seen a lot of breathtaking exhibitions here that I would never have known about otherwise. These have included a tunnel filled with disorienting tvs, a collection of macabre clay sculptures, rooms dedicated to global street art, and lots more. There’s also a little-​known viewpoint up on their observation deck which affords a magnificent view of Newcastle’s Quayside area. Truly breathtaking if a bit hair-​raising in windy weather. The Baltic should be on all to-​do lists in the city.

Really nice and its free, some of the items are a bit weird, like skeletons with tissue over them and dead animals stuffed. I dont like the idea of using dead animals for art, I think its awful! friendly staff and nice to look around for a bit and best of all good access to each floor by stairs or a lift. They have security people on each floor for good reasons as you can imagine people may break or steal something. It is close to the sage and the bridge.

Unusual gallery which always leaves me with a kind of feeling of isolation once I’ve visited! Big spaces with ultra modern art. Nice to visit on a trip across the river.

The Baltic is a great art gallery. The building itself is very nice, a converted mill that offers tons of space for exhibitions. It has great views over the river from the top floor restaurant and observation platform.
Although there’s a donation box you can look around for free, and there are always some cool exhibitions you’ll enjoy.
The top floor restaurant has a good reputation, but can be expensive. Likewise the shop, good reputation for quirky stuff; but you’ll pay for it. I bought a paper AK47.
From the observation area you get an awesome view of the river and city and the whole place is worth a look in to kill some time and spend a good hour or two.

This place is an urban contemporary space which boasts a restaurant with stunning views, exhibition space and a few cafes. It is located on the river Tyne right near the Millenium Bridge. On a sunny afternoon it’s beautiful to stroll along the quayside, over the bridge and spend time strolling around the various art exhibitions and perhaps top the day off with a cappuccino on the deck. The restaurant iinside the Baltic is known as one of the best in the north east but in my opinion it is extremely overrated. The food is very pricey and really not up the the standard it should be. However the restaurant is located on the last floor of the bulding and has gorgeous views over the river and the city so perhaps it’s worth splashing out for this very reason.

This contemporary art gallery has magnificent views over the city and the river. A beautiful space it is converted from an old mill, and is part of the regeneration of this area. Wander around the interesting exhibitions from contemporary artists, and check out the fantastic views from the balcony (I forget which floor this is on). There is also a restaurant and bar which can be hired for private functions.