Delightful Durham's a dazzling day out by brilliant bus!

Some cities whisper their charm. Durham roars it, though ever so politely, from the top of a wooded sandstone bluff above a great sweeping loop in the River Wear. You round a corner, glance up, and there it is: the mighty Norman cathedral and the castle beside it, standing shoulder to shoulder like two old friends who have been putting the world to rights for the best part of a thousand years. It is one of the most jaw-dropping city views in the whole of Britain, and the loveliest way to arrive and enjoy it is by brilliant bus. Leave the car at home, grab a TNE Day Saver ticket from Transport North East, and let someone else do the driving while you enjoy the show.

Durham sits beautifully at the crossroads of the North East bus network, with services rolling in from Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Bishop Auckland, Consett, Chester-le-Street, Stanley, Peterlee and dozens of villages in between. Operators such as Go North East and Arriva North East thread the city into a proper spider's web of scenic routes, and the beauty of a TNE Day Saver is that you can hop on and off across the region on a single ticket, wandering wherever the mood takes you. Full details of ticket options, timetables and route maps are lovingly laid out at www.transportnortheast.gov.uk, which is well worth a browse before you set off. It really is planning made painless.

The journey in is half the fun. From Newcastle, the run south through County Durham gives you a proper eyeful of North East scenery: rolling farmland, market villages, glimpses of the Angel of the North stretching her wings, and the odd sneaky view of the Wear valley curling through the trees. From Sunderland, you swing inland past pit-village history and green ridges. From the west, coming in from Consett or Stanley, the road drops down through wooded lanes with the cathedral towers suddenly popping up on the horizon like something out of a storybook. Whichever direction you come from, that first sight of Durham perched on its rock is a proper spine-tingler.

Step off at Durham bus station on North Road and you are barely two minutes from the heart of the city. Cross the Wear on Framwellgate Bridge, glance right for one of the most photographed views in England, and start the gentle climb up Silver Street to the Market Place. This is the beating heart of Durham, watched over by a statue of Neptune (a nod to old ambitions of turning Durham into an inland port) and the bronze figure of the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry astride his horse. Around the square you have the covered indoor market, tucked inside a beautifully atmospheric Victorian hall, where local traders sell everything from proper stotties and pies to vinyl records, vintage jewellery and North East gifts. It is browsing heaven on a rainy day.

From the Market Place, the cobbled climb up Saddler Street and Owengate to Palace Green is the sort of walk that makes you want to slow right down. Every window seems to be a little independent shop, a bookseller, a chocolatier or a tearoom. And then, at the top, the world opens out onto Palace Green, with Durham Castle on one side and Durham Cathedral on the other. Together they form a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and standing between the two, you can absolutely see why. The cathedral, begun in 1093, is widely considered one of the finest examples of Norman architecture anywhere in the world, its mighty pillars carved with chevrons and diamonds, its nave soaring skywards, its cloisters instantly recognisable to anyone who has ever watched Harry Potter (yes, they filmed here). Inside, in quiet corners, lie the tombs of Saint Cuthbert, the beloved shepherd-saint of the North, and the Venerable Bede, the great scholar-monk whose writings shaped how we understand early English history.

Durham Castle, meanwhile, has been welcoming visitors since William the Conqueror ordered its construction, and today it is part of Durham University, one of the oldest universities in England. Guided tours take you through the great hall, the Norman chapel and the black staircase, and the whole place hums with student life during term time. Speaking of the university, Durham is a proper student city, which gives its lanes a lovely youthful buzz alongside all that ancient grandeur.

Sporting fans will find plenty to love too. Durham has produced or nurtured some seriously impressive names over the years, from cricketers like the great Sir Ian Botham (once a Durham captain) and homegrown hero Ben Stokes, to the Emirates Riverside just up the road at Chester-le-Street, a Test-standard cricket ground that has hosted England internationals in front of some of the most enthusiastic crowds you will ever hear. Durham University itself has long been a hothouse for rowing, with early-morning oars slicing through the Wear a familiar sight, and the annual Durham Regatta, held since 1834, is one of the oldest rowing regattas in the country.

Time for a sit-down and a bite? Durham is spoilt for choice. Flat White Kitchen on Saddler Street is a much-loved independent cafe famous for its brunches and beautifully made coffee. Just around the corner, Tealicious Tea Room is exactly the sort of place afternoon tea was invented for, all mismatched china and towering cake stands. For something with river views, The Boat Club sits right by the water with a lovely terrace, while lunchtime pub classics done properly can be tracked down at The Court Inn or the historic Shakespeare Tavern, reputedly one of the most atmospheric old pubs in the city. Sweet tooths should track down Chocolate 12, a chocolatier's dream tucked in the old town, and for a proper dinner treat, Zen and Restaurant DH1 both have loyal local followings.

After lunch, wander down to the riverbanks. The wooded paths that hug the Wear beneath the cathedral are pure magic, especially in the golden light of late afternoon. Prebends Bridge gives you that classic postcard view that has inspired painters (including a certain J.M.W. Turner) for centuries. If your legs are still willing, Durham Prince Bishops Rowing Club and Browns Boathouse hire out rowing boats in the warmer months, so you can potter about on the water and gawp up at the cathedral from below. Museum lovers should not miss the Oriental Museum, tucked out towards the university's science site, and the Museum of Archaeology, both packed with treasures.

And when the day starts to wind down, that is the joy of arriving by bus. No hunting for the car, no wrestling with car parks, no worrying about which glass of something local you can and cannot enjoy at lunch. Just amble back down to North Road bus station, hop aboard, settle into your seat, and let the North East scenery unspool one last time through the window as the cathedral towers slip out of sight behind you. Pop over to www.transportnortheast.gov.uk, sort your TNE Day Saver, and let delightful Durham do the rest. It really is a dazzling day out by brilliant bus.