Sunderland's city centre is moving forward fast, developing rapidly as the pace of regeneration hots up.

The retail heart of the city is focused around The Bridges Shopping Centre, where over 100 top name high street stores jostle for position along the bright and airy walkways. New investment is bringing life back into the fine Victorian streets of the city centre, where independent shops and boutiques offer everything from designer labels to trendy interiors. Eye-catching pieces of jewellery, glassware and ceramics are also a Sunderland speciality, with craft and gift shops at the museums and galleries featuring the works of up and coming designer-makers.

You are guaranteed a great night out, with bars and restaurants to cater for all tastes in the city centre and a new underground music scene recently voted the best in the UK by NME.

Standing on the banks of the River Wear is the magnificent home of Sunderland AFC, The Stadium of Light, widely regarded as one of the best stadia in Europe. Sunderland lives and breathes football and Stadium of Light is the spiritual home of the city.  The atmosphere is immense with a 49,000 fan capacity.

Historically Sunderland as many cities has grown and prospered on the banks of the River Wear. The city's history and culture were formed by its connection to the sea and by the industry and endeavour of its people.

The city's emergence as a focus for learning and industry began in Anglo-Saxon times, when the nobleman Benedict Biscop - recently named as Sunderland's patron saint - established a European centre of learning at the twin monastic settlement of St Peter's and St Paul's. It was here that the Venerable Bede wrote the first history of England, the art of glass-making was introduced to the UK, and where the renowned Saxon Bible, the Codex Amiatinus, was produced. By the year 1500, Sunderland was one of the wealthiest towns in England and to this day it is still the largest city by population between Leeds and Edinburgh.

With a rich and fascinating heritage going back centuries, Sunderland has a superb array of places of historical interest to visit and explore.