My wife and I visited Durham Castle & Cathedral in June 2017. I actually found this site to be quite a disappointment. The cathedral is impressive, but I didn't think it was more impressive or interesting than York Minster which isn't on the UNESCO list.

Likewise with the castle, most of it is actually comparatively recent in construction - the beautiful keep is actually from the 18th century, and the buildings around the main square are mid-1600s. Only one small Norman chapel survives from the earliest days of the castle.

Also very disappointed to find that neither the castle nor cathedral allowed photography or filming inside, which makes producing a video review a very difficult task! Prior requests to the management for a permit went unanswered.

Overall unless you have a specific interest in this area or either of the buildings, I wouldn't recommend it over say York or Oxford.

See below for my full video review!