The city is at the intersection of the A19 and A66, and is within an hour's drive of Tyneside, Wearside and York. The major motorway of A1 lies to the far west of the city and is connected by the A66. National Cycle Route 1, from Inverness to Dover, runs for 25 km through the town.
The UK's second largest port of Teesport lies 3 miles to the east, where the P & O Ferries operate passenger services to Rotterdam and Zeebrugge. The other nearest passenger port is the Port of Tyne where the DFDS Seaways give passenger service to Scandinavia and the Baltic.