‘Leeds. The best English city to visit outside London.’
Condé Nast Traveller 2005
For a vibrant city rich in culture and heritage, look no further. Leeds offers unrivalled visitor attractions and experiences, from jousting at the Royal Armouries, to the stunning surroundings of Harewood House, and the outstanding collections on display at the city’s many galleries and museums.
Since opening in 1997, Thackray Museum has been named UK Museum of the Year, England’s Visitor Attraction of the Year, maintained the Sandford Award for Heritage Education and been shortlisted for European Museum of the Year.
Leeds has a world-class calendar of summer music events. There is something for everyone, from festivals like the Gatecrasher Summer Soundsystem, O2 Wireless Festival and Leeds Carling Festival, to free events like Opera in the Park, Party in the Park and Classical Fantasia.
Situated close to the UK’s geographical centre, Leeds is perfectly placed for travelling to or from: the motorway network connects quickly to London, the ports of Liverpool and Hull and the north. Leeds boasts a thriving international airport and one of the busiest train stations outside the capital – London is just two hours away by train or 40 minutes if you fly. Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dublin are all an hour or less by plane.
Leeds Bradford International Airport is one of the fastest growing regional UK airports, with a 75% growth over the last five years. More than 450 weekly flights take 2.8 million travellers to 65 major European business and holiday destinations
Leeds was named ‘Visitor city of the year’ in the latest edition of the Good Britain Guide
There were 1.5 million overnight trips to Leeds in 2006, generating an estimated £289m. There were more than 10m visitor day trips to the city, with expenditure of £308m. Cambridge Report 2006
Leeds attracts more visitors per annum than traditional holiday destinations like Brighton and Torquay. VisitBritain
Leeds City Art Gallery has “probably the best collection of twentieth century British art outside London.” The Times
Leeds Carnival started in 1967, making it the oldest Caribbean-style carnival in Europe
Carling Festival: Leeds is one of the biggest live music events in the UK, attracting 70,000 people
LeedsCast is a ‘virtual’ signposting system, providing details of visitor attractions, public events, hotel accommodation, maps and travel information for free, via Bluetooth on mobile phones
Leeds International Concert Season is the largest concert season of its kind in the UK, with over 200 events from September to May each year
The Henry Moore Institute is acclaimed for its sculpture collections and research
Leeds Shopping Week is an annual celebration of the city’s offer with special events, discounts, fashion shows, giveaways and lots of retail therapy
The Yorkshire Dales National Park is less than 20 miles from Leeds city centre