Yorkshire’s largest city is often overlooked by tourists, but is somewhat of a dark horse as a weekend-break destination. With few formal attractions, its appeal lies in its craft breweries, heritage shopping arcades and independent restaurants and cafés championing local produce from the nearby Yorkshire Dales and Moors. As the city gears up for a year-long arts festival, Leeds 2023, it’s also becoming a cultural hub; and the city makes a good base for exploring the Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle. If you want to see the best of Leeds, here’s how to spend the perfect day.
Main photo: water taxi in Leeds Dock (Getty Images)
Morning
Bisected by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and parallel River Aire, Leeds is full of laid-back watery pockets. A favourite place to kick off the day is Leeds Dock, ringed by canal boats and outdoor sculpture. Known as the home of the Royal Armouries Museum, a nationally important collection of arms and armament, it’s also where you’ll find Leeds’ award-winning independent coffee roastery, North Star. Come for a coffee or a rye and four-cheese scone, baked behind a glass wall in the roastery’s café.
From Leeds Dock, head into the heart of the city for some shopping. The best way to travel is on the water taxi to the canal basin, which is also a good way to take stock of the city’s important industrial heritage. Leeds grew wealthy during the Industrial Revolution as a heartland of British textile manufacturing. Relics of this era — mills, wharfs and warehouses — flank the river banks. There’s also street art here: the waterside grey heron mural, which is designed to be submerged and then reappear as the river’s water levels change, is an example of the city’s flourishing mural scene.
Over the past decade, investment has poured into Leeds and sympathetic regeneration projects have fused contemporary architecture with 19th-century landmarks, and splashed the city with art. From Granary Wharf, where the water taxi terminates, one of the city’s best strolls skirts over the water and passes under the striking, golden orb architecture of the southern entrance to Leeds train station. Underneath the station is what’s known as the Dark Arches, a hidden passageway locals use to get to the city centre’s shopping district.
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Afternoon
The Victoria Quarter is the darling of Leeds’ heritage laneways, built for the 19th-century merchants who grew rich here. Locals still come here and to neighbouring County Arcade to shop and drink at the terrace cafés. While exploring the arcades off Briggate, perhaps grab some lunch at The Ivy or at Harvey Nichols, both of which have seating beneath the Victoria Quarter’s striking stained-glass roof. The glass cover was added in the 1990s, but the beautiful tiles that surround the arcades are original Burmantofts.
By mid-afternoon, the breweries are calling and you should head to Northern Monk, a local craft brewery based in Holbeck, south of the River Aire. Its taproom in a grade II listed flax mill is the best introduction to Leeds’ obsession with brewing, which started with Yorkshire’s medieval monks who perfected the art, helped along in the 19th century when Tetley’s was headquartered in the city (its offices are now a bar-restaurant and art gallery worth visiting). Northern Monk is famous for its hoppy brews and experimental collaborations, and has experienced phenomenal growth since it was founded less than a decade ago. Its beers, including the signature Faith hazy pale ale, can be tasted in its taproom, or on one of its regular brewery tours.
Evening
Like Northern Monk, Bundobust is another homegrown Yorkshire institution, with co-founders Mayur Patel and Marko Husak hailing from Bradford. It’s developed a huge northern following for its craft-beer pairings with vegetarian Gujarati street food. From Leeds, it has expanded into Manchester and Liverpool, and recently launched its own brewery. Bundobust’s famous beer snacks, like okra fries, bhaji butty and raghda pethis with spiced mushy peas, are an ideal foil for the hoppy beers on tap, and a perfect way to end your day in the city.
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Inspired to visit Leeds but yet to book your trip? Here are the best places to stay from Mr&Mrs Smith and Expedia. And if you’re still unsure of where you want to go or what type of holiday to book, get in touch here and one of the Designer Travel experts will be in contact to help you arrange your perfect tailor-made break.
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