Leeds offers everything from tasting tours to one of Europe’s biggest music festivals – enjoy its breathtaking architecture and discover hidden gems like an ancient railway lifting tower among modern office buildings.
Leeds Grand Theatre lives up to its name with luxurious interiors that draw in top performers and acts. After your show or act is finished, relax with dinner and drinks at Mowgli’s Victorian-themed space, offering whole trees with bottomless brunches.
The Royal Armouries
Immerse yourself in history at this sprawling, free-entry museum that houses more than 70,000 artefacts from antiquity to today – from Henry VIII’s tournament armour, elephant armor and tusk sword to the “pulse rifle” featured in Aliens in 1986!
Explore Leeds’ ornate Victorian arcades, which have been transformed into high street retailers and the Clarins spa. Next, admire Leeds Grand Theatre with its ornate ceilings and grand staircases – it serves as an important venue for local opera and ballet troupes.
Explore the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, known for its 127 miles of waterways and locks and home to Thwaite Mill watermill. Furthermore, make time to visit Leeds Art Gallery which boasts over 750 paintings by J.S. Cotman as well as works by Constable and Gainsborough as well as contemporary pieces available at Henry Moore Institute (for sculpture).
Abbey House Museum
Representing Tetley Brewery’s 1930s headquarters, this top attraction showcases modern art from across three floors – with highlights like Lothar Gotz’s wall painting “Xanadu”, historical portraits, and an incredible sculpture collection among them.
Shopping enthusiasts will delight in exploring Leeds’ Victorian shopping arcades. Take a tour to visit Grand Arcade built in 1897, Victoria Quarter with its delightful boutique shops and Thorntons Arcade constructed in 1878 featuring an eye-catching clock made up of four life-size figures.
Leeds Art Gallery is well known for its modern collections of art and sculpture by Francis Bacon and Grayson Perry, while sculpture enthusiasts will also find something interesting at Henry Moore Gallery. Other museums nearby include Royal Armouries Museum and Kirkstall Abbey ruins.
Leeds Art Gallery
Leeds Art Gallery is a free public museum with one of the premier collections of 20th century British art in the nation, including an impressive array of 19th and earlier artworks. Additionally, this museum shares its sculpture collection with both central library and Henry Moore Institute in Leeds.
Atkinson Grimshaw’s paintings, watercolours, prints and sculptures are nationally-acclaimed works found throughout our main galleries. Alongside local artists such as atkinson Grimshaw, John Sell Cotman and Henry Moore as well as internationally acclaimed ones like Francis Bacon, Joseph Buckley Andre Derain James Turner And Alison Wilding can all be found.
Tetley provides family-friendly spaces featuring art materials and activities inspired by themes found within its collection, as well as bar/restaurant, modern cafe, shop specializing in Scandinavian inspired homewares and local giftwares.
Trinity Leeds
Leeds is an exciting city that blends Victorian architecture with cutting-edge contemporary art and an energetic nightlife scene to provide visitors with plenty of activities and things to do. Boasting a thriving arts scene, rich sporting legacy and breathtaking parks that attract millions every year, Leeds remains one of England’s premier tourist spots.
Trinity Leeds, Leeds’ largest shopping and leisure destination, should not be missed during any visit to this historic city. In its central court sits an iconic sculpture depicting a horse carrying cloth rolls – symbolising Leeds’ historical links with wool manufacturing.
Are you in search of some quick culture while shopping? Head to the nearby Henry Moore Institute to admire sculptures by artists like Jean Tinguely and Jiro Takamatsu. Additionally, Royal Armouries boasts over 8,000 years of arms and weapons that should not be missed either!
Take a day trip out to Harewood House, an impressive 18th-century pile that sits on acres of lush Yorkshire parkland. Home to one of the country’s premier collections of fine and decorative art. Children will especially love visiting Harewood’s children’s farm as well as its adorable Humboldt penguins!
The Grand Arcade
One of the top places to visit in Leeds is the Grand Arcade, a 19th-century shopping arcade renowned for its boutique shops and luxurious stores. Its stunning architecture and majestic stained-glass roof make this attraction must-see, with Victoria Quarter offering numerous high-end boutiques and novelty stores nearby.
Popular Leeds attractions include the Royal Armouries Museum, which boasts an extensive collection of military weapons and armour. Visitors to this museum can learn about warfare’s impact on culture and art throughout history.
Temple Newsam House, a 40-room Tudor-Jacobean mansion on Temple Newsam Park’s expansive 900-acre estate, offers tours through its grounds – which feature an exquisite conservatory and garden filled with rare trees and flowers – as well as its magnificent library and fascinating archaeological collection. Guests will have plenty of opportunities for sightseeing during their visits!
Kirkstall Abbey
Kirkstall Abbey is an impressive Cistercian abbey with skyward-reaching walls, making it one of the most picturesque sites in Yorkshire. Plus, guided tours provide an ideal way to discover Leeds’s history!
This free-entry museum contains over 8,500 weapons, such as Henry VIII’s tournament armour and full-sized elephant armor. You’ll also find pieces from popular culture, like an “Aliens” pulse rifle.
No matter your taste or preference, this lively former mill town offers something for every visitor. Explore its independent food scene and street art while taking a trip back in time at one of its museums.
Shopping can be found at many of the city’s opulent arcades, from Victoria Gate to Queens Arcade. Don’t miss Harewood House either; its handsome eighteenth-century pile hosts art exhibitions as well as an adorable flock of Humboldt penguins!