Things to Do in Leeds
Free galleries, Victorian arcades and a Cistercian ruin
Leeds packs its days out into walkable quarters. Free galleries and civic grandeur sit along The Headrow, independent traders fill Kirkgate and the Corn Exchange, and the South Bank runs down to Leeds Dock. Beyond the centre, parkland estates and a Cistercian abbey are all still inside the city boundary.
Where it clusters
Almost everything central is walkable from the railway station. The Headrow and Millennium Square hold the civic and gallery quarter, Kirkgate the markets and the arcades, and the South Bank runs down to the dock. Ten minutes on foot links all three.
What costs nothing
More than visitors expect. The main art galleries and the national arms and armour collection are free, and the city museum asks only what you can give. So are the abbey grounds and the big parks.
Beyond the ring road
The estates are the surprise. Capability Brown parkland, a rare breeds farm and an Edwardian bird garden all sit within the city boundary, twenty to forty minutes out by bus or car. Spring and late summer are when they earn the trip.
Things to Do in Leeds
Dakota Leeds
Boutique hotel
Design-led hotel with a bar and grill in the Greek Street and Park Row business district, a short walk from Trinity Leeds.
8 Russell Street, Leeds, LS1 5RN
Elland Road Park and Ride (PR1)
Park and ride site
1,358 free parking spaces beside the Leeds United stadium off M621 Junction 2; roughly a 15-minute bus ride into the city centre.
Elland Road, Beeston, Leeds, LS11 0ES
Hilton Leeds City
City-centre hotel
Large hotel directly south of Leeds railway station on Neville Street, with meeting and conference space.
Neville Street, Leeds, LS1 4BX
Leeds Arts University
University campus
Specialist arts university with around 2,175 students in 2024-25 and a free public gallery programme at Blenheim Walk.
Blenheim Walk, Leeds, LS2 9AQ
Leeds Beckett University (City Campus)
University campus
City-centre campus beside the Civic Quarter, with a second campus at Headingley; around 22,300 students recorded for 2024-25.
City Campus, Leeds, LS1 3HE
Leeds Bradford Airport
Regional airport
Yorkshire's largest airport by passenger numbers, handling 4.22 million passengers in 2024, a 5.8% rise on the previous year; roughly 20 to 30 minutes from the city centre.
Whitehouse Lane, Yeadon, Leeds, LS19 7TU
Leeds City bus station
Bus station
Main city-centre bus interchange between the Quarry Hill and Kirkgate Market areas, adjoining the National Express coach station.
New York Street, Leeds, LS2 7HU
Leeds Coach Station
Coach station
National Express long-distance coach terminal adjoining Leeds City bus station.
Dyer Street, Leeds, LS2 7LA
Leeds railway station
Mainline rail hub
18 platforms, the largest station by platform count in England outside London; third busiest UK station outside London with 27.3 million entries and exits in 2024-25, around 1,000 trains and over 100,000 passengers a day.
New Station Street, Leeds, LS1 4DY
Leeds Trinity University
University campus
Campus in Horsforth north-west of the city, plus a smaller city-centre teaching base; around 13,700 students recorded for 2024-25.
Brownberrie Lane, Horsforth, Leeds, LS18 5HD
Merrion Centre
Shopping centre and leisure complex
1960s covered centre in the Arena Quarter, next to the first direct bank arena and a large student residential population.
1-3 Merrion Centre, Leeds, LS2 8NG
Novotel Leeds Centre
City-centre hotel
Riverside hotel beside Granary Wharf and the south entrance of Leeds railway station, with meeting rooms.
4 Whitehall Quay, Leeds, LS1 4HR
Radisson Blu Hotel, Leeds City Centre
City-centre hotel
Hotel within The Light leisure and retail complex on The Headrow, in the former Leeds Permanent Building Society headquarters.
No.1 The Light, The Headrow, Leeds, LS1 8TL
Royal Armouries and New Dock Hall
Conference and events venue
The museum's Royal Armouries Hall and adjoining New Dock Hall form one of the city's largest conference, exhibition and banqueting complexes, on the South Bank.
Armouries Drive, Leeds Dock, Leeds, LS10 1LT
Stourton Park and Ride (PR3)
Park and ride site
1,200 free parking spaces serving traffic from the south and south-west at M621 Junction 7. Postcode not confirmed in this session.
Junction 7, M621, Stourton, Leeds
Temple Green Park and Ride (PR2)
Park and ride site
1,391 free parking spaces serving traffic from the north and east off the A63; 10 to 15 minutes into the city centre. Postcode not confirmed in this session.
Pontefract Lane, Aire Valley, Leeds
The Met Hotel Leeds
Historic city-centre hotel
Grade II listed terracotta hotel of 1899 close to City Square and the railway station, with function and conference rooms.
King Street, Leeds, LS1 2HQ
The Queens Hotel
Large city-centre hotel
Grade II listed Art Deco hotel of 1937 on City Square, directly connected to Leeds railway station; reopened after a multi-million pound refurbishment.
City Square, Leeds, LS1 1PJ
Trinity Leeds
Major shopping and leisure centre
Opened March 2013 with over 120 stores across about one million sq ft, plus an Everyman cinema and the Trinity Kitchen street food hall. Some listings give the postcode as LS1 5AT.
27 Albion Street, Leeds, LS1 5ER
University of Leeds
University campus
Russell Group university with a large single campus immediately north of the city centre and a student body in the region of 37,000; campus includes the Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery and the Brotherton Library.
Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT
Victoria Leeds
Luxury shopping quarter
Combines the Victorian Victoria Quarter arcades, noted for mahogany shopfronts and Brian Clarke stained glass, with Victoria Gate and the John Lewis flagship opened in 2016.
Vicar Lane, Leeds, LS1 6BE
VisitLeeds Visitor Information Centre
Tourist information centre
The city's official tourist information point, combined with the Art Gallery shop; stocks local, regional and national leaflets and brochures and handles event information and journey planning.
Leeds Art Gallery, The Headrow, Leeds, LS1 3AA
White Rose Shopping Centre
Out-of-town shopping centre
Large covered centre south-west of the city with a Cineworld IMAX, family facilities and free outdoor play areas; served by a bus interchange and its own rail station.
Dewsbury Road, Leeds, LS11 8LU
Leeds, asked.
Which museums and galleries in Leeds are free?
Leeds Art Gallery and the Henry Moore Institute next door are both free, as is the Royal Armouries Museum at Leeds Dock. Leeds City Museum runs a give what you can model with £5 suggested. The grounds at Kirkstall Abbey are free to walk.
Is Leeds Town Hall open to visitors at the moment?
No. The Grade I listed building is closed for a major refurbishment, with reopening currently indicated for 2027. The Leeds Ticket Hub box office has moved to the Carriageworks Theatre on Millennium Square in the meantime.
How do people promote a show in Leeds?
Word travels through the venues. Audiences pick up printed what's on guides and leaflets in theatre and cinema foyers, at the VisitLeeds centre inside Leeds Art Gallery and in hotel lobbies. Posters along the New Briggate and Quarry Hill theatre streets do the rest.