I have lived in Leeds all my life, studied here, and have now settled here post uni. I have lived in more rural areas, out of town suburbs, studentville, and even dabbled in some almost city living. It's one of those cities that has been experiencing a boom over the last twenty or so years, overtaking the other cities of West Yorkshire to become the largest, and arguably most successful. Traditionally it really began to develop as a municipality from the beginnings of the industrial revolution, being at the centre of the woollen industry, and has a long history with textiles. Just look at how Marks and Spencer began!

Nowadays, it has hard to class Leeds as one thing in particular - different areas all function as independent towns whilst being part of the larger Leeds - and with most cities has it's share of division. It's not necessarily the first place you'd think of for a city break, or maybe you live here but don't yet realise what lies a little further afield, but, if you fancy visiting a city with a variety of things to do and see, I would highly recommend making the trip. I am not going to comment on the lively and varied nightlife, as I'm more of a curl up on the sofa kind of girl - but I will comment on many great ways to spend your days.

Getting to Leeds:

If it's the city centre you're after, then there is a large train station centrally located which is operated by Northern Rail. Its on the route for a fair few cross country trains as well as linking up any number of local and regional stations. There is also a bus station and coach station, with a variety of National Express coaches departing and arriving on a daily basis. Local buses link up with all the areas of Leeds, as well as some covering Ilkley, Bradford, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Halifax and Keighley - and for those of you arriving by plane - with Leeds Bradford International airport.

The road network is also quite well linked, with both the M62 and M1 coming through Leeds, the A1 North being accessible, and the A65 that takes you most of the way to the Lake District. Parking in the city itself can be expensive - upwards of £2 an hour in some cases, and there is a rather intricate one way system through the city centre, so could be a little daunting for the more timid driver. However, a lot of the attractions are out in the burbs or further afield, so driving is more suitable and more comprehendible.

Things to do:

Culture:

If it's an experience of Leeds past and present you are looking for, there are a variety of different museums and stately homes that may take your fancy. Leeds City Council operate nine different museums and galleries, all of which only charge modest entry fees, or free entry. I will briefly outline them below.

(Prices for standard adult tickets as of 10/2009 - concessions and children's rates will be cheaper):

Kirkstall Abbey: Free

Kirkstall Abbey dates back to 1152, and was originally home to Cistercian Monks. Considering its age, there is still quite a lot left standing, and had extensive repair work carried out a couple of years ago. It's not necessarily the best place to visit on a wet day as a lot of the Abbey is uncovered and has grass underfoot. There is a small visitor centre built on one of the outbuildings, looking at the history of the Abbey and the monks who lived there.

Abbey House Museum: £3.50

This is based in Kirkstall, across the road from Kirkstall Abbey. Abbey House has been set up to look at life in Victorian Leeds. It's a small museum with a Victorian street, that has a variety of shop fronts and shops to enter. It has other galleries looking at toys and games, and dealing with issues such as Victorian attitudes to weddings and mortality.

Armley Mills (Leeds Industrial Museum): £3.00

Based in Armley (just a couple of miles from the city centre, easily accessible by bus), on the site of Gotts Mill - one of the largest Victorian textile mills in the country. This museum, as the name suggests, deals with the industrial history of Leeds. In recent years, as with many places, Leeds has lost much of it's former industrial glory, but this museum offers a look at a variety of different aspects of the past. There is a small cinema and gallery dedicated to film, as Louis Le Prince, (father of the cinema) carried out some of his early work in Leeds. There is a selection of textile machinery, that can still operate for special occasions, a section with engines and trains and a water wheel that is in the final stages of restoration.

Discovery Centre: Free to enter - but you need to book to visit

The Discovery Centre has only been open for a year or two. Rather than being a museum as such, it is the storage facility for all artefacts and objects owned by Leeds City Council that are not currently on display in any of their other museums. This is a vast collection, covering pretty much anything you can imagine - natural history, art, machinery.

Leeds City Art Gallery: Free

The art gallery is situated slap bang in the city centre, housed in the same building as the central library, and next door to the iconic Victorian Town Hall. The gallery has certain permanent exhibitions with the usual
portraits of Victorian grandeur, and a nice selection of modern works. Much of the art focuses on Leeds and its communities. It also hosts a number of visiting exhibitions over the course of the year, and are due to host their third Northern Art Prize. They also offer talks and other events (see web links at the bottom). Linking the gallery to the library is the Tiled Hall, recently restored to its full Victorian glory, and offering a nice cup of tea and a cake. The library has several different departments, including a specialist art library and local history library. The buildings are worth visiting themselves just for the architectural interest.

Leeds City Museum: Free (but occasional special exhibitions will charge for entry)

This is based two minutes walk from the art gallery. It is currently the crowning glory of Leeds Museums, having only been open for around a year. It houses several galleries, and is an interesting and interactive place to visit with children or just grown ups. There is a gallery dedicated to the history of lives from pre-history and beyond up to the reign of bands such as the Kaiser Chiefs. There is a gallery dedicated to exhibiting world artefacts and offering an interesting look into other cultures. There is a fantastic natural history gallery, a look into ancient worlds and mummies, and much more.

Lotherton Hall: £2.93

Lotherton Hall is a stately home set in huge grounds about 9 miles from the city centre, and not far off the A1. It is an Edwardian country house with a collection of art and furniture, with exhibitions coming in from time to time. In the grounds is a bird garden, home to a huge variety of birds from England and around the world. There are nature trails around the estate, and, if you're lucky, you may just spot some Red Deer. There is also a play park and cafe.

Temple Newsam: £3.43 to visit the house, £3.18 to visit the farm, or £5.51 to visit both

Temple Newsam is a country House set about 4 miles from the city centre. The house is originally tudor, and has been added to, extended and altered over the last few hundred years. It is incredibly grand, and most of it is visitable by the public, displaying furniture and art works that fit with the house. It is set in large grounds, which also includes a farmyard with animals and exhibits, and a play park. I have been a huge fan of their rare breed pigs from being a small child!

Thwaite Mills: £3.00 (Tours to be booked in advance)

Thwaite Mills is 2 miles south of the city centre. It is working water mill situated on an island in what used to be one of the industrial centres of Leeds, between the River Aire and the Aire and Calder Navigation. The tour guide will show you around the watermill, explain how it works, look at the engineering workshops, take in the scenery of the wildlife on the river bank, and experience the 1940s at the mill.

(Most of the above sites are not open on certain days, to be sure the one you want to visit is open, please check the website for details)

Tropical World: £3.25

This is a tropical garden housed in two greenhouse type domes within Roundhay park (about 5-6 miles from the city centre). It is one of Leeds most popular attractions, and is home to a huge variety of plant and animal life.

There are numerous butterfiles roaming free, along with a variety of birds and Delia the iguana that all have the run of the place. There is a recently reinforced Meerkat enclosure, reptile exhibits, turtles and a nocturnal area housing bats and my beloved bush baby.

Other attractions:

Royal Armouries Museum: Free entry ( but charges for horse and falconry shows and displays)

This is the home of one of the largest collections of Arms and Armour in Britain, being the Northern home to much that had previously been stored in the tower of London. It is roughly 10 minutes walk from the bus station and offers a full day out. The museum is laid out over a number of floors and galleries, looking at arms and armour through time, including the tudors, civil war period, an 'oriental' gallery looking at the early armours from Asia and Africa, and a very small gallery dedicated to looking at peace, which for me is always a highlight - offering such a contrast to the rest of the war and hunting based galleries.

Thackray Museum: £5.40

This a museum set up to look into the history of medicine, and is housed just outside the city centre in a former Victorian hospital building. As it is a medical museum, some of it is not for the faint-hearted, but is quite an
interesting trip. Exhibits include pain, pus and blood; fantastic plastic; and Hannah Dyson's Ordeal (an 1820's surgical procedure - amputation!).

Shopping:

As you may have guessed, I'm a bit of a culture vulture, but Leeds is also gaining a name for itself as one of the leading shopping capitals. For those looking for the high-end of fashion we have Harvey Nichols (the first outside London), and the Victoria Quarter, which houses shops including Agent Provocateur and Vivenne Westwood. There are the typical department stores and chains, including a huge M&S and Next, and there are a number of more individual shops. Leeds also has a booming retro trade particularly popular with the students. The city is filled with a mixture of streets and shopping centres. And, there is the legendary Kirkgate Market, which I could go on at length about.

Restaurants:

Leeds has a fantastic range of restaurants and eating establishments. From the every day Macdonalds (I can think of at least 4 locations in the city centre itself), the ever breeding Starbucks coffee houses and Greggs bakeries to the chains such as Pizza Express or La Tasca. There is also a good selection of more independent restaurants if you are willing to keep your eyes peeled. Pubs and bars are plentiful - with several Wetherspoons to choose from if you fancy a cheap pint of ale. If you leave the city centre and venture out as far as places like Otley, there
are some fantastic traditional real ale pubs to be found.

Nature:

I am aware that I'm starting to go on more than a little here, but it's hard to put the city into just a few words. However, it wouldn't be right of me not to mention perhaps the biggest perk of Leeds. As far as I can remember, it's got the most parks and public gardens of any city in England. Most suburbs have access to a reasonable sized park, woodland or moor. Otley has the chevin, which is a series of rocks formed from the Ice Age that have become the landscape, providing stunning views of the town below. There are bluebell woods in Shadwell and Horsforth, Bramhope has Golden Acre Park - which has a fantastic man-made lake in the middle with ducks and geese galore - and Roundhay has a boating lake.

Overall:

Leeds, to me at least, is a beautiful city. It has something that will appeal to everyone. Just make sure you take the time to find what it is you really want to explore. Most people imagine it to be grim up north, but if you're willing to venture out the city, it's a green and pleasant land.

Useful websites:

http://www.wymetro.com/

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/Advice_and_benefits/Tourism_and_travel/Local_attractions/Tropical_World.aspx

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/museumsandgalleries/default.aspx

http://www.armouries.org.uk/home

http://www.thackraymuseum.org

*This review is also posted on Dooyoo, username Nicolap82*