Fun things to do in Leeds

The commercial capital of Yorkshire, and one of the most rapidly-growing cities in the country, Leeds has undergone a huge transformation in recent years. There’s still a true northern grit to its character, but any trace of grime has been removed from the impressive Victorian buildings and the city - along with its well-connected suburbs - is revelling in its new persona as a booming financial, commercial and cultural centre. Museums include the impressive Royal Armouries, which hold the national arms and armour collection, while the City Art Gallery has one of the best collections of British twentieth-century art outside London.

Brasserie Blanc is one of the twenty restaurants established by French celebrity chef Raymond Blanc all over the country, the Leeds branch is a 5min walk from the train station. Housed in an old mill, with plain brick walls, vaulted ceilings and iron pillars, it offers good food in smart but unstuffy surroundings at unthreatening prices. Think a wide variety of cuisine from green Thai vegetable curry to slow-cooked boeuf Bourguignon.

Leeds is one of the best cities outside the capital for shopping, with numerous independent shops, a throng of classy emporia in the beautifully restored Victoria Leeds - the “Knightsbridge of the North” which includes landmark Victoria Gate - and other arcades that open off Briggate. Other options include the shopping complex The Light, the city-centre malls, such as the Merrion Centre off Merrion St and the Trinity Leeds complex in Albion Street, not forgetting the eight hundred traders in Kirkgate.

Temple Newsam, four miles east of Leeds city centre, hosts numerous events, from concerts and plays to rock gigs and opera. Roundhay Park is the other large outdoor venue for concerts, while Bramham Park, ten miles east of the city, hosts the annual Leeds Festival at the end of August with rock/indie music on five stages. August bank holiday weekend heralds the West Indian Carnival in the Chapeltown area of Leeds. Enjoying the city’s plethora of events is most certainly one of the most fun things to do in Leeds.

The newly coined Northern Quarter, north of the Grand Theatre and Opera House, is booming. A short walk in any direction and you’ll stumble on one of Leeds’s many independent brew pubs packed out with young creatives sipping local ales. The North Bar is the city’s beer specialist and has a massive selection of guest beers (more Belgian than bitter) plus cold meats and cheeses to nibble on. This place is part of the hugely successful North Bar group, with great pubs popping up across the city.

The Tudor-Jacobean house of Temple Newsamshows many of the paintings and much of the decorative art owned by Leeds City Art Gallery. There are paintings from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, furniture (including a number of Chippendale pieces), textiles and tapestries, silver, porcelain and pottery. The estate is over fifteen thousand acres and also contains Europe’s largest rare breeds farm, where you can see four breeds of pigs, six of sheep, eight of poultry and no fewer than nine of cattle. It’s one of the best fun things to do in Leeds if you’re traveling with children.