I'm going to visit England next January and I'd like to go to Leeds. But I really don't know if it's worth it or what there is to see. Any suggestions?
Thank you!
I'm going to visit England next January and I'd like to go to Leeds. But I really don't know if it's worth it or what there is to see. Any suggestions?
Thank you!
Ok, plus point, its the nicest city in West Yorkshire. The Royal Armories and nearby castles are interesting and you could go to a sporting event like soccer or rugby. But you need to be careful at them. York is not far away and thats quite nice. Some of the surrounding areas are nicer than Leeds
Minus point, it will be very cold wet and miserable up there in January.
Plenty of buses and trains to get around
Hope this helps!
So I could easily get to York and the surrounding places by train and bus, without needing to find accomodation - I could make day trips, isn't it?
After Leeds I'm going to Liverpool. Can I get there by train/bus?
Yes. You could make day trips from Leeds - Skipton would be a good one.
No problem at all about getting a train from Leeds to Liverpool. You might like to break your journey to see a bit of Manchester.
Leeds is a base, nothing more - I would personally recommend staying in York instead (less than half an hour on the train), though you don't say why Leeds had come up in your planning in the first place so it's a bit hard to give an opinion I would agree that it will be cold at that time of year, but the "wet and miserable" aspect isn't guaranteed.
Full disclosure: I live in York ...
My reason is a bit silly. An English writer I absolutely adore mentioned it in one of his books. I know, it's ridiculous, but it kind of stuck with me. And as I know it's not a great excuse I just want to make sure it's worth it. Maybe you could tell me some cool places to visit in the area, besides York and Leeds. Is York expensive?
Depends what you mean by expensive - York doesn't have London prices but it's still not cheap by global standards (though it does seem pretty good value now that I've just got back from Norway). You can get a dorm bed for less than £20 per night, B&B from probably £35 upwards.
The best thing about Yorkshire is the countryside but at that time of year it will definitely be chilly, possibly wet, and possibly snowy - you also can get crisp, sunny winter days but they can't be relied upon. As such, inside activities might be preferable (I don't know what your tolerance is for inclement weather) though if this is your first time in England then attending a football match might give you some great insight into the national character.
York has a load of stuff to see - the Minster, the city walls, the Shambles, assorted museums (including the National Railway Museum and the Yorkshire Air Museum), tea shops, a maze, etc. You could easily kill a whole day just in the Minster (assuming you're as big a fan of gargoyles and stained-glass windows as I am). There are stately homes throughout Yorkshire but some of them may be closed during the winter.
If you can give an idea of what sort of stuff you're interested in (e.g. cultural, sport, eating, beer, etc) then I might have some more specific suggestions.
The places you can visit:
Harewood House
Kirkstall Abbey
Leeds Corn Exchange
Granary Wharf
Roundhay Park
You can stay in
New Ellington
Malmaison
Roomzzz City West
Oulton Hall
Queens Hotel
Doubletree by Hilton
You can eat here
Sala Thai
Art's Cafe Bar
Eat at Create
Cafe 164
The Olive Tree
[ Edit: Edited on 02-Apr-2012, at 22:24 by kawserahmed ]
I used to live in both Leeds and York.
York is quaint with cobbled streets, pretty old architecture, bookshops and country style pubs and old tea rooms.
Leeds city centre is more modern with contemporary buildings, cosmopolitan bars, vintage and highstreet shops, art galleries and a variety of restaurants.
They both have plenty of places to stay but I'd hedge a guess that York is probably more expensive.
Its about 45 minutes on the train from Leeds to York so even if you stay in Leeds (where you can probably find cheaper accommodation) you can still daytrip to York easy enough.
Its about 2 and a half hours from York to Liverpool.
2 hours from Leeds to Liverpool.
Both are great places with plenty to do and see so either way you're in for a treat!
I hope you enjoy your trip