Wanna know about Leeds, well here is the list of the Top 50 Places to Visit in Leeds, England, U.K along with beautiful pictures, opening hours and the admission fees and a short description which will help you in all your confusions. A Day in Leeds can be spent by enjoyed only if you are aware of the Best of Leeds and thus to know what to do in Leeds, let us check out the Top 50 Places to Visit in Leeds, England, U.K. We have also listed below the Leeds Tourist Map so there is no conveniencein finding the locations while you are on your trip.
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. Historically, Leeds was a small manorial borough in the 13th Century and in the 17th and 18th centuries it became a major centre for production and trading of wool, and during the Industrial Revolution, it became a major Mill Town. From being a market town in the Aire River Valley in the 16th Century, Leeds expanded and absorbed the surrounding villages to become a populous urban hub by the mid-20th Century. It now lies within the West Yorkshire Urban Area, the UK’s fourth most populous urban area with a population of 2.6 million.
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The name derives from the old Brythonic word Ladenses meaning “people of the fast-flowing river”, in reference to the River Aire that flows through the city. The name has also been explained as a derivative of Welsh Iloed, meaning simply “a place”. Tested by time, and budding alongside the Aire River, there are many, many places – more than just top 50 places to visit in Leeds, West Yorkshire which we try to narrow down for you in this article, a list that contains both historical places, museums, public parks and popular modern places where the masses flock every day. You can also visit York for enjoying beautiful parks.
It doesn’t matter whether you are in Leeds for a day or a week, or a hundred years, there is always something to see for everyone. Bask in the glory of this historical town with a sparkling background story, or soak up the incredibly diverse shopping in Leeds, while visiting the Victoria Quarter, housed in beautiful arcades, is the perfect next stop for high-end designers, including Mulberry and Louis Vuitton, where you can grab your lunch from the famous cafes and restaurants there. With everything said, there really is no reason to not visit Leeds, that has one of the most diverse economies in the United Kingdom! Connected to London through road, rail and air, the city is a treasure left out for you to explore!
Top 50 Places to Visit in Leeds, England, U.K.
Royal Armouries Museum
About: The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is a national museum which displays the National Collection of Arms and Armour. It is part of the Royal Armouries family of museums, the other sites being the Tower of London, its traditional home and Fort Nelson, Hampshire, for the display of its National Collection of Artillery, and permanent galleries within the Frazier History Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
Why should you visit: Explore arms and armour from across the world and through time over five floors of stunning displays. The Royal Armouries Museum has galleries categorized according to weapon type, like, Hunting, Oriental, Self-Defence, Swords of Middle Earth, Tournament Gallery, War Gallery, Tiltyard and Hall of Steel. There’s also a gallery dedicated to Peace, called “A Farewell to Arms.”
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Royal Armouries Museum
Roundhay Park, Leeds
About: Roundhay Park in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is one of the biggest city parks in Europe with 700 acres of parkland, lakes, woodland and gardens. The park is one of the most popular attractions in Leeds, nearly a million people visit each year.
Why should you visit: This is a very popular and handsome public park with some wonderful areas to visit such as the butterfly house, the reptile house, the tropical gardens, canal gardens, flower gardens, then the mansion house for lunch, a few other restaurants and cafes spread out all over the park. There are two lakes, the large one makes for a super nice place for dog-walkers, a couple of playgrounds for kids and also a skate park within the Park.
Timings: Open 24 hours.
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Roundhay Park, Leeds
Temple Newsam
About: Temple Newsam is a Tudor-Jacobean house with grounds landscaped by Capability Brown, in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The estate lies to the east of the city, just south of Halton Moor, Halton, Whitkirk and Colton. The estate is made up of a large woodland. The house is a Grade I listed building, defined as a “building of outstanding or national architectural or historic interest”.
Why should you visit: This is a grand residence standing in the middle of exotic parkland, filled with priceless art and antiques, in addition to which, there is a working farm. Explore Temple Newsam to discover a stunning 18th Century landscape and intimate formal gardens full of scent and colour. There are facilities for sports including football, golf, running, cycling, horse-riding and orienteering.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Mondays closed)
Entry Fees: Adult: £9.50
Official Website: Temple Newsam
Harewood House
About: This is a stately home situated just north of Leeds. It is often referred to as ‘a St Petersburg palace on a Yorkshire hill’ and true to its word, the Estate does have some of that kind of grandeur. Harewood is the home of the 7th Earl and Countess of Harewood. The house was built in the mid-18th century by Edwin Lascelles, whose wealth came from sugar plantations and the slave trade, and it has been in the Lascelles family ever since.
Why should you visit: The house sits in a huge estate which is managed very effectively, marketed as an attractive destination for tourists and family days-out and as a venue for conferences, shows and receptions. It has beautiful gardens and a long-established Bird Garden (a collection of exotic and threatened species of birds).
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Adult: £16.50
Official Website: Harewood House
Salts Mill
About: Salts Mill or Salt’s Mill is a former textile mill, now an art gallery, shopping centre, and restaurant complex in Saltaire, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built by Sir Titus Salt in 1853, and the present-day 1853 Gallery takes its name from the date of the building which houses it.
Why should you visit: Salts Mill is a place for art, dining and shopping in one stunning historic building. Parking and entrance to the complex are free. Inside you can admire their very extensive collection of works by David Hockney, be inspired by the very best in independent retail shops and enjoy a few special moments in their bustling restaurants and cafes. You can also learn about the history of the Mill in our People and Process and Saltaire History exhibitions.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Salts Mill
RHS Garden Harlow Carr
About: RHS Garden Harlow Carr is one of four public gardens run by the Royal Horticultural Society. It is located on the western edge of Harrogate in the English county of North Yorkshire. The garden is the most recent addition to the RHS, acquired by the merger of the Northern Horticultural Society with the RHS in 2001.
Why should you visit: Very much part of the Yorkshire countryside, Harlow Carr is a delight in every season. The garden was named best garden in the North East in the UK’s Best 100 Gardens poll, voted for by Garden News readers. Since the garden is filled with floral and leafy beauty, the garden is a top place for keen photographers to visit, for amazing pictures.
Timings: 9:30 a.m – 6:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Adult: £11.50
Official Website: RHS Garden Harlow Carr
National Coal Mining Museum
About: The National Coal Mining Museum for England is based at the site of Caphouse Colliery in Overton, near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1988 as the Yorkshire Mining Museum and was granted national status in 1995.
Why should you visit: Get kitted out with your hard hat and battery lamp then step into the ‘cage’ to descend 140m underground to discover the harsh realities of coal mining through the centuries.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Adult: £2
Official Website: National Coal Mining Museum
Leeds City Museum
About: Leeds City Museum, originally established in 1819, reopened on 13 September 2008 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is housed in the former Mechanics’ Institute built by Cuthbert Brodrick, in Cookridge Street (now Millennium Square), which has been redeveloped to a design by Austin-Smith: Lord architects and Buro Happold engineers.
Why should you visit: Leeds City Museum is actually a down-to-earth serious museum for those curious ones. Exhibits that range from ancient time periods to the near modern world of the 21st century, the Leeds City Museum is definitely a place to visit if you’re in Leeds and you’re curious. Also works if you happen to have a lazy couple of hours at hand, then also!
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Leeds City Museum
Leeds Town Hall
About: Leeds Town Hall was built between 1853 and 1858 on The Headrow (formerly Park Lane), Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was planned to include law courts, a council chamber, a public hall, a suite of ceremonial entertaining rooms and municipal offices.
Why should you visit: Leeds Town Hall is one of the largest town halls in the United Kingdom and as of 2017 it is the thirteenth tallest building in Leeds. It was opened by Queen Victoria, in a lavish ceremony in 1858 as Leeds celebrated the completion of an important civic structure. It is a Grade I listed building. Visit Leeds Town Hall to see the brilliant architectural gem that it is, with many spectacular sculptures and a long, worthwhile history.
Timings: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Free entry, but public viewing is restricted because of its busy schedule of activities.
Official Website: Leeds Town Hall
Kirkstall Abbey
About: Kirkstall Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery in Kirkstall, north-west of Leeds city centre in West Yorkshire, England. It is set in a public park on the north bank of the River Aire. It was founded c.1152. It was disestablished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII.
Why should you visit: The picturesque ruins have been drawn and painted by artists such as J.M.W. Turner, Thomas Girtin and John Sell Cotman. Visit the Kirkstall Abbey as it is one of the best preserved Cistercian monasteries in the country and step back in time to see how the monks lived. Refreshments are available from the Gatehouse café across the road at Abbey House Museum.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Kirkstall Abbey
Leeds Art Gallery
Why should you visit: Leeds Art Gallery in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is a museum whose collection of 20th-century British Art was designated by the British government in 1997 as a collection “of national importance”. The Leeds Art Gallery is renowned in the UK for its large collection of 19th to 20th Century contemporary art with a Craft Centre and Design Gallery for mixed media displays.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Leeds Art Gallery
Victoria Leeds Arcade
Why should you visit: The “Grand Arcade” is a shopping arcade in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The arcade originally consisted of two parallel rows of shops, although one of these has now been converted into a nightclub venue. Constructed in 1897, this is an ornate, glass-roofed Victorian arcade, that houses fashion designer boutiques and high-end department stores.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Victoria Leeds Arcade
Nostell Priory
Why should you visit: Nostell Priory is a masterpiece of 18th-century architecture, and is filled with exceptional paintings and antiques. In the gardens, you can enjoy lakeside walks, the newly planted orchard and many glorious views. Entry to the house is closed.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Adult: £11.55
Official Website: Nostell Priory
Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Why should you visit: The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Lancashire and Yorkshire have a shared history in the life of the over 200-year old Leeds-Liverpool canal. The length of this canal provides some very rural landscapes, as well as city skyline as it passes through the city of Leeds and its suburbs.
Timings: Nil
Entry Fees: Nil
Official Website: Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Tropical World
Why should you visit: Roundhay Park is one of the most popular parks in Leeds due to its size, grandeur and array of things to see and do. Within its large area, is nestled a small indoor garden, referred to as Tropical World, that people just love to visit. It is a recreation of a tropical rainforest, with a heavy artificial waterfall, exotic deciduous vegetation, filled with butterflies and wildlife one can only see in the hot tropics! But now you can see all this in Leeds also.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Adults £6.20
Official Website: Tropical World
Otley Chevin Forest Park
Why should you visit: Chevin Forest Park is located in the Wharfe Valley and overlooks the market town of Otley. It consists of a north-facing cliff, or escarpment, which rises steeply to a height of 280m above sea level and offers magnificent views of the Wharfe Valley.
Timings: 10:00 a.m – 2:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Otley Chevin Forest Park
Fairburn Ings RSPB Reserve
Why should you visit: Fairburn Ings Nature Reserve is a protected area in Yorkshire, England, which is noted for its avian biodiversity. The reserve has recorded around 280 bird species, remarkable for an inland site in the United Kingdom. This is explained by the site being on migration routes as well as the diversity of habitats. There is a visitor centre; and five hides. Entrance to the reserve is free but there is a charge for car parking.
Timings: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Fairburn Ings RSPB Reserve
Golden Acre Park
Why should you visit: Golden Acre Park is a public park between Adel and Bramhope, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England administered by Leeds City Council. It is on the A660 Otley Road and covers an area of 137 acres. It opened as a privately run amusement park in 1932 with a miniature railway, swimming pool and boating lake, but closed during the Second World War and was taken over by the Council in 1945. The lake was formed by damming Adel Beck and was larger than at present.
Timings: Open 24 hours
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Golden Acre Park
Bramham Park
Why should you visit: Bramham Park is a Grade I listed, 18th Century country house in Bramham, between Leeds and Wetherby, in West Yorkshire, England. The house, constructed of magnesian limestone ashlar with stone slate roofs in a classical style, is built to a linear plan with the main range linked by colonnades to flanking pavilions. There is a picturesque Gothic Temple on the grounds too.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Adult: £4.00
Official Website: Bramham Park
Lotherton Hall
Why should you visit: Lotherton Hall is an Edwardian-style country Manor house near Aberford, West Yorkshire, England. It lies a short distance from the A1 motorway, 200 miles equidistant between London and Edinburgh. This house comes with grounds that houses its own landscaped gardens, stables, playgrounds and woodland walks.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m
Entry Fees: Adults – £7.50
Official Website: Lotherton Hall
Thackray Medical Museum
Why should you visit: The Thackray Medical Museum in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is a museum of the history of medicine adjacent to St James’s University Hospital. Interactive displays here very aptly tells the history of medicine from Victorian operating theatres to modern surgery.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Adult: £7.20
Official Website: Thackray Medical Museum
Abbey House Museum
Why should you visit: Abbey House is located just three miles out of the city centre on the main A65 road to Kirkstall. Located in accessible yet tranquil surroundings, Abbey House Museum is just a short distance from Kirkstall Abbey and its stunning park.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Adults: £4.95
Official Website: Abbey House Museum
Leeds Cathedral
Why should you visit: Leeds Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Anne, commonly known as Saint Anne’s Cathedral, is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds, and is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Leeds. This is a unique architectural gem to behold for a tourist, as it is a grand, neo-Gothic cathedral with sculptures, stained glass & a massive pipe organ.
Timings: Nil
Entry Fees: Nil
Official Website: Leeds Cathedral
Spofforth Castle
Why should you visit: Spofforth Castle in the village of Spofforth, North Yorkshire, England was a fortified manor house, ruined during the English Civil War and now run by English Heritage as a tourist attraction. Tourists mainly flock here to see the ruins of a 13th–14th-century fortified manor house, the former residence of the Percy family.
Timings: 10 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Free
Official Website: Spofforth Castle
Oakwell Hall
Why should you visit: Oakwell Hall is an Elizabethan manor house in Birstall, West Yorkshire, England. The Grade I listed hall is set in period gardens surrounded by 110 acres of country park. The house was built for John Batt. A recarved stone dated 1583 probably indicates the date of construction. A Stone Ram statue, rumoured to have stood above the gates to Dewsbury Brewery, stands on the lawn in front of the hall.
Timings: 12:00 p.m – 4:00 p.m.
Entry Fees: Nil.
Official Website: Oakwell Hall
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We hope you loved the above article about the Top 50 Places to Visit in Leeds, England, U.K, check out the other lovely places to visit nearby too.
The views expressed are based on the author’s personal experience and liking and does not list these amazing places in any order of ranking.