Leeds is a city that I've heard a lot of great things about recently so after doing a quick google search, I booked a flight and hotel and headed over to discover it for myself, and this is how I spent my day.
I've been to quite a few cities in the United Kingdom but I'd never been to the north of England so I was excited to see how it differed to other parts of the UK. I packed a bag and set my alarm for 3:30 AM (yes, getting up at this time was as horrendous as it sounds) and headed for the airport. I landed in Leeds at 7:30AM after a quick 45 minute flight and apart from the weather being bitterly cold, the city made a warm impression. The airport is only half an hour from the city centre so after a quick bus journey I was right in the middle of Leeds, ready to explore. On the journey in, I passed so many beautiful buildings with amazing historic structure which set the tone for the architecture of the rest of the city. Most of the city is filled with tall Victorian buildings built with old stone and pillars which gives it a beautiful vibe.
It was still only 8AM at this point and most places hadn't opened yet so I headed to Trinity Leeds, which is a massive glass roofed shopping centre with over 120 shops and restaurants, and grabbed some breakfast. I went into Carluccio's, a lovely little Italian eatery at the top of the Trinity centre and ordered the ciabatta and fruit bread platter and a berry smoothie, which was exactly what I need after such an early morning.
I'll confess I'm a bit of a serial shopper so once the shops opened I headed straight for the big stores. You won't be stuck for shops in Trinity as it has all your high street favourites like Topshop, Primark (which was amazinggg!), Urban Outfitters etc. and also a cinema called Everyman. I didn't get a chance to go to the Everyman Cinema but apparently it's filled with plush sofas and waiters who serve you food during your film, so it's no ordinary cinema experience!
Instead of searching for things to do in Leeds, I decided to head out and wander around the streets, where I stumbled across some lovely little arcades and walkways. The city soon became buzzing around lunch time and there was a great atmosphere. I fell in love with the marble detailing in the Victoria Centre which was compiled of designers shops such as Vivienne Westwood and Louis Vuitton, so it was only window shopping for me unfortunately.
You could spend all day walking the streets in Leeds and taking in all the amazing history of the city. I'd heard there are some beautiful parks and landmarks outside of the city but due to being short on time I wasn't able to visit them, but keep them in mind if you are planning to come to Leeds in the future.
I stupidly trusted google maps to bring me back to my hotel in the quickest way, but instead it decided to bring me on a detour around the outskirts of the city, even under a tunnel and I ended up walking for almost 40 minutes (my legs felt it the next morning). However I happened to come across this cool little lane under a bridge called the Dark Arches which was lit with multicoloured lights and had a few bars, so you really do discover something new with every corner you turn in Leeds! I enjoyed my stay a lot, despite being extremely tried from the early flight, and the city is definitely one worth visiting. If you enjoy shopping, eating, sight seeing then Leeds has plenty to offer. What is the nicest city you've ever visited? Emily x
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