Want to get away with your girlfriends for the weekend but don’t know where to go or how to get there? There are many exciting and lively places in the UK, but have you thought about Leeds if you want a city with a lot of culture, nightlife, and entertainment?
Should you decide to take the train to Leeds, you’ll be glad to know that the city is covered by most of the UK’s major train stations. It also has a lot to offer people looking for a unique city break.
Since you’ll only be in the city for a short time, you should be very careful when planning your schedule. It’s easy to plan a girls’ weekend in Leeds. Here are the best things to do, no matter what you like.
For People Who Drink
You’re in luck if you and your girls like a cheeky drink. Fans of mocktails are also welcome. Leeds is a great place to spend the weekend if you want to enjoy the city’s nightlife. There are lots of drink bars, boozy brunches, and nightclubs to choose from.
First, go to the Northern Quarter, which has a lot of clubs and bars. The rooftop bar at Belgrave Music Hall, which has views of the sunset and well-thought-out drinks, is our pick. Or, if the group wants a more traditional English bar, The Reliance is only a five-minute walk away. It’s traditional but classy, and it serves great wine and local ales. Out back, there is a diner that has been praised by Michelin.
For a little more action, check out Roxy Ball Room and Roxy Arcade. These places have singing booths, beer pong and old video games.
Or, if you want really creative drinks in a classy setting, Leeds has a lot to offer. Jake’s Bar & Still Room is one of our favourite cocktail places in Leeds. It’s a Leeds institution and has its own distillery that makes the bar’s signature spirits. That’s why Jake’s was just named the 24th best pub in the UK. Wow.
Also, you might enjoy Below Stairs on South Parade. It promises “cocktails that tell stories” and more than lives up to that claim.
For Food Lovers
We’re not sure who came up with the name “foodie capital of the North,” but Leeds has a lot to offer the foodies in our group.
If you’re up for an adventure, chef Michael O’Hare’s Michelin-starred restaurant The Man Behind the Curtain has a great tasting menu with a lot of surprising (and sometimes difficult) flavour combos that will make everyone coo (or at least talk). What does the phrase “scallop, tiger’s milk, and plankton focaccia” sound like? Or a treat called “Sex Wax” that has pineapple, coconut, and oysters together? Believe us, it’s great!
If that’s not your thing, Leeds also has great street food. Kirkgate Market has many street food carts and cafes, such as a ‘Asian’ bakery that serves fresh fish and chips and Yorkshire pudding wraps. On the other hand, Trinity Kitchen is only a five-minute walk from the main train stop and has six food vans that come and go all the time.
Bundobust is our favourite place for street food with a little more focus. It’s a casual craft beer bar and Indian food truck that serves only vegetarian food. The Bhel Puri is great.
There are a lot of food and drink tours in Leeds if you want to learn more about the city’s food scene. For example, “Local Leeds” trips offer guided tours of independent restaurants in the city centre that focus on using local ingredients.
For the dancers
After all that food and drinks, you might be ready to find a place to cut a floor. No surprise, since Leeds is such a big and well-known city, it has a lot of lively dance floors.
Why not end the night at one of the city’s many clubs? With places like Viaduct Showbar, Popworld, and Pryzm, you can find a nightlife scene in Leeds that fits any mood or taste. You might even catch a cabaret show and meet some of the local drag queens.
Or, if you want to stay out until very late, the Warehouse Club is open until 6 am. It used to be a concert hall where bands like Oasis and The Stone Roses played, but now it’s famous for its retro nights.
Just for the explorers
You can also enjoy the outdoors in Leeds if that’s more your style. If you want to learn about the history and heritage of Leeds, you can join one of the many group walking trips that are available. The “Leeds City Centre Walking Tour” does exactly what it says it does. The “Leeds Hidden Gems” tour is like a prize hunt and a great way to find places in the city you might not have seen otherwise.
It’s a little farther to get to the Yorkshire Dales, but the beautiful town of Ilkley has daily tours that let you see some of the most beautiful views in the area. You could also take a walk around Roundhay Park if you’d rather stay close to home.
For Fans of Movies
In its own words, the Hyde Park Picture House is the “home of independent cinema in Leeds.” It’s a great spot to see a movie. The Heritage Lottery Fund recently gave money to this Grade II listed building on Brudenell Road. This means that this beautiful place will be able to keep looking as beautiful as ever.
The famous local architects Thomas Winn & Sons built HPPH in 1914. It is the only gaslit movie theatre left in the UK, and it shows a wide range of films, from big foreign hits to smaller, more niche arthouse films. We can’t wait to see what this great local movie theatre does next with the £2.3 million from the National Lottery that will go towards a new second screen and better access.
To All The Shopaholics
Yorkshire already thinks of Leeds as a shopping paradise, and now the full renovation of Grade I-listed Kirkgate Market, which is famous for being where Marks & Spencer began, has added to its draw.
The indoor market is one of the biggest in Europe, and it sells a wide range of goods, such as fresh food and drinks, clothes, jewellery, flowers, tools, and fabrics. After a major multimillion-pound renovation, the building can now host a variety of events and seasonal markets in the Victorian and Edwardian halls’ beautiful design and traditional market layout.
Victoria Gate, which opened in October 2016, is another great addition to the city’s busy shopping scene. Leeds is known for its Victorian arcades, which were updated to look like the new shopping and entertainment area. It will be home to the biggest John Lewis store outside of London. It’s easy to see why the Victorian Quarter is called “the Knightsbridge of the North.”
In Short
There are lots of great things to do in Leeds for any kind of girls’ trip. Now what do you wait for? Get the girls together and start making plans for a great weekend in Leeds!
