Enjoying a short break in Leeds

'All t'fatties out!' shouts a joker in the crammed hotel lift. We're headed for the Sky Lounge on the 13th floor of the DoubleTree By Hilton Hotel, a rooftop terrace bar which has been enthusiastically adopted by the locals. But we're over the weight limit and the lift is refusing to budge.
Leeds Town HallLeeds Town Hall
Leeds Town Hall

Leeds is the UK’s fastest-growing city, driven by financial services and the business sector. And with economic renewal has come cultural vitality - the Lonely Planet Guide named Leeds as one of the 10 best visitor destinations in Europe for 2017.

Boasting a world-class museum (the Royal Armouries), internationally renowned opera and ballet companies, restaurants at the cutting edge of foodie culture and a clutch of sophisticated shopping arcades, the northern city’s transformation is breathtaking.

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Dour decades of industrial grime have been scraped away, and what’s left is a confident, entrepreneurial metropolis which, just as in its Victorian heyday, embraces the glitz and glamour of prosperity.

Victoria Gate shopping arcadeVictoria Gate shopping arcade
Victoria Gate shopping arcade

But down-to-earth Leeds folk haven’t changed at all. So whatever your budget, the city adds up to an exceptional - and at times hilarious - travel experience.

Where to stay

Stepping into the DoubleTree by Hilton (doubletree3.hilton.com) is a dramatic, almost Harry Potterish experience: Descend from the bridge above Platform 17 at Leeds Railway Station into the Dark Arches (brick tunnels built in Victorian times to carry the tumbling waters of the River Aire), then emerge into a blaze of daylight by the Leeds And Liverpool Canal.

Enjoying the facilities one would expect of a member of the Hilton chain (42in TV, complimentary wifi, well-designed rooms), the canal-side location on Granary Wharf offers soothing views of narrowboats chugging gently along the waterway.

DoubleTree Hilton LeedsDoubleTree Hilton Leeds
DoubleTree Hilton Leeds
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On the ground floor, the all-day Lock Kitchen & Bar has a chilled vibe; you can while away hours people-watching on the heated terrace by the towpath. The fashionable Sky Lounge roof terrace gets busy at weekends, so a good way to enjoy the panoramic views in tranquility is by taking advantage of the weekend brunch option (£17.50) or a full-blown afternoon tea (£19.95). From £73 per night room only.

Where to eat

You won’t go hungry in a city that understands the importance of “a bit of a do”.

Issho (issho-restaurant.com), a rooftop restaurant in Victoria Gate, offers contemporary Japanese cuisine - small sharing plates of skewered meats (robatayaki) and upmarket sushi - prepared under the eye of Executive Chef Ben Orpwood, previously at Zuma and Sexy Fish in London. It’s popular with affluent young professionals who populate the city’s financial and legal base. Expect to pay £3.50-£10 per plate.

Victoria Gate shopping arcadeVictoria Gate shopping arcade
Victoria Gate shopping arcade

Kirkgate Market is Europe’s largest indoor market and the place where in 1894 the Polish Jewish refugee Mr Marks joined forces with English bookkeeper Mr Spencer to open a permanent stall. The market is the place to stock up on picnic items such as award-winning pork pies - and the building has Grade One listed status. The Fisherman’s Wife (thefishermanswife.co.uk) chippy, between the market and John Lewis, offers classic British street food (haddock and chips £5.39) and there’s a sit-down option too.

Where to shop

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The Grand Arcade is, ironically, the least grand of Leeds’ many covered shopping streets. These range from Thornton’s Arcade (opened in 1878 and home today to quirky independent retailers, such as OK Comics) to the much newer Victoria Gate, anchored by one 
of the largest John Lewis stores in the UK.

The jewel in the crown is The Victoria Quarter, designed in 1900 by Frank Matcham, better known for his theatres. A branch of Harvey Nichols now stands on the site of the original Empire Theatre. The remainder of the covered complex is filled with high-end stores from Space NK to Vivienne Westwood, and the Tesla car company has just opened a showroom. To describe it as one of the most beautiful shopping malls in Britain is no exaggeration.

DoubleTree Hilton LeedsDoubleTree Hilton Leeds
DoubleTree Hilton Leeds

Where to drink

Leeds is famous for its array of craft beers, and one of the best places to sample what’s on offer is Whitelocks, a small complex of ale houses down an alleyway off Briggate. Dating from 1715, it was described by poet John Betjeman as “the very heart of Leeds”.

Try the Turk’s Head (turksheadleeds.co.uk), a modern bar with 14 British draught beers. The Cross Keys (the-crosskeys.com) gastropub on Water Lane, part of Leeds’ North Bar group, offers an impressive list, which ranges from the in-house Transmission at £5.30, Magic Rock’s gluten-free Fantasma at £7.40 and the exotic Pina Agrin Sour Ale with Pineapple from Colorado at £18.50.

For more information about this destination, visit visitleeds.co.uk

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