Gillie Noviacks has been a travel writer for the past 16 years. She has written city guides for many publications, including Corbridge tourist information and Leeds city guide.
About Leeds
Leeds is a lively city that is full of fantastic cultural and historic sites, which are thrilling to look around. Over 100,000 people come to work in the city centre every single day and 1000s more come to shop, eat out or just to enjoy the range of attractions Leeds has on offer.
There are plenty of famous names associated with the city of Leeds, including Thomas Chippendale who began creating his famous furniture there, and Michael Marks - of Marks & Spencer - who opened his first Penny Bazaar there in 1884.
In addition to this, it is also home to the historical Kirkgate Market. The market is Europe’s second biggest indoor market after Leicester and is open 6 days a week. There are over 400 stalls inside the market and a further two hundred outside. It attracts over 100 thousand visitors every week.
Kirkgate Market first opened in 1822 as an open-air market and the first covered sections were built between 1850 and 1875. Unfortunately, much of the building, except the Vicar Lane frontage, was destroyed in a 1975 fire. However, the Market was refurbished in the early 1990s and following this, Kirkgate Market was upgraded from a Grade II to a Grade I listed building.
Things to Do
From the cutting-edge fashion found in the Victoria Quarter to the excellent designer stores of The Light and the independent boutiques of the arcades, Leeds gives visitors many fantastic shopping opportunities. Whether you are looking for a new outfit or even an amazing birthday gift, you are sure to find it in this fun city.
If you don't like shopping, you will be happy to know that Leeds has many more places of interest. These include the really insightful Leeds City Museum and the Henry Moore Institute, which caters to the arty tourist.
Alternatively, you could visit one of the city's fabulous parks or even the pretty Mandela gardens, which are situated in the heart of the city. These good-looking gardens were constructed to commemorate the millennium at a cost of £12 million and were funded by Leeds city council and the Millennium Commission. The gardens were awarded a medal at the 2004 Chelsea Flower Show, although they were damaged this year because of a massive water fight that was organised on the social-networking web site, Face book.
Finally, any tourist visiting Leeds should ensure that they taste its nightlife. With wonderful restaurants, VIP bars and impressive clubs, you'll have an amazing evening there. It goes without saying that Leeds has a big gay community, too. You will find some great gay clubs sprinkled around the Calls area, which include the notorious Blayde's.
Although this is the end of our tourist guide to Leeds, we have not managed to squeeze in all of the fantastic delights that this city has to offer. To find out more about Leeds and the nearby areas, simply get in touch with your local tourist info centre.
Getting There
Whether you are travelling by car or public transport, you will find getting to Leeds is easy. It is well served by Leeds Railway Station, also known as Leeds City, as well as offering regular bus and coach services.
Leeds is a lively city that is full of fantastic cultural and historic sites, which are thrilling to look around. Over 100,000 people come to work in the city centre every single day and 1000s more come to shop, eat out or just to enjoy the range of attractions Leeds has on offer.
There are plenty of famous names associated with the city of Leeds, including Thomas Chippendale who began creating his famous furniture there, and Michael Marks - of Marks & Spencer - who opened his first Penny Bazaar there in 1884.
In addition to this, it is also home to the historical Kirkgate Market. The market is Europe’s second biggest indoor market after Leicester and is open 6 days a week. There are over 400 stalls inside the market and a further two hundred outside. It attracts over 100 thousand visitors every week.
Kirkgate Market first opened in 1822 as an open-air market and the first covered sections were built between 1850 and 1875. Unfortunately, much of the building, except the Vicar Lane frontage, was destroyed in a 1975 fire. However, the Market was refurbished in the early 1990s and following this, Kirkgate Market was upgraded from a Grade II to a Grade I listed building.
Things to Do
From the cutting-edge fashion found in the Victoria Quarter to the excellent designer stores of The Light and the independent boutiques of the arcades, Leeds gives visitors many fantastic shopping opportunities. Whether you are looking for a new outfit or even an amazing birthday gift, you are sure to find it in this fun city.
If you don't like shopping, you will be happy to know that Leeds has many more places of interest. These include the really insightful Leeds City Museum and the Henry Moore Institute, which caters to the arty tourist.
Alternatively, you could visit one of the city's fabulous parks or even the pretty Mandela gardens, which are situated in the heart of the city. These good-looking gardens were constructed to commemorate the millennium at a cost of £12 million and were funded by Leeds city council and the Millennium Commission. The gardens were awarded a medal at the 2004 Chelsea Flower Show, although they were damaged this year because of a massive water fight that was organised on the social-networking web site, Face book.
Finally, any tourist visiting Leeds should ensure that they taste its nightlife. With wonderful restaurants, VIP bars and impressive clubs, you'll have an amazing evening there. It goes without saying that Leeds has a big gay community, too. You will find some great gay clubs sprinkled around the Calls area, which include the notorious Blayde's.
Although this is the end of our tourist guide to Leeds, we have not managed to squeeze in all of the fantastic delights that this city has to offer. To find out more about Leeds and the nearby areas, simply get in touch with your local tourist info centre.
Getting There
Whether you are travelling by car or public transport, you will find getting to Leeds is easy. It is well served by Leeds Railway Station, also known as Leeds City, as well as offering regular bus and coach services.
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