About Leeds and Bradford

Leeds history is rich and illustrious, and there are plenty of things to do which enhance your knowledge of Leeds' local history. The Royal Armouries Museum was constructed in 1996 when the collection was moved from the Tower of London. The museum is well worth a visit and explores lots of interesting information about Leeds, in a contempory setting. For those keen to understand the history of Leeds, the Leeds City Museum opened in 2008 and will teach you everything you need to know about Leeds' history from within the former Mechanics Institute.

For culture-vultures, musicians and artists, Leeds is a great place to live. Playing host to one of the countries biggest music festivals once as year (Reading-Leeds) as well as having one of the main music venues (The O2 Arena) on its doorstep, there really is music to suit everyone's tastes. Leeds art gallery reopened its doors in June 2007, after a massive renovation project, and houses many important contempory and traditional British works.

Things to do in Leeds

With sport playing an important role in Leeds' history, it is still always on the agenda. With world class sports venues like the Headingley Carnegie Stadium, training ground to national Rugby giants, Rhinos as well as Leeds Carnegie who play in the Rugby Union, there are always games to watch and to play!

But its not all sport, there are loads of other things to do in Leeds too. The pubs and restaurants in both Leeds and Bradford are exceptional with a cool mix of modern and traditional bars and pubs. For the more trendy clubbers, Geek Street has the better known bars, while the corn exchange is a cool wash of new names. The main club is a huge multi-roomed Oceana but there are less commercial venues in Millennium Square and Civic. If you're looking to explore the city nightlife there is no better way to learn about Bradford and Leeds than to go on a Friday night bar crawl around the Millennium Square.

Shopping in Leeds is brilliant too, and has been described by the Lonely Planet guides as the 'Knightsbridge of the North' as the city is home to a diverse range of shops and department stores; from individual one-off boutiques to stores such as Harvey Nichols and Louis Vuitton outlets.

If you're looking to explore your city with people who share your interests and passions, why not start making new Leeds friends today?