Yorkshire City Breaks

Leeds City Breaks

Access to Leeds City breaks couldn't be easier with Leeds Bradford International Airport situated just 11 miles north west of Leeds City Centre. Leeds is Yorkshire's capital city and its largest. Firmly on the map as a top European city break, Leeds is an eclectic mix of internationally and nationally acclaimed art galleries, museums, fine shopping quarters, dynamic waterfront development, superb theatres and a nightlife and music scene to beat all.

New and exciting additions are soon to include the hotly awaited Leeds City Museum off Millennium Square and waterfront developments around the Royal Armouries alongside the River Aire promise a host more chic restaurants, bars and hotels. Top family attractions in the city include the UK's centre for arms and armour - the Royal Armouries and the interactive extravaganza at the Thackray Medical Museum.

Like shopping? Leeds is one of the UK's best cities for shopping around the historic Victoria Quarter, the new mix of shops, cinema and entertainment at The Light and within big name stores located here in Leeds such as Harvey Nichols. Leeds pays due attention to its industrial heritage within centrepiece museum - The Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills, once the biggest of Britain's woollen mills and find Britain's best collection of 19th and 20th century art outside of London at the renowned Leeds Art Gallery.

Leeds has moved on and up to rank with the best of the UK city breaks. Find the main Leeds Tourist Information Centre at Gateway Yorkshire, Regional Travel and Tourism Centre, The Arcade, Leeds City Station, Leeds, LS1 1PL. Tel. 0113 242 5242.

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Bradford City Breaks

Bradford is renowned as a centre for film, television, photography and media revolving around the spectacular National Media Museum (previously for 23 years the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television). Within the National Media Museum discover numerous galleries including recent new TV Galleries, a giant IMAX screen, two cinemas and constantly changing exhibitions and events pulling on this acclaimed museum's huge visual archive.

The cinemas offer a diverse range of world cinema and the huge five story IMAX cinema offers an opportunity to view 3D and 2D films. Bradford is home to some of the best Asian restaurants in Yorkshire and you'll find full listings of the city's acclaimed Asian restaurants plus new restaurants around Centenary Square on the Visit Bradford webguide.

Bradford is a Yorkshire city with great theatres too, particularly the historic and now fully restored Alhambra Theatre which in its early days was a mecca for Edwardian music hall.

The city also boasts two exciting art galleries and just outside the city centre the fascinating Bradford Industrial Museum explores in-depth Bradford's textile heritage in onetime vast worsted spinning mill Moorside Mills. Events and festivals are numerous in Bradford through the year including a selection of film festivals, flower festivals at Bradford Cathedral and a host of events within Salts Mill at nearby Saltaire just north of the city. Once a self-contained village for workers at Titus Salt's Mill which opened in 1853, today Saltaire is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and dynamic contemporary arts centre with David Hockney gallery, numerous arts and craft shops.

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Sheffield City Breaks

Sheffield has evolved into one of the best, and much like Glasgow pulls on both its industrial heritage with a new and vibrant leaning towards the arts. Sheffield's choice of art galleries is impressive, with the longstanding Graves Art Gallery in the heart of the city centre alongside the new Millennium Galleries with their contemporary edge plus the treasured Ruskin Collection on display in the Ruskin Gallery within the Millennium Galleries.

Sheffield's theatre choice is likewise impressive, with the historic Lyceum proscenium arch theatre and the famous Sheffield Crucible which plays host to the Snooker World Championships annually and the smaller intimate Studio Theatre. The city's green spaces further boost Sheffield's appeal, particularly the spectacular Winter Gardens, a giant glass arched greenhouse, the largest of its kind in a European city! Winter Gardens and Sheffield's art galleries with adjacent Lyceum Theatre are all clustered together around cultural hotspot Millenium Square.

Just a mile outside Sheffield city centre sits the newly revamped Weston Park Museum, which looks set in its new format to be an award winning museum. Weston Park is the definitive museum on the history of Sheffield and South Yorkshire with now new themed galleries including Arctic World and About Art. For shopping, Sheffield is a Yorkshire city hard to beat.

The Devonshire Quarter plays host to numerous designer names, with ample malls and shopping centres in the city centre. Hop aboard the Supertram from Sheffield City Centre to Britain's top shopping centre Meadowhall on the city's outskirts. You've some premier live music venues here in Sheffield too, notably the Broadwalk and Leadmill.

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Hull City Breaks

If you haven't discovered Hull yet - what are you waiting for!! The magical and awe-inspiring experience of 'The Deep' aquarium will amaze adults and children alike, where you can walk through sub-marium tunnels where sharks literally swim over your head.

Hull's choice of museums and attractions makes it one of Yorkshire's top city break destinations. The celebrated Ferens Art Gallery boats artwork by David Hockney, Henry Moore and numerous old masters. Clustered around Hull's centrally placed Museums Quarter are four of the city's eight free to enter exciting museums.

Museum gems include Hull Maritime Museum exploring Hull's fascinating maritime and fishing industry heritage. Wilberforce House was the birthplace home of Hull's famous son, and anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce. The house is now a museum exploring Wilberforce's life and work alongside exhibits on the history of slavery.

Other Hull museum treats include the Streetlife Transport Museum, preserved ships now living history museums including the 1960s sidewindeer the Arctic Corsair and the moored Spurn Lightship in Hull's marina. Hull's city centre shops are hard to beat, with a choice of specialist and designer fashion shops alongside big retail names.

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York Weekend Breaks

York ranks as one of the UK's best city breaks. Easily navigated on-foot, York contains a tightly packed host of historic attractions spanning various periods including Viking, Roman, Medieval, Georgian and Victorian.

Barcelona has its Sagrada and Edinburgh its castle, whilst York has its iconic medieval York Minster, easily one of the world's most architecturally impressive cathedrals. Add to this a host of award winning art galleries and museums, York ghost tours galore, scenic riverboat trips along the River Ouse which cuts through this historic city and some of the best shopping, chic bars and restaurant choice in the country and you have a recipe for a fun packed UK city break or York weekend break!

York blends its historic, cultural and tourist attractions well. Alongside cutting edge history and art museums, take a ride on the Yorkshire Wheel for spectacular views of the city or visit fun family attractions such as the York Dungeon. York has a choice of city bus sightseeing tours - always a good starter to get your bearings.

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Wakefield Tourist Guide

Exciting times are afoot in Wakefield, birthplace of sculpture greats Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, which is set to see new architecturally impressive museums and galleries alongside what is an already impressive arts and culture scene. Wakefield's waterfront is receiving much attention with plans for the new Trinity Walk retail outlet and the new sculpture gallery (to be designed by acclaimed architect David Chipperfield) which will serve as home for a huge collection of Barbara Hepworth's work, hence its name 'The Hepworth Wakefield' (due for opening 2010). One of Yorkshire's most impressive arts spaces is in the area - the renowned Yorkshire Sculpture Park, home to numerous sculptures by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth and new stars on the sculpture front such as Andy Goldsworthy, James Turrell and Nigel Hall.

Wakefield is also appropriately the site for the National Coal Mining Museum for England based at Caphouse Colliery. Here you can take underground tours and view one of the most impressive coal mining collections and archives in the UK. Wakefield Westgate Station sits on the East Coast Mainline Rail line, offering easy access from Edinburgh and Scotland and up from London. Indeed Wakefield's excellent transport links, including its close proximity to the M1 and excellent rail links will play a major role in the city's rejuvenation.

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Huddersfield & Halifax Tourism

Diverse and dynamic university town Huddersfield has more than earned its European designation as 'Creative Town', and like Halifax is one of the UK's best kept secrets. A classic Yorkshire town on the one hand with its non-conformist political and religious history (Chartist uprising was prevalent here) and many Victorian listed buildings (1,660 in all) built by wealthy Huddersfield industrialists, notably the Ramsdens - on the other hand contemporary Huddersfield is influenced by its central university and its mix of cultures.

Industrial heritage and new contemporary arts edge blend well in this Pennine Yorkshire centre. Huddersfield hosts many festivals throughout the year and is home to numerous acclaimed museums, theatres, art galleries and the famous Alfred McAlpine Stadium - a venue for football and rugby with its pioneering contemporary design.

The outstanding late Georgian and Victorian architecture in Halifax is a feast for the eyes. Architect Charles Barry was commissioned for Halifax's magnificent Victorian town hall dating from 1863 whilst late Georgian historic Piece Hall first opened in 1779 as a market centre for handloom weavers to sell their cloth.

Halifax's Victorian Borough Market contains stunning decorative iron work. The spectacular mammoth Dean Clough Mill site in Halifax was once home to the world's largest carpet manufacturers Crossley Carpets. Today it's a vibrant mix of art galleries, chic restaurants and cafes, the acclaimed Viaduct Theatre and a host of specialist arts shops.

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