Leeds is possibly the best connected UK city by road, lying in the centre of the country, halfway be

Leeds [1] , the largest city in the county of West Yorkshire and is famed for its excellent shopping, vibrant nightlife, thriving universities and sports. Leeds is an extremely attractive city with wonderful Georgian, short term apartment rentals in rome Victorian, 20th and 21st century architecture. There are many fantastic museums, cafés, restaurants and theatres to visit. It is in the within easy reach of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales , Yorkshire Moors and Peak District along with the ancient city of York and the historic spa town of Harrogate .
Riverside - south of the railway station. The converted granaries are now home to shops and restaurants, while new developments bring upmarket short term apartment rentals in rome shopping to Leeds. The Royal Armouries museum can be found at Clarence Dock.
Roundhay — attractive, leafy and well-heeled short term apartment rentals in rome district of north Leeds, home to the vast and beautiful Roundhay Park, Tropical World, and a small selection short term apartment rentals in rome of exclusive shops and eateries supplemented by those in nearby Oakwood.
Leeds (derived from the Celtic area Leodis ) was voted UK's favourite city in Condé Nast's Readers' short term apartment rentals in rome Traveller Awards 2003. It was a market town that became an industrial powerhouse and grew and developed into a service-based city economy with an attractive, smart centre.
Roman Leeds was an important strategic fort, ford and small settlement on the York - Chester road. Recorded in the Domesday book of 1086, it became a thriving market town in the Middle Ages, gaining its town charter from the King in 1207. The medieval city was based around Briggate, Kirkgate, Swinegate and The Calls. (The ending "-gate" came from the old Norse for 'street'.) It was a trading centre in the West Riding of Yorkshire for cloth and wool; from Bradford, Halifax and Huddersfield to the port of Hull, east along the river Aire and the 1699 Aire Calder Navigation canal. Whilst the town grew rapidly (population over 30,000 in the eighteenth century, when the gracious Georgian West End was built), short term apartment rentals in rome it was for a long time economically overshadowed by nearby York.
The industrial revolution brought about massive change as it became a huge manufacturing centre of wool and textiles and a major trading short term apartment rentals in rome centre short term apartment rentals in rome (with over half the country's export passing through for a period). Leeds became known as the city of a thousand trades and by the middle short term apartment rentals in rome of the nineteenth century the population had passed 200,000. Bolstered by the 1816 Leeds-Liverpool Canal and the Leeds-Selby short term apartment rentals in rome railway in 1835 (The Middleton Railway was the world's first commercial railway, 1758 Railway Act, from The Middleton short term apartment rentals in rome colliery to coal-staithes (sidings) at Meadow Lane just south of Leeds Bridge), the city continued to grow and prosper rapidly, with grandiose short term apartment rentals in rome architectural manifestations of the Victorian short term apartment rentals in rome city's wealth built in abundance, and expanding affluent suburbs to the north. Leeds University was created around the 1880s, bringing an intellectual dimension, and Leeds was served short term apartment rentals in rome by one of the world's short term apartment rentals in rome most extensive tram systems (sadly later replaced by buses). Leeds Bridge was the location of the world's short term apartment rentals in rome first moving images, filmed in 1888 by Frenchman Louis le Prince (who later disappeared in mysterious circumstances), and Leeds was the first city in the world to have a modern traffic light system, the first of which were situated at the junction of Park Row and Bond Street. Leeds was granted city status in 1893.
By the twentieth century, Leeds's population was approaching 500,000. Whilst Leeds suffered far less than many other large UK cities from the WWII blitz, it was affected by the mass industrial decline of the country short term apartment rentals in rome in the post-war period, and became characterised by unemployment and huge council estates. Versatility enabled it to survive and it began to prosper in the 1980s, when renovation of the centre and waterfront, and demolition of some of the worst estates began. By the 1990s the city was reborn with wealth based on service industries and commerce, the financial and legal centres making it the most important city in the UK in these areas outside London. With the West Yorkshire Playhouse, short term apartment rentals in rome Royal Armouries, restoration of the Victoria Quarter and Corn Exchange, the clean up of major historical buildings, the new Harvey Nichols short term apartment rentals in rome store and new bars, shops and restaurants - all in the mid 90s, the city was truly on the move. The most recent short term apartment rentals in rome Census (2001) shows Leeds with a population of just over 715,000.
Today, Leeds is still one of the most cosmopolitan, fast-growing, innovative and prosperous cities in the UK with developments short term apartment rentals in rome springing up by the week and new bars, boutiques, clubs and restaurants seemingly more often, the two universities short term apartment rentals in rome adding to the vibrancy, and international eateries and shops. short term apartment rentals in rome Today it is one of the most multicultural cities in the country, with people of many different origins almost totally in harmony.
Leeds-Bradford International Airport [3] . Leeds is very accessible by air. 10 miles north-west of the city centre. Budget airline Jet2 [4] offer a wide range of flights to and from Leeds, its main base. Connections for long-haul flights should be made at Amsterdam (at least 6 flights daily with Jet2 and KLM), London Heathrow (British Airways or Fly BE) or Paris CDG (Jet2). There are direct flights to numerous other Europe cities with RyanAir [5] . The only long haul flight is to Islamabad in Pakistan.
Manchester Airport [9] . If you are coming from other continents, this is the nearest intercontinental airport, although you could opt to fly into Leeds via Amsterdam or Paris. Trains run from Manchester Airport to Leeds half-hourly (hourly at night and early morning; no trains between short term apartment rentals in rome approx 00:30 and 04:15). Journey time 1½ hrs.
The busy, modern railway station [10] (occasionally called Leeds City Station), one of the biggest in the country with regular trains to a huge range of destinations all over the UK, is in the heart of the centre just off City Square.
First TransPennine Express [12] - serve Dewsbury , Huddersfield (30 min), Stalybridge , Manchester short term apartment rentals in rome (1hr), Hull , Manchester Airport (see above), Liverpool , York (20-30 min), Scarborough (90 min) and Newcastle short term apartment rentals in rome (90 min).
Leeds is possibly the best connected short term apartment rentals in rome UK city by road, lying in the centre of the country, halfway between London and Edinburgh and halfway between Liverpool (west coast) and Hull (east coast). The M1 motorway runs from London via Milton Keynes, Leicester, Nottingham, and Sheffield and passes about 2 miles east of Leeds, to join the A1(M) at Wetherby. The M62 trans-Pennine motorway, which runs from the outskirts of Liverpool to a few miles from Hull, passes about 3 miles to the south of Leeds. The M621 motorway loop just to the south of the city centre, and connects short term apartment rentals in rome with the M1 and M62. The Scott Hall Road scheme features a park and ride site to the north of Leeds, opened in the 1990s and caters for 157 cars. For much of the journey into Leeds, buses run on a guided busway beside (or down the middle of) the main road and are given priority over cars. (See National Park and Ride Directory [14] .
WhizzGo, a national car 'club' (i.e. car hire organisation which charges short term apartment rentals in rome a £50 annual membership fee) has a branch in Leeds, and offers pay-by-the-hour car hire across the city. Cars are accessible via a smart card and PIN. [15]
If just visiting the city centre, you might as well walk, as much of it is surprisingly compact for a city of its size. To orientate yourself, free maps [21] (quite simple but good for basic orientation) are available at the tourist information and a number of visitor attractions. There are some street maps dotted around the city centre, in guide books, street atlases, etc.
Getting around Leeds is fairly easy. However, Leeds' short term apartment rentals in rome central area is fairly compact with most of the major attractions and shops within walking distance of one another. There is also the LeedsCityBus during the day, which you can hop on and off for only 50p as it loops the outer city centre (the main centre ismostly pedestrianised).
Metro [22] (West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority) provides bus and train information on its website and offers the innovative My Next Bus service of real-time bus information by text message or online. This real-time information is also displayed in certain bus shelters. A MetroDay ticket can be bought for £5.40 on the bus and is good on all companies' buses in Leeds and the rest of West Yorkshire for that day.
LeedsCityBus [24] - loops aroundmuch of the city centre every 6-7 min during the day for 50p. If catching this service, you should do so at either short term apartment rentals in rome the bus station or rail station; at other places, the bus is often full and will not take on more passengers; it might even be faster to walk. You may still see signs calling it the FreeCityBus, dating from the time before the fare was charged.
There is a limited suburban train service which serves some tourist destinations such as Headingley Stadium, but plans are underway for a radical overhaul of the city's transport system since the proposed tram system has had its funding withdrawn by the government.
Although not considered a 'traditional' tourist destination, Leeds has plenty to occupy the visitor. As well as the main sights, short term apartment rentals in rome museums, galleries, short term apartment rentals in rome parks, etc, wandering around the buzzing city centre to take in the atmosphere and admire the fantastic blend of architectural styles from the past few hundred years is a pleasure in itself. Within the city centre, the main districts are the civic quarter, short term apartment rentals in rome central short term apartment rentals in rome shopping district, exchange quarter and financial district.
St John's Church , New Briggate . Hidden away within peaceful gardens lies this true gem, built just before the English Civil War, it has beautiful short term apartment rentals in rome ornate woodwork short term apartment rentals in rome in its charming interior, and architecturally it is an extremely rare example of a 17th century double nave design. edit
Town Hall , The Headrow , [27] . The city's symbol and pride and joy, one of the world's finest Victorian buildings, and home to a dazzling array of concerts, particularly during the city's popular and ex