West Yorkshire
Leeds also offers out-of town shopping centres, universities, theatres and nightlife with transport links through its major station and the airport it shares with Bradford around 7 miles north west of the city centre at Yeadon.
Leeds is the administrative centre of the metropolitan district run by Leeds City Council. This also includes a ring of small towns around Leeds, among them Morley (5 miles), Pudsey (6 miles), Yeadon (8 miles), Guiseley (9 miles), Garforth (7 miles), Rothwell (5 miles) and further afield Otley (11 miles) and Wetherby (12 miles). The district also has a number of small villages spaced out in agricultural countryside mainly to east of the city.
The Leeds metropolitan district is one of a ring of five metropolitan districts which make up the county of West Yorkshire, with Leeds occupying the north-eastern corner. About one-third of the West Yorkshire population live in Leeds.
City features
Leeds is the city where Marks & Spencer traces its roots to a Penny Bazaar stall in the city's Kirkgate Market in 1884. The city still has popular market stalls and its Kirkgate Market was voted the nation's "Favourite Market" in 2016 National Association for British Markets Authorities awards. The city has grown into a large and thriving retail centre with many big high street names and department stores vying for attention with smaller shops providing fashions unique to the city. The city's Victorian arcades are splendidly refurbished and an abundance of new shopping centres have been tied into the existing traditional shopping streets. The area around the city also has out-of-town shopping centres, the largest being the White Rose Shopping Centre, near Beeston.
The city centre has a huge selection of pubs, bars and nightclubs, with many other venues scattered around the city's districts.
Leeds has a wide range of eating establishments catering for all tastes.
Leeds city centre has post offices at the St Johns Centre, Albion Street, and at The Markets, New York Street. There are also branches in some districts of Leeds.
The city is a major banking centre with commercial and investment banks as well as consumer banks and building societies.
Leeds has many pharmacies in its city centre and in its districts.
Leeds Central Library is at Municipal Buildings in Calverley Street. The library is operated by Leeds City Council which also operates more than 30 other libraries together with a mobile library service throughout its wide metropolitan district. More information can be found at the 
Leeds City Council - Libraries
Leeds City Council - Libraries 
The River Aire flows through Leeds.
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal and Aire and Calder Navigation reach Leeds.
St Anne's CathedralGreat George Street
St Anne's Cathedral is the centre of the Catholic Diocese of Leeds. The church opened in 1838 as successor to earlier chapels in Leeds and was elevated to cathedral status in 1878.
More information at the Diocese of Leeds website.
Diocese of Leeds Leeds MinsterLeeds Minster was until 2012 Leeds Parish Church. Dedicated to St Peter, it was consecrated in 1841 after the grand church was built with 1,600 seats to replace an earlier parish church as the town of Leeds grew into an industrial city.
More information at the
Leeds Minster 
Entertainment
Leeds Playhouse
Playhouse Square, Quarry HillOffers a creative hub and presents local, national and international companies and artists. While still having county-wide impact among the many theatre choices within the towns and cities of West Yorkshire, the Playhouse has returned its heart to the city of Leeds after changing its name back from West Yorkshire Playhouse in June 2018.
City Varieties
Swan StreetWith a history dating back to 1865, this city centre venue once used by BBC TV's "The Good Old Days" continues the tradition of Victorian Music Hall entertainment into the 21st century.
First Direct Bank Arena
Arena WayMajor entertainment "super theatre" hosts live music, comedy, entertainment and sporting events.
Sport
Leeds United
Leeds United play in the Championship league at Elland Road, Beeston Leeds United 
Leeds Rhinos
Winners of the 2017 Super League Grand Final, Leeds Rhinos play at the Headingley Stadium Leeds Rhinos 
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Based at Headingley Cricket Ground Yorkshire County Cricket Club 
Universities
University of Leeds
Founded in 1904, the University of Leeds is one of the largest in the UK with a campus around Woodhouse Lane, a short walk from the city centre. University of Leeds Leeds Beckett University
Leeds Beckett University links its history in education back to the Leeds Mechanics Institute in 1824 but represents an amalgamation of several Leeds colleges over the years before becoming the Leeds Metropolitan University in 1992 and changing its name to Leeds Beckett University in 2014. The University is connected between a City centre campus, a Headingley Campus at Beckett Park and facilities at the Headingley Carnegie Stadium. Leeds Beckett University Leeds Trinity University
Brownberrie Lane, HorsforthLeeds Trinity University is based on a campus in Horsforth, six miles north west of Leeds city centre. It traces its establishment back to 1966 as two Catholic teacher training colleges. It gained full university status in 2012 and is building a new student accommodation block for September 2016.
Leeds Trinity University University of Law
Park RowThe University of Law has established one of its centres in a seven-storey building in the heart of Leeds city centre.
University of Law 
Museums
Royal Armouries Museum
The Royal Armouries opened a museum in Leeds in 1996 to display some of the large national collection of arms and armour historically based at the White Tower of the Tower of London. Housed in a purpose-built modern building at Leeds Dock, near the city centre, arms and armour from Britain and across the world is exhibited in themed galleries, with a programme of live shows and demonstrations. The museum opens daily from 10am to 5pm with last admisssion at 4.30pm.
More details at the
Royal Armouries Thackray Medical Museum
Interactive galleries show the world of medicine from the Victorian age to modern scientific breakthroughs. The museum also offers a library and resource centre.Further information at the
Thackray Medical Museum Leeds City Museum
Millennium SquareIncludes exhibitions centred on the life of Leeds and natural history.
Details at the
Leeds City Museum Leeds Industrial Museum
Armley Mills, Canal Road, off Kirkstall Road, ArmleyOnce the world's largest woollen mill, Armley Mills now tells the story of the rich industrial heritage of Leeds. It is located alongside the River Aire and Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Armley, about two miles from Leeds city centre.
More information at the
Leeds Industrial Museum Places to visit
Kirkstall Abbey
Abbey Road, KirkstallThe ruins of the Kirkstall Abbey, dating from 1152, are in public parkland alongside the River Aire at Kirkstall, 3 miles north-west of Leeds city centre. Cistercian monks occupied the building and owned surrounding land until the abbey was closed in 1539. While much of the abbey can be seen from the surrounding park, internal admission is available every day except Monday with tickets available on site. The Abbey also has a cafe. Buses from Leeds stop next to the abbey. The nearest railway stations are Headingley, just under a mile away, and Kirkstall Forge, just over a mile away.
More information at these
Leeds City Council - Kirkstall Abbey Find on map:
Kirkstall Abbey 
Middleton Railway
Moor Road, Hunslet, LeedsThe world's oldest working railway is now operated by volunteers who run trains mostly at weekends. The railway was first opened as a horse-drawn colliery railway in 1758 and was the first to successfully use steam locomotives commercially in 1812. The line was not built as a passenger railway, but solely for carrying coal. Passengers can now make the journey between Moor Road station and Park Halt at the edge of the attractive woodland of Middleton Park, where there are displays about the past coal mining in the area. The line has a timetable of diesel and steam operating days and special events and the engine shed is a celebration of the numerous manufacturers, among them Hudson, Hudswell Clarke and Manning Wardle, which once made Leeds the biggest producer of railway locomotives in the country. The railway is about 2 miles south of Leeds city centre close to Junctions 5 & 6 of the M621.
More information at the
Middleton Railway 
Roundhay Park and Tropical World
Prince's Avenue, RoundhayRoundhay Park is a popular large park 3 miles north of Leeds city centre, owned by Leeds City Council, with more than 280 hectares of parkland, woodland, lakes and gardens. It also has cafes and is the location of Tropical World, which holds a large collection of tropical plants, birds and reptiles, a butterfly house, aquariums and other animal enclosures, including the ever-popular meerkats.
Further details at the
Roundhay Park 
Temple Newsam House
Temple Newsam Road, off Selby Road, near Colton, Leeds Temple Newsam House dates from Tudor and Jacobean times and is surrounded by more than 600 hectares of parkland and gardens, which include a rare breeds farm. The gardens were designed by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown in the 1760s. Leeds City Council now own the country house and estate, which is open to the public. The house has previously been used as an art museum but there has now been refurbishment of rooms to period styles to match the outstanding restored exterior of this Grade I listed building. There are fees for admission to the house and to the farm.
More information at the
Temple Newsam House 
Travel
Leeds station
Leeds City Station is a major rail hub for inter-city, regional and local services with around 29 million passenger journeys a year, making it the UK's third busiest railway station outside London.
Station managed by: NETWORK RAIL. Operator/s: NORTHERN, TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS, LNER, CROSS COUNTRY, EAST MIDLANDS RAILWAY.
NATIONAL RAIL - Departure and station infoExternal link to National Rail live departure board for services at this station (opens in new tab).
Leeds City Bus Station
A range of bus services to surrounding cities and towns operates from the Leeds City Bus Station. Many bus services also operate to the districts of Leeds from stops in city centre streets.
Road travel
Leeds city centre is just a few miles from the Leeds Bradford Airport
Offers national, European and international flights. The airport is around 7 miles north west of Leeds city centre (8.5 miles by road).
A Flyer A1 bus runs from Leeds city bus station and from outside the railway station to the airport in just over half an hour.
Airport website 
Emergency services
West Yorkshire Police West Yorkshire Police West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 
Local government
Metropolitan district council
City of LeedsThe City of Leeds authority covers an area extending several miles beyond the city itself, including areas of agricutural land with widely spaced villages to the north east and several separate small towns including Garforth , Guiseley , Morley , Otley , Pudsey , Rothwell , Wetherby and Yeadon .
Leeds is just one of a ring five metropolitan councils covering the many cities, towns and villages of the conurbation of West Yorkshire. Around one-third of the West Yorkshire population live in the Leeds metropolitan district, just over ¾ million at the time of the 2011 census.
In the City of Leeds metropolitan district a total of 99 councillors are elected. There are three councillors per ward across 33 wards. Councillors are usually elected for four-year terms, one councillor being elected in each of three years out of four. A Lord Mayor of Leeds is elected from the council each year.
Political composition after May 2023 election:
99 members
External link to Leeds City Council website.
Leeds City Council 
See our Yorkshire.guide Gazetteer for more about the 
Leeds metropolitan district and places within it.County strategic authority
West Yorkshire Combined AuthorityCovers some combined services of the five metropolitan district councils of
Bradford , 
Calderdale , Leeds , 
Kirklees and 
Wakefield — which were at one time provided by a West Yorkshire metropolitan county council, with the addition of the non-contiguous unitary authority area of the City of 
York council as well as the unelected Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership. Since 2021 it has operated with an elected mayor as chairman and decision-maker for some responsibilities. These include transport, housing and planning and finance powers. The responsibilities also include those of Police and Crime Commissioner, a role substantially delegated to an appointee deputy mayor. Elected mayor:
West Yorkshire Combined Authority Police and Crime Commissioner
The Police and Crime Commissioner for West YorkshireThis role has become one of the many responsibilities of the West Yorkshire elected mayor since May 2021.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority Fire Authority
West Yorkshire Fire AuthorityThe fire authority is made up of elected members of each of the five metropolitan district councils of West Yorkshire - Bradford, Calderdale, Leeds, Kirklees and Wakefield.
West Yorkshire Fire Authority Parliamentary constituencies
Listed are constituencies which include areas within 2 miles of the centre of Leeds.(New Leeds North West constituency no longer includes inner city — see Guiseley , Otley or Yeadon pages for details).
Leeds Central and Headingley
Elected MP:
Leeds North East
Elected MP:
Leeds East
Elected MP:
Leeds South
Elected MP:
Leeds South West and Morley
Elected MP:
Leeds West and Pudsey
Elected MP:
National government region
Yorkshire and the HumberCeremonial county
West YorkshireHistoric
Municipal borough 1836-1889County borough 1889-1974 (within the West Riding of Yorkshire)
City charter from 1893