{"id":5289,"date":"2015-07-16T07:11:51","date_gmt":"2015-07-16T07:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelodgeblog.wpengine.com\/?p=5289"},"modified":"2023-03-28T12:48:18","modified_gmt":"2023-03-28T12:48:18","slug":"rugby-visitors-guide-leeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/destination-guides\/leeds\/rugby-visitors-guide-leeds\/","title":{"rendered":"Rugby visitors guide to Leeds"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Shopping

Victoria Quarter. Photo \u00a9 Hayley Walker<\/p><\/div>

Leeds prides itself on a number of things, but two of the best are food and drink.<\/p>\n

And the shopping\u2019s not far behind.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in this decent Northern town for the World Cup, here are the places you need to visit.<\/p>

FOOD<\/strong><\/p>\n

If there is one thing Leeds is doing well at the moment it has to be the food scene.<\/p>\n

Recently, there are more new eateries opening than you can actually get to each month.<\/p>\n

\"Indian

Indian street food. Photo \u00a9 Hayley Walker<\/p><\/div>

One of my favourite additions to Leeds is Bundobust on Mill Hill, a craft beer bar<\/span><\/a> that sells amazing vegetarian Indian street food. The dhal and rice is amazing and well worth a try, as are the okra fries.<\/p>\n

DAYS OUT<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re here for the rugby, you\u2019ll already be visiting Elland Road.<\/p>\n

As a kid I grew up just up the hill from the stadium and have fond memories of match days.<\/p>\n

Plus whenever I have been away it always feels so comforting to see Elland Road in the distance when travelling back to Leeds.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re booked into a Leeds Travelodge<\/span><\/a>, you\u2019ll be about 3 miles from the stadium.<\/p>\n

\"Ruins

Kirkstall Abbey. Photo \u00a9 Hayley Walker<\/p><\/div>

Apart from the rugby though, if the great northern weather is in a good mood and the sun is shining, Kirkstall Abbey<\/span><\/a> is the perfect backdrop for a picnic. The 12th<\/sup>-century monastery really is breath-taking.<\/p>\n

And if you come back next year in Spring\/Summer, they should still be running an outdoor cinema in the grounds, showing the likes of Grease<\/em>, Shaun of the Dead<\/em> and Alice in Wonderland<\/em>.<\/p>\n

You can get to the abbey from central Leeds on the 33 or 757 buses.<\/p>\n

DRINKS<\/strong><\/p>\n

If there is something Leeds has an abundance of its bars. There are new ones opening each week, especially in the newly regenerated Northern Quarter.<\/p>\n

Roxy Ballroom<\/span><\/a> has a relaxed vibe along with pool and ping pong – you can also turn this into a game of the classic American college game beer pong. And they have recently introduced mini golf to the menu.<\/p>\n

The Maven<\/span><\/a> is one of Leeds\u2019 best kept nightlife secrets. If you haven\u2019t been told where it is there is not much chance of you spotting it from the street when walking past.<\/p>\n

Tucked above a penny arcade near the Corn Exchange, the unadvertised bar is a gem of a find. When you know that it\u2019s based on speakeasies and Prohibition times, it becomes clear why it\u2019s harder to find.<\/p>\n

They offer some of the tastiest cocktails around, amazing masterclasses, a relaxed atmosphere and the staff are kitted out in outfits from the era – what more could you want?<\/p>\n

SHOPPING<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just south of Eastgate, the Victoria Quarter is home to not only beautiful Grade II-listed architecture, but also a host of designer shops<\/span><\/a> including Mulberry, Vivienne Westwood & Illamasqua.<\/p>\n

Even if you don\u2019t have the budget for a designer buy, it\u2019s always nice to pop in for some window shopping, drooling and a look at the gorgeous surroundings.<\/p>\n

\"Leeds

Corn Exchange. Photo \u00a9 Hayley Walker<\/p><\/div>

Another beautiful and historic building is the Corn Exchange<\/span><\/a>. Packed full of quirky shops, it\u2019s usually also got a fair or two happening.<\/p>\n

The Exchange is also surrounded by independent vintage shops like Blue Rinse<\/span><\/a>, plus the whole area has undergone some major regeneration recently to attract a lot more vendors.<\/p>\n

As you can see, you can easily fill up your\u00a0visit to Leeds with things to do. There’s really something for everyone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Where to eat and drink in Leeds, plus some top shopping tips from local blogger Hayley","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5290,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,1213],"tags":[1812],"class_list":["post-5289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destination-guides","category-leeds","tag-archived"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5289\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelodge.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}