Leeds Student Guide | Discover Yorkshire's Beating Heart
Discover Leeds, home to our Briggate Studios residence, right in the city centre and consistently voted one of the best student cities in the UK.
Leeds has a habit of surprising people. Ask anyone who's studied here and they'll tell you it's the perfect mix – big enough to have everything you could want, small enough that you'll bump into a friend on Briggate every other day. Bold, buzzing, and full of history, yet unexpectedly cool and contemporary, it's easy to see why students keep choosing Leeds year after year.
Leeds is located in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. It's just over two hours from London by train, and Leeds Bradford Airport keeps the city well connected internationally.
Briggate & the City Centre
Right outside our door, Briggate is Leeds' main shopping street and the pulse of the city centre. Step into the historic Victorian arcades for a taste of old Leeds: Thornton's Arcade, built in 1878, is known for its iconic clock, County Arcade from 1898 is the most ornate of the three with luxury boutiques, and Queens Arcade is home to independent, niche retailers. For something more offbeat, the Corn Exchange, once a working 19th-century grain market, now houses quirky independent shops under a stunning domed roof.
Nightlife & the Otley Run
Leeds' nightlife has a reputation that precedes it. Call Lane is the go-to strip for bars and late-night dancing, while Hyde Park and Headingley are packed with proper student pubs. For something with more history, Whitlock's Ale House, tucked down a small alleyway, is the oldest pub in Leeds and well worth a visit. No mention of Leeds nightlife is complete without the Otley Run; the legendary pub crawl that's practically a rite of passage for every student who studies here.
Music
Leeds has music in its bones. The Brudenell Social Club is a beloved institution for gig-goers, hosting everyone from up-and-coming local acts to internationally known names in an intimate setting. First Direct Arena brings the big-ticket shows, and just outside the city, Bramham Park hosts Leeds Festival every August, one of the UK's biggest music festivals, and a firm fixture on the student calendar.
Museums & Culture
Leeds' museums are some of the best value days out in the city, most are completely free. The Royal Armouries at Leeds Dock is the world's finest collection of arms and armour, spread across five floors, the dramatic Hall of Steel staircase displaying around 2,500 objects. Leeds City Museum is another free favourite, home to fossils, a dodo skeleton, and a 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy. For a coffee with a view, the Tiled Hall Café inside Leeds Art Gallery sits in a beautifully restored Victorian reading room.
Food and Drink
Leeds punches well above its weight for food. Start the day at Northstar Coffee, a local favourite for a good breakfast bun and better coffee. Kirkgate Market, one of the largest indoor markets in Europe, is where to head for cheap eats and a proper slice of local life, the food stalls serve everything from Thai street food to Caribbean classics. Leeds is also home to some of the North's best curry houses, a legacy of its long-standing South Asian communities.
Getting Around
The city centre is compact and easy to explore on foot, but for something different, hop on the Leeds Water Taxi, running every 20 minutes between Leeds Dock, Granary Wharf, and the train station, it's a cheap, scenic way to see the city from the water.
Sport
Elland Road is home to Leeds United, one of English football's most passionately supported clubs. Headingley Stadium hosts both Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Leeds Rhinos rugby league, right next to each other. Leeds is famously hilly, making it a favourite training ground for runners and cyclists, and the Leeds 10K and Half Marathon draw thousands through the city each year.
An International City
With six universities and tens of thousands of students calling it home, Leeds has a genuinely international, multicultural feel. Between its markets, museums, and long-standing communities from South Asia, the Caribbean, and beyond, you're never far from a taste of home or a chance to try something new.
Why Students Love Leeds
Leeds has a way of becoming home faster than you expect. Between the arcades, the markets, the museums, and the people, you'll wonder how you ever pictured student life anywhere else.
