currency
British pounds (£) = 100 pence

from the airport
Leeds Bradford International is nine miles northwest of Leeds.
The Metro number 757 runs between the airport and the city centre bus and train stations. The journey takes 25 minutes and the fare is £1.80. It runs every 30 minutes between 8am and 6pm Monday-Saturday and every hour on Sundays and off-peak.
The taxi journey into the city centre should take 25 minutes and cost £13. Take one of the licensed black and white taxis from outside the terminal building.

departure tax
None

getting around
Leeds is a compact city. It has traffic problems like any city of a similar size, but it's easy to get around on foot. In fact, the congestion makes walking a quicker option than taking a taxi. Many of the hotels are less than a ten-minute walk from the train station. This includes the Crowne Plaza, Hilton, Malmaison, Queens, Metropole, 42 The Calls and the Comfort Inn.
The bus service is good. Buses travel along special central lanes, avoiding the traffic.

area code
44 113

business hours
Banks 09.30-15.30 Mon-Fri (some open Sat morning)
Offices 09.00-17.00 Mon-Fri
Shops 09.00-17.30 Mon-Sat (some open 11.00-16.00 Sun)

public holidays
Jan 1, Apr 18, 20, 21, May 5, 26, Aug 25, Dec 24-26 (or approx.)

time zone
GMT

additional time zone details
From last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October GMT+1hr

local voltage
240V AC 50Hz

tipping
If there is no service charge added in restaurants, pay an additional 10%.
Pay 10% for taxi drivers and other services.

local press
The Yorkshire Post; the Evening Post and The Yorkshire Evening Post are three local newspapers.

shopping
Head for the magnificent shopping arcades in the Victorian Quarter, the self-dubbed "Knightsbridge of the North", it is a broad street roofed with a stained glass canopy and featuring mosaics on the pavement and upmarket shops to match. This is the location of Harvey Nichol's, with its three floors of designer clothes and ancy food to match. The arcade also houses Space NK, French Connection, Reiss, Hobbs and some independent boutiques. It is especially pretty when the Christmas decoration are up from mid-November.
The nearby Corn Exchange (Call Lane) has also got some upmarket boutiques on offer alongside shops catering for the student market, cafes and art exhibitions. 
Men who like designer gear will like Strand (153 Briggate), which is popular with local celebrities and Premiership football players because of its slick designer ranges including labels such as Dolce and Gabbana and Paul Smith.
Check out the range at the Kirkgate Indoor Market, featuring enormous wrought iron arcades. Stalls sell everything from clothes and shoes to CDs and second-hand bric-a-brac, all of it cheap and pretty poor quality. This is a great place to soak up the local atmosphere though, with plenty of old-fashioned 'greasy-spoon' cafes serving cholesterol-packed meals to locals. If you fancy lunch on the move head to the stalls round the edge and in the top-end of the market selling fresh bread, fruit, vegetables, and cooked chicken and sausages. For a bit of history, you could buy something from the Marks & Spencer shop near the Kirkgate Market where Michael Marks started the retail empire in 1884.
Granary Wharf, where the canal meets the river, is home to arts and craft shops, markets, entertainment and cafés. The approach is more impressive than the complex, as you cross a fast flowing river and look down on a series of imposing stone arches.

hotels
There is a good mix of accommodation in Leeds, from business hotels to some fairly central smaller hotels, town houses and guesthouses. Acknowledged as the city's top choice is 42 The Calls, a small deluxe designer hotel converted from an old grain mill on the canal, with public rooms and bedrooms featuring stripped oak beams. Also in the trendy boutique category is Malmaison at the other end of the quayside from The Calls, and Quebec's Town House, which is closer to the city centre on Quebec Street.
Radisson SAS (tel. 0113 236 6000) opened a 130-plus room hotel in a Grade II listed building as part of "The Light" entertainment and retail complex, in 2002. The hotel is close to the railway station and rooms have a contemporary feel with all the business mod cons.
There are plenty of other hotels to choose from near the railway station, including The Queens Hotel, which shares the station building and the Hilton just down the road.
A sound budget option is the Jurys Inn Leeds (Kendell St, Brewery Place, tel. 0113 282 8800).

hotels reviews:

Restaurants
The majority of the restaurants in the city are casual, but Bibis (Criterion Place, Sovereign Street, tel 243 0905) and Darbar (16 Kikgate, tel 246 0381), which serves excellent Indian and Tandoori curries, are good business venues.
A popular restaurant is the offering from 42 The Calls (42 The Calls, tel 244 0099), a converted grain mills overlooking the river. This restaurant is being challenged for the top-spot by developments in the quayside area. Livebait (tel 0113 244 4144) has planted one of its eateries on Wharf Street, serving up delicious fresh fish in trendy brickwork surroundings. Replacing the now closed Manrai as a celebrity hotspot is Sutra (75 Kirkgate, tel 0113 243 0200), which is co-owned by Premiership footballer Rio Ferdinand.
For something a little less flashy, but equally tasty, try heading to Briggate where there are a number of fun pizzerias, and cafes like Art's Cafe, which has a great selection of lunch platters for £4, and some interesting vegetarian options for the evening.
For a classic Leeds "fish and chips" try Bryans (Weetwood Lane, tel 278 5679), or Nash's Fish Restaurant (off Briggate, tel 245 7194).

Entertainment
There is a good range of theatrical and musical entertainment in Leeds. What's On is published every two months and lists the mainstream events. Tickets can be bought at the Tourist Information Office (The Arcade, tel 242 5342). One of the best venues is the Grand Theatre and Opera House (46 New Briggate, tel 222 6222), which is based on La Scala in Milan. The Town Hall (tel 0113 224 3801) is host to the city's International Concert Season, with orchestras visiting from all over the world. Leeds is starting to develop a reputation as an all-night city. The large student population has attracted a plethora of bars and pubs.
The Bank (Park Row) is a basement bar in the financial district. More lively spots include Life Cafe Bar (44 The Headrow, tel 0113 245 2575), which has three floors including a vast nightclub. It's popular for drinks after work thanks to the four-hour Happy Hour from 5pm. Another popular hangout is Arch 54 (Heaton's Court, Call Lane, tel 0113 213 4481), which has a sophisticated but laid-back vibe and serves excellent cocktails. If you've got stamina and aren't easily offended, an unusual nightclub-cum-cabaret venue called The Birdcage (52 Boar Lane, tel 0113 246 7275), is good for a unique night out.
A lively part of town is the Corn Exchange. Here you will find many bars, including Town House. In the railway arches between the Corn Exchange and the Quayside is Cafe Rouge (0113 245 1551) and The Pitcher and Piano (tel 0113 245 7271), which attract a crowd throughout the week. Oporto is also fun, with DJs on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until 2am. Just down the road is Aire Bar (32 The Calls, tel 0113 245 5500), which is open during the day and has a relaxed friendly crowd at night.

local attractions
Yorkshire's commercial capital, Leeds has undergone a radical transformation in recent years. While it retains the northern grit that is its character, the grime has been removed from the Victorian centre and a major clean-up has been the making of modern Leeds.
The City Art Gallery (The Headrow) has a large number of Henry Moore sculptures, but on the whole Leeds is not about museums and galleries. This is not to say that it is lacking in culture but the streets of the city, especially in the Victoria Quarter and around the Kirkgate Market, tend to provide a more interesting spectacle than many of the listed attractions. That said, the Tetley's Brewery Wharf has transformed the traditional brewery tour into an enjoyable day's entertainment.