First dates, Leeds
Date Ideas in Leeds: Arcades, Art and Canals
Eight places in Leeds for a first date that fits inside an hour, from a covered market to a canal towpath.
Wander Kirkgate Market and the covered arcades, spend an hour at Leeds Art Gallery and the Henry Moore Institute, then walk the canal from Granary Wharf. When it rains, add the Royal Armouries at Leeds Dock. None of it needs a table.
Nobody has ever fallen for someone over a bread basket. Leeds has covered streets for the rain, galleries that sit side by side and a canal wharf tucked under the station, so a first meeting can have a shape without having a reservation. This is the Leeds edition of our date ideas across the UK; the rules that never change are in the first date ideas guide.
Know the patch
Where in Leeds suits what
Choose the area for the mood, then the place.
- Briggate and the arcades
- Pedestrianised Briggate leads to the Victoria Quarter, where County Arcade and Cross Arcade were finished in 1904 and Queen Victoria Street sits under a stained glass canopy. The answer when the sky can’t decide.
- The waterfront
- Granary Wharf beside the station tunnels, then Leeds Dock along the River Aire. Made for walking and talking.
- Millennium Square
- An open square in the Civic Quarter that hosts a Christmas market and concerts. Leeds City Museum is in Cuthbert Brodrick’s old Mechanics’ Institute.
- Chapel Allerton
- An inner suburb about two miles out, with a pavement café culture. Better kept for the second date.
- Headingley
- About two miles north-west of the centre, with pubs, bars, shops and Headingley Stadium.
- Kirkstall
- Abbey ruins in a public park on the north bank of the Aire, north-west of the centre.
Eight ideas
First dates that fit inside an hour
Kirkgate Market
A Grade I listed covered market on Vicar Lane, with around 800 stalls by Wikipedia’s count. Wander, point, and find out what the other person would really buy.
Leeds Art Gallery and the Henry Moore Institute
Joined by a bridge on The Headrow. The gallery’s 20th-century British art was designated of national importance in 1997, and the council runs it on a give-what-you-can basis.
Royal Armouries
The national museum of arms and armour, at Leeds Dock. No entry fee, though its site invites you to book a ticket first. The museum suggests two to three hours, so choose one gallery and save the rest for a second date.
Granary Wharf and the canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal runs 127 miles to Liverpool. You only need the first stretch, beside the brick tunnels under the station.
The Corn Exchange
Brodrick’s oval, domed building of 1864, Grade I listed and now home to independent shops. Dry, handsome and easy to browse.
Hyde Park Picture House
A small cinema in Hyde Park that opened in 1914, and its own site mentions refurbishing all nine of its gas lights. A wet-evening choice with a natural ending.
Kirkstall Abbey
Cistercian ruins founded around 1152, painted by Turner. Quiet, atmospheric, and nobody expects a long goodbye.
Roundhay Park
More than 700 acres of parkland, lakes, woodland and gardens, including the Canal Gardens, where the canal dates from 1833. Room to walk without a destination.
After dark
Getting home from a Leeds date
Leeds has no tram or metro, and Wikipedia notes it is one of the larger cities in Europe with no light rail or rapid transit at all. Your ride home is a train, a bus or a licensed taxi, so settle which before you set off.
- Trains. Leeds station is the hub for Bradford, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Halifax, Harrogate, York and Sheffield. Last trains differ by line, so check yours.
- Buses. The main operators are First Leeds and Arriva Yorkshire, with West Yorkshire Metro coordinating, soon to become the Weaver Network. Its online planner shows the last bus on your route.
- Taxis. Leeds City Council says to use only a licensed taxi or a pre-booked private hire car and to check the driver’s badge. Licensed drivers won’t mind if you ring home and read out the vehicle number.
- On the street. Visit Leeds says street marshals cover the city centre most Friday and Saturday nights from 3pm to 3am, and it mentions a WalkSafe Leeds app.
Before you go
Meeting someone from Forget Dinner
Forget Dinner has members in Leeds and across Yorkshire, so you can meet in the middle or on home ground. Chat on the site first, choose a public place from the list above and tell a friend who you’re meeting and where. The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, a UK personal safety charity, also suggests checking in with them before, during and after.
Only your nearest town or city shows on your profile, so you decide when to say more. Keep the first meeting short: an hour in a gallery ends itself, and if it goes well there is always another hour. The safety page lists what the site does for members, and singles near you shows who is around.
Across the UK, around six in ten members are aged 35 to 54. Here is the full age mix.
Members in the UK by age, as shares of everyone listed.
Leeds date questions, answered
What can we do on a first date in Leeds that isn’t dinner?
Wander Kirkgate Market, look round Leeds Art Gallery and the Henry Moore Institute side by side, walk the canal from Granary Wharf, or visit the Royal Armouries, which has no entry fee. Each has a natural end point, so nobody is stuck. More ideas sit in our cheap date ideas guide.
Where can we go in Leeds when it rains?
Queen Victoria Street in the Victoria Quarter is covered by a stained glass canopy, the Corn Exchange is a Grade I listed shopping hall, and the galleries and the Royal Armouries are indoors. For the evening, Hyde Park Picture House is a small cinema that opened in 1914.
Is it easy to get home after a date in Leeds?
Leeds has no tram or metro, so it comes down to trains, buses and taxis. Leeds station serves towns across Yorkshire, and the Metro planner shows last buses. Use a licensed taxi or a pre-booked private hire car, and send a friend the vehicle number.
Can I meet someone from Forget Dinner in Leeds?
Yes, the site has members in Leeds and across Yorkshire. Talk on the site first, meet somewhere public and busy, and let a friend know your plans. Anyone who makes you uncomfortable can be blocked or reported, and the safety page lists the other tools.
Find someone to walk the canal with
Set up a profile, see who is nearby and suggest a first stop.
Say hello