Travel to Leeds

Flying to Leeds

Airlines operating domestic flights from other UK cities to Leeds include British Airways, Eastern Airways, Flybe and Jet2.com. Your best bet for finding cheap flights to Leeds is to book well in advance. There are no direct flights from the USA, but you can fly via Dublin or London Heathrow.

Flight times

From London - 1 hour; New York - 9 hours (including stopover); Los Angeles - 13 hours (including stopover); Toronto - 11 hours (including stopover); Sydney - 26 hours (including stopover).

Travel by road

Traffic in the UK drives on the left. The speed limits are 113kph (70mph) on motorways, 97kph (60mph) on single-lane main roads and 48kph (30mph) in built-up areas. Roads in the UK are well maintained.

Non-British national driving licences and International Driving Permits are valid in the UK for up to one year; drivers must be over 17 years. Insurance is mandatory. Overseas visitors bringing their own cars should carry registration documents and check with their insurance company as to whether a Green Card is needed.

Breakdown service, traffic updates and general motoring information are available from the AA (tel: +44 121 275 3746; www.theaa.com) and the RAC (tel: +44 844 891 3111; www.rac.co.uk).

Emergency breakdown services

AA (tel: 0800 887 766, in the UK); RAC (tel: 0800 828 282, in the UK).

Routes

Leeds offers excellent connections in all directions. The A1 and M1 link to the north and south, and the M62 to the east and west. The M621 runs within 1km of the city centre, providing easy access from Leeds to the M1 and the M62.

The city is well positioned for easy access to the towns of York and Hull in the east and Manchester and Liverpool in the west.

Coaches

National Express (tel: +44 871 781 8181; www.nationalexpress.com) operates regular coach services connecting Leeds with various destinations in the UK including Victoria Coach Station in London. The main coach station in Leeds is on York Street in the east of the city.

Time to city

From Manchester - 1 hour;Newcastle  - 2 hours; London  - 4 hours.

Travel by Rail

Services

Located on City Square in the south of the city and just a short walk to the city centre, Leeds Station has a range of shops and services. Leeds is well connected to the rest of the UK by rail.

Operators

Virgin Trains (https://www.virgintrains.co.uk) operates services to and from Leeds, including from London's Kings Cross, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Peterborough, Wakefield and Doncaster.

Transpennine Express (www.tpexpress.co.uk) offers services between Leeds and Liverpool, Manchester, Scarborough, Hull and Newcastle.

Journey times

From Manchester - 50 minutes; London - 2 hours 15 minutes; Birmingham - 2 hours; Edinburgh - 3 hours; Liverpool - 1 hour 25 minutes; Bradford - 20 minutes.