The charming northern county of West Yorkshire promises vibrant cities, industrial heritage towns and pretty Pennine villages in equal doses. There’s no shortage of things to do in West Yorkshire. Drop into cosmopolitan Leeds for museums and galleries and elegant shopping centres, feel the wind in your hair on Pennine trails and cycle ways, visit Bradford for Victorian industrial heritage and grand city parks, or pack a copy of Wuthering Heights and head to Haworth to explore Brontë-country villages and vales in this inspiring literary county. With so many places to visit in West Yorkshire, you’ll soon be planning your return trip.
Places to visit in West Yorkshire
24 hours in Leeds
Featured
Victorian warehouses and shiny 21st-century architecture collide to awesome effect in this gritty Yorkshire city.
See the light at the end of the tunnel
Standedge Tunnel, in the heart of the Pennine countryside, is the longest canal tunnel in Britain.
Location: Marsden, Yorkshire
Walk in the footsteps of the famous Brontë sisters
Visit the Bronte Parsonage Museum and explore the beautiful home and surroundings that inspired classic Brontë novels.
Location: Haworth, West Yorkshire
July events: Holmfirth Art Week
Over 400 artists combine art, music, comedy, theatre and literature for the UK's largest open art exhibition.
Location: Holmfirth, West Yorkshire
Explore an ecological paradise at Marsden Moor
Walk, cycle or climb your way across this rugged wild landscape steeped in history that has inspired people since prehistoric times.
Location: Marsden, West Yorkshire
Make yourself at home at Harewood House
This 18th century home is filled with fine art and surrounded by gardens and parkland that is home to many animals including flamingos and penguins.
Location: Harewood, West Yorkshire
Get Active in Chevin Forest Park
Get outdoors and blow those cobwebs away in some beautiful Yorkshire countryside.
Location: Leeds, Yorkshire
Herald the coming of spring with a real old English knees-up
Marsden welcomes the cuckoo back to rural West Yorkshire with traditional English dancing, music and sunshine at the Marsden Cuckoo Festival in April.
Location: Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Learn about lively Huddersfield on a walking trail
Immerse yourself in this creative town, rich in culture, stories, international food and heritage. Grab a free walking trail and off you go!
Location: Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Experience life as a Victorian Mill Worker
Be transported back to the 1800s and experience Bradford when it was the ‘Wool Capital of the World’.
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
Enjoy being pampered in your own moorland lodge retreat
Indulge in a full range of spa treatments in the comfort of your own luxury Scandinavian lodge before setting off to explore the English countryside.
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
Enjoy an afternoon tea in the house the Brontës loved
Enjoy a luxurious afternoon tea at the historic house the Brontës knew and loved, then take a tour of the real-life setting for Wuthering Heights.
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
Cookery and butchery courses at Coddy's Farm
Boost your culinary skills with seasonal cookery and butchery courses at Coddy's Farm, in Holmfirth. Great accommodation, great views, great food.
Location: Holmfirth, Yorkshire
Discover a romantic paradise in the Peaks and Pennines
From long walks to lazy lunches, the Fleece Inn at Holme is the perfect base for your romantic break in the Yorkshire countryside.
Location: Holmfirth, West Yorkshire
Treat yourself to the ultimate spa break in the Pennines
Stay in deluxe serviced apartments and treat yourself from head to toe with heat, ice and mud experiences at Titanic Spa.
Location: Marsden, West Yorkshire
Relive the Industrial Revolution
Mills, canals, tunnels and follies in steep-sided valleys and rolling hills tell the tale of Calderdale’s key role in the Industrial Revolution.
Location: Calderdale, West Yorkshire
Discover a different Yorkshire on the river
Discover a new world with Shire Cruisers - steering a beautifully fitted narrow boat with everything you need, past ever-changing Pennine scenery.
Location: Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire