The Corn Exchange: Leeds' favourite boutique shopping centre

Like Sheffield, Leeds has been transformed in recent years from a depressed northern town to one of the fastest growing cities in England.

Home to the Royal Armories, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Opera North, Kirkstall Abbey and Elland Road Stadium, Leeds is best tackled with plenty of cash and a pair of ear plugs.

With two universities, Leeds is undoubtedly a student city. From trendy bars to ornate Victorian pubs and packed clubs, the nightlife is never dull - don't expect to stumble home before dawn.

Although often overshadowed by Sheffield and Manchester, the live music scene here is thriving, with the most recent offerings to the world being the Kaiser Chiefs and Corinne Bailey Rae. Every year some 60,000 people descend on the city for the Leeds Festival which draws big-name acts from around the globe.

Leeds is a treasure trove for shoppers, from the beautifully pedestrianized Briggate to the Corn Exchange - a plethora of funky jewelry, clothes and gift stores. Nearby Kirkgate - the largest market in the north of England - is where Michael Marks first set up a stall in 1884, the humble origins of retail giant Marks and Spencer.

Out of the city, Haworth is worth a visit if only to see the birthplace of the Bronte sisters and the brooding setting for Wuthering Heights.