A Short Break in Leeds with Holidays by National Express

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At the start of July, we spent the weekend in Leeds and had such a lovely time. We booked through Holidays by National Express who offer fantastic value short breaks around the UK. We decided to visit Leeds.

Holidays by National Express - The Booking Process 

Holidays by National Express are a super convenient way to book short breaks and holidays in the UK. You simply pick your destination, select a hotel from the list, add an optional attraction and then pick your travel times. The costs are made available at every step of the way so you can choose whether to save money by staying in a budget hotel or splash out on somewhere a bit fancier. We booked a family short break in Leeds which is available from around £112 (depending on dates, hotel chosen and travel times) for 2 adults and 2 children in July. This price includes return coach travel from Newcastle to Leeds and overnight accommodation for 4. There's also the option to add attraction tickets or a meal at a restaurant onto your booking for an additional cost.

You can find out more about Holidays by National Express and check their latest prices here

I honestly love the concept of these breaks as it takes the stress of driving/finding parking in a city centre away from you yet still gives you the freedom to explore and enjoy your break on your own terms without being part of an organised coach tour. There are loads of destinations to choose from too, including:

• Blackpool Illuminations & Pleasure Beach 
• Brighton 
• Cardiff 
• London with Attractions 
• Notting Hill Carnival 
• Warwick Castle 
• Birmingham and Cadbury World 
• Alton Towers 
• York and York Dungeons 
• Edinburgh Break with Gory Stories 
• .....and loads more 

I like that you aren't restricted by travel dates like you are with traditional coach tours. If you'd like to start planning a break or would like to get an idea of costs, simply follow this link and then click 'explore holidays' and start building your trip.

Travelling with National Express - Our Experience

I will be honest, I have a love-hate relationship with coach travel. I've travelled with a few different companies and had some lovely experiences over the years but I've also experienced some not so good experiences too. I still regularly book coach trips though, as it's often the cheapest option and it's convenient too.

After trying National Express at the weekend, I can hand on heart say they are the most comfortable coaches I've ever travelled on. Their leather seats are much more comfortable than any other coach seats I've sat on, there is plenty of leg room, our coaches were air-conditioned and all had plug sockets too (one socket between two). We didn't pre-book our seats but all managed to sit together - if you're travelling as part of a group you can pre-book for a small fee.

You're allowed to bring food and drink onboard (no alcohol) and we enjoyed a few pain au chocolats and orange juice on our morning journey. I also like that the luggage allowance is pretty generous - you can take one piece of hand luggage and 2 medium cases per person. Folding buggys and pushchairs can be carried free of charge too.

There's free WiFi on board and you can download the Vuer app to stream movies and documentaries or play games. Jack watched Jurrasic World through the app and Steve watched Spiderman without any issues. Remember to bring your headphones.

You'll find a spacious toilet on board (well as spacious as you can get on a coach) - I'd recommend sitting near the front of the bus if you don't wish to be disturbed by other passengers making use of the facilities.

Finally, you can take your own booster seats or car seats (you need to contact National Express first to check if they will fit) and apparently there are booster seats on most coaches for passengers to use free of charge. I wasn't made aware of this during our trip and I only found out during my research for this post so I can't comment on that service. Children aged 0-2 can travel free of charge on an adult's lap (one free child per adult booking).

Newcastle to Leeds takes between 2-3 hours depending on the bus route you choose and it felt like we were there in no time. You can use mobile tickets so you don't need to print anything off.

Where to Visit in Leeds with Kids 

I've visited Leeds 4-5 times in the past but it's always been as part of a training course with work in a hotel conference room or a weekend away with the girls/hen party so I've only really seen the inside of the bars and hotels. During my trip planning, a few people mentioned there wasn't much to do for kids in Leeds but I didn't find that to be the case at all. We had a blast and I'm already planning a return trip to see the Christmas Markets. Just as an FYI, Harry stayed at home during this trip as he already had other plans so it was myself and Steve, Heidi (10) and Jack (8). We arrived in Leeds Coach Station at 11:30am on Saturday and left at 3:45pm on Sunday. Here's a little peek at what we got up to:

Roundhay Park 

Roundhay Park was at the top of my list when visiting Leeds. Just 3 miles out of the city centre, there is loads to do here and we wanted to make the most of a bright and sunny day. We took the #12 bus from New Briggate (which is an easy 5-minute walk from the main coach station) to Roundhay Park. Ask the driver to let you know where the Tropical World stop is (or track using Google Maps on your phone) as Roundhay Park is huge and this is the best stop to get off at. Our bus ticket was £6 for up to 5 people travelling on the service all day.

Roundhay Park is beautiful and really did not disappoint. There are a couple of lovely looking cafes and bistros which look like a step up from your average park cafe but we decided to take a picnic and enjoy overlooking the lake where we fed the ducks and swans afterwards. There is loads of green space for ball games, sports pitches, an outdoor gym, a couple of playgrounds, a mini train (£2 pp return), pretty gardens and walks and an ice cream van too. We loved it and could have easily spent a full day here. I'd definitely recommend a trip - especially as it's free to visit. Find out more:  https://www.roundhaypark.org.uk/

Tropical World 

Tropical World is just across the road from Roundhay Park and pretty reasonable at £7 per adult and £3.50 per child. You can come and go as you please all day with your ticket and I'd advise visiting a couple of sections at a time on a hot day as it is hot, hot, hot in there. There's an adjoining rose garden and water garden which is lovely to walk around or take a seat in the fresh air.

We really enjoyed Tropical World - there are a fair few sections with butterflies, reptiles, meerkats, frogs, tropical birds, bats, arachnids and more. My favourite part was watching the bats enjoy their lunch. Incredible to watch them all flying around in anticipation. Find out more:  https://tropicalworld.leeds.gov.uk/

Shopping 

A few people have mentioned that Leeds was a great city for shopping but I didn't realise just how good it was. There are lots of pretty arcades, a couple of high streets packed with shops and indoor and outdoor markets too. I loved it and if you're visiting with a tween or teen who loves to shop, they'll be in their element here.

Leeds Water Taxis 

Leeds Water Taxi is a bit of a gem! This little boat will take you from Granary Wharf (just outside of the Hilton Hotel) along to Leeds Dock (by the Royal Armouries) for just £1 per person (under 5s are free). The trip takes around 10 minutes and you'll pass under bridges along the canal which little ones will love. The drivers are super canny and provide lots of tips about where to visit in Leeds or grab lunch/a coffee and will give you a little map of Leeds Dock too. Our little trip on Leeds Water Taxis was a weekend highlight and I still can't believe it was only £1. Find out more: https://twitter.com/LeedsWaterTaxis

The Royal Armouries 

I was a little unsure about visiting The Royal Armouries - we're not particularly interested in the military but the fact that it's free to visit, is rated as the #1 attraction in Leeds by Tripadvisor and was recommended to us by lots of people made me think it was worth a visit and I am so pleased we did. I honestly think it's one of the best museums I've ever visited. Everything is spotless, in very good condition and working order and there's a really good mix of exhibitions and displays and hands-on fun for the kids.

We loved the varied exhibitions on display which included Oriental weapons, modern self-defence (and the role of the police), hunting and weapons of war. It sounds pretty boring as I type this out but I promise it's not. There's lots of hands-on fun to keep the kids interested including the opportunity for them to test their strength and aim with a bow and arrow, digital quizzes, a chance experience what it's like wearing a military helmet and plenty of objects for them to pick up and touch. There are hourly demonstrations too and we managed to catch a sword-fighting demo which was good. There are also objects from Lord of the Rings and famous weapons from movies on the top floor. The gift shop is brilliant too and we spotted a few items which would make wonderful unique gifts. Find out more:  https://royalarmouries.org/

Ask Italian Restaurant 

When you book your Holidays by National Express break, there's an option to add attraction tickets or meals onto your package. We decided to add a meal at Ask Italian as their children's menu looked fantastic and I knew Heidi and Jack would love it. Ask is located just a 5 minute walk from the coach station and a late lunch here was the perfect way to end our break. With restaurant bookings, you pre-book and pre-pay online as an optional extra during the booking process. It will let you know what's included for each restaurant on booking but for us, it was a three-course meal from a select menu and a drink each. I really liked having this treat to look forward to and knowing that I didn't have to budget it into our spending money.

Ask was lovely and I'd definitely recommend visiting with children. Highlights for the kids were their funny face pizzas and chocolate and strawberry pizzas for dessert and for us it had to be the arancini, cheese fondue and chocolate orange tart - all delicious. Find out more:  https://www.askitalian.co.uk/restaurant/leeds/

Other options in Leeds include Roxy Lanes Bowling, Leeds Climbing Wall, Thackray Medical Museum, Leeds City Museum, The Rainbow Factory and Meanwood Valley Urban Farm. Yorkshire Tots has put together a fantastic list of things to do in Leeds with kids here.

Novotel Leeds Review 

When you book a Holidays by National Express break, there are usually a few different hotels to choose from. We picked Novotel for its city centre location and were really happy with our choice. There were a couple of hen parties staying here and they were noisy in the bar area but we didn't hear a peep from them in our room. It was lovely checking in and the receptionist reminding us that everything had been pre-paid so there was nothing to do other than hand us our keys. Here's why we'd recommend Novotel Leeds to families with children:

• Central location (just a short stroll from the canal, water taxi, city centre and McDonalds)
• Huge TVs in the bedroom and free WiFi
• High-quality breakfast served until 11am on weekends
• Children were given complimentary cuddly toys, earphones and an activity pack at check-in
• There's a children's area in the bar with a few toys and a really good value children's menu in Soap Factory restaurant (£5 for three courses and a drink) 
• Complimentary late check-out (up to 5pm) for families with children over the weekend (subject to availability) 
• We all had a wonderful night's sleep 

Our room only had a shower (no bath), there's no hotel pool and some of the breakfast items weren't refilled quickly enough so lots of people were hanging around waiting for more eggs/bread etc... Nothing major and this wouldn't put us off recommending or booking again but it's something you should know about. Find out more: https://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-3270-novotel-leeds-centre/index.shtml


We had a lovely time in Leeds. Booking through Holidays by National Express was completely hassle-free and it was such an easy way to book a staycation. As we travelled by bus rather than a car, our carbon footprint was lower too and the break provided really good value. I honestly think I'd struggle to book the same quality of hotel + travel any cheaper elsewhere.

You can find out more about Holidays by National Express here. Let me know if you fancy it. 

Disclosure - National Express commissioned this post. They have had no editorial control and we decided where to visit/covered our own expenses during our trip.