The 10 Most Instagrammable Spots in Leeds

About the author: Hi! My name is Jarisse Nunez, a Business Management with Marketing student at the University of Leeds. I am an aspiring marketer who loves all things creative. Outside of my studies, I enjoy keeping memories in my scrapbook, staying active through yoga and going to concerts!

One of the most important factors for me when choosing my uni city was whether there would be plenty of sightseeing and aesthetic spots to visit. Fortunately, Leeds offers a city filled with culture and picturesque places.

If you love a good photo dump, you're in luck; below are some of my top 10 aesthetic spots in Leeds, perfect for your camera roll:

1. University of Leeds campus 🎓

I may be a little biased here (being a University of Leeds student myself), but the UoL campus is definitely one of the most aesthetic places in Leeds.

Founded in 1904, it still has many of its traditional buildings, including the Great Hall and the widely recognised Parkinson Building – where you can spot its clock tower from miles away! Over the years, the uni has developed new and modern architecture with buildings such as the Esther Simpson building and the Henry Bragg building.

My personal favourites are the Esther Simpson Building, for its modern and contemporary design, and the Brotherton Library (located inside the Parkinson Building) for its timeless interior – the perfect backdrop for your lock-in study sessions.

📍 Address: Woodhouse, Leeds, LS2 9JT

2. IF... 🥪

If you love your brunch spots, Leeds is the city for you. IF... in particular is popular for its breakfast and brunch – it’s always fully booked. Their Call Lane branch is their flagship spot, serving a variety of bites and drinks. From their fluffy pancakes to breakfast burritos, it’ll be worth waiting in line for and getting a few snaps for the 'Gram, even if it's not Pancake Day or after a big night out.

For more places to explore cuisine, check out some of the top cheap places to eat in Leeds.

📍 Address: 43 Call Lane, Leeds, LS1 7BT

3. Corn Exchange 🛍️

Definitely up top for being one of the favourite spots to visit in Leeds is the Corn Exchange. Known for its independent cafés, bookshops, and novelty shops, it’s truly a “living Leeds landmark”. If you’re in the city, you simply have to stop by and capture a shot. This is one of the most unique things to do in Leeds and is sure to elevate your shopping experience, whether you're after food, fashion, or flowers... A personal favourite is Chillchillcats for its eye-capturing art prints and posters!

📍 Address: Call Lane, Leeds, LS1 7BR

4. Sonder ☕️

One of my favourite cafés in Leeds is Sonder, which is known for its blend of Japanese and retro interiors, or ‘Japantro’ as they call it. Their unique interiors are also reflected in their drink selection, with many different coffee flavours to try (the Flow Brew mushroom Latte is particularly original). Even better, all drinks can be iced for hot summer days, and a large selection can be made vegan on request. If you want to try their pastries, you'd better be quick as they sell out fast!

📍 Address: 27-28, 20 Merrion St, Leeds, LS1 6PG

5. Green Room 🥂

Right in the heart of Leeds city centre (and only minutes from the train station) nestles Green Room – a cosy and inviting social space. It’s great for daytime drinks with friends at their Roof Terrace or live music in the evening on the basement floor; there’s something for every occasion here. Make sure to snap a pic of their glittering mirror balls and greenery dotted throughout the rooms.

📍 Address: 36 Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 2DE

6. Victoria Quarter ✨

If the shopping scene is what you're after, then look no further. The Victoria Quarter, in particular, has some impressive interiors, with it being one of the oldest parts of the city. With more designer and luxury stores to offer, it may be better for us students to stick to window shopping and capturing photos of its beautiful architecture.

Top tip: for the most Instagrammable Leeds photos here, remember to pay it a visit at Christmas!

📍 Address: Victoria Quarter Queen, Victoria Street, Leeds, LS1 6BE

7. Fluffy Fluffy 🥞

A favourite place for a sweet treat for my friends and me is Fluffy Fluffy, a dessert restaurant popular for its soufflé pancakes. Located in The Light, it offers a range of treats from breakfast to dinner, and its pancakes have a light, sweet, and airy texture, with many flavours to try. Fluffy Fluffy also has branches across the UK in major cities like Manchester, Cardiff, Newcastle, and Nottingham, so you may be able to pay it a visit at home too! Did I mention the 10% student discount?

📍 Address: 62 The Headrow, Leeds, LS1 8EQ

8. Light Night Leeds 🌃

Each year, the city hosts Light Night – the UK’s largest annual arts and light festival. Held for the past 20 years, Light Night is a two-night event offering captivating light shows and artworks all around the city. It's free to attend, making it great for the classic student budget and totally worth it for experiencing a bit of a different kind of evening. It's perfect for a date night in Leeds or just a friend's trip, so make sure to catch the event next October!

📍 Address: Leeds, LS1 8EQ

9. Vintage shops ⭐️

Love a good vintage find? Leeds offers a variety of trendy vintage stores, including favourites such as North South Vintage, Chinese Laundry, and COW. Each shop offers a unique selection of clothes with many recycled and reworked; you’ll easily be able to update your wardrobe whilst living in Leeds (whether that’s in Headingley or Hyde Park).

📍 Address: Across Leeds city centre

10. Leeds City Museum 🏛️

Last but not least, you have to visit the Leeds City Museum at least once! It's a great way to spend a relaxed Saturday or Sunday and may even bring out your cultural side. Entry’s free and they always offer fun exhibitions – there was a Miffy exhibition from last year to celebrate her 70th birthday!

📍Address: Millennium Square, Leeds, LS2 8BH

Want to know more about student life in Leeds? Check out my blog post on why Leeds is a student-friendly city, as well as UniHomes' Leeds city guide.

Find student accommodation in Leeds

You've filled your IG with pics of Leeds, but have you found next year's student house? Here at UniHomes, we work with letting agents across Leeds to bring you a wide range of student accommodation options in Leeds, from aesthetic 1-bed flats in the city centre to spacious 7-bedroom student homes closer to uni. All you have to do is use the filters at the top of each page to sort the results by price, location, and number of bedrooms, it's that easy.

Already found somewhere? Sort your bills with UniHomes' student utilities package – click here to get a quote today.

Our UniHomes Content Ambassadors are current students across the UK who share tips about student life in their city to help you make the most of your time at uni. If you're interested in writing for our programme, click here for more details.

The views and opinions expressed in these blogs are those of the UniHomes Content Ambassadors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of UniHomes. UniHomes accepts no liability for the content of these Student Blogs.