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Kirkgate market is the largest covered market in Europe. This shopper’s paradise offers residents and visitors with an array of high-end stalls selling high quality national foods from Polish to Asian, fashion items, jewellery, hardware and much more. The building itself is one of the city’s most iconic and valued, developed with unique architecture and packed full of history. Its prime location in the city centre enables easy access and an ideal day out particularly when specialised events are being held.

Providing more cultural entertainment is the Leeds Museum. Four floors of exhibitions and displays including the history and development of Leeds city, as well as ancient history ranging from the Egyptian mummy’s to the Roman statues. The theatre in Leeds also presents an enlightening experience of opera, ballet, musicals and concerts that can be enjoyed by many.

For the livelier of interests Leeds is very commonly known for holding its well known annual festival where artists such as the Arctic Monkeys and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers have performed. This particular event is extremely popular with the younger generation and has been enjoyed for many years. Campers can relish the outdoor experience by pitching a tent on one of the many sites, whereas the more reserved can purchase a caravan permit or accommodate themselves in one of the nearby hotels.

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Sport fans could enjoy watching the local rugby team Leeds Rhinos at the newly named Headingley Carnegie Stadium. After recently being renewed with funding from Leeds University, the capacity now stands at 22,000 and enables an overwhelming atmosphere. It is also the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club which adjoins the rugby stadium through the shared main stand.

Nightlife in Leeds is often described as the leading city outside London that defies the most discerning clubber not to find something which suits their taste. From themed bars to cosy pubs and nightclubs, there’s something to suit everybody. The ‘Otley run’ is a popular choice with students, a famous bar crawl most commonly carried out in fancy dress, guaranteed to leave you with your whistle well and truly whetted. Leeds also offers a wide variety of restaurants for the fine diners and a large supply of takeaways for the ‘carb cravers’ at the end of a night out.

This fast developing city has plenty to offer the budding socialite, avid learner and keen sports enthusiast. A trip to Leeds will fail to disappoint the most diverse of interests.

This guest post was written by Alexandra on behalf of Skypark who provide Leeds Bradford Airport Parking.

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Walking Tours

If you’ve just landed in Barcelona and you’re looking for a way to get acclimated, a walking tour could be the perfect way to get your bearings. Several companies in Barcelona offer free walking tours. The catch? You’re supposed to leave them a tip; however, the amount of the tip is entirely up to you. Try Travel Bound Barcelona Free Walking Tours, Barcelona Free Tours, or Runner Bean Tours. 

Museums

Many museums in Barcelona charge a nominal fee to enter, but some of these museums waive their entrance fees during certain times of the month. If you’re a fan of Picasso, the Museo Picasso offers free admission on the first Sunday of every month, and after 3 PM every Sunday. Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya also has free admission on the first Sunday of the month. The Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona has free admission on Wednesdays. 

Food

In many cities and towns in Spain, it’s customary to get a free tapa with your drink. In a pricey city like Barcelona, though, you’ll usually have to pay for your tapas most places. Fortunately, the city also has plenty of places where you can go to get complimentary tapas with your drinks on certain days. On Sundays, get a complimentary buffet with your drink purchase at Bar No Sé. On Tuesdays, check out Sesamo for free tapas tastings. For cheap tapas any day of the week, Txapela is the place to go. This cozy tavern offers a wide variety of freshly prepared tapas, all under two euros a piece. 

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Accommodation

A great way to really immerse yourself into the new culture is to eat with the locals. Find out what it is they eat daily and at least sample it. With so many different foods to try in Barcelona you’d assume it would be really expensive to try them all but some foods require a lot of home-based cooking to really taste like the traditional dishes so for example, there are plenty of places you can enjoy a Catalonian meal in the area, but why not consider renting an accommodation in Barcelona and making your own dishes in your temporary kitchen! Rented accommodation can work out much more cost effective if you’re planning to stay for more than a couple of days and you save loads by cooking your own meals.

Barcelona’s Great Outdoors

Parc Guell is a fascinating, gorgeous park that Gaudí left unfinished. It’s filled with Gaudí’s signature interesting architecture, as well as beautiful fountains, statues, and a museum. While the museum on the park’s site charges a small fee to enter, the rest of the park is free. Another free, beautiful place to escape the city is Barcelona’s Botanical Gardens. The gardens offer a variety of plants, flowers, and trees for visitors to enjoy, as well as an excellent view of the city. Nearby Montjuïc Magic Fountains offer another great view of the city, as well as the beautiful fountains that change shapes against the backdrop of the Palau Nacional.

Markets and Shops

Las Ramblas is Barcelona’s most famous street. This pedestrian street is filled with street performers, locals, and visitors from around the world, with shops, hotels, nightlife, and restaurants lining its sides. You can wander past La Boqueria, an open-air market offering produce, meats, and flowers, as well as restaurants serving food and drinks. It’s free to browse the market, but food and drinks are relatively cheap. Also check out the Port Vell Antique Fair. It’s free to look, but there are plenty of cheap bargains to be found.

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Palace of Versailles is also an important symbol of the Great French Revolution, when in 1789 the nobility was expelled from there to Paris, and executed by the guillotine.

Beautiful castle is admired mainly for its unique architecture and large surrounding gardens, which are really amazing. Many rulers in other European countries later attempted to imitate the construction of their residences just according to this French chateau; for example, Viennese palace Schönbrun.

During an excursion in the Château de Versailles you definitely do not miss the spectacular tour of the royal apartments and beautifully decorated chapel. The complex has really got a lot of rooms, wings and associated buildings, so if you want to see everything it takes you almost all day.

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Very interesting is a unique Hall of Mirrors, but you should visit also the Museum of History, which shows you all the important events that are associated with this place. I have to say that they are terribly much.

In the gardens you can find many fountains and statues. The best time to visit the gardens is in the summer during the summer musical and water festival Les Grandes Eaux Musicales, when the fountains are turned on and chamber music bands play in the gardens.

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The Pantheon is the resting place of Italian kings – Vittorio Emanuele II. and Umberto I. The Pantheon is marked as ingenious construction. In the middle of the dome of the Pantheon there is a giant circular opening through – thanks to its unique architecture – never rains inside the building. This opening serves as a sundial, and every noon sun shines on the front door of Pantheon.

Pantheon has, from architectural point of view, really very interesting ceiling. Elements of this architecture appear in the Vatican museums, and also in the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

On the building facade you can see the same inscription as had the original building from 27BC: “M•AGRIPPA•L•F•COS•TERTIVM•FECIT” which means “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, Consul for the third time, built this”. Pantheon has survived for centuries until today, and now it is the best preserved Roman building, plus permanent used.

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