If you’re wondering what to do in Wakefield, then you’ve come to the right place. The city has a fair few strings to its bow. It’s the birthplace of two of Britain’s most celebrated sculptors, Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, it has a rich industrial heritage and is the home of the National Coal Mining Museum, but most notably of all, it’s the capital city of the Rhubarb Triangle. Whichever one of our Wakefield hotels you stay at, there are all kinds of great days out for you to choose from in this fascinating city of West Yorkshire. Our local guide is here to give you the lowdown on some of its top activities, entertainment options, places to eat, and nightlife hotspots.
Things to do in Wakefield
Entertainment
What Wakefield’s entertainment scene lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in quality. In the heart of the city, you’ll find a Frank Matcham theatre that’s perfect for seeing a show. Sports are covered with Wakefield Trinity, and there’s some excellent live music venues worth checking out, too.
Places to eat
Banging burgers, a rodizio grill, top-class curry houses, and lip-smackingly good tapas all feature in our roundup of restaurants and cafés in Wakefield. Plus, we’ve paired some of the city’s top attractions and activities with nearby eateries so you can combine a great day out with excellent eating.
Nightlife
Join us on a mini bar crawl of Wakefield city centre as we string together some of the most popular drinking dens that are right on our doorstep. Whether it’s craft beers or cocktails you’re craving, there’s a bar in Wakefield with your name on it. On top of that, we’ve picked out some excellent pubs from the surrounding area, too.
Shopping
While people tend to make their way to Leeds for serious shopping sprees, Wakefield’s retail options are better than you might expect. Trinity Walk is the city’s main shopping centre, with over 60 stores, including Topshop, JD Sports, H&M and Debenhams.
Alternatively, you can make your way to The Ridings Shopping Centre. It’s where you’ll find Wakefield’s Boots, M&S, TK Maxx, and the Wakefield Trinity superstore. While, slap bang in the middle of the two shopping centres, you can also pay a visit to the Wakefield Open Market, which sets up its stalls on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Getting Around
The closest airport to Wakefield is Leeds Bradford International Airport, which is located just 22 miles from the centre. Car journeys take around 30 minutes, with train services offering regular connections between the two cities. To make your journey even easier, you can book into our Leeds / Bradford Airport hotel to get a good night’s rest before or after you travel.
Wakefield Westgate is the main railway station, on the western edge of the city centre. It’s located 10 miles south of Leeds, with six trains running to the city per hour. Services run half-hourly to London and take a little over two hours. CrossCountry trains connect Wakefield with the rest of the UK.
Wakefield Kirkgate is the other main railway station, on the southeastern edge of the city centre. Unlike Westgate, it’s unstaffed. The station is managed by Northern Rail, with services running to Leeds, Castleford, Huddersfield, Barnsley, Lincoln, Sheffield and Nottingham. Several Grand Central services also run to London King’s Cross each day.
If you want to catch a taxi, Ace Taxis Wakefield is the most popular provider in the city. In terms of buses, you’ll find Wakefield Bus Station on Union Street, nearby Trinity Walk.
Shopping in Wakefield
