After the Big Day and before the start of the New Year, take a Betwixmas break in Leeds, the city that knows how to put on a show for visitors, especially during the festive season.

It’s the perfect time to visit – the Yorkshire city is still sparkling against a theatrical backdrop of iconic architecture, spectacular shows, stand out shopping and first-class food and drink but without the time pressure of Christmas shopping and parties so visitors can spend time taking it all in.

Leeds also benefits from being a snowball’s throw away from the legendary Yorkshire countryside, with dales and moors than 30mins from the city and easily accessible by road or rail, making it a city break with added opportunities for festive walks and rural exploration.

There’s still plenty going on in the city after Christmas. For example:

• The Night Before NHS Christmas, Thackray Museum of Medicine, until 5 January. Healthcare workers from across the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, have contributed their own candid and poignant memories of festive shifts gone by for a re-imagined version: ‘The Night Before NHS Christmas’. Their stories of working in the NHS at Christmas feature in a striking series of beautiful installations by paper artist and illustrator Andy Singleton and are imaginatively be brought to life each weekend in heartwarming performances by specialist family theatre company, Wrongsemble.
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Leeds Playhouse: Until 25 January 2025
• A Christmas Carol, Northern Ballet; until 4 January 2025
• Mischief at the Mansion by Studio McGuire, the Georgian majesty of Harewood House is transformed through an immersive experience that includes singing baubles and whispering statues; until 5 January 2025
• Northern Lights , a bespoke multi-sensory installation created by professional lighting designers at Jacobean estate, Temple Newsam; until 31 December