Harewood House from Leeds by bus, and what to see

Harewood House is a Grade I listed country house about nine miles north of Leeds, and you do not need a car to reach it. A direct bus from Leeds Bus Station drops you in the village, and Harewood knocks half off general entry if you show a valid bus ticket. Today, Friday 6 November, is also the day the house reopens with its Christmas experience.

Getting there without a car

Take the 36, run by the Harrogate Bus Company (Transdev) on the Ripon, Harrogate, Harewood and Leeds route. It is direct, so there is no change. In Leeds, Good Journey lists Stand 23 at Leeds Bus Station, but check the stand on the day. Coming off a train, the bus station is about 15 minutes' walk from Leeds station.

• Where to get off: the Harewood Arms, in the village. From the stop it is a 20-minute walk through the grounds to the house.
• Fare: Transdev says Harewood to Leeds costs £2.50 as both are in West Yorkshire, and fares are capped at £3 on its network.
• Journey time: Good Journey says about half an hour. Rome2rio estimates run longer, from around 36 minutes to an hour depending on where you start.
• Frequency: Harewood has described buses every 15 minutes in the daytime Monday to Saturday and every 30 minutes on Sunday. Those are older descriptions, so check the Transdev timetable before you go.
• Train and bus: Good Journey says a PlusBus Leeds or PlusBus Harrogate ticket adds a return bus to your rail ticket for £2 to £4.

Good Journey also mentions a free pick-up if you ring 0113 218 1010. Check that before relying on it.

The bus ticket discount

Harewood says visitors arriving by bus can show a valid bus ticket, paper or mobile, and get 50% off general entry. The ticket must be valid on the day. At the Christmas adult price of £24.50, half would be £12.25. Harewood does not say whether the offer covers the Christmas ticket, the Elf Village or the Christmas Market, so check before you travel.

Once you are through the main entrance, the driveway is roughly half a mile before the ticket barriers. A free volunteer-run mobility shuttle serves the estate, but it gives priority to people with mobility needs in busy periods and is not a general ride.

Tickets and opening

Christmas season online day tickets, which include a voluntary 10% donation:

• Adult (16+): £24.50
• Senior or student: £22.50
• Child (4 to 15): £10
• Under-4s are free, and members go free

Access+ tickets are £3 for people receiving certain benefits (terms apply). House entry is by time slot, every half hour, and the slot you book is when you go into the house. Gardens and grounds are open from 10am. Grounds, gardens and car park run 10am to 6pm, with last admission at 5pm. Harewood is closed on 25 and 26 December.

House closing times differ between Harewood's own pages, so check harewood.org before you set off. Prams and pushchairs have to be left in the Pram Park before the house, so take a sling or carrier for a baby.

Magic at the Mansion

The Christmas experience was created exclusively for Harewood by Studio McGuire, using digital projections and playful storytelling. Your Harrogate reports 16 projectors, 14 screens and 40 Christmas trees across the house and grounds. It runs from today until early January.

• In the State Bedroom, talking pillowcases chat about Harewood's royal history.
• The Library becomes an enchanted woodland.
• The route ends in the Servants' Hall.
• In the Yellow Drawing Room, the 12-foot tree carries 85 paper flowers made by a retired GP.

Children with a ticket get a Christmas gift. The house was shut while it was installed, and the gardens, grounds, shops and Courtyard Café stayed open.

Elf Village and other events

The Elf Village is on the North Lawn, opposite the house, built with Enchantica and YurtBar. Father Christmas Experience slots start on Saturday 5 December and run at weekends through December, plus 21 to 24 December. Harewood's booking page says the ticket includes entry to the house, gardens and grounds, and Harrogate News says it lasts almost two hours. The price was not given.

Also listed on Harewood's what's on page: a Snow Globe Trail, festive soap making on 5 December, reindeer willow weaving from 7 to 13 December, and Christmas Afternoon Tea from Friday 13 November. The Christmas Market with Little Bird Made runs today to Sunday 8 November, then 27 to 29 November, timed entry with independent traders and street food.

What to see in the house

Harewood was built between 1759 and 1771 for Edwin Lascelles. John Carr of York designed the main house, Robert Adam the interiors and wings, with Thomas Chippendale furniture and a landscape by Capability Brown. The family moved in in 1771, and Sir Charles Barry extended the house in the 1840s.

The Lascelles fortune came from West Indian plantations, and Historic England and Wikipedia both say so. Harewood has a section on that history in the house.

Visitors praise the Adam ceilings, the Gallery and the Music Room on the State Floor. Below Stairs has the kitchens and the Pastry Room. Two stairlifts give wheelchair users access to both levels.

The royal link is Princess Mary, who married Viscount Lascelles, later the 6th Earl, at Westminster Abbey on 28 February 1922. It was the first royal wedding featured in Vogue. She died at Harewood in 1965, and it is still the Lascelles family home.

The grounds

Harewood names the Italianate Terrace, Himalayan Garden, Lakeside Woodland Garden, West Garden and Walled Garden across more than 140 acres. A recent Tripadvisor review praises the terrace views. The Himalayan Garden, with rock pools, water rills, stepping stones and a stupa built with Bhutanese monks, is at its best from spring to early summer, so keep expectations modest in November.

The Courtyard Café is at the bottom of the hill with the bigger menu. The Terrace Café is smaller and serves cold food with hot and cold drinks. Reviews are mixed on queues and prices, and November hours were not given, so check first. Details of the bus offer are on Harewood's finding us page, and timetables are on the Transdev route 36 page.